Improvements in Apparatus for Replenishing Miners' and other Lamps with Oil.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sent., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1894-Accepted, 25th Aug.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Replenishing Miners' and other
Lamps with Oil.
We, WILLIAM ACROYD of Birkenshaw Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM BEST,
of Wesley Street, Morley, Foreman Lampman, both near Leeds, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It has hitherto been the custom when filling the oil chamber of a miner's safety
lamp, to unscrew an opening in such chamber, and admit oil from a tap in connection
with an oil reservoir.
This operation is most inconvenient, and owing to the slowness of the process of
unscrewing and rescrewing the opening, and in turning on and off the supply by
means of the tap, it requires a considerable expenditure of time to fill a number of
lamps in this way.
The object of our invention is to construct apparatus whereby the oil chambers of
miners and other lamps may be more readily and efficiently replenished than
heretofore.
According to our invention, we preferably construct the oil chamber in two parts,
the bottom and sides being cast or formed out of one piece of metal, and provided
with a screwed cover or top portion, thus making a much stronger oil chamber, at
the same time preventing leaking of the oil.
At the base of the interior of the oil chamber is a vertical pin, and immediately
above same is a hole in the cover. A sliding stud is mounted on the vertical pin,
and a spring provided at the lower end of the said stud keeps it up to the hole in
the cover, thus firmly closing the said hole.
Instead of the tap usually employed in connection with the oil reservoir, we
employ a vertical cylinder, having a piston provided with holes in its outer edge and
fitted with a hollow piston rod, which is closed at its extreme ends, but which is
provided with holes at the sides of same near the upper and lower parts. The piston
is kept down by means of a strong spring situated within the cylinder, and the
piston rod passes through a telescopic joint, which covers the upper holes when the
piston is in its down position.
When it is required to fill one of the oil chambers, the stud of the chamber is
brought in contact with the under end of the hollow piston rod and pressed upwards.
This has the effect of first depressing the stud, and allowing the hollow piston rod
to enter the chamber. The continued pressure causes the piston rod to move
upwards, until the holes in the upper part of the piston rod pass from the telescopic
joint to within the cylinder, when the oil runs into the lamp by way of the holes at
the upper and lower parts of the hollow piston rod.
By removing the oil chamber, the supply of oil is cut off, and the oil chamber
becomes immediately sealed by the rising of the spring stud.
Should it be required to supply a given quantity of oil at each operation, a spring
plug is attached to the upper side of the piston, in such a manner that on the piston
rising, the spring plug will press against and cover the inlet at the upper end of the
cylinder, thus the inlet being closed, the given quantity of oil in the cylinder is
allowed to run into the oil chamber, and on the said oil chamber being removed and
the piston descending, the spring plug is removed from the inlet, allowing a similar
quantity to enter the cylinder ready for the next operation.
Dated this 1st day of September 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Replenishing Miners' and other
Lamps with Oil.
We, WILLIAM ACKROYD of Birkenshaw, Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM
BEST of Wesley Street, Morley, Foreman Lampman, both near Leeds, in the
County of York, 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
he following statement :-
The object of our invention is to construct apparatus whereby the oil chambers of
miners and other lamps may be more readily and efficiently replenished than
heretofore.
It has hitherto been the custom when filling the oil chamber of a miner's safety
lamp, to unscrew an opening in such chamber, and admit oil from a tap in connection
with an oil reservoir. This operation is most inconvenient, and owing to the slow-
ness of the process of unscrewing and rescrewing the opening and in turning on and
off the supply by means of the tap, it requires a considerable expenditure of time
to fill a number of lamps in this way.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer to
like parts in all the figures.
Figs. 1 and 2 show sections of an apparatus constructed according to our
invention, and Fig. 3 shows a general exterior view of the same apparatus.
According to our invention, we preferably construct the oil chamber A in two
parts, the bottom B and sides B₁ (Fig. 2) being cast or formed out of one piece of
metal, and provided with a screwed cover or top portion C, thus making a much
stronger oil chamber, at the same time preventing leakage.
At the base and in the interior of the oil chamber A is a vertical pin D, and
inimediately above same is a hole E in the cover C. A sliding stud F is mounted
on the vertical pin D, and a spring G provided at the lower end of the said stud F
keeps it up to the hole E in the cover C, thus firmly closing the said hole.
Instead of the tap usually employed in connection with the oil we employ a
vertical cylinder H, provided with a piston J having holes J' therein. This
piston J is fitted with a hollow piston rod K having holes K' at the sides near the
upper part, and holes K' in the lower part thereof, the said piston rod K being also
provided with a flange K³, and an escape tube K' at its lower part. The piston J
is kept down by means of a strong spring L situated within the cylinder H, and the
hollow piston rod K passes through a joint or bearing sleeve H₁ which covers the
upper holes K' when the piston J is in its down position.
The
Above the cylinder H we provide a tank M for the reception of oil, and within
this tank M is arranged a cylinder N, having a piston P working therein, such
cylinder N being in direct communication with the cylinder H below same.
cylinder N is preferably of such a size as to receive a given quantity of oil, in
accordance with the amount required to be supplied to the oil chamber A of the
lamp, the said oil passing into the cylinder N from the tank M outside it, through
holes N', when the piston P is in the up position (see Figure 1). The tank M
carrying the cylinders H and N and other parts connected therewith, is suspended
by means of a suitable bracket R, Fig. 3, to a standard S. A suitable vertically
sliding base plate T for the reception of the oil chamber A is also mounted in a
bracket U which is attached to the standard S, and an upper bracket V fixed on
the same standard S also carries a lever W, having the piston rod P₁ of the
piston P attached thereto. The base plate T and piston rod P are actuated
simultaneously by means of the hand lever X and connecting rod Y, which hand

page_text: lever on being depressed raises the base plate T by means of its free end ✗¹, and
lowers the piston rod P¹ by reason of the connecting rod Y and lever W (see
Fig. 3).
When it is required to replenish a lamp, the oil chamber A is placed on the base
plate T, against a suitable stop T', so that its stud F is directly below the under
end of the hollow piston rod K. The hand lever X is then depressed which action
raises the base plate T, carrying upwards the said oil chamber A, which has the
effect of first depressing the stud F and allowing the hollow piston rod K to enter
the oil chamber A until the flange of the opening E comes against the flange K³
on the exterior of the piston rod K, thereby making a sealed joint. The continued
pressure upwards causes the piston rod K to rise until the holes K' in the upper
part of the piston rod K pass from the joint or bearing sleeve H' to within the
cylinder H. Simultaneously with the upward movement of the piston J in the
cylinder H, the piston P in the cylinder N is depressed thereby forcing the required
quantity of oil into the oil chamber A, by way of the cylinder H, holes K', hollow
piston rod K, and holes K2, the confined air contained in the lamp chamber A
escaping or being driven out through the tube K* (see Fig. 2). The lever X is then
released, when the spring Z forces the levers W and X into their normal positions,
thereby raising the piston P in the cylinder N ready for a fresh supply of oil, at
the same time the piston J closes upon its seat within the cylinder H thereby
cutting off the supply (see Fig. 1). The oil chamber A also becomes immediately
sealed by the rising of the spring stud F against the hole E in the cover C. Should
a lamp chamber be placed on the filling apparatus which already contains a quantity
of oil, the oil supplied thereto by the depression of the lever X, will on filling the
chamber commence to pass off by way of the tube K', when the operator will
immediately let go the said lever X, thereby cutting off the supply. In this manner
the tube K acts as a tell tale and overflow, and the excess of oil may be caught by
a suitable receptacle, thus preventing the flooding of the lamp chamber with oil,
which would otherwise take place.
A treadle arrangement may when desired be employed to actuate the lever X
above referred to.
It will be readily seen that the operation of replenishing miners and other lamps
with oil will be considerably enhanced by the employment of apparatus as above
described, as the oil chambers can be quickly placed upon the base plate and filled
in succession with remarkable rapidity, at the same time the said oil chambers
receive one and the same quantity, which quantity is regulated by the size of the
cylinder N, or the stroke of the piston P therein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. In miners safety lamps, the formation of the lamp bottom in two parts, the
bottom and sides forming one part, and the cover forming the second part, in com-
bination with a spring inlet for admitting oil, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
2. The combination with the lamp bottom B of the pin D, sliding stud F,
spring G, and hole E in the cover C, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
3. The cylinder H, piston J, hollow piston rod K and spring L, in combination
with a forcing device for supplying a lamp with a given quantity of oil, substan-
tially as set forth.
4. The combination of the cylinder H, telescopic joint or bearing sleeve H',
piston J having holes J' therein, hollow piston rod K with its holes K' and K³,
flange K and escape tube K, spring L, tank M, cylinder N having holes N' and
piston P therein, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. The parts as claimed by the preceding claim in combination with the piston
rod P, bracket R, standard S, sliding base plate T, bracket U, bracket V, lever W,

page_text: lever X, connecting rod Y, and spring Z, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
6. The general arrangement, construction and combination of the various parts
forming the apparatus for replenishing miners and other lamps with oil, substan-
tially as set forth, together with any mere modification or modifications thereof.
Dated this 1st day of June 1894.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicants.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicants.