Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus Employed for Opening, Closing, and Regulating Gas and other Taps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 25th June, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus Employed for
Opening, Closing, and Regulating Gas and other Taps.
I, SIDNEY FIRTH, of 19 Bellevue Terrace, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus which may be
employed for opening, closing, and regulating gas and other taps, and it is particularly
applicable to the taps of gas brackets fixed in bedrooms, staircases, halls, cellars, and
other rooms or places whereby a light may be raised, lowered, or extinguished at a
distance from the bracket or pendant; and it may also be used for other purposes.
To the flat or ornamental head or cross piece of the tap of a gas bracket or pendant,
or other article is attached a metal (or other suitable material) bifurcated fixing
provided with two extensions projecting in opposite directions to form bent or curved
ends. Between the bifurcated portion of the fixing is placed the flat or ornamental
head or cross piece of the tap which is retained or clamped therein by means of a set
screw. One of the curved ends of the bifurcated fixing is armed with a suitable screw
for adjusting or regulating the opening of the tap, whilst a second screw or adjustable
hook, preferably attached to the patras may be employed for permitting the tap to be
partially or wholly closed. To the end of the fixing armed with the second screw is
also attached a string or line of any suitable material (provided with a handle at its
free end) which may be carried over or round pulleys or guides to any desired place
in the room, apartment, or building. Whilst the other end of the fixing is weighted
in any suitable manner, such as for instance casting or forming a weight thereon or
attaching a weight thereto. By arranging the extensions of the bifurcated fixing, or
the weight and handle to counterbalance each other the fixing may be applied to any
tap working in a horizontal or vertical direction, which tap may be operated in any
desired place or position (such as from a bed, or bottom of a staircase) of a room,
apartment, or building.
The above described means or apparatus is simple in construction, inexpensive, and
may be readily applied.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of September 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus Employed for
Opening, Closing, and Regulating Gas and other Taps.
I, SIDNEY FIRTH, of 19 Bellevue Terrace, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
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:-
This invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus which may be
employed for opening, closing, and regulating gas and other taps, and it is particularly
applicable to the taps of gas brackets fixed in bedrooms, staircases, passages, halls,
cellars, and other rooms or places whereby a light may be raised, lowered, or
extinguished at a distance from the bracket or pendant; and it may also be used for
other purposes.
In the drawings:-
Figs. 1 and 2 are plans and Fig. 3 a side elevation of apparatus constructed
according to this invention for opening, closing, and regulating horizontal gas taps.
Figs. 4 and 5 are side and end elevations of apparatus constructed according to this
invention for opening, closing, and regulating side or vertical gas taps.

page_text: Fig. 6. shows the apparatus applied to horizontal taps, and Fig. 7. to side or vertical
taps.
Fig. 8. is a view showing the method of operating the gas tap at a distance therefrom
in any desired position in a room or apartment.
Figs. 9 to 13 are details of parts applicable for use in connection with the regulator.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention applied to the taps of gas
brackets, but I distinctly wish it to be understood that it may be applied to other taps
or used for other purposes than regulating gas taps.
A is a metal fixing (hereafter termed the regulator) preferably, though not
necessarily so, made of brass, and which may be cast or otherwise formed in one piece
as shown at Fig. 1, or in two pieces A, a as shown at Figs. 2 to 5. When made in
one piece, as at Fig. 1, it is bifurcated at a' and provided with the ends a² a³ which
are made to project in opposite directions, and are bent to the angle as shown. But
when made in two pieces (clamp like) as shown at Figs. 2 to 5 the two portions A a
(each having a bent end a² and a³) are fastened together by the set screws a* a.
Between the bifurcated portion of the regulator at Fig. 1. or the two portions A a
(Figs. 2 to 5) at a' is placed the flat or ornamental head or crosspiece B of the tap
which is retained therein by a single set screw a' at Fig. 1. or by two set screws a* a³
at Figs. 2 to 5.
The bent end a³ of the bifurcated or other form of regulator is armed with a screw C
for adjusting or regulating the opening of the tap. As soon as the end e (Figs. 1, 2,
and 3) or heade (Figs. 4 and 5) of the screw C comes in contact with the patrass A¹,
to which the gas bracket is fixed, the opening motion of the tap is arrested. A second
screw or adjustable hook I, preferably in the form shown at Fig. 9 is mounted in the
patrass A¹ above or below the tap. For horizontal taps the hook I is screwed into the
patrass below the tap as shown at Fig. 6, but for side or vertical taps above the tap as
shown at Fig. 7. Whenever it is desired to turn the gas completely off and thus
extinguished the light, the end i of the adjustable hook I may be turned about a
quarter of a revolution until the part i is in a horizontal position. But when it is only
desired to partially lower the light, the adjustable hook I is arranged that when its
end is in a vertical position it will come in contact with the cross piece B of the tap
as it is being turned off, and act as a stop for preventing it being completely closed.
To the end a³ of the regulator is also attached a string G or line of wire or any
other suitable material provided at its free end with a handle D (in which is inserted
a lead plug d) similar to that shown at Fig. 11. The string G may be carried over or
round one or more pulleys or guides E and F, such as are shown at Figs. 12 and 13
or through ordinary staples or eyes, to any desired place in the room, apartment or
building. To the opposite end a² of the regulator is attached a weight H₁, such as is
.shown at Fig. 10 either directly under the end a as shown at Fig. 6, or in the corner
of the room or at any suitable distance from the tap as shown at Fig. 8.
When the
weight H¹ is arranged to work at a distance from the tap the string G may be carried
over a guide pulley such as F Fig. 13 which is fixed directly over the weight. Or
the weight H may be cast or formed on the regulator, or on one of its portions as
shown at Figs. 4, 5, and 7. By arranging the ends of the regulator, or the handle D
and weight H' to counterbalance each other the regulator may be applied to any tap
working in a horizontal or vertical direction, which tap may be operated in any
desired place or position (such as from a bed, or bottom of a staircase) of a room,
apartment, or building.
At Fig. 8. I have shown one form in which a regulator may be applied to a gas
bracket with a horizontal tap, and operated with a line of string G carried from said
gas bracket, which is shown fixed near the window, to a bedstead, at a distance there-
from, so that the light may be raised or lowered to any height by the occupant after
getting into, or without leaving the bed.
I would have it understood that 1 lay no claim to such well known parts as the
handle D, weight H', pulleys E and F when used for other purposes apart from their
combination with the herein described regulator.

page_text: 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. The means such as herein described and illustrated for opening, closing, and
regulating gas and other taps whereby increased facilities are obtained for operating
the same at a distance therefrom, substantially as herein set forth.
2. In the opening, closing, or regulation of gas or other taps, the use of a regulator
such as A made in one or more portions (armed with an adjusting screw such as C)
capable of being clamped on the head or cross piece of the tap, in combination with a
weight such as H or H formed on or attached to one end of said regulator, an
adjustable hook such as I, guides such as E and F, and line of string, wire, or other
material such as G provided with a handle such as D, arranged for operating the tap
at a distance therefrom, substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of June 1890.
SIDNEY FIRTH.
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.