Improvements in and Applicable to Self-lighting Gas Burners and Taps.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in and Applicable to Self-lighting Gas Burners
and Taps.
I GEORGE ALBERT SWEETSER, of 35 Kennington Park Road, in the county of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto self lighting gas burners have generally been lighted by a master
light or by a small light left on the burner by a bye pass and the wind guard has
been left open at the top to allow room for the flame from the burner, consequently
through this opening the master light, or the small light is likely to be blown out
in a high wind and hanging drapery is liable to come into contact with the flame,
and also in the event of an escape of gas in its vicinity it would become ignited
through coming in contact with the naked flame.
In carrying out my invention I employ a guard of wire gauze or perforated
metal preferably of a cylindrical form with hemispherical top but entirely enclosing
on all sides both the burner and master or small light; this guard is divided in
halves, and each half is hinged on to and encircles the nose of the tap into which
the burner is screwed; the two halves are so arranged that if left to themselves
they will fall apart by their own weight, the direction being across the plug of the
tap, thus exposing the burner for the flame to pass.
Instead of employing a separate cock to regulate the master light or bye pass,
I bore passages in the substance of the tap itself, one leading into the gas supply
and one diagonally from the outside across this passage leading to either the
burner or master light; in the passage leading to the gas supply I fit a plug or
screw extending past and closing the passage leading to the master light or bye-
pass; on this plug or screw I make a flat connecting the aforesaid passages; by
turning this plug or screw half a revolution, the flat now being on the opposite
side to the passage leading to the master light or bye-pass has the effect of turning
this off and any intermediate distance regulating the supply of gas.
The passage leading to the master light is bored diagonally from the outside
across the passage leading to the gas supply and fitted with a plug or screw, 80
that when the plug or screw is turned half a revolution the aforesaid flat will not
come opposite the portion of the passage leading to the outside and there will be
no escape of gas; this passage is left open so that when the plug is withdrawn it
Din 031

page_text: forms a straight way for cleaning out in case of stoppage; If the plug I use for
regulating the master light or bye-pass is screwed I make no use of the end motion
caused by its rotation such screwing only being to hold it in its place.
In order to provide a ready means of turning off the master light or bye-pass
when not required, I take the aforesaid passage but at right angles to and in the
direction of the centre of the plug of the tap so as to be in connection with the
passage through the plug when such passage is at right angles to the gas supply,
this passage through the plug is in connection with the gas supply when the plug
of the tap is in one direction only for the supply of gas to the master tap or bye-
pass; by turning the plug half a revolution in the other direction this supply is
cut off. I fit a moveable stop to the plug so that the plug can be moved a quarter
of a revolution only at a time in either direction as required so as to be able to
use the master light or bye-pass in connection with the burner or not.
The guard is perforated with holes so small that the light inside would not
ignite gas on the outside, in case of an escape.

page_text: Improvements in and Applicable to Self-lighting Gas Burners
and Taps.
I, GEORGE ALBERT SWEETSER of 35 Kennington Park Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, 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 :-
Hitherto self lighting gas burners have generally been lighted by a master light
or by a small light left on the burner by a bye pass and the wind guard has been
left open at the top to allow room for the flame from the burner, consequently
through this opening the master light, or the small light is likely to be blown out
in a high wind and hanging drapery is liable to come into contact with the flame
and also in the event of an escape of gas in its vicinity it would become ignited
through coming in contact with the naked flame.
In carrying out my invention I employ a guard of wire gauze or perforated
metal preferably of a cylindrical form with hemispherical top but entirely enclosing
on all sides both the burner and master or small light; this guard is divided in
halves, and each half is hinged on to and encircles the nose of the tap into which
the burner is screwed; the two halves are so arranged that if left to themselves,
or when not acted upon by means hereinafter described, they will fall apart by
their own weight in a direction across the plug of the tap, thus exposing the
burner for the flame to pass when the tap is turned on.
The guard is perforated with holes so small that the light inside would not
ignite gas on the outside, in case of an escape.
Instead of employing a separate cock to regulate the master light or bye pass,
I bore passages in the substance of the tap itself, one leading into the gas supply
and one across this passage leading to either the burner or master light. In the
passage leading to the gas supply I fit a plug or screw extending past and closing
the passage leading to the master light or bye-pass; by turning this plug or screw
the passage can be closed or the opening through it regulated.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which figures 1 and 3 are
elevations taken at right angles to each other, and figure 2 is a plan of a self
lighting gas burner or tap provided with a guard constructed according to my
invention.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, a, are the two halves of the wind guard encircling the nose of the tap A, into
which the burner B is screwed; b, b, are the pins on which the halves a a are
respectively hinged so as to be capable (if not kept together by the means
hereinafter described) of falling apart by their own gravity, as represented in
dotted lines in figures 2 and 3.
The two halves a, a, of the guard are brought together when the tap is turned
off, in the following manner:-The back of the plug c of the burner or tap is fitted
with an elliptical washer d, instead of the ordinary concentric one, the largest
diameter of this elliptical washer being in a line with the cross handle e of the
plug c of the tap,

page_text: The two halves a, a, of the wind guard are each fitted with a tail or arm f,
projecting down below their pivot pins b, b, and bearing against each side of the
elliptical washer d.
By this arrangement when the tap is turned off, the cross handle e, and the
elliptical washer d, are at right angles to the vertical central line of the tap as
shewn in full lines in the drawing, thus bringing the largest diameter of the
elliptical washer d, to bear against the two tails or arms f, f, of the wind guard a, a,
and thereby bringing the two halves of the wind guard a, a, together.
If the tap be turned on by which the cross handle e, will be turned into a
vertical position the smallest diameter of the elliptical washer d, will be brought
against the two tails or arms f, f, thus allowing the two halves of the wind
guard a, a, to fall apart as shewn in dotted lines in figures 2 and 3.
g, is the bye-pass for the master-light which is regulated by the screw h,
working in a transverse passage leading to the bye-pass g; i, i, are perforations
for ventilating the small jet left by the bye-pass g.
jj, are portions of the arms of a globe holder.
The gas being turned full on and burning, if the cross handle e, be turned off, a
small jet will be left by means of the bye pass g, and will be kept from being
blown out by the wind guard a, a, having been closed around it by the action of
turning the cross handle e, as described.
When the cross handle e is turned in the opposite direction and the two halves
of the wind guard fall apart, the gas will become fully alight by reason of the
small jet left burning by the bye pass.
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. In a self-lighting gas burner or tap, the use of a wind guard constructed so as
to entirely enclose the burner and master or small light by the operation of
turning off the tap, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination of parts forming the improved self-lighting gas burner or
tap, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.
1 19
1
1000