Improvements in Lamps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lamps.
I, EDGAR JULIAN BISSELL, of Bartold in the County of St. Louis, and State
of Missouri, United States or America, Artist, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in that class of lamps having a central
air-draught tube; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple, compact,
and durable lamp which will give a strong clear light and which will throw out but
little heat in proportion to the size of the flame and in which the outer and inner
air draughts are combined in such a manner as to produce a steady vertical
flame.
In the upper end of the central air tube is mounted (by radial wings fitting in
the air tube and resting on a rib therein) a central vertical spindle having a collar
fixed thereto a little above the burner on which rests a flame-spreading disc having
a flared central hole fitting loosely on the upper pointed end of the spindle. This
disc has a circle of perforations near its edge which permit a part of the central
draught to pass through the spreader and thus prevent excessive flattening of the
flame as it passes the edge of the spreader. These perforations form an important
feature of the spreader and they are arranged near the edge so that a portion of
the air draught will be diverted from around the spreader and the flame will thus
be permitted to assume a vertical position. By permitting a portion of the air to
escape in this way, the intensity of the heat is modified while the flame is much
more luminous than it would be without the perforations. Upon the central draught
tube slides a wick-holding tube having an encircling grooved collar at its lower
end, the lower flange of which has a gap in it. In this grooved collar engages
a plate whose edge is concaved to partly embrace the wick-holding tube and which
extends from a nut mounted to traverse upon a vertical screw-shaft mounted within
the oil reservoir, its lower end being stepped in the bottom thereof and its upper
end passing through the top of the reservoir and having a milled head for turning
it. The nut is prevented from turning with the screw by its engagement with the
wick-holder, so that when the screw is rotated the nut is traversed on the screw
and the wick raised or lowered as the case may be. The wick-holding tube may
be disengaged from the nut and raised independently of the screw-mechanism,
when it is required to remove it for inserting a new wick. The upper portion of
the central air draught tube is encircled by an outer tube which is fixed to the
upper part of the reservoir and the space between the said tubes is occupied by the
wick. Upon the outer tube fits loosely a sleeve, the lower end of the sleeve being
flared so that it may be readily placed upon the tube. A perforated cone-shaped
shell is mounted on the sleeve and to the lower edge of the cone is united a
perforated band, the upper portion of which formed into the ordinary chimney-
holder. A conical deflector is located within the chimney-holder, the lower edge
of the deflector being outwardly flanged so as to enter a groove in the perforated
band. The chimney may thus be held between the chimney-holder and the deflector:
The deflector is also provided near the base with a row of perforations to permit
of a free circulation of air. The perforations in the cone-shaped shell and in
the band should admit all the air that will pass through the space between the
5 conical deflector and the burner, and the draught through said space will thus
counter-balance the central draught and as a result perfect combustion will be
obtained, with a clear bright vertical flame. When the lamp is to be lighted, the
sleeve may be slipped off the burner tube, carrying the chimney gallery with it and
lifting the spreader off from the spindle and when the said sleeve is replaced, the

page_text: spreader, by reason of its central flaring hole, will find its way back on to the
spindle. The wings which are attached to the spindle, not only support the spindle
and spreader but they cause the air to flow steadily through the central tube
and prevent it from eddying or swirling, and consequently the flame does not
flicker.
E. J. BISSELL,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lamps.
I, EDGAR JULIAN BISSELL, of Bartold, in the County of St. Louis, and State
of Missouri, United States of America, Artist, 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 invention relates to improvements in that class of lamps having a central
air draught tube, and the object of my invention is to produce a simple compact
and durable lamp which will give a strong clear light and which will throw out but
little heat in proportion to the size of the flame and in which the outer and inner
air draughts are combined in such a manner as to produce a steady vertical flame.
To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and com-
binations of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and then pointed out in
the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a broken vertical section of the lamp embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the flame spreader.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the spindle for supporting the spreader and
the wings for holding the spindle in position and regulating the central air
draught.
Figure 4 is a broken horizontal section on line 4-4 Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank of a modified form of flange used for lifting
the wick tube, and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the flange when doubled into the required shape
and the lifting mechanism connected therewith.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The oil reservoir B is of the ordinary construction and is provided with the
usual filling hole band with a central vertical air-tube C extending through it,
supplied with air in any of the usual ways. The above mentioned parts form no
part of my invention except that the tube C has an internal circumferential rib c to
support spindle D by the wings D¹ attached thereto.
The spindle D is held vertically in a central position in the upper portion of the
tube C so as to extend above the top of the tube, the ends d of the spindle being
pointed, as shewn, and extending radially from the spindle near the lower portion
thereof are the wings D¹ the outer edges of the wings abutting with the inner
surface of the tube C and the lower portions of the wings resting upon the annular
rib c, thus supporting the wings and spindle in position. There are four wings D¹
shewn in the drawings, but a greater or less number may be used and the wings
are attached to the spindle by being brazed or rivetted, but they may be fastened
in any convenient way. The wings are arranged in pairs, each pair being connected
by a flattened portion d' which is fastened to a flattened portion of the spindle D.
A button or collar E is fixed to the spindle, near the upper end thereof, so as to
be a little above the top of the tube C and fitting loosely upon the spindle and
resting upon the collar is a disc F, which serves as a spreader to the flame, the

page_text: said disc being somewhat larger than the tube Cand having a central hole, flared as
at so as to readily slip over the pointed end of the spindle when dropped thereon.
The spreader is provided near its outer edge with a circle of perforations f² which
permit a portion of the air passing upward through the tube C to pass through the
spreader, thus preventing the excessive flattening of the frame as it passes upward
by the edge of the spreader. These perforations form an important feature of the
spreader and they are arranged near the edge so that a portion of the air draught
will be diverted from around the spreader and the flame will thus be permitted to
assume a vertical position. By permitting a portion of the air to escape in this
way, the intensity of the heat is modified while the flame is much more luminous
than it would be without the perforations. A tube G loosely encircles, and slides
upon, the tube C and has at the bottom a pair of parallel external flanges
and g¹,
the lower flange g' being partly cut away, as at g², to permit the tube G to be
disengaged from the elevating mechanism as described below.
A wick H of the usual kind fits closely upon the tube G upon which it is bound
by the twine h, which prevents the wick from fraying. The tube G is raised or
lowered and with it the wick H by means of a screw-threaded shaft I mounted
vertically in the oil-reservoir adjacent to the central tube, the lower end of the shaft
having a bearing in a support J fixed to the bottom of the reservoir and the upper
end in a support Jon the top thereof, the upper end of the shaft being provided
with a thumb piece I¹ by means of which it may be turned. A nut K is traversed
upon the screw-shaft I by the rotation of the latter, the lower portion of the nut
being provided with a laterally-extending plate k which engages between the
flanges g and g and partly embraces the tube G, so as to prevent the nut from
turning so that by turning the screw-shaft the nut K will be moved vertically along
the screw and the tube G and the wick H will be raised or lowered as the case may
be. The edge of the plate k is concave, to embrace the tube G and the corners of
the plate are rounded, as at k', to enable it to readily enter between the flanges g
and g. The width of the plate k at its widest portion corresponds with the width
of the gap g² in the flange g', so that when the plate and the gap coincide, the
tube G may be disengaged from the plate k and raised from the tube C, inde-
pendently of the screw, this being only done when the tube is to be provided with
a new wick. The tube G is also cut away at its lower end between the flanges g
and and opposite the gap in the lower flange so that when the tube is dropped
into place its lower edge will not catch against the corners of the flange k and
prevent it from being quickly adjusted. The upper portion of the tube C is
encircled by a tube L which is fixed to the upper part of the reservoir B and the
space between the tubes C and L is occupied by the wick H, the tubes thus serving
as guides for the wick. Upon the tube L fits loosely a sleeve M the lower end of
the sleeve being flared, as shewn at m, so that the sleeve may be readily placed
upon the tube. A perforated cone-shaped shell N is mounted on sleeve M by a
collar N', and to the lower edge of the cone is united a perforated band O which
rises therefrom, the upper portion of which band is formed into the ordinary
chimney-holder O. A deflector P is located between the chimney-holder O¹ and
the tube L, the upper portion of the deflector being reduced in diameter as shown
at P', and the lower edge of the deflector being flanged outwardly at p so as to
enter the groove o in the band O. The chimney may thus be held between the
chimney-holder and the deflector. The deflector is also provided near the base
with a row of perforations p' to permit of a free circulation of air. The perfora-
tions in the shell N and in the band O should admit all the air that will pass
through the space between the reduced end P of the deflector and the tube L
and the draught through said space will thus counterbalance the central draught
from the tube C and as a result perfect combustion will be obtained with a clear,
bright, vertical flame. When the lamp is to be lighted, the sleeve M may be slipped
from the tube L carrying the connected parts with it and lifting the spreader Foff
from the spindle D and when the said sleeve is replaced the spreader, by reason of
its central flaring hole, will find its way upon the spindle D or the chimney may be

page_text: removed from the chimney holder if desired. The wings D' which are attached to
the spindle D not only support the spindle and spreader F but they cause the air
to flow steadily through the tube and prevent it from eddying or swirling and
consequently the flame does not flicker.
In Figures 5 and 6 I have shewn a modified form of wick-lifter which may be
more economically made than the wich-lifting mechanism herein before described
and which operates equally well. In this case a plate U having a concave inner
edge adapted to fit between the flanges g and g¹ of the wick tube G is used instead
of the plate K, the plate U before being doubled to shape, being in the form of the
blank shewn in Figure 5 made from sheet metal and having perforations u and u
the former being near the centre and the latter near the outer end of the blank and
between these perforations an elongated slot u². To form the complete lifter, the
extremity of the shank of the blank is doubled under at the points indicated by
dotted lines in Figure 5, as shewn in Figure 6, and in the perforations u and u¹
which now coincide a small tube or sleeve is fixed. This tube is adapted to slide
on a rod w fixed in the reservoir in place of the screw-shaft I so as to hold the
A handle which may
lifter in the required position in relation to the wick-tube.
v
be formed of common wire is used for moving the lifter, the lower end of the handle
being received in the slot u² and jointed to the knuckle formed by the doubled
portion of the lifter by a pin y driven through a hole in the handle and having its
ende received in the bend or knuckle. The upper end of the handle extends to
a point where it may be conveniently grasped and by moving it up and down the
lifter U may be correspondingly moved and the lamp-wick nicely adjusted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination, in a lamp having a central air tube and an outer tube L
with an annular wick space between said tubes, of a vertically-removable chimney-
holder on the tube L and having a deflector P a vertical central rod projecting
above the air tube and having a shoulder or projection near its upper end and a
vertically-removable single spreader disc having a central aperture for receiving
said rod and an outer marginal series of apertures, said spreader disc being of greater
diameter than the tube L whereby when the chimney-holder is removed it will also
remove the spreader disc, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a lamp having an annular wick chamber or space
and a vertically-removable chimney holder provided with an inwardly-inclined
deflector P, of a central rod D having a pointed lower end a shoulder or support
and a centrally-apertured spreader disc having its aperture flared as at f to readily
receive the rod and provided with a marginal series of apertures above the wick-
space, the spreader projecting at its margin into the upward path of the chimney-
holder whereby the spreader will be removed and returned by the chimney-holder,
substantially as described.
3. The combination, with a lamp having a central air tube therein, of a vertically-
movable tube mounted on the air tube and carrying a wick, as shewn, said tube
having parallel flanges at its lower end the lower flange being cut away a screw-
shaft mounted vertically in the lamp reservoir and a nut mounted on the screw shaft
and carrying a laterally extending plate of a width to pass through the said cut-
away portion and into the groove between the flanges of the wick-holding tube
substantially as described.
4. The combination, with the vertically-movable wick tube having on its lower
end parallel flanges with part of the lower flange and tube cut away as shewn, of a
screw-shaft mounted in the lamp reservoir adjacent to the wick tube and a nu
mounted on the screw-shaft and provided with a laterally-extending plate to engage
between the flanges of the wick tube, said plate having its corners rounded, sub
stantially as described..
5. The combination, with the vertically-movable wick tube, of a rod arranged

page_text: parallel with the tube and secured in the lamp reservoir a sliding plate mounted on
the rod and connected with the wick tube and a handle hinged to the plate and
extending upward through the reservoir, substantially as described.
6. The improvement in lamps described in the foregoing Specification and shewn
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
1
1000
E. J. BISSELL,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.