IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP LAMPS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MEYER, of No. 126, Piccadilly, Wax Chandler and Oil Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present. most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of October, in the second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Meyer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Henry Meyer, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Meyer, my exors, admňors, or. assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP LAMPS;" partly communicated to me from a certain foreigner residing
abroad, and partly of my own Invention; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Henry Meyer, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of the, said Invention, and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Henry Meyer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: and, secondly, to a mode of regulating the wick; and in order to give the best
information in my power, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents the section of so much of a table lamp as will enable
me fully to describe the Invention. a, a, is the pedestal and pillar of the
lamp, the lower part acting as a reservoir to contain oil; and I prefer it to be
of a cylindrical figure on the inside in order to allow of a piston 6 to move
freely up and down. The piston 6 is formed of two plates which are affixed
by soldering or otherwise to the tube c; between the two plates which form
the piston is placed a circular sheet or disc of leather or other suitable
material, the edges of which are turned downwards, as is shewn at d, d, there
being a space all round the plates 6 of the piston and the inside of the oil
reservoir a, consequently when the piston is being raised any oil which may be
above the piston will flow down below the piston, and when the piston is
pressed downwards the rim or circular edges d, d, will be forced outwards and
prevent the oil passing upwards; it will therefore find vent in another direction
as hereafter explained. e, e, is a cylinder or tube affixed to the upper part
of the piston b; the object of this cylinder or tube e, e, is to keep the spring i
in its place, though this is not absolutely necessary. The tube c slides within
another tube f. affixed in the stem or pillar of the lamp, and it is by the tube f
that the oil is conveyed to the burner, as will readily be understood on
examining the Drawings; and it will be seen that there is a stuffing box at g
in order to render the junction of the tubes c and f fluid tight, yet allow of the
tube c sliding freely in the tube f. At the lower part of the tube c the
diameter is reduced so as closely to embrace the rod h.
with the contracted opening into the tube c, by their peculiar construction and
combination serve to regulate the flow of the oil to the burner. The rod-h is
screwed through the bottom of the oil chamber a, there being a washer of
leather or other suitable material to make the joint fluid tight, as is shown
in the Drawing; by this arrangement the rod can be readily removed and
cleansed in the event of the oil duct, or passage becoming clogged or
obstructed. Around the rod h is a groove from the top to the bottom, passing
in a spiral direction, and the size of the groove is smallest at the upper part,
This rod, together

page_text: I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to a lamp similarly constructed to that shown at Figure 1, but having
a different arrangement of regulation. Figure 2 shows a section of a lämp
constructed according to this part of my Invention; m is a regulator, and
consists of a small tube, up which the oil is driven in order to supply the wick
by the descent of the piston; and n is a portion of fine wire cloth, which pre-
vents any impurities being driven up to interfere with the free passage of the
oil. The length of this tube may be varied, and in comparison with its inner
diameter will more or less diminish the speed at which the oil will be caused
to flow; a longer small or capilliary tube retarding the flow in proportion to its
length than a shorter tube of a like diameter; and it should be remarked
that the length should be such that at the commencement of the descent of
the piston the quantity of oil supplied shall be greater than required or that
will be consumed; consequently, the extra quantity will therefore fall on to
the upper surface of the piston and aid the spring to press it down. It will
be seen that the parts are put together conveniently for unscrewing, to allow
of cleaning the capilliary tube if necessary. Figure 2 also shows the third
part of my Invention. n is the outer tube of the burner; o, the wick holder ;
and p is the inner tube, having the spiral groove formed in it heretofore used,
but in former lamps this spiral groove was a fixture, and the wick holder was
caused to rise by being revolved; but according to this part of my Invention I
apply a toothed wheel to the tube p, and by means of pinion q and handle I
cause the tube q to turn, and there being a vertical groove formed in the tube
n, into which a projecting stud on the wick holder enters, the revolution of the
tube P
will cause the wick holder to rise vertically and without turning round;
and I would only remark, in respect of this part of my Invention, that this
mode of raising the wick may be used to argand burners when other modes
of supplying oil thereto are employed than those above described.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would remark that
I am aware that various arrangements of lamps have before been made or
proposed to be made, having pistons, springs, and tubes in many respects
similar to those above described, and some of them have been 'secured by
Patent, and such lamps have had various means of regulating the flow of oil
to the burners, such regulators being contained in the tube up which the oil
flows, and cylindrical and tapering rods have before been used or recommended
to be used in the tubes of table lamps up which the oil flows to the burners,
in such manner that when the pistons are raised to their highest position the
rods occupy the largest quantity of space in such tubes, and consequently by
the friction of the narrow surface the oil is retarded, and as the pistons descend

page_text: gradually encreasing in dimensions as the groove proceeds downwards,. the
object of which is that as the spring i which presses down the piston gradually
decreases in elastic force, it is compensated for by a gradually increasing
opening for the passage of the oil; for it will be evident that as the pro-
gressively increasing size of the groove comes to. the lower part of the. tube c,
the opening for the flow or passage of the oil will gradually encrease, and
hence the same quantity of oil may be forced up in a given. time by a
decreasing power, and which is well known will be the result of the progressive
expansion of the spring. It will be evident that as the piston descends the
tube c will be drawn out of the tube f, and the tube c will progressively
contain more: and more of the rod. h, till the piston arrives at the end of its
stroke downwards, at which time nearly the whole of the rod. h will be
contained in the tube c, consequently the rod h progressively occupies an
increasing space as the piston descends; at the same time, owing to the
continually increasing size of the groove formed in the rod h, the duct
or opening through which the oil is caused to flow will progressively increase,
and it will evidently depend on the dimensions of such groove what quantity of
oil will be forced up to the burner in a given time, and the maker may adjust
that quantity according to the object he is desirous of obtaining. I would
here remark that although I prefer that the groove should pass spirally around
the rod, as it offers a greater capability of adjustment owing to the extended
length of groove which is thereby obtained in a given length of rod, yet it will
be evident that a similar result may be obtained by having a straight groove in
the rod, or the groove may be wholly dispensed with by having the rod taper-
ing, the larger diameter being at the top and gradually decreasing to the
bottom. My Invention does not therefore depend on the mode of forming the
surface of the rod h, but in its being fixed to the lower part of the oil vessel or
reservoir a, and in such manner that in the descent of the piston the tube
through the piston will progressively contain more and more of the rod and
bave more space occupied thereby, and yet at the same time cause the opening
or duct into the tube c to encrease in dimensions; j is a rod affixed to the
piston; k, a short chain affixed to the upper part of the rod j,. the other end
of the chain being affixed to the barrel l, which is mounted on a suitable
axis having bearings at the upper part of the lamp, one end of the axis being
squared to receive a key, or it may have a knob permanently affixed thereto,
by which the piston may be wound up to its highest position, and being wound
up allow the oil which is poured into the pillar from above to flow. below the
piston; and it will be seen that the overflow oil from the burner will flow.
down again above the piston.

page_text: such regulating rods progressively occupy decreasing spaces in the tubes. I do
not therefore make any claim to such parts or their combination when uncom-
bined according to the improvements as herein described, and such parts may
be varied, so long as the character of my Invention be retained. But what
I claim as the improvements secured by the present Letters Patent is, the
mode of applying the rod h at the lower part of the oil vessel or reservoir a,.
and in such manner that in the descent of the piston the rod h is progressively
received more and more into the tube up which the oil flows, and therefore
occupies an increasing space therein, and at the same time causing the
dimensions of the duct or oilway into such tube to be progressively encreased
as above described.,
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying the small tube in combination with
the piston, as herein described.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of raising and regulating the wick, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Meyer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.