Improvements in Kitchen Ranges.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by OWEN HUMPHREY JONES, of the General Post
Office, Box 1525, Johannesburg, South African Republic, Engineer.]
Improvements in Kitchen Ranges.
I, REGINALD WALTER BARKER of Monument Chambers, London, E.C.,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in the tops and grates of kitchen ranges,
and has for its object the provision of various means by which the heat may be
radiated and more efficiently controlled and utilised.
In order to carry out my invention I arrange the boiler so as to occupy the top
of the stove or range, except the central space into which any suitable moveable
plates are fitted.
These plates which usually form the entire top of the fire place are in my
invention restricted in order to allow room for the boiler to extend on all sides of
such plates. The underside of the boiler forms the top of the fire place, and its
upper side forms the greater part of the stove top upon which utensils may be
placed for cooking.
The grate front is hinged to the stove and extends outwards from the range into
the room so providing for suitable radiation of heat for drying and airing clothes
and for other domestic services; when desired the heat may be shut in by a partition
plate which is provided and may be inserted behind the grate in recesses or the
like. The partition plate improves the draught and acts as a fire guard against
accident besides directing increased heat to the ovens and plates hereinbefore
mentioned.
In some cases the grate front is not hinged and the aforesaid partition is not
necessarily a plane surface, and may not rest on the fire bars at the grate bottom
but may be left raised therefrom to any desired extent to allow some radiation of
heat outwards, whilst also shutting the heat in to the desired extent.
Using the boiler as a fireplace top enables the varied degrees of heat required in
culinary operations to be conveniently secured, utensils requiring intense heat being
placed on the centre hole, those requiring less heat on other holes, whilst for jam
making and other special operations requiring only moderate heat the utensils may
be set partly on the moveable plates hereinbefore mentioned, and the boiler.
Such a fireplace top as thus described will evidently he very durable, being all
but free from deterioration from either use or the action of the fire.
Both range and stove boilers are seldom, if ever, sufficiently powerful for both
requirements, but by means of this my invention, much of the heat hitherto lost is
capable of being utilised for the supply of an abundance of hot or boiling water
for baths and all other ordinary domestic requirements.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 represents a plan of the improved stove or range, showing the top of the
boiler and the moveable plates herein before mentioned.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the stove or range, Fig. 3 an end elevation of the
same with the end plate partly broken away.
Fig. 4 a section through the boiler on line a-b on plan.
Fig. 5 represents the partition plate.
The same letters refer to the same parts in the several views.
A being the boiler, which may be of cast iron or any suitable metal, and which
is so arranged as to occupy the top of the stove or range except as to central space
into which any suitable moveable plates B, B, B, of the ordinary kind are fitted in
the positions as shown on the drawing.
It will be seen that these said plates B, B, B, which usually form the entire top
of the fireplace are in my invention restricted in order to allow room for the boiler
to extend on all sides of such plates.
The under side D of said boiler forms the top of the fireplace, and its upper
side C forms the greater part of the stove top upon which utensils may be placed for
cooking. The proportional dimensions of the boiler A, and the plates B, B, B, may
be varied. The boiler may be strengthened by stays E, connecting the top and
bottom plates C and D. Suitable connections for inlet and outlet pipes, as also
taps, may be screwed into the boiler as at F and G respectively. The grate front H
is hinged to the stove as shown at J, and extends outwards from the range into the
room, so providing for increased radiation of heat for drying and other purposes.
K is the partition plate for shutting the heat in the stove (K¹ an end view of the
same) which may be inserted behind the grate in recesses or the like as shown
at L.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In stoves or ranges used for kitchen or other domestic purposes a boiler of
special shape covering the top of the stove or range with the exception of a centra
area occupied by moveable plates, substantially as and for the purpose herein set
forth and described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In stoves or ranges used for kitchen or other domestic purposes, a grate front
hinged thereto, and projecting beyond the stove or range front, substantially as
and for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
3. In stoves or ranges used for kitchen or other domestic purposes, the combina-
tion with a grate front of a partition plate adjustable at the back of the range front
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
4. In stoves or ranges used for kitchen or other domestic purposes, the combina-
tion of a boiler of special shape, covering the top of the stove or range with the
exception of a central area occupied by moveable plates, with a grate front hinged
to and projecting beyond the front of a stove or range, and a partition plate
adjustable at the back of the range front, all substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth and described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
5. The application of this invention to any form or kind of stove or range
substantially as herein set forth and described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.