Improved Automatic Gas Lighter.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1899--Accepted, 2nd June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Automatic Gas Lighter.
I, HENRY BIRKBECK, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, 31, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me from abroad by The Peerless Gas Lighter Company, of No. 68, Broad Street,
in the City of New York, State of New York, United States of America, comprised
of William Stern and Monroe Sonneschein, both of the City of New York, County
of New York, State of New York, United States of America) and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
―
The object of this invention is to provide a new or improved automatic illuminat-
ing gas lighter which is so constructed as to ignite the gas automatically as soon
as the gas begins to issue from the burner by the action of the gas on an igniting
substance held directly above the burner which igniting substance is on a support
controlled and actuated from a thermostat held above the burner and acting by
means of suitable levers on said movable support for the igniting substance so
that as soon as the gas burns the igniting substance is automatically moved out
of the flame and as soon as the flame is extinguished moves back into its original
position above the burner to ignite the gas when it issues from the burner.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view of the improved automatic gas lighter as applied on a
burner, the igniting substance being in the normal position for igniting the gas.
Figure 2 is a front view of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan view.
Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged detail perspective views of the igniting substance
and its support.
Figure 6 is an end view of the parts shown in Figures 5 and 6.
The burner A and its tip A¹ are of any well known construction.
A collar B surrounding the burner is prevented from turning on the same by
projections on said collar extending into grooves a, in the burner and this collar
is provided with an upwardly extending shaped arm C and a downwardly
extending arm D. A thermostat or metal bar E provided with the extension or
arm M extending over the burner tip A' has one end pivotally connected at E' with
the upper end of the arm C and the opposite end of this thermostat is pivotally
connected with the upper end of a lever F pivoted at F1 to the arm C, in such a
manner that the upper arm of this lever F will be very short in relation to the
longer lower arm, so that a comparatively short horizontal motion of the upper
end of this lever F produces a long movement of the lower end.
The lower end of the lever F is curved and terminates in a point or sharp end G
which rests against the lower end part of a lever H pivoted at H' to the arm D, of
the collar B.
The lever His pivoted in such a manner that the upper arm of this lever is many
times longer than the lower arm so that a certain horizontal movement of the

page_text: lower end of this lever is translated with a many times longer movement at the
upper end of the lever H.
the lever H is provided at its upper end with an arm J extending at an angle
to the lever Hand carrying the igniting substance, the parts being so proportioned
that such igniting substance, is normally held over the burner slit.
The igniting substance consists essentially of a block or pellet having in its
composition some finely divided platinum, which, as well known causes the pellet
to become incandescent when subjected to the action of hydrogen gas.
Two such blocks K are held in the arm J and a. platinum wire or wires L pre-
ferably in form of a strip of platinum wire netting is stretched across the blocks i,
the ends of the netting or wires being secured to the ends of the arm J.
It is very essential that the platinum wires or strip of netting does not rest
flat upon the ends of the blocks K, but form contact at an angle or corner only
and for this reason the ends of the blocks are beveled as shown in Figure 4 and
the platinum drawn straight across or the platinum is curved as shown in Figure 5
in case the blocks K are cut off square at the ends, so as to insure contact between
the blocks and platinum at the angles or corners only.
So as to prevent the loss of heat in the blocks K by transmission to the arm J,
only the outer parts m of the blocks K are made of igniting substance, the inner
parts m which are held in the arm J being made of a non combustible non con-
ducting material, for example asbestos or clay.
In forming the blocks the two substances are in powder form so placed into
suitable moulds or forms that they can be compressed and caused to adhere to each
other and form a block having its inner end formed of a non heat conducting sub-
stance and its outer end of a substance which becomes incandescent when subjected
to the action of hydrogen gas.
The parts are in the position shown in Figures 1 and 3 when the gas is not ignited.
When the gas is turned on the blocks K become incandescent and heat the
platinum L which also becomes very highly heated and incandescent and ignites
the escaping gas.
The flame strikes the extension or arm M of the thermostat E and heats the same
and the thermostat causing the latter to expand lengthwise.
As it is held at its left hand end its right end and the upper end of the lever F
are moved to the right and the lower end of the lever F is moved to the left a much
greater distance, permitting the upper end of the lever H and the igniter therein
to swing to the right and from the flame, under the action of its own weight,
whereby the igniter is moved out of the flame so as not to be injured by the same.
The parts' remain in this position as long as the gas burns but as soon as the gas
is turned off or blown out the thermostat contracts and the upper end of the
lever F is pulled to the left and the lower end to the right and the pointed lower
end G, acting on the lower end of the lever H moves the same to the right whereby,
the upper end of the lever H and the igniter therein is moved to the left and over
the slit in the burner, so that as soon as the escaping gas strikes the blocks K the
gas is again ignited.
It is thus evident that if the gas is accidentally turned off and then on again in
the main pipes or the flame blown out, that the igniter will automatically light it
again, in the same manner as it will ignite the gas as soon as the same is turned on.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim
18:-
1. In a gas lighter, the combination with a thermostat, of a pivoted lever carry-
ing a substance for lighting the gas and an intermediate lever interposed between
the thermostat and the lever carrying the igniting substance and pivoted between
its ends, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In a gas lighter, the combination with a casing and thermostat bar secured
at one end, of a lever pivoted to the other end and pivoted to the casing directly

page_text: adjacent to its pivotal connection with the thermostat bar, a lever pivoted at its
lower end and carrying at its upper end a substance for igniting the gas, the lower
end of the lever pivoted to the thermostat bar having its lower end resting against
the lever carrying the igniting substance, a short distance below the pivot of said
latter lever, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. In a gas lighter, the combination with a thermostat bar, of an arm extending
from said thermostat bar to the top part of the burner tip, a pivoted lever carrying
substance for igniting the gas and means for operating said lever from the
thermostat bar, substantially as herein shown and described.
4. In a gas lighter, the combination with a pivoted lever and means for operating
the same, of a cross piece on said lever, two pieces of igniting substance attached to
said cross piece and a wire extending across said pieces and in contact with the
same at the corners of the pieces only, substantially as herein shown and described.
5. In a gas lighter, the combination with a pivoted lever and means for operating
the same, of a cross piece on said lever, a piece of substance for igniting the gas
on the cross piece and a platinum wire extending across said piece and in contact
with the substance at one point only, substantially as herein shown and described.
6. In a gas igniting device, an igniting pellet or block having its outer end
formed of a substance which becomes incandescent under the action of hydrogen
gas and its inner end part formed of a non combustible non conductor of heat.
TIL 10 day of Al 1800
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings. Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.