Improvements in Automatic Gas Lighters and Extinguishers.
Year: 1890

page_text: CUDIT LEIE DI ECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Gas Lighters and Extinguishers.
I, NELSON NEWMAN, of 410 South Eighth Street, Springfield, County of
Sangamon, State of Illinois, United States of America, Inventor, 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 :-
My present invention relates to an automatic contrivance for igniting and
extinguishing gas-burners; and the objects of my invention are, first, to auto-
matically ignite and extinguish at predetermined intervals a gas jet: second, to
obviate the extinguishment of the auxiliary burner, and to automatically relight
such auxiliary burner should it become accidentally extinguished; and finally, to
provide an auxiliary burner which does not depend for its supply of gas upon, and is
not controlled by, the main burner.
My invention consists in the combination of devices and peculiar construction and
arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
To enable others to understand my invention I will now proceed to a detailed
description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawing in which :-
:―
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an automatic gas lighter and extinguisher embodying
my invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the case and revoluble dial, on the
line of Fig. 1 the supply pipe being shown in elevation.
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the case, showing the main burner
and supply pipe in elevation and the auxiliary burner in section.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal transverse sectional view through the auxiliary burner on the
line y-y of Fig. 3.
Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawing, referring to which :-
1 designates the gas supply pipe, which passes vertically through a base 2, and a
case 3, which is erected or secured on the base, the upper end of the supply-pipe
being provided with a main burner 4 of any preferred construction.
The enclosing-case 3 is provided with an opening in its front side, and in this
opening is arranged or fitted a vertical revoluble dial 5 which lies flush with the front
side of the case so as to be protected thereby. This revoluble dial is inscribed on its
exposed face with numerals which correspond to the hours of the day and night and
with two concentric rows of apertures 6, 7, or with two or more apertures which are
at different distances from the centre of the dial. In two of these apertures are
fitted pins 8, 9, for actuating a lever 10 which is fixed to the outer end of a
horizontal rock-shaft 11, and this rock-shaft is secured to the turning-plug of a
regulating valve 12, which is applied to the gas-supply pipe 1 at a point within the
enclosing-case. The ends of the lever 10 are of different lengths and they are
arranged in the path of the pins 8, 9, on the revoluble disk, whereby as the disk
rotates, the pin 8 which is furthest from the centre of the disk is adapted to strike or
impinge against the long arm of the lever to turn the rock-shaft and open the
regulating-valve and when the pin 9 which is nearer to the centre of the disk
impinges against the short arm of the lever the valve 12 is closed to cut off the supply
gas to the main burner.
of
The revoluble disk is carried by an auxiliary turning shaft 13, which is adapted
to be rotated once in every twenty-four hours by any suitable contrivance within
the case 3, but I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the means for rotating the
shaft and dial as any suitable contrivance can be employed.
15 designates the auxiliary burner which is arranged in close proximity to the
main burner, and is adapted to ignite the latter as soon as gas is supplied thereto by
opening the regulating valve 12.

page_text: This auxiliary burner consists of a shell or jacket which is made, preferably, of
two, or more, concentric cylinders of wire fabric, sheet metal or other material
which will admit of the passage of air to the interior of the jacket and at the same
time exclude draughts or currents of air which might extinguish the flame that burns
constantly in said auxiliary burner.
These cylinders of the auxiliary burner are suitably united together at their upper
ends as for instance by a band, and at their lower ends, the cylinders are fitted
and secured in a base 16, said base being applied or secured in any suitable manner
to the upper extremity of a pipe 17. This pipe 17 extends downward from the
auxiliary burner to a point below the regulating valve 12 of the gas supply pipe 1
whereby the gas is constantly supplied to the auxiliary burner and in quantities
which are not variable with the supply to the main burner.
Within the lower end of the auxiliary burner is arranged a fixed plug 18 which
fits over the upper end of the pipe 17, and through said plug is formed a minute
or very small gas passage 19, shown in Fig. 3 through which passage a limited
volume of gas is allowed to flow constantly to the auxiliary burner.
This auxiliary burner is provided with an incandescent or refractory filling,
which is arranged within the space or chamber provided by the metallic foraminous
jacket and which material is subjected to the flame of the auxiliary burner so that
the material is maintained in a state of incandescence or at a red glow, which is
sufficient to instantly ignite the gas issuing from the main burner and to relight
the auxiliary burner should its flame become accidentally extinguished.
I prefer to employ crossed wires of platinum 20 within the auxiliary burner, but
I do not restrict myself to the use of this particular substance as the means for
securing the incandescent burner, as I am aware that other substances can be used
in lieu thereof.
The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows:-
The gas issuing through the small passage in the plug of the auxiliary burner
is ignited in any suitable way and the incandescent material in said burner is
subject to the heat of this constantly burning flame so that the incandescent or
refractory material is raised to, and maintained at, a state of incandescence sufficiently
to instantly ignite the gas supplied through the pipe 1. The auxiliary burner
remains constantly in use, and is protected from draughts by the foraminous jacket
thereof, and should its flame become accidentally extinguished, the burner is instantly
ignited by the gas impinging against the incandescent filling therein. The dial is
revolved by any suitable mechanism and at the proper time the pin 8 thereof
impinges against the lever 10 which is operated to open the valve 12 and thus admit
the gas to the main burner. As the incandescent auxiliary burner is arranged in
close juxtaposition to the outlet of the main burner, the gas from the latter is
instantly ignited as soon as the regulating valve is opened. The main burner remains
in use until the pin 9 is carried around by the revoluble dial to impinge against
the short arm of the lever 10, which lever is turned to close the regulating valve
and thus cut off the supply of gas to the main burner.
I am aware that changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts can
be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and I would therefore
have it understood that I reserve the right to make such modifications as fairly
fall within the scope of my invention.
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 an automatic gas lighter and extinguisher the combination with a main
burner, its supply pipe and a regulating valve, of a revoluble dial, provided with
means for automatically opening and closing said regulating valve, and an auxiliary
burner which receives its supply of gas from the supply pipe below the regulating
valve therein, substantially as described.
2. In an automatic gas lighter and extinguisher the combination with a main

page_text: burner and its supply pipe of a regulating valve carrying a lever, and a revoluble
dial provided with projections which are adapted to impinge against the lever at
suitable intervals and au auxiliary burner, substantially as described.
3. In an automatic gas lighter and extinguisher the combination with a main
burner and the supply-pipe of a revoluble dial having the pins, the valve, the shaft
or stem fixed to the valve and having the lever adapted to be engaged and operated
by the pins and an auxiliary burner, substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of October 1900.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.