Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting Gas and in connection with Gas Burners.
Year: 1899

page_text: Cate of Application, 23rd Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1900-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1900
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting Gas and in connection with
Gas Burners.
We, JOHN HENRY HILL DUNCAN, of 39, Coleman Street, in the City of London,
Chartered Accountant, THE NEW SUNLIGHT INCANDESCENT COMPANY, LIMITED,
Manufacturers of Gas-Lighting Appliances, of 33 and 34, Shoe Lane, in the
City of London, and HARRY THEODORE BARNETT, of 7, Teddington Park Road,
Teddington, in the County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
This invention has for object to enable gas jets to be ignited from a single
source of electricity of low potential and according thereto the source of electricity'
for example a dry cell" (hereinafter called the battery) and the tap by means
of which gas is turned on to the supply pipe of each flame, are provided with
contacts so arranged that the battery contacts may be forced against the tap
contacts for the dual purpose of turning the tap to allow gas to flow to the burner
and at the same time completing the circuit between the battery and that portion
of a kindling device that is located near or in a flame and adapted to become
highly heated upon a flow of current therethrough.
In one form of apparatus according to our invention adapted for use in con-
nection with street lighting by incandescence gas lamps the battery contacts
are carried upon the upper end of a rod which serves as a lamp lighter's torch
at the lower end of which rod the battery is placed and where it serves in some
measure to counterbalance the weight of the torch when in use.
When the battery is a dry cell in a zinc outer case which is the positive
electrode (negative pole) a metal collar, partly split, provided with a screw
clamp, and secured to the base of the torch serves to hold the said dry cell in
place and at the same time maintain contact with the negative pole thereof,
the brass screw upon the carbon terminal of such a cell screwing into or pressing
against a metal plate in the centre of the base of the torch
Connections, preferably in part flexible, are led from the before mentioned
collar and plate to the contacts at the top of the torch which contacts are pre-
ferably arranged concentrically and provided one or both with a spring attach-
ment to the top of the rod by means of which a good contact is rendered more
certain and liability of shock to the burner (which might damage an incandescence
mantle) diminished.
The top lever of the burner is provided at one end with contacts shaped to
suit the torch contacts and the upper surface of the one pair of contacts and the
lower surface of the other pair are preferably shaped half or part spherical (one
pair convex, the other concave) so that it is not essential that the torch should be
situated truly vertical or otherwise in some predetermined line to ensure a good
connection being made.
A pallet or cup preferably of insulating material may be provided at the other
end of the tap lever for use in turning off the was

page_text: A bridge or spiral of platinum wire may be used as the kindling medium;
one arrangement for holding the same and connecting it with the tap contacts is
as follows:-
One of the tap contacts is connected to the metal of the lever and current
passes from it and through the burner, through a metal clamping arrangement
thereon and to and through a metal tube held in the said clamp, to one end of the
platinum kindler fixed to the upper end of the said tube preferably with the
intervention of a short length of thicker platinum.
After traversing the kindler the current flows through a short length of thicker
platinum, through an asbestos insulated wire contained within the aforesaid
metal tube and then by means of a flexible connection to one of the contacts on
the tap lever (conveniently the inner one when these are concentric) which must
be insulated therefrom.
In the case of incandescence burners the platinum kindler is preferably situated
from one to two inches above the mantle top the intervention of this distance
being desirable for the purpose of preventing ignition before the mixture of gas
and air is of normal constitution.
As will be evident the details may be variously modified. For instance the
battery may sometimes be situated at some other part of the rod than at the
bottom; the flame kindler employed may be of different construction to that
above mentioned and the source of electricity and the arrangement of the con-
tacts may also be different.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting Gas and in Connection with
Gas Burners.
We, JOHN HENRY HILL DUNCAN, Chartered Accountant, of 39, Coleman Street,
in the City of London, THE NEW SUNLIGHT INCANDESCENT COMPANY, LIMITED,
Manufacturers of Gas-Lighting Appliances, of 33 and 34, Shoe Lane, in the
City of London, and HARRY THEODORE BARNETT, Electrical Engineer, of 7, Ted-
dington Park Road, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex, 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 has for object to enable gas jets to be ignited by means of a
single source of electricity of low potential.
According thereto the source of electricity (hereinafter called the electric.
generator) and the tap by means of which gas is turned on to a burner, are pro-
vided with contacts so arranged that the electric generator contacts can be forced
against the tap contacts for the dual purpose of turning the tap to allow gas to
flow to the burner and at the same time completing an electrical circuit includ-
ing the electric generator and a portion of a kindling device that is so arranged
in relation to the burner as to be near to or in the jet of gas issuing from the
burner and is adapted to be highly heated on the passage of an electric current
therethrough..
"An example of apparatus according to this invention adapted for use in con-

page_text: nection with street lighting by incandescence gas lamps is represented in vertical
section and in elevation respectively in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying draw-
ings. The electric generator contacts 1 and 1ª are carried by the upper end of a
rod 2 which constitutes part of a lamp-lighter's torch and at the lower end of
which the electric generator, a dry cell, is placed, so that it serves in some measure
to counterbalance the weight of the remainder of the torch when the torch is held
in the hand, by a rubber gripping sleeve 4, for use.
The zinc pot or outer case 5, which is the positive electrode or negative pole
of the dry cell is,, in the example, held in place by a metal collar 6, partly
split, provided with a screw clamp 7, and secured to the base of the torch rod 2,
a. brass screw 8 on the carbon electrode or positive pole 5 of the cell being
screwed into (it might really press against) a metal plate 9 preferably bearing
against a spring 9a as shown in the centre of the base of the torch rod 2.
Connecting wires 10 and 10ª are led from the collar 6 and the plate 9 respec-
tively to the contacts 1 and 1ª on the top of the torch, which are arranged con-
centrically and provided one or both (preferably both, as in the example) with a
spring attachment to the top of the rod 2, by means of which a good contact
is rendered more certain and liability of shock to the burner (which might damage
an incandescence mantle) diminished; in the example the spring 11 carrying
the central contact 1 is weaker than that 11ª of the contact 1ª and the contact 1
can, when pressed against the corresponding tap contact, slide within an insulat-
ing bush 12 secured in the contact 1ª.
The tap lever 13 of the burner (Fig. 2) is provided at one end with contacts 14
and 14 shaped to suit the torch contacts 1 and 1ª respectively, and the upper
surface of the torch contacts and the lower surface of the tap contacts are part
spherical (the former convex and the latter concave) so that it is not essential
that the torch should be truly vertical or otherwise accurately in some predeter-
mined line to insure a good connection.
A pallet or cup 15 preferably of insulating material may be provided at the
other end of the tap lever 13 to enable the gas to be easily.turned off by the
torch.
One of the tap contacts, viz. 14ª, is attached to the metal of the lever 13 and
current passes through it, through the metal-work 16 of the burner and metal
clamps 17 situated. thereon, and through a metal tube 18 held in the said clamps,
to one end of a fine kindling wire 19 of platinum fixed to the upper end of the
tube 18, preferably with the intervention of a short length of thicker platinum.
After traversing the kindling wire 19 the current flows through a short length of
thicker platinum, through an asbestos-insulated wire extending through the
metal tube 18 and then through a flexible connection 19 to the contact 14, which
is insulated from the tap lever 13.
In the case of incandescence burners, the platinum kindling wire 19 is pre-
ferably situated from one to two inches above the mantle top, the intervention of
this distance being desirable for the purpose of preventing ignition before the
mixture of gas and air is of normal constitution.
It will be seen that when the platinum wire is so situated it will be heated
partly by the current passing through it and partly catalytically by the issuing
gaseous mixture.
As will be evident, the details may be variously modified.
For instance, the electric generator may sometimes be situated at some other
part of the rod than at the bottom, the kindling device may be of different
construction from that herein before described; and the source of electricity and
the arrangement of the contacts may also be different.
Instead of mounting one or both of the torch contacts on springs and the tap
contacts rigidly on the lever, the torch contacts may be rigidly mounted and one
or both of the tap contacts elastically mounted.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of an electrical torch provided with differently shaped
and arranged contacts; and Fig. 4 is an elevation of a burner provided with

page_text: contacts suited to the contacts shown in Fig. 3. The torch shown in Fig. 3 is
provided at its upper end with a plug of insulating material made of truncated
wedge shape and to the opposite inclined sides of which the two contacts 1 and la
each consisting of a metal plate, are screwed.
In the kindling device shown in Fig. 4, the insulated contacts 14 and 14ª
are made of flexible strip metal bent to a shape to fit the contacts 1 and 1, the
contact 14 being metallically connected to the tap lever 13 and the contacts 14
to the flexible length of wire 19ª.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. Apparatus for igniting gas jets in which the source of electricity and each
of the taps by means of which gas is turned on to the several jets, are provided
with contacts so that the battery contacts can be forced against the tap contacts
so as simultaneously to turn on the gas and to complete a circuit including the
source of current and a portion of a kindling device located near or in the jet
and adapted to be highly heated on the passage of an electric current therethrough
substantially as described.
2. A kindling device in connection with a gas burner, comprising a platinum
wire suitably arranged to ignite gas issuing from the said burner, and two tap
contacts carried by the tap lever of the burner and connected with the two ends
of the said wire, so that by acting upon the said contacts by means of a pair of
contacts electrically connected with a source of electricity the tap can be opened
and the issuing gas electrically ignited, substantially as described.
3. An electric torch comprising a rod carrying an electric generator and pro-
vided at its upper end with a pair of contacts electrically connected respectively
with the poles of the said electric generator and adapted to act in conjunction
with the tap contacts of a kindling device according to Claim 2, substantially
as described.
4. Apparatus for lighting gas constructed, arranged, and operating as herein-
before described with reference to and shown respectively in Figs. 1 and 2 and in
Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.