IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF ELECTRICITY FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th April 1878. A communication
from abroad by Joseph Weatherby Bartlett, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR IGNITING
AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF ELECTRICITY FOR OTHER PURPOSES." [A com-
munication from abroad by Joseph Weatherby Bartlett, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America.]
i
This Invention relates to improved apparatus for igniting and extinguishing gas
by the use of electricity, and is designed. to provide means whereby any number of
burners may be lighted or extinguished by one operation, at the gas works or at
any other convenient and suitable place within the electrical circuit.
$
The operations of "turning on" and "turning off" are in some instances effected
automatically by employing a clock, which in connection with suitable devices may
be arranged to make and break the contact at proper times; or these operations
may be performed by hand by means of any ordinary device provided for the
purpose.
The said Invention also comprises apparatus specially designed for use with single
gas burners, and by means of which the gas is ignited by making and breaking the
electrical circuit and thus producing a spark or sparks in the act of turning the cock
or tap of the burner.
It also comprises novel and improved means for supporting the conducting wires
for electrical currents upon lamp posts by providing attachments which may be
readily affixed to any ordinary lamp post.
The said Invention further comprises an instrument or apparatus to be attached
to a lamp post, or in any convenient place within the circuit, for facilitating commu-
nication with police.or other stations, or the like.
"
:

page_text: In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide in connection with a gas
burner two horizontal platforms, one above the other, for carrying the electrical gas-
lighting apparatus; an electro-magnet is vertically secured to the lower platform at
one side of the gas pipe; an armature is arranged at the upper end of the said magnet
and carried by a horizontal lever hung on a fulcrum on the gas pipe; a post fixed to
the upper platform is in electrical communication with the earth; this post has a point
near the burner slit, and at this point in the operation of the apparatus the electrical
current is broken by the movement of a circuit breaker, which has its point in
contact with the point of the said post when the said circuit breaker is at rest; this
circuit breaker is fastened to a vertical rod which passes freely through an insulated
hole in the upper platform, and also through an insulated hole of the armature lever;
at its lower end it turns on an insulated centre of the lower platform; a wire
connects the said rod with one pole of the magnet; a spring pawl is suspended from
the armature lever, and engages with a ratchet wheel fixed to the spindle of the gas
cock this pawl is so hung that it can swing sidewise or across the said ratchet
wheel as the armature lever moves, and thus adjust itself to the movement of the
lever which carries it without relaxing its bearing or hold upon the ratchet
teeth:
Two cams are fixed on and insulated from the gas-cock spindle; these cams are
of similar shape, and on each cam bears a separate vertical spring finger, both fingers
being secured to a common insulated block of the lower platform; the said cam
fingers are placed between a common pair of vertical spring fingers which are fixed
to the aforesaid insulated block, and one spring finger of the pair is by a wire
connected with the pole of the magnet opposite to that with which the circuit
breaker is connected.
One of the fingers is in two separate parts, both of which are connected by separate
wires to the vertical spring cam fingers of the next burner, and of these wires one
is the turning-on wire, and the other the shutting-off wire. These two wires lead
from the electric battery, and one wire connects with one vertical cam finger, and
the other wire with the other vertical cam finger. The said spindle cams are of
such shape that when the finger of one cam is against the spring finger, the finger
of the other cam will be against one part of the divided and separated spring finger,
and vice versa, and thus in and by the rotation of the said cams the electrical
current is thrown into and out of the electrical conducting wires of the appa-
ratus.
The said armature under the action of the electrical current alternately moves
toward and away from the magnet, and as the circuit breaker passes through it the
said circuit breaker is operated and made to alternately break and establish the
circuit at the burner slit, a spark being ignited each time the circuit is broken as
aforesaid.
The backward and forward movements of the armature operate the ratchet wheel,
and thus the gas is turned on and off.
A screw works through the upper platform in the proper direction for the arma-
ture lever to abut against it as the armature moves toward the magnet. By
adjusting this screw the length of the movement of the armature and of the circuit
breaker may be regulated.
A pusher rod works through the lower platform for operating the armature lever
if the magnet should fail to act.
One of such apparatus will be attached to each burner within the circuit and will
be suitably connected with the main wire. By means of this apparatns all the
burners within the circuit, and which have the said apparatus attached thereto, may
be ignited or extinguished either by closing the circuit at any one desired point by
hand, or automatically by employing a clock to make and break the circuit as
aforesaid.
I modify the above-described apparatus as follows, that is to say:-An upright
metallic arm is fixed to the side of the burner and terminates in a metallic point

page_text: which is preferably made of platinum, and is placed in close proximity to the orifice
in the burner from which the gas issues. This arm is insulated from the burner by
means of washers of any suitable insulating material, one of which is placed between
the arm and the head of a screw which secures the arm to the burner, and another
is placed between the arm and the burner. Or instead of this device any other may
be used which will effect the insulation of the arm.
That part of the burner to which the arm is attached may be made of some insu-
lating substance, or may be of metal, and a section of the burner below the arm may
be made of suitable insulating substance.
Instead of the said metallic arm I may use any device which will afford a metallic
point in proximity to the orifice in the burner from which the gas issues, and
attached to the burner and insulated therefrom.
Sur-
An ordinary electro-magnet is supported upon a platform attached to the burner,
or arranged in any other suitable manner. The armature of this electro-magnet is
attached to an arm pivoted to the said platform, or to any other suitable support.
When the said armature is attached by the electro-magnet the upper end of the
said arm in moving will pass the metallic point of the aforesaid fixed arm.
rounding the upper end of the said movable arm is a spiral spring, one end of which
is attached to the said arm while the other end extends out horizontally from the
same, and when the said arm passes the fixed arm makes and breaks contact with
the metallic point on the said fixed arm. The object of this device is to afford a
yielding and elastic circuit closer on the movable arm for the purpose of increasing
the size of the contact spark. A spring is attached to the said movable arm for the
purpose of retracting it when the attraction of the magnet ceases, or this retracting
of the arm may be effected by its weight. Another spring provided to prevent
the withdrawal of the arm too far from the magnet.
A ratchet wheel, preferably with eight teeth, is attached to the gas-cock, and a
suitable pawl is attached to the said moveable arm; this pawl at each vibration of
the said arm engages with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel and turns the gas-
cock one-eighth, or other fraction of a rotation. The number of these teeth should
be a multiple of four if the gas-cock is single or double wayed, and in all cases there
must be twice as many teeth in the ratchet wheel as there are ways in the gas-
cock.
A spring may be attached to the pawl for the purpose of ensuring its engagement
with the teeth of the ratchet wheel; a flat strip of metal is connected by a wire to
one pole of the electro-magnet, and at one end is attached to a block of hard
india-rubber or other suitable insulating material upon the platform, or otherwise
suitably insulated from the burner. The other end of this strip rests upon the top
of the armature; when the armature is attracted so that the horizontal extension of
the aforesaid spiral spring is in contact with the metallic point on the fixed arm it
breaks contact with the armature. A wire connects this strip to the insulated fixed
arm; an insulated wire is connected with one pole of the electro-magnet, the other
pole being connected to the earth through the burner by either the said strip or the
moveable arm according to the position of said arm. The object of the aforesaid
strip is to establish a circuit through the moveable and fixed arms when the arma-
ture is attached and the ends of these arms are in contact. Attached to the fixed
arm is a metallic arm so placed that when the horizontal extension of the spring on
the moveable arm escapes from the metallic point, on the further movement of the
said movable arm, this extension will make contact with the arm attached to the
fixed arm.
In constructing my improved apparatus for lighting single gas burners by means
of electricity, I so arrange the said apparatus that by operating the cock by hand
the circuit is made and broken again in the act of turning on the gas at the burner;
a spark or sparks will be thereby produced, and as the gas escapes at the top of the
burner it is lighted.
To the spindle of the gas-cock I attach a ratchet wheel, and I provide a device
To one of these
consisting of a double lever working loosely upon a pin or screw.

page_text: lever arms I attach a chain or chord, by means of which it is operated, and to the
other end of the arm is attached a piece of thin wire wound spirally around the
said arm.
One end of this wire projects from the arm, and when the device is
operated comes in contact with and passes another wire, which is fixed close to the
aperture in the top of the burner, and as the one wire springs past the other the
spark is produced and ignites the gas then issuing from the burner. Upon the said
device is a pawl, which drops into the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and as the lever
is pulled down the spindle of the gas-cock is opened or closed. A spring is attached
to the said device to cause it to return to its position, when the said chain or cord
is released. In its return movement the pawl rides over the ratchet wheel, and
does not operate the same, but is ready to operate it when the chain is again pulled
forward, that is to say, when the gas is to be again lighted or extinguished. The
wire placed near the tip of the burner is insulated. Instead of the ratchet wheel
the said lever may be attached rigidly to the spindle of the gas-cock, in which case
a movable piece will be attached to the said lever, which when the latter is pulled
forward to ignite the gas will catch upon a pin provided for it and hold the cock in
its open position until it is desired to extinguish the gas; then in pulling the lever
a little further forward the said piece will be released, and the lever will be carried
back by means of a spring, when the cock will be closed and the gas extinguished.
In cases where the burner can be conveniently reached by hand no chain or
spring or spring will be required, as the movable wire to make the circuit by coming
in contact with the wire fixed near the tip of the burner may be attached to and
move with the gas-cock spindle.
I provide means whereby the series of lamps may be automatically lighted or
extinguished from any desired point in the circuit, also for the automatic main-
tenance of one or more other circuits during the time that the lamps are being
lighted or continue lighted. For this purpose I employ a shaft rotated by any
suitable power, a wheel on the said shaft having on it a series of pins or projections.
An escapement when in its normal position prevents the rotation of this wheel and
shaft, but when moved allows one pin to escape and the shaft to make a partial
rotation.
An electro-magnet included in the circuit from the lamps when energized moves
the escapement. This apparatus also comprises a device which automatically breaks
the circuit through the electro-magnet when the armature of said magnet is
attracted; a series of cams arranged side by side on the shaft to act during
different parts of the rotation of said shaft, and a series of circuit breaking and
closing devices, each operated by a different cam of the series; one of these devices
breaks and closes the connection with one pole of the battery and the extinguishing
wire; a second breaks and closes connection with the same pole of the battery and
the electro-magnet; a third breaks and closes connection with the other pole of the
battery and the electro-magnet; and a fourth breaks and closes connection with the
same pole of the battery as the first, second, & third circuit breaking and closing
devices. The result of this arrangement is that after the lighting or extinguishing
of the series of lamps in the circuit the connections with the battery are auto-
matically established, so that the series of lamps in the circuit can be automatically
extinguished or lighted by merely making a ground connection at any desired point
in the circuit.
I also combine with the said rotating shaft one or more cams and circuit breaking
and closing devices operated thereby, and one or more circuits established or
interrupted by the said devices. These circuits are closed during the time the lamps
are being lighted, and continue lighted, and include suitable electro-magnetic appa-
ratus for recording the time during which the lamps continue lighted, and for indi-
cating the continuity of the circuit.
I also combine, with the key which establishes the ground, connection whereby
the lighting or extinguishing is effected from any desired point an audible or other
signal, which acts if the lighting or extinguishing circuit is uninterrupted.

page_text: This apparatus affords convenient means for connecting any of the lamp posts
with a distant place, such as a police station or the like.
In some instances I secure one metallic electrode around the tip or tube of the
gas burner, the point of the second electrode being located opposite to one end of
the slot in the said tip; or I may use a non-conducting burner tip and place one of
the electrodes within the groove of the said tip.
In carrying into practice the part of my Invention relating to the support of the
conducting wires on the lamp posts, I provide a fraine made of four corner rods
which have an upper convergence, and are held together by a surrounding sleeve or
tube, which completes the upper portion of the said frame. The said sleeve or tube,
at or near its upper end, is adapted by studs for the reception and insulation of
wires suitable for the conduction of electrical wires.
The frame above described is firmly secured in any suitable manner to the lamp
post, and thence it passes upward to and above the lantern frame. Instead of con-
structing the said frame of four rods I may use two rods interlocked with the ends
of arms projecting laterally from the lamp posts, and which interlock, fasten, and
stiffen the said frame. The said rods also may be interlocked or fastened to the
lantern frame.
The automatic lifting apparatus herein-before described may be advantageously
used in buildings as a burglar alarm. The wires may be adjusted to a door, window,
safe, or elsewhere, so that in the event of any attempts to tamper with a door or
any other object with which the wires are connected the gas will be instantaneously
lighted all over the building.
It is to be understood that the lighting devices herein-before described must be
suitably connected with the line or main wire or wires, and that any suitable
battery or batteries may be employed.