Improvements in Means for Converting Ordinary Open Fire Grates into Close Ranges.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th July, 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Converting Ordinary Open Fire Grates
into Close Ranges.
I, WILLIAM HENRY WILSON, of 10 Waterloo Avenue South Shore, Blackpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Designer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for readily converting an ordinary
open fire grate into a close range or slow combustion stove.
According to this invention I construct a box or cover preferably of malleable
iron, rectangular in shape or approximately so, and rather less in width than the
top bar of the fire grate with which it is intended to be used. The box is made
adaptable to fire grates of varying depths from the fire bars to the back of the
grate by means of an extension on the rear which telescopes in the main box or cover
and is adjusted in the desired position by bolts and nuts or their equivalents. A
side plate formed in two telescoping adjustable parts may be fixed by screw bolts
or their equivalents to the flange of whichever end is furthest from the oven.
The box or cover is provided with a forwardly projecting handle or handles,
and with one or more fuel apertures in the top of convenient shape covered by a
plate or lid fitting into a bevel or recess so that the covering plate is flush with the
top level of the box in the manner ordinarily adopted for such openings in closed
ranges. The front of the box or cover is of moderate height and is provided with
feet or lugs to rest upon the top fixed fire bar. The handles can also be used as
foot rests or lugs to support the heater in some grates not fitted with a front
drop bar.
Dated this 20th fatahan 1000
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Converting Ordinary Open Fire Grates
into Close Ranges.
I, WILLIAM HENRY WILSON, of 10 Waterloo Avenue, South Shore, Blackpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 means for readily converting an ordinary
open fire grate having a domestic oven in connection therewith into a closed range
or slow combustion stove.
According to this invention I construct a box or cover of any suitable metal
rectangular in shape or approximately so, and rather less in width than the top bar
of the fire grate with which it is intended to be used. The box is made adaptable
to fire grates of varying depths from the fire bars to the back of the grate by means
of an extension on the rear which telescopes in the main box or cover and is adjusted
in the desired position by bolts and nuts or their equivalents. A side plate formed
in two telescoping adjustable parts may be fixed by screw bolts or their equivalents
to the flange of whichever side is furthest from the oven, or the side plate may be

page_text: bolted in a similar manner to lugs placed where required, in which case the flanged
sides would give strength but would not be essential.
The box or cover is provided with a forwardly projecting handle or handles and
with one or more fuel apertures in the top of convenient shape covered by a plate
or lid fitting into a bevel or recess, rim, or equivalent so that the covering plate is
flush with the top level of the box in the manner ordinarily adopted for such
openings in closed ranges. The front of the box or cover is of moderate height
and is provided with feet or lugs to rest upon the top fixed fire bar. The handles
can also be used as foot rests or lugs to support the heater in some grates not fitted
with a front drop bar.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a perspective view and Figure 1× a cross section of a box or cover for
an open fire grate constructed in accordance with my invention, and Figure 2 shews
the same in position close up to the oven on an ordinary open range thus converting
it into a close range.
Figures 3 and 4 are modifications of Figure 1;
Figure 4* is a cross section of Figure 4; and Figures 5 to 13 shew details of
construction.
Figure 5 is a plan of the top or fire plate and Figures 6 and 7 are front and side
elevations of same;
Figures 8, 9, and 10 are respectively plan and rear and side elevations of the
adjustable extension top or fire-plate.
Figure 11 is a plan of the side plate and Figure 12 is a plan of the extension
side plate.
Figure 13 shews a handle, and Figure 134, a foot rest.
Figure 14 is a modification of the foot rest shewn in Figure 13ª which modifica-
tion will also apply to the handles if desired.
Figure 15 is a perspective view of an interchangeable bracket or lug to which
the side plate is in part bolted in the case of Figures 1 and 3 shown in cross section
position in Figure 1*.
The top or fire plate A is provided with one or more fuel apertures B of suitable
shape having a sunk or bevelled edge or rim fitted with a lid or lids B². The
front corners may be recessed as shewn at C Figures 1 and 5 or they may be left
square as in Figures 3 and 4 according to the construction of the fire grate with
which the attachment is to be used. In both cases the metal is preferably cut away
from the bottom part of the corners, as shewn at H Figures 1, 3, 4 and 7, until
level with the foot rests or ledge, hereafter described, so as to make the sides of
the box or cover fit over the top of the abutment caused by the hinge of the front
drop bar when let down horizontally as shewn in Figure 2 and which is usually
fitted to the front of open kitchen grates.
The sides of the fire plate A, see Figures 4 and 4× are provided with flanges D,
on to one or other of which the side plate E may be secured according to whether
the oven is on the right or left side of the grate. Or in the case of Figures 1
and 3 the plate E may be secured to the fire plate by means of a right angled
bracket or brackets, as shewn in Figure 15. The front G of the fire plate A is
made of any convenient height and is provided with a slot J near each top corner
and a circular aperture K near each bottom corner, but these apertures are intended
to agree with any cross sectional shape and thickness to which the handles and foot
rests are made. Through the slots ♫ the handles L are passed and are secured to
the side N of the recess C where such is employed, by means of the bolt O shewn in
Figure 1 through the bolt hole M, shewn in Figure 13. Through the circular
apertures K the lugs or foot rests P (see Figure 134) are passed and are secured to
the side N of the recess C where such is employed by means of the bolt O² through
the bolt hole M². In the modification shewn in Figure 14 the foot rest Pis
threaded at one end and may be screwed into the apertures K when these are

page_text: threaded, or may be passed therethrough and secured by the nut O₁. This method
of attachment can also be applied to the handles L. The bolts O and 0² also serve
to secure the front of the side plate E to the top or fire plate A. Figure 11 shews
the side plate E provided with two bolt holes M' and M² for this purpose, but I do
not confine myself to the details of handles and foot rests herein shewn and
described, as any kind of handle for lifting the device and placing it on or taking
it off from the open range, may be used, and any kind of front projection such as a
base or foot of convenint size for resting on the top bar of the stove may be used as
found suitable.
Where the grate has no front drop bar it is usually constructed with the top
fire bar about two inches higher in position than when a front drop bar is provided
in which case the foot rests P may be dispensed with and the device can then be
supported by the handles L which project over the front of the grate so that the
box or cover will in each case be in correct position relatively to the top of the
grate.
The adjustable extension top or fire plate Q. shewn in Figure 8, is provided with
three or other number of bolt holes R on each side. These bolt holes correspond
in, position with the slots SS in the top or fire plate A, (see Figure 5) under which
they are brought and secured by bolts and nuts in a suitable position according to
the depth of the grate from the fire bars to the back. The extension plate Qis
formed with a rear flange T (see Figures 9 and 10) bent or inclined towards the
front of the grate so as to accommodate itself to the inclination of the fire brick, or
other back of the fire place. A part of the fire plate Qmay be cut away to enable
the same to fit round the rear of the sunk rim of the fuel opening B when closed up
into the fire plate A, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 8, the part thus cut
out is provided with a sunk rim and cover which is attached thereto with one or
two countersunk screw-bolts, but this arrangement is only required when the fuel
opening is of large size, and is not essential. The extension side plate F (see
Figure 12) is provided at its upper end with a bolt hole U which corresponds
in position with the bolt hole U2 in the flanged end of the fire plate Q in
Figure 4 (or to a similar bolt hole U₁ in the lug or bracket Figure 15 in the
arrangement shown at Figures 1 and 3) and the extension side plate and flange
or lug are bolted together at this point with countersunk screw bolt. The
slot in the side plate E (see Figure 11) is brought over one of the bolt
holes Us in the face of the lug or bracket, Figure 15, which telescope in line
behind the slot V, and the side plate E and the bracket are bolted together at this
point, separately from the extension plate F which telescopes behind with the
bracket in the case of Figures 1 and 3. In the case of Figure 4 instead of the
slot V, a simple bolt hole may be provided. The lower end of the plate F is
provided with circumferential or equivalent slots W, which may be brought under
vertical or equivalent slots X in the side plate E and the relative positions of the
two side plates E and F may be thus adjusted and secured by means of bolts and
nuts, and any required degree of inclination given to the back edge Z of the plate F
to correspond to the brickwork at the back of the grate.
The inclined flange T of the plate Q, in the case of Figures 1 and 3 may be
provided with slots Y into which the edge Z of the extension side plate F may be
passed thus serving to brace the various parts together, or if preferred the edge Z
may be cut away at the top corner until it works clear of the slot Y into which one
of the tongues Y2 at the ends of the bracket Figure 15 also interlock but an extra
screw bolt could be employed where desired to give support if preferred. The
plates E and F are fixed on the side which is furthest away from the oven so as to
collect the heated gases and products of combustion and cause them to traverse the
oven flue or flues.
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 except that the corners are square, and
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but is provided when desired with a large
bracket A shown in dotted lines, secured by screw bolts to the flange D of the
plate A thus increasing the surface by the extra breadth of the bracket.

page_text: In the foregoing description and in the drawings hereunto annexed I have
described and shown a box or cover so constructed that the plates E and F may
be fixed by screw bolts, or rivets or their equivalents on the right or left side
according to the position of the oven in the grate, and extensible longitudinally
and transversely so that the box or cover may be adapted to fit grates of varying
sizes, but I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the
production of a box or cover adjustable to fit different grates, as obviously the
boxes or covers may be made in different sizes to fit grates of standard patterns
and sizes. For example, a box or cover may be constructed, having provision
for fitting round or over the hinge of the front drop bar, in malleable or cast
metal to fit the pattern range shewn in Figure 2, no adjusting bolts and nuts,
bolt holes, slots etc. being required, or a box or cover of definite length and
breadth may be constructed with the side plate only adjustable, so as to fit a
specific pattern of range and adaptable to either a right or left handed oven.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
(1) A box or cover provided with a deep side plate, a shallow front plate, and a
fuel opening or openings in the top or fire plate to convert an open fire grate into a
close range substantially as described.
(2) The means herein described for converting an open fire grate into a close
range consisting of a fire plate having a fucl opening or openings and a shallow
front plate to rest on the top fire bar or front drop bar, and with a deep plate on
one side only extending down below the top fire bar or front drop bar substantially
as set forth.
(3) The construction and use of a device for converting an open into a close
range consisting of a fire plate A, with an adjustable extension plate Q, a fixed
front plate G adaptable to fit round, or over the hinge of a front drop bar,
adjustable or fixed handles and foot rests, with or without an adjustable side
extension plate or bracket A2, a side plate E, and an adjustable extension side
plate F, the plates E and F being adaptable for either the left or right side of the
device according to the position of the oven in the range, substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention " Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.
Agent for the Applicant.