Improvements in Fire-places.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application. 23rd Apr., 1897-Accepted. 29th May, 1897
Improvements in Fire-places.
I, ARTHUR HABERSHON of Ferham Villa, Rotherham in the County of York
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
My invention has for its object to provide in connection with fire places, an
arrangement by means of which fresh fuel can be fed to beneath the burning mass
of fuel in the fire-place without the use of unsightly parts, and by simple means,
which are easily made and fitted and readily operated, and not liable to readily
get out of order. My invention also has for its object to combine with such an
arrangement means whereby the fuel space of the fire-place can be reduced when
required, and whereby the grate can be used for slow or quick combustion as.
desired.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,.
Figure 1 of which represents in transverse section a kitchen range provided with
an arrangement according to my invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the parts.
constituting the arrangement according to my invention. Figure 3 is also a
transverse section but with the parts in positions different from those shewn in
Figure 1.
Although I have shewn the arrangement as applied to a kitchen range it may
of course be applied to any other description of fire-place.
According to my invention I make the fuel-bearing surface of the fire-place in
two portious either of which can be brought into position beneath the fire-place
by either a sliding, or swinging, movement. The front portion, marked A in the
drawings, has beneath it a depending plate, (or it may be a grating) B, and
rearward of it the second portion C, of the fuel-bearing surface. The front.
portion A, of the fuel-bearing surface is hinged, or pivotted, or equivalently
mounted, at its forward end at a, and its rearward end is provided with a rod, rack,
or other device, such as d, by the resting of which on the part e, the part A, is
kept in position when raised.
9 is a catch shewn in front view in Figure 14. It is mounted on a pin at 9.
This catch by engaging with the hole g in the side cheek of the ash-pit holds the
parts in the position shewn in Figure 1, but when a poker or bar is inserted
between the projections g' this catch 9 can be released and the fuel-bearing
surface be brought forward as shewn in Figure 3.
On releasing the device d the front portion A of the fuel-bearing surface can
be.lowered. This can conveniently be done by means of a poker, or bar, inserted
into an opening provided for the purpose in any convenient part of the moveable
portion, for example as at f. The said front portion A, of the fuel-bearing
surface, when lowered, forms the bottom, or one side, of a receptacle of which the
aforesaid depending plate, or grating, B, forms another side the ends being formed
by end-plates shewn as being made in one with the frame y, supporting the
moveable parts, although the ends may be formed by stationary cheeks if preferred.
When fresh fuel is to be charged into the fire-place the device described is swung,
or drawn, forward, so that the front portion A, of the fuel-bearing surface projects
and the rear portion C of the fuel-bearing surface comes beneath the fire-space to

page_text: support the fuel therein, the said fuel-bearing portion C being prevented by a
projection thereon from passing beyond the lower rail of the front bars. This
movement is preferably effected by mounting the parts so that they turn on a
centre. In the drawing the centre on which the parts turn is constituted by the
pins g², mounted in bearings at 3. The front portion A of the fuel-bearing
surface is then turned into its lowered position, as shewn in Figure 3 which
turning is conveniently effected by inserting a poker, or bar, into the opening 2,
(see Figure 2) and slightly raising the part A, so that the rod d, leaves the
support e, and the part A, can then be lowered. Fuel is then introduced into the
receptacle thus formed. The device is then swung back, (or slidden back, if it be
made to slide instead of swing,) when the rear portion C, of the fuel-bearing
surface retreats and the receptacle containing the fresh fuel comes beneath the
fire place, the frame, or other convenient part, then resting against the back of the
ash-pit, or against stops provided for the purpose and being kept in position by
the catch g. By then turning up the front fuel-bearing surface A, (which can be
effected by a poker or bar inserted into the opening f), the charge of fuel
therein is forced up into the fire space beneath the burning fuel therein the said
front portion being retained in place by the aforesaid rod d resting upon the
support e.
Although I have described the front portion of the fuel bearing surface as being
hinged, pivotted, or mounted, so as to be moveable downwards from its front edge,
it may be arranged so as to be moveable from its back edge, or from one of its sides;
for instance, it may be made moveable from its back edge, so as to form, when turned
down, the rear side of the receptacle, the depending plate, or grating, being in a position
to form the forward side. If it be made moveable from one of its sides it may replace
one of the side-cheeks, and there will be a plate, or plates, or grating, or gratings,
arranged so as to form the other portions of the receptacle.
If the parts be arranged to be moved forward and backward by a sliding motion
the sides will be mounted between, or on, guides but the movement as explained
with regard to the drawings is preferred.
9,
The part C, may be stationary relatively to the other moving parts, or I may
make it moveable so that it affords a means for contracting the fuel space when
required. This arrangement of the part C is shewn in the drawings, the said part C
being hinged at its rear by pins c, turning in bearings in the frame and resting
upon projections c². When the parts are in the position shewn in Figure 3 the
part C can be raised by a poker, or bar, from the position shewn in full lines to
that shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3, so as to contract the fuel space,
projections as at being provided for the frame g to rest against when the part C
is raised to its highest position.
The preponderence of weight of the parts when in the position Figure 3 being
on the forward side of the centre 92, will generally be sufficient to keep the part C
in position by causing its front edge to bear against the front inward edges of the
grate, but this may be made more certain by a fixed bar, or rest, and a rack
pivotted to the part C, to rest on the said bar, or rest, and support the part C; or
by forming recesses at the back of the front of the grate, as shewn at i, to assist in
retaining the part C in its raised position. The surfaces which support the fuel
may be made as simple plates, or as gratings.
For example either the part A or the part C may be made solid or unperforated
so that when it supports the fuel the fire-place is a slow combustion fire-place
whilst the other part (C or A as the case may be) may be a grating or a perforated
plate so that when that supports the fuel the fire place is a quick combustion fire-
place. By the use of two such surfaces one of which is perforated and the other
unperforated and which are carried by a frame mounted upon centres the grate can
be arranged for quick or slow combustion as required with or without the
arrangement for feeding in the fuel, and with or without the arrangement for
contracting the fire-space.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In combination with a fire-place; a fuel-supporting surface and fuel receptacle-
mounted on centres, or in, or on, guides, so that they can be swung, or slidden,.
forward and backward, the front portion of the said surface being centered so that
it can be turned down to open the receptacle for the reception of fuel and
afterwards be turned up upon its centre for forcing the fuel from the receptacle-
into the fire space and the rear portion of the said surface acting as a support for
the fuel when the parts are in their forward position; substantially as hereinbefore.
described.
2. In combination with an arrangement such as is claimed by the preceding
claiming clause; a rear portion of the fuel bearing surface which is mounted so
that when brought forward to support the fuel in the fire-place it can be raised to.
contract the fire-space; substantially as herein before described.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts in connection with a fire-place.
substantially as, and for the purposes, herein before described and as illustrated in.
the accompanying drawings.
4. In combination with a fire-place a duplex fuel-supporting surface mounted on
centres, so that it can be swung forward and backward upon the said centres one
portion of the said surface being solid or unperforated and the other portion of the
said surface being formed as a grating or perforated so that the grate can be used.
for either slow or quick combustion, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents..