IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING LIGHT FROM GASES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Copcutt, of 26, Kirby Street, Hatton Garden,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING LIGHT FROM GASES."
Sealed the 19th April 1859, and dated the 14th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Copcutt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th February 1859.
I, JAMES CORCUTT, of 26, Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING LIGHT FROM GASES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in obtaining light from gases.
In obtaining what is called the oxyhydrogen light, by directing a jet of ignited
gas on to lime or a prepared material, I have found that a better effect is
obtained by employing the gases at a far greater pressure than the apparatus
now employed will admit of. In producing the light I therefore employ far
greater pressure than heretofore, and to contain the gases I use two vessels
such as have before been employed for storing gas for illumination, and
capable of sustaining great pressure. Into these vessels I cause the gases to
be forced by pumps or otherwise, the oxygen into one vessel and the hydrogen
into another, and both by preference at a pressure of several atmospheres. I
connect each of such vessels to the same tube leading to the burner, which F
prefer to be only very slightly inclined towards the lime or material used; and
in order to regulate the supply from the two vessels to the jet or burner; E
prefer to employ a cock to each vessel, consisting of a screw plug entering a
suitable chamber. The under surface of the plug is concave, so that whe

page_text: screwed down on the bottom of the chamber (into which the passage from the
gas vessel enters) the flow of gas from the vessel may be stopped. The
passage which leads to the jet pipe or burner enters the chamber at right
angles a little above the bottom; when the plug is slightly raised gas will flow
from the gas vessel. In order that the lime or prepared material, against
which the flame of the ignited gases strikes, may progressively rotate,
and present constantly fresh surfaces to the jet, I give motion to the lower
disc or cup on which it rests by suitable maintaining power, and I employ an
upper disc or cup (to press on the upper surface of the lime or prepared
material) in such manner that this plate may rotate freely with such material,
and descend or ascend with it, the axis of the upper disc or cup being mounted
on a bar, which is arranged to slide freely through guides.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Copcutt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1859.
, 'TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COPCUTT, of 26, Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Copcutt, Her special licence that I, the said James
Copcutt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Copcutt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING LIGHT FROM GASES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Copcutt, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said, James Copcutt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in obtaining light from gases.
In obtaining what is called the oxyhydrogen light, by directing a jet of ignited
gas on to lime or a prepared material, I have found that a better effect
is obtained by employing the gases at a far greater pressure than the apparatus
now employed will admit of. In producing the light I therefore employ fär
greater pressure than heretofore; and to contain the gases I use two vessels
such as have before been employed for storing gas for illumination, and capable
of sustaining great pressure. Into these vessels cause the gases to be forced
by pumps or otherwise, the oxygen into one vessel and the hydrogen into
another, and both by preference at a pressure of several atmospheres. I
connect each of such vessels to the same tube leading to the burner, which I
prefer to be only very slightly inclined towards the lime or material used..
And in order to regulate the supply from the two vessels to the jet or burner,.
I prefer to employ a cock to each vessel, consisting of a screw plug entering a.
suitable chamber; the under surface of the plug is concave, so that when.
screwed down on the bottom of the chamber (into which the passage from the
gas vessel enters) the flow of gas from the vessel may be stopped. The
passage which leads to the jet pipe or burner enters the chamber at right.
angles a little above the bottom; when the plug is slightly raised gas will flow.
from the gas vessel. In order that the lime or prepared material, against
which the flame of the ignited gases strikes, may progressively rotate and.
present constantly fresh surfaces to the jet, I give motion to the lower disc or:
cup in which it rests by suitable maintaining power; and I employ an upper
dise or cup (to press on the upper surface of the lime or prepared material)
in such manner that this plate may rotate freely with such material, and.
descend or ascend with it, the axis of the upper disc or cup being mounted on
a bar, which is arranged to slide freely through guides.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and,
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed
The Drawing shows a section of an apparatus suitable for carrying out my.
Invention; a is the upper part of the vessel for containing oxygen, and 6 the
upper part of the vessel for containing hydrogen. These vessels are made

page_text: capable of sustaining great pressure,' and the gases are forced into them by
pumps or otherwise, at a pressure of by preference several atmospheres. I
prefer to employ vessels of considerable capacity, so that the pressure may not
rapidly vary; to the top of the vessel a is connected a pipe a', which leads to
the small chamber c; from this chamber a pipe 6' also passes to the top of the
vessel b, and to the upper part of the chamber c is connected a pipe c', the end
of which pipe is of a suitable form, to direct a jet of the combined gases on to
the lime or prepared material d; and it is preferred that the upper end of this
pipe should only incline slightly towards the lime or other material.
In order to regulate the supply of gas from the two vessels a and b,
I employ a cock on the top of cach vessel; each cock consists of a screw plug
e, the under surface of which is concave; this plug enters a suitable chaniber
from the bottom of which there is a passage into the vessel, and when
the screw is screwed down on to the bottom of the chamber, the flow of gas
from the vessel is stopped. From the chamber into which the screw plug
enters, and at right angles to the passage leading from the vessel, there
is another passage which leads to the chamber c, so that when the screw plug
e is slightly raised, the gas will flow from the vessel to the burner. In order
that the lime or prepared material may progressively rotate, and present
constantly fresh surfaces to the jet of gases, I give a slow rotatory motion, by
clockwork or otherwise, to the axis f, on the top of which is the disc or cup
f, in which the lower end of the lime or other material rests; on the axis f
there is a screw thread, which works in a female screw in the projection c³ on
the pipe c', so that the lime or other material is caused slowly to rise at the
same time that it is caused to rotate; the upper end of the lime or other
material is pressed upon by the disc or cup g, which is connected to the end of
an axis g'; the end of this axis turns on the pin h, which screws through the
bar i; this bar works between guides supported from the projections c', c²,
from the pipe c; against the upper guide the end of a spiral spring k presses;
the other end of this spring presses upon a pin on the bar i, so that the cup g
is constantly pressed down on to the top of the lime or other material, and the
disc or cup g is also capable of rotating on the axis g¹.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Copcutt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES COPCUTT. (L.S.)