CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVE GRATES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sheringham, of No. 24, Edwardes
Square, Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "CERMAIN THEDBANDS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sheringham
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th January 1853.
I, JOHN SHERINGHAM, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVE GRATES" to be as
follows:-
The nature of this Invention, and the principle of construction which
forms the basis thereof, consists in certain new mechanical arrange-
ments of parts whereby a blower the position of which in front of the
fire can be so altered as not only to be the means of increasing or
lessening the draft of the chimney, but can be lowered at pleasure
beneath the front of the fire so as to form a screen before the ashes
under the grate, and also can be elevated in front of the fire so as to
form a protection against accidental fire from the burning coals or

page_text: other combustibles being projected into the room. To which may be
added, if desired, a further detached screen, or the additional screen
may be connected to the grate as a door or as folding doors, with aper-
tures in either of such screens for the supply of air for combustion,
with the ordinary means by which such apertures may be entirely
closed. By either of which additional screens, in combination with the
blower, the whole of the fire may be so closed in front as to form a
close stove, and so the fire may be at pleasure gradually extinguished,
or a slow combustion of the fuel in the grate sustained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1, exhibits a front elevation of a stove grate with some of my
improvements attached thereto. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, is the same stove shewing the blower hereafter referred to
drawn up, as also another mode of arranging and disposing the coun-
terbalance weights connected thereto. Fig. 4, is a top plan view of
some of the principal parts drawn to an enlarged scale. Figs. 5, 6, 7,
are detached picces hereafter referred to. At each of the foregoing
Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding
parts. A, A, marks a skeleton frame formed with snugs or projec-
tions (as shewn at Fig. 5,) to which cords or chains B, B, are fastened
and pass over pullies C, D, and to the other and opposite end of each
of the cords or chains B, B, a counterbalance weight E, is attached,
and slides upon a bar of iron F, and the cords or chains B, B, are con-
cealed by a metal beading a, fixed to the siles of the stoves; at Fig. 1,
the beading a, is only shown on one side of the stove; or the chains or
cords B, B, may be arranged as exhibited at Fig. 3, in which case the
sides of the stove grate are formed like pannels, and the stile thereof
marked G, serves as a case to conceal the pullies C, D, and weights E,
which are situate at each side of the stove. H, marks a blower, which
is connected to the frame A, A, by hooks b, b, and thumb screw c, as
at Figs. 6, and 7. I, a hole for raising or lowering the blower, which
may be done by inserting a poker therein or other similar means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Sheringham in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 8th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN SHERINGHAM, of No. 24, Edwardes Square, Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Sheringham, Her special
licence that I, the said John Sheringham, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Sheringham,
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 "CER-
TAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVE GRATES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Sheringham, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what inanner 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Sheringham, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and contained in and
by the following statement thereof, and by reference to the illustrative
Drawing hereunto annexed, and the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thercon respectively, that is to say:
My Invention consists in certain new mechanical arrangements and
combinations of parts constituting a blower, the position of which in
front of the fire can be so altered as not only to be the means of

page_text: increasing or lessening the draught of the chimney, but can be lowered
at pleasure beneath the front of the fire so as to form a screen before
the ashes under the grate, and also can be elevated in front of the fire
so as to form a protection against accidental fire from the burning coals
or other combustibles being projected into the room. To which may be
added, if desired, a detached screen, which I call a curfew, or this
additional screen may be connected to the grate as a door or as 'folding
doors, with apertures in either of such screens for the supply of air for
combustion, with the ordinary means by which such apertures may be
entirely closed. By either of which additional screens, in combination
with the blower, the whole of the fire may be so closed in front as to
form a close stove, and so the fire inay be at pleasure gradually extin-
guished, or a slow combustion, of the fuel in the grate sustained. In
order to explain ny said Invention as completely as possible I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into effect, and which I have found to attain the above objects,
reference being had to the illustrative Drawing hereunto annexed, and
forming part of this my Specification, and to the numeral figures and
letters of reference marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, exhibits a front clevation of a stove constructed according
to my said Invention, and shewing the application thereto of the blower
before mentioned, such blower being exhibited down and in the position
it would occupy when used for the purpose of concealing the ashes under
the grate. Figure 2, is a front elevation of the stove shewing the
blower up, and in the position it would occupy when in use as a blower,
as also the removable screen or curfew in combination therewith, when
required. Figure 3, is a side elevation of said stove shewing the
mechanism employed in connection with said blower, the same arrange-
ment of parts being used at both sides of the stove. Figure 4, is a
transverse and vertical section of the blower and screen taken through
the line A, B, at Figure 2. Figure 5, an edge view thereof. Figure
6, detached portion hereafter referred to. Figure 7, is a top plan view
of a section of the stove through the line C, D; at Figures 1, 2, 3.

page_text: At
Figure 8, is a front elevation, and Figure 9, an end elevation of a
skeleton frame to which the blower is attached. Figure 10, is a front
elevation of said blower; and Figure 11, an end elevation thereof,
shewn attached to the skeleton frame A, exhibited at Figures 8, and 9.
Figure 12, is another elevation of the before-mentioned curfew.
each of these Figures I employ the same letters of reference to denote
corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at
each of the Figures respectively. At Figures 8, and 9, A, A, marks
a metal frame, to which are affixed staples B, B, for connecting thereto
one end of chains C, C, shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7; these chains
pass through openings in the sides of the stove and over sheaves D,
working therein, as shewn at Figure 1, and from thence over other
sheaves E, E, attached to the upright bars G, G; upon these bars
counterbalance weights H, H, are fitted and slide, and to said weights
the other ends of the chains C, C, are connected. The construction of
the other part of the blower is as follows: at Figures 10, and 11,
I, I, marks a plate of cast or sheet metal, formed with hooks a, a, and
a button b, shewn at Figures 4, 10, and 11, which take over and into
the parts c, and d, of the frame A, for connecting it thereto, and thereby
to complete the construction of this blower. But in order that the
chains and wheels C, and D, may not remain exposed to view, I
to employ hollow metal beadings K, K, which I attach to the sides of
the stove by constructing said beadings with hooks e, e, as exhibited at
Figure 6, which take into holes f, f, formed in the sides of the stove, as
exhibited at Figure 1; the beadings K, K, are securely held in the
required position by placing wedges beneath the ends thereof, or by any
other convenient means; and I place, for the sake of uniformity, other
and similar shaped metal beadings k, at those parts where the top and
sides of the stove join each other, as exhibited at Figures 1, and 2;
the back edge of the side beading constitutes the front edge of a
groove, and the front edge of metal slips 0, 0, which retain the fire
bars in their place, and in which the fire bars slide up and down, con-
stitutes the back edge of the groove; up and down which groove the
metal carriage for the blower works, whilst the side edges of the blower,
not extending to the width of the metal carriage nor entering the groove,
propose

page_text: but nearly accurately fitting against the side beadings, keeps the blower
and carriage in a perpendicular position, and so the carriage only works
up and down within the groove in a similar manner to a window sash,
the metal chain fixed to the metal carriage corresponding nearly to thic
rope which is attached to the window sash, which works up and down
in a somewhat similar manner; anti-friction rollers being added to the
metal carriage, if desired.
The construction of the removable screen or curfew L, is as
follows: At Figures 2, 4, 5, and 7, L, marks a pieces of sheet or cast
metal formed so as to fit as nearly as may be close to and partly round
the beadings K, at the sides of the stove, for the purpose of excluding,
when necessary, as much as possible of the atmospheric air, and so
making as perfect an air-tight joint as possible at the sides by said
curfew and beading. The screen L, has pins g, g, shown at Figures 2,
and 7, affixed thereto, which take or fit into trumpet mouthed socket
pieces h, h, fixed to the sides of the stove, as exhibited at Figures
1, 2, and 7, and there are handles M, M, having a universal pin
screwed at the back of the curfew L, by a screwed nut. The part to
be handled may be formed of any substance or material which is a bad
conductor of heat, the said handles being added to the curfew for
adjusting the same to or removing it from the stove. The raising and
lowering of the blower I, may be effected by the hooked end of a piece
of iron, made for this purpose, being inserted into a staple i, fixed to
the blower, as exhibited at Figures 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, and 11.
I would observe, that in applying this Invention to register stoves of
the ordinary construction the blower I, when lowered, serves also to
screen the ashes under the grate from view, and the applying of the
screen or curfew L, thereto will only be necessary, and is only intended
to be used, when it is required to obtain slow combustion of the fuel, or
to extinguish the fire in the grate, for which first purpose the blower I,
must be raised entirely, and the screen or curfew L, be raised only
a short distance from the platform 1, upon which the blower rested
when down. The raising of the curfew L, to form a space between
it and the platform for supplying draught of air from below, or for
loosening the pins from the trumpet mouthed socket. When the

page_text: removal of the curfew from the stove is desired, it may be effected
by inserting a poker into the opening or valve n, said opening being
provided with a flap O', hinged thereto, as exhibited at Figures 2,
and 4, for covering said opening; when the poker is withdrawn the
screen or curfew L, is prevented from falling down, when only a little
raised for furnishing a small supply of air as aforesaid, by the friction.
of the pins g, g, being sprung into the sockets h, h; and when it is
lesired to extinguish the fire, or to make the stove a close stove, it
is then only necessary to pull the curfew I, close down upon the
platform, and the blower pulled close up to the top of the stove.
the bevilled edges at the bottom of the blower and to the top of the
screen or curfew constituting a sufliciently air-tight joint between the
blower and the curfew, as shewn by the sections thereof at Figure 4.
If desirable, the screen L, may be formed with a sliding or hinged
door m, situate near the upper part thereof, as shewn at Figure 12,
by which the state of the fire may be ascertained and the fire stirred
without removing the screen for that purpose. And I propose to apply
the foregoing mechanical arrangements in the construction of the stove
for which I obtained Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date
the Tenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two,
and when so applied it will be found necessary to hollow out the top
part of the apron marked K, at Figures 1, 4, 6, 7, and 10, of the
Drawing annexed to the Specification of my said Patent, enrolled the
Tenth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
Patent Office, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London. If
the apron is not required or desired, the curfew may be formed as a
door, or as folding doors, connected by hinges to the sides of the stove,
with like bevilled edges at the top to make a close joint with the
bottom of the blower.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be and may be performed, I desire it to be
distinctly understood that I do not claim as of my Invention or the
exclusive use of the separate parts above mentioned and referred to,
except in so far as the same may be employed in combination and for
the purposes of my said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in

page_text: constructing stoves with the additions aforesaid. And I claim as
improvements in stove grates the use and application of a blower, and
a removable screen or curfew, either separately or combined together,
and actuated in the manner herein-before particularly described and
represented by the illustrative Drawing hereunto annexed, and for the
purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sheringham, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOHN SHERINGHAM. (L.S.)
Witness,
ALEX PRINCE,
Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square.
.