CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH GRATES AND OTHER FIREPLACES
Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PYCROFT, of Rolleston, near Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirteenth day of July, in the second year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grunt unto me, the said James
Pycroft, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
James Pycroft, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
James Pycroft, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH GRATES AND OTHER FIREPLACES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James
Pycroft, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Pycroft, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:-

page_text: to carry my
Invention into effect, I construct the sides, top, and part of the back of the
grate or fireplace hollow, with proper inlets and outlets for the air to
such hollow chambers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a front view of a grate or fireplace constructed accord-
ing to my Invention; Figure 2, a side section thereof; and Figure 3, a scction
taken at the dotted line in Figure 1. In each of these Figures a is the fire-
place for the fuel; b, b, are the registers or inlets for the cold air when such
air is derived from the room. c, c, are outlets for the air when it has become
heated by passing into the hollow chambers (d, d,) formed at the sides, back,
and top of the grates or fireplaces. (e) is the flue, which is shewn as being of
a rectangular form, but other forms may be used. This flue, it will be seen,
stands back from the fire. The fire being brought as forward as possible, with
a view to throwing as much heat as can be into the room, yet as such bringing
forward of the fire would tend to cause the smoke to enter the room in place
of going up the chimney, and in order to prevent this I use a shield or cover,
which which will descend and cover the upper part of the fire, and at the
same time acts as a blower to excite the fire. (f) is the front part of the
cover, which is hinged to the upper part of the grate or stove, on the inner
side of which the part (9) slides, so as to elongate the cover or shield when the
same is drawn outwards for the purpose of covering the fire, as is shewn by
the dotted lines in Figure 2. This part (9) has slits cut in it, and also pins
or studds formed on the inner side of the part (f), which permits of its being
drawn down, but is retained in any position by means of a screw pin on the
top of the of the shield and rack affixed on the side of the part (f), as
shewn in the Drawing. When the fire is lighted, and fresh coal put on, the
cover or shield f, g, should be drawn down, so as to cover the upper part of the
fire, and thus will the black smoke be directed up the chimney, and when the
coal has burned up the cover or shield may be slided up, and be placed level
with the surface of the back of the stove, and only leave a small space for the
smoke to pass to the chimney; and it will be evident, that so long as a fire is
in the grate or fireplace the air which is contained in the hollow chambers

page_text: will become heated, and will pass off at the openings or outletts (c, c.) into the
In case the air so heated be desired to be passed into the other rooms,
then the outlets (c, c,) are to be closed, and openings into tubes or pipes placed
for that purpose are to be opened, when the heated air will pass into any
other room which is connected by pipes for that purpose; and in place of
permitting the air of the room to enter into the how chambers (d, d,) I
generally use pipes connected with the hollow chambers, and open to the
outer atmosphere, in which case the openings (b, b.) must be opened. h is a
damper, placed a short distance up the chimney or flue, by which the extent of
draft may be regulated, or wholly shut off when required. (i) is a small door,
through which the hot air may be conveyed into the chimney when not
wanted.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as my
Invention is the forming hollow chambers to grates or fireplaces, in the
manner above described, for beating the air either of the room in which the
fire is lighted, or for supplying such heated air to other rooms by means of
pipes connected therewith, and to such hollow chambers, as aforesaid; also
the particular construction and arrangement of the bonnet or shield with
hinges.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Pycroft, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Tenth day of January, One thousand eight hundred