IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I FRÉDÉRIC BESNARD, of N° 28 Rue Geoffroy-Lasnier, Paris, France, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS" and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention has for object improvements in lamps particularly in lamps
burning petroleum and other mineral oils but it is also applicable to moderator and
other lamps. It relates to a new arrangement of piston pressing upon the oil
contained in the reservoir, to a new disposition of elevator tube operating a valve
upon which rests a reservoir acting as a float and regulating the supply of oil; and
to a new form of burner and wick holder together with a globe or chimney carrier.
Referring to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical central
section of a lamp with a round wick.
Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of a lamp with a chimney carrier provided
with a burner of the kind known as the duplex burner.
Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in the Figures.
;
A is a reservoir containing oil, B a piston composed of a body b of leather with
a plate B' for its upper part, and a second plate B2 for its lower part. Within the
piston there is enclosed a fatty substance leaving a free space to ensure the
elasticity of the whole. C is a spring pressing upon the piston B. Da small tube
forming a communication between the lower part of the reservoir A, and the upper
reservoir E through the opening d. Fa hinged valve lying upon the upper
orifice d¹ of the tube D; upon this valve there rests the regulator float G; H is a
tube fixed rigidly to the reservoirs A and E in order to connect the two essential
parts of the lamp; I is a chamber pierced with holes i, i; it is through these holes
that the oil in which the wick is immersed passes. This wick is shewn in elevation
in Fig. 6, and in section following the line 1-2 (Fig. 6) in Fig. 7. K is a wick
holder provided with a key or handle k to which is connected the pinion k¹ which
operates the rack Figs. 3, 4 & 5. This rack is furnished with a clawed or
toothed piece or clamp of special construction. M is a globe or chimney carrier
provided with three arms m and with a socket m¹ pressing with moderate friction
upon the burner N.
O is a drum having its axis o sustained by two supports o¹ o¹
and receiving around its periphery the chain p the other extremity of which is
attached to the rings P. This chain passes over a guide pulley p¹ and the drum is
DR11

page_text: operated by turning the handle Q. The other parts are similar to those of lamps
in use and are well understood.
The operation of the lamp is as follows:-
The oil or hydrocarbon liquid is introduced into the reservoir A by the orifice a
of the tube H, by turning the handle Q in such a way as to raise the piston B by
means of the winch O, or by unscrewing the burner. The piston in consequence of
its peculiar construction contracts in its upward movement and allows the oil
contained in the upper part to pass into the lower part of the reservoir A.
When this is effected a regular and uniform feed is assured, the piston B
pressing upon the oil in virtue of the action of the spring is itself compressed and
forms a tight joint which prevents the oil passing to the upper part. The fatty
material interposes itself between the walls of the reservoir and the oil is forced to
pass into the tube D by the orifice d and to raise the valve E. The oil spreads in
the chamber E' pa-ses into the float G and thence, by the holes i, gains access to
the oil chamber I. From this arrangement it follows that if the consumption is
greater than the supply the equilibrium is upset and the oil under the pressure of
the piston raises the valve F and enters the float G until this by a sufficient charge
comes in its turn to pre-s upon the valve F to close the orifice d and stop the
supply until the equilibrium is disturbed afresh.
One of the great inconveniences of ordinary wick holders and of the systems
employed to raise flat wicks, is that the two edges which meet in the circular part
of the round burner seldom stand at the same level because the wick rises
irregularly. Hence the light is unsatisfactory. To avoid this inconvenience a
round wick according to this Invention has its upper edges reunited by a seam and
its inferior edges by a flat wick care being taken to provide at a suitable-height-a-
hole J (Fig. 6) sufficiently large to pass over the wick carrier K. At this point the
wick is bent and receives the form shewn in section in Fig. 7 by means of the
clawed clamp L which gives it that form. By this arrangement the wick always
mounts vertically since it is guided at its upper part by the wick holder K and the
burner N and at its lower part by the piece L.
To facilitate the insertion of the wick the piece L is furnished with a hinge
around which the moveable part turns while the part is fixed to the rack k².
As shewn in Fig. 5 each of the two parts constituting the clamp is terminated by
a hollow cylindrical part m¹ m²; a curved rod n moveable vertically and passing
through m² m² serves to connect the two parts 12 or to separate the one from the
other according as the rod n occupies the position indicated in Fig. 3, or as the
smaller branch of the rod is withdrawn from the cylindrical part m²
To avoid the inconveniences inherent in the globe or chimney holder actually in
use the dome' (capsule) is suppressed and the bolder is furnished with three small
arms m and with the clip m³ in such a way that all the carbonized matters which
fall between the burner and the glass go into the lower part of the burner and
when the gallery M is raised the burner and air chamber can be cleaned at once.
In place of the winch for raising the piston a pinion and rack as shewn in Fig. 2
may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim in lamps is―
(1) The use of a piston which allows the liquid to pass when it rises and which
forms a tight joint when it descends upon the liquid under the pressure of a spring
substantially as described...
(2) The use of a float to regulate the supply of oil the said float rising and
falling accor ling as the consumption or supply is in excess and acting as a valve
substantially as described.
: (3) The combination of a piston with an exterior ascension tube by which the
oil passes to operate a valve under the action of a float the said float being the feed
regulator substantially as described.

page_text: (4) The novel construction of burner having a wick of special form and a wick
holder with a clawed piece substantially as described.
(5) The novel construction of globe or chimney carrier substantially as
described.
(6) The improved lamp constructed arranged and operating substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.