IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR LIGHTING HYDROCARBON AND OTHER LAMPS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, both of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Lamp Manufacturers, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR LIGHTING HYDROCARBON AND OTHER
LAMPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hinks and Joseph
Hinks at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th April 1880.
JAMES HINKS and JOSEPH HINKS, both of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Lamp Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR LIGHTING
HYDROCARBON AND OTHER LAMPS."
This Invention is applicable to lamps carrying burners with single or duplex
wicks, and consists in fixing at the side of or between the wick cases, as required,
a tube or channel passing through the body of the burner and sloping up towards
the wick or wicks. This tube or channel is covered at its upper end by a hinged
cap kept in position by a spiral or other suitable spring. The underside of the cap
carries a knife edge or roughened surface. To ignite the lamp a match placed
within the tube being forced upwards by pressure from the thumb its head comes
in contact with the knife edge or roughened surface and ignites, at the same time
forcing open the cover and passing on up to the wick or wicks, the spring causing
the cover to press upon the match and hold it in position. To release the match a
lever thumb piece is attached to the back of the cover, so that pressure upon this
thumb piece raises the cover and allows the match to fall out of the tube. The
tube or channel is by preference made with a V shaped bottom so as to cause the
match to keep in a central position.
In lamps carrying an extinguisher we extend the inner side thereof next to the
match tube up to the top of the wick case so as to form a shield, preventing the
wick case from being corroded and dirtied by the explosion of the match, and thi
shield can casily be scraped and kept clean.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
tho said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th September 1880.
"
JAMES HINKS and JOSEPH HINKS, both of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Lamp Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR LIGHTING
HYDROCARBON AND OTHER LAMPS."
-Our Invention is applicable to hydrocarbon and other lamps carrying burners
having one, two, or more wicks, and also to gas lamps, and our said Invention
consists of the mechanism herein after described to be used for lighting the said
lamps.
We will describe our Invention as applied to a lamp burning volatile hydro-
carbon, and having one or more wicks.
The said mechanism consists of a tube or channel fixed at the side of or between
the wick cases, up which tube or channel the match to light the lamp is forced, the
said tube or channel passing through the body of the burner and inclining towards
the wick or wicks. This tube or channel is covered at its upper end by a hinged
cap kept in position by a spring. The underside of the cap carries a knife edge or
roughened or notched surface. To light the lamp a match is placed within the
tube and is forced upwards by pressure from the thumb so as to cause the head of
the match to come in contact with the knife edge or roughened or notched surface
and ignite it. At the same time the cap or cover is forced open and the ignited
match passed up to the wick or wicks, the spring of the said cap or cover causing
the latter to press upon the match and hold it in position. To release the match a
lever thumb piece is attached to the back of the cap or cover so that pressure upon
this thumb piece raises the cap or cover and permits the match to fall out of the
tube.
We will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which our Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent vertical sections, partly in elevation, of opposite sides
of a duplex burner of a volatile hydro-carbon lamp containing mechanism for
lighting, by means of matches, the wicks of the said lamp burner.
In Figure 2 the guide tube and jointed or hinged cap or cover are shown in
section, and a match is represented in the act of being forced up the guido tube
preparatory to the igniting of the said match.
Figure 3 represents the mechanism after the match has been ignited and has been
carried up to the wicks for lighting them, and held in that position.
Figure 4 represents the mechanism after the spent match has been released and
has fallen from the guide tube.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of the lighting mechanism taken in a
direction at right angles to that in which the lighting mechanism in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4 is taken; and Figure 6 is a plan of the same.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawings.
a, a, are the two wick cases or holders of the duplex burner; and b is the fixed
guide tube or channel situated between the wick cases a, a. The said guide tube b
is conical, its widest end being lowest. The said guide tube band the several parts
of the lighting mechanism herein after described are carried by the plate c fixed to
the body of the lamp burner; d is the hinged or jointed cap or cover of the guide
tube b, the said cap or cover when in its closed or normal position, Figures 1 and 2,
covering and nearly closing the upper small end of the said guide tube. The
jointed cap or cover dis jointed at d to the plate c, supporting the lighting
inechanism, ani that end of the cap or cover d which is turned inwards is furnished
with a kuife edge c. The jointed cap or cover is pressed into the closed or normal

page_text: position, Figures 1 and 2, by a wire (or other) spring f, bearing upon the said cap
at its back. The said cap is prolonged downwards, or is furnished with a tail or
stem g, to the bottom of which tail or stem the link his jointed at /. To the
outer end of the link the pusher or thumb piece i is connected, the head of the
said pusher being external to the body of the burner, and being situated at the side
of and near to the guide tube b (see the plan, Figure 6; and the side elevation,
Figure 5).
When short wax matches of the kind commonly called vesta matches are to be
used for lighting the lamp we employ with the said wax matches a tubular metallic
holder, of the kind represented in the Drawing and marked , but when ordinary
wooden matches are employed the use of tho said holder is unnecessary, for the
bodies of the matches are of sufficient length and sufficiently rigid to be forced by
hand up the guide tube b.
In lighting the lamp provided with the mechanism constituting our Invention
the wax or vesta match b is placed in one end of the tubular metallic holder k, and
the match and its holder are forced by hand up the fixed guide tube b, in the
inanner represented in Figure 2. As soon as the head of the match comes in
contact with the jointed cap or cover d it lifts or forces open the said cap or cover
and deflects the spring f. On the further motion of the match it comes in contact
with and travels against the knife edge e, by which the match is ignited, the
ignited match being carried up near to tho exposed parts of the wicks in the cases
u, a, in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, and the lighting of the lamp is thereby
effected. As the metallic holder & travels against the knife edge e of the spring
cover dit is pressed upon by the said knife edge, and as soon as the match reaches
the position represented in Figure 3 it is held in that position by the pressure of
the said knife edge while the match lights the wicks. After the lamp has been
lighted the spent match and its holder are released and removed from the burner
by pressing inwards the pusher or thumb plate i at one side of the guide tube b.
By pressing upon the pusher i it operates through the link and tail or stem g of
the jointed cap d upon the said cap, and turns the latter outwards upon its joint.
The knife edge e is thereby lifted from the match holder, and the match holder is
released and falls with the spent match from the guide tube b, the several parts
occupying the respective positions represented in Figure 4. Thus in order to light
the lamp it is only necessary to force the match (with or without a holder) up the
guide tube b so as to ignite it by its travelling against the knife edge c, the act of
igniting the match carrying it forward into a position proper to light the wicks, in
which position it is held by the mechanism, the removal of the spent match being
effected by pushing inwards the pusher or thumb piece i.
Instead of the knife edge e the underside of the jointed spring cap or cover d
may be roughened for igniting the match, as the latter forces the said cap open and
travels against it.
Or the cap or cover may consist of a flat plate without a knife edge, the inner
end of the flat cap or cover being forked and serrated or toothed for igniting the
match.
This modification of our Invention is illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Figures 7 and 8 represent the mechanism before the match is introduced into the
guide tube; Figure 9 represents the match in the act of lifting the flat cap or
cover, and being ignited by being carried against the serrated or toothed end of the
said cover; Figure 10 represents the ignited match carried up near to the wicks
for lighting them; Figure 11 represents a plan of the mechanism, and Figure 12 a
front elevation of the same.
In this modification the guide tube is made shorter than in the first described
arrangement, and the construction of the parts of the lighting and releasing
mechanism is simplified. In the said Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, the flat
jointed cap or cover is marked d, and the serrated or notched forked end for
igniting the match is marked d³. The flat jointed cap or cover d, and its
arın g², together with the lower arm or tail g are made of one piece of steel,

page_text: the upper arm g carrying the cap or cover, and the lower arm or tail g to which the
link of the pusher is jointed consisting of a cranked lever, the cap or cover d
being bent at right angles to the said cranked lever as represented. The wire spring f
bears against a projection at the side of the cap or cover & for closing the said cap
or cover, and for holding the ignited-match. The parts of the mechanism
represented in Figures 7 to 12 are marked with the same letters of reference as
corresponding parts of the mechanism represented in Figures 1 to 6, and the action
of both arrangements is essentially the same, the match being ignited in the first
arrangement by its travelling against the knife edge of the cap or cover, and in the
second arrangement by its travelling against the serrated forked end of the flat
cap or cover.
By our Invention great simplicity combined with great cleanliness-in-the-lighting
of lamps is effected, and the removal of the chimney or shade for lighting the lamp
is rendered unnecessary.
In lamps carrying an extinguisher we extend the inner side of the extinguisher
next to the match tube up to the top of the wick case so as to form a shield, and
thereby prevent the wick case from being corroded and injured by the ignition of
the matches.
The shield referred to can readily be scraped from adhering dirt and kept clean.
Although we have represented our Invention in combination with a duplex
burner of a volatile hydrocarbon lamp, yet our Invention is equally applicable to
volatile hydro-carbon lamps having burners with one or more than two wicks, and
to gas and spirit lamps.
In applying our Invention to these lamps the lighting mechanism differs in no
essential respect from that used in conjunction with the duplex burners of volatile
hydro-carbon lamps hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention, the improvements in mechanism for lighting hydro-carbon and other
lamps, herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say, mechanism for lighting lamps by means of matches, which said mechanism
consists essentially of a fixed guide tube or channel up which the match (alone or
fixed in a holder) is forced in combination with a jointed spring cap or cover over
the top of the guide tube for igniting the match as it forces back and travels
against the said cap or cover, and for holding the ignited match in position for
lighting the lamp, together with appliances for releasing the spent match from the
spring cap or cover after the lamp has been lighted, the several parts of the lighting
mechanism being constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hinks, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
41.