A NEW OR IMPROVED GAS LIGHT EXTINGUISHER
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes and Son,
Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of "A NEW
OR IMPROVED GAS LIGHT EXTINGUISHER." A communication from abroad
by Varnam Nash Taylor, William Henry Hovey, and Theodore Alden Curtis,
all of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America.
caled the 28th October 1876, and dated the 1st May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1876.
"
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London. "A NEW OR IMPROVED GAS LIGHT EXTINGUISHER.'
A communication from abroad by Varnam Nash Taylor, William Henry Hovoy,
and Theodore Alden Curtis, all of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
The object of this Invention is to extinguish a gas light automatically by re-
ducing the pressure of the gas in the pipe to any desired or determined point; and
to this end this Invention consists of a case or shell forming a chamber containing
a diaphragm, which divides said chamber into two compartiments, and a valve stemi
and valve, connected with said diaphragm, which closes the orifice through which
the gas escapes from one of the coinpartments of the chamber, and which is kept
closed by a weight pressing against the valve or its stem. This weight is pivoted
to the shell, and when raised sufficiently causes or permits the diaphragm and valve
stem to be forced outward and the valve to be opened to allow the escape of gas
to the burner. An adjustable spring pressing against the valve stem tends to force
the valve in a little; but after the valve is opened, if the pressure of the gas in the
pipes and behind the diaphragm is sufficient to overcome the clasticity of the spring,
the valve is held open, and if the weight is raised a shoulder upon the valve stein or
upon a lever interposed between the weight and valve stem and connected with or
joined to the latter engages with a shoulder upon the weight and holds the latter
up until the gas pressure in the pipes is so reduced as to permit the spring to press
in the valve and stem, permitting the weight to fall, and force in the stem and
effectually close the valve and prevent any further escape of gas to the burner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st November 1876.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London. "A NEW OR IMPROVED GAS LIGHT EXTINGUISHER."
A communication from abroad by Varnam Nash Taylor, William Henry Hovey,
and Theodore Alden Curtis, all of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
The object of this Invention is to extinguish a gas light automatically by reducing
the pressure of the gas in the pipe to any desired or determined point; and to this
end the Invention consists of a case or shell forming a chamber containing n
diaphragm which divides said chamber into two compartments and a valve stem
and valve connected with said diaphragm, which closes the orifice through which
the gas escapes from one of the compartments of the chamber, and which is kept
closed by a weight pressing against the valve or its stem. This weight is pivoted
to the shell, and when raised sufficiently causes or permits the diaphragm and valve
stem to be forced outward, and the valve to be opened to allow the escape of gas
to the burner. An adjustable spring pressing against the valve stem tends to force
the valve in a little, but after the valve is opened, if the pressure of the gas in the
pipes and behind the diaphragin is sufficient to overcome the elasticity of the spring,
the valve is held open, and if the weight is raised a shoulder upon the valve stem
or upon a lever interposed between the weight and valve stem, and connected with
or joined to the latter, engages with a shoulder upon the weight, and holds the
latter up until the gas pressure in the pipes is so reduced as to permit the spring to
press in the valve and stem, permitting the weight to fall, and force in the stem
and effectually close the valve and prevent any further escape of gas to the
burner.
In the Drawings Fig. 1 represents a central vertical transverse section of the
apparatus, showing the parts in place, and with a lever connected or jointed to the
valve stem as a means of opening the valve.
F. 2 is a front view of the shell, showing the projections upon its face and the
opening therein in which the weight is pivoted.
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the shell and section through the passages through which
the gas enters and leaves the shell.
Fig. 4 is a top view of the weight.
Fig. 5 is a top view of the lever, diaphragm valve, and its stem, with a guide
attached to guide the valve in its movements.
Fig. 6 is a view of the valve stem in both top and side view.
Fig. 7 is a rear view of the valve, its guide, a part of the diaphragm and valve
stem; and
Fig. 8 is a section view showing the same armngement of parts as in Fig. 1,
but without the interposed lever connected with the valve stem, and the latter
clongated instead.
In the Drawings A represents the shell made in two parts, divided in the middle
at N, and secured together by screws or bolts inserted in the lugs b, grasping the
entire edge of the circular diaphragm a firmly between the two parts of the shell, thus
dividing the chamber within into two compartments, ouo cach side of the diaphragın.
A valve, having a collar or shoulder el, is inserted through the centre of
this diaphragm, and in order that the movements of the diaphragm may be true
and uniform a thin metallic disc a¹ may be placed upon the valve stem. Each side
of the diaphragm and the valve c, which may be made of leather or of any other
suitable material, is placed against the diaphragm or metallic disc a, and is secured
by any suitable means, preferably by a nut e turned up on the threaded end of
the valve stem h against the valve snugly.
This nut is preferably made on the outer end with any desired number of wings
thereon which shall fit the orifice c¹ in the back side of the shell, so as to slide freely

page_text: therein and serve as a guide to keep the valve true in its movements to and from
its scat, the spaces between these wings serving to facilitate the escape of the gas,
or rather to permit its escape through the orifice c' while the guide is therein. It
is, however, immaterial as to what the particular form of the guide is, because a bar
made across the aperture with with a small hole therein, through which slides a small
wire or spindle attached to the valve stem, would answer quite as well the purpose
of a valve guide.
A threaded holo is made at B, communicating with the rear compartment behind
the diaphragm, and the valve orifice c¹ in the back side of the shell communicates
with a passage B₁ threaded at the upper end, into which the pipe or the burner is
secured. The front side of the shell has a vertical projecting part F, which is mado
hollow or open at d, the opening extending entirely through the front of the shell,
this projection forming a narrow hood closed at the top. In the upper part of
this hood is pivotted the lever H, having an upper arm or projection 22, and another
arm extending downward and nearly fitting the opening d, and this lever is hooked
or jointed to the valve stem at x.
The weight D is pivoted to the lower part of the hood F at t, and said weight is
provided with a shoulder v, and the lever H behind the weight is also provided
with a corresponding shoulder 8, and the lever H extends a little below the pivot_t
which secures the weight in place. The pivot is inserted through the weight D
nearer one edge than the other, so that when the lower end of the lever is pressed
in sufliciently to disengage the two shoulders 8 and the weight will fall, and the
edge of the weight opposite the pivot, which is rounded at the end, will press in the
lever and valve stem to close the valve. If the lever is not used the end of tho
valve stem becomes disengaged from the shoulder v, and the weight falling presses
in the valve stem to close the valve in the same way.
A spring, with its upper end pressing or bearing against the valve stem, is
secured to the shell inside, preferably by a small screw at g, and a little above this
a screw o is turned into a threaded hole in the shell, so that the inner end of tho
screw may impinge against the spring a little above the point where it is secured,
so that by turning this screw o either in or out the pressure of the upper end of the
spring against the valve or valve stem may be adjusted to any desired degree. In
practise it is preferred that this adjusting screw o shall be enclosed in a small
tube o secured to the shell to protect it, and the head of the screw made prismatic or
of other convenient shape, so that a correspondingly shaped key may be used to turn
it. Instead of the projecting hood F ears might be made upon the face of the shell, to
which to pivot the weight D and lever H when the latter is used, but we prefer the
hood F for the purpose of keeping out the snow and wet, which might otherwise
get in and interfere with the perfect working of the valve.
The operation of the Invention is as follows:- The part B is screwed upon n
gas pipe, and a short pipe, with a burner thereon, screwed into the hole B₁, and
the adjusting screw o turned in or out to adjust the spring to any determined
pressure of gas in the pipe, that is to say, suppose the pressure in the pipo at which
it is desired that the light should be extinguished is represented or indicated on tho
guago by three inches, the gas is allowed to pass into the compartment behind
the diaphragin, and the screw o is turned in, so that at that pressure the spring
will prevent the gas from pressing the diaphragmn and valve out sufficiently for the
two shoulders 8 and v the catch one upon the other when the weight is lifted. In
other words, just so that they will not catch. Then every time the weight is lifted
it will fall again and close the valve, as there is nothing to hold it up; but if the
pressure of the gas in the pipes is increased to, say three and a half or four inches,
as indicated by the guage, the outward pressure of the gus behind the diaphragin
will overcome the spring and hold the two shoulders 8 and v in contact when the
weight is lifted.
As long as this pressure of gas in the pipes is maintained the gas will continue
to burn at the burner, but if the pressure is again diminished to three inches the
spring will push the valve stem in just enough to disengage the shoulders 8 and v,

page_text: and the weight will drop and entirely close the valve; and as long as the weight
remains in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the valve will be held closed,
the light being extinguished by the dropping of the weight, and consequent closing
of the valve. The valve seat c may be annular and somewhat sharp in its cross
section, so that the valve may fit it perfectly and make it tight. The particular
form of the parts is of course immaterial so long as the operation remains the
same. For example, instead of making the pivoted end of the weight D rounded,
and the pivot nearer one edge than the other, it would operate precisely the same
if the pivot were placed in the middle and a short projection were made on the
lower edge near the end, which would strike the lever or valve stem and force in
the valve to close it.
If the lever H was not used and the valve stem was elongated, as shown in
Fig. VIII, the device would be just as operative to extinguish the light at a given
pressure, because at that pressure if the weight were raised the pressure of gas
would not force the diaphragm and valve stem sufficiently far in front to permit
the end of the valve stem to catch upon the shoulder v of the weight and the latter
would drop, forcing in the valve and closing it; but if the pressure was increased
the diaphragm and valve stem would be forced in front to permit the valve stem
to catch upon the shoulder and the weight would be held up until the pressure
was reduced again, when the spring would force the valve stem off the shoulder,
and the weight would fall and close the valve as before. It is well known that a
sticky residuum or tar is formed in gas pipes, and the only reason for using the lever
H, instead of elongating the valve stem, as shown in Fig. VIII., is to give a positive
power to pull the valve away from its seat c if it should stick in opening by raising
the weight against the upper end of the lever and forcing out the lower end to
which the valve stem is attached. It is preferred, therefore, to use the lever as a
means of opening the valve, but it is not considered essential in closing the valve
to extinguish the light.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention I claim―
First. The diaphragm arranged within a chamber to form two compartments
therein in connection with a valve stem and valve to closs the scape orifice c, the
adjustable spring ƒ, and the weight D, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.
Second. The combination of the diaphragm a arranged to form two compart-
ments within a chamber, a valve stem and valve to close the escape orifice C, the
adjustable spring, the lever H, and the weight D, all operating substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Third. A pivoted weight 1) arranged in combination with a valve stem and valve
located in a chamber, whereby a gas light is extinguished automatically by the fall
of said weight at any determined pressure of gas within the pipes to close the
escape orifice, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six.
E. T. HUGHES. (L.S.)