Improvements in and relating to Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left. 22nd July. 1897-Accepted. 18th Sept.. 1897
Date OT
Complete Specification Left. 22nd July. 1897-Accepted. 18th Sept., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Miners' Safety Lamps.
I JOSEF SZOMBATHY of Steyerlak in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, Lock-
smith do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These
This invention relates to miners safety lamps and its object is to render them
safer and more convenient in respect of the following improvements.
relate first, to a means for lighting the lamp adapted to be operated from outside
the lamp; second, to a means for regulating the wick from outside the lamp;
third, to a safety closure which will prevent accidental opening of the lamp and
also to a great extent unauthorized opening; and fourth to an improved means
for assisting the air circulation of the lamp without danger of firing a fire damp
atmosphere.
For lighting the wick I employ a roll of fulminating caps or the like which by
pressure on an under part of the lamp or on a ring placed there will be unrolled
so as to bring a cap into position in order that on again drawing back said ring
or part the cap will be exploded by a hammer and so produce a spark or sparks
which will light the lamp.
In combination with this device I arrange means for moving the wick in its
axial direction consisting of a nut or screw outside the lamp by turning which in
the one or other direction the wick is raised or lowered.
.
To avoid opening the lamp as aforesaid I provide on those parts of the lamp
which screw together a safety locking device normally in engagement to prevent
such parts from being unscrewed, the principal organ of this locking device being
such that it can only be unfastened by the use of a magnet.
To improve the circulation of air I provide exteriorly and interiorly of the wire
gauze respectively two guard cones or shields which are provided at their open
ends above and below with inwardly bent or directed recesses which improve the
air circulation without permitting sufficient fire damp to pass in such a way as
to cause danger.
Doted this 2nd day of October 1896.
HERBERT HADDEN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Miners' Safety Lamps.
I, JOSEF SZOMBATHY, of Steyerlak, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, Lock-
smith do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention relates to a miners lamp, which is constructed in such a manner,
that it affords in every way the greatest possible safety and is also very easy to
operate. For this purpose the lamp is provided with a wick regulator to be
operated from outside and with a lighting apparatus to be operated also from
outside. It has further safety-closures which are such, that the lamp when used
cannot be opened easily, and it is also provided with a system of protecting caps,
which divert the mine gases, although the air circulation in the lamp remains
perfect.
In the annexed drawing-Fig 1 is an elevation of the new lamp. Fig. 2 is a
cross section on the line A B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section. Fig. 4 is a
cross section on the line CD of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the lighting apparatus in
connection with the device for adjusting the wick. Figs. 6 and 7 in connection
with Fig. 5 show the main positions of the lighting apparatus, during, its
operation.
Fig. 8 shows a detail of the lighting apparatus. Figs. 9 and 10 show a side
and plan view of the safety closures. Figs. 11.and 12 show a side and plan view
of a detail of the safety closure. Figs. 13, 14 and 15 show the protecting cap
system for diverting the mine gases.
The lighting of the new miners lamp is effected by a small hammer, which
strikes and explodes. a percussion cap so as to cause a spark or sparks which light
the lamp wick. The mechanism which produces this effect consists of a rod b
Fig. 5 guided in a socket a; on the bottom end of the rod there is arranged a
hinged ring c; the other end d of the rod b is provided with a catch or trigger f
fixed turnably on it which under. the. effect of a spring e operates the hammer
work. The part of the rod b serves also for moving further the lighting band
which in the form of a roll and is supported in the fork like part of the rod b
turning on an axle i...The part d of the rod 6 has two longitudinal guiding pins
Fig. 8 moving in the slots m m of the fixed part n. At the under end of the
part n there is a spring o turning on the pin p; the pin g serves for holding the
spring o in its position, and for limiting its movement. In the middle part of the
spring o there
arranged a projecting piece r, on which the catch f operates; at
the top end of. the spring o there is provided a hammer s for striking on the
piece which carries the lighting band g. The manipulation of the lighting
device is as follows: The hinged ring c is pulled downwards whereupon the
catch acted on by the spring e. slides over the projecting piece r; during this
movement the lighting band is rolled off the axle the end of the band being
held between the hammer and the piece t, and consequently during the downward
movement of the fork h the lighting band is rolled off the axle i.
Fig. 5 shows the position of the parts of the mechanism, when the ring e is
pulled out completely. When the ring c is pushed back again the catch f pushes
against the projecting pin r whereupon the latter is pushed, outwards and con-
sequently spring o is pushed outwards together with the small hammer s. During
As
this movement the lighting band g is also operated, the latter being gripped by a
fork like end u of the spring e which being attached to the rod is pushed upwards
and consequently carries the lighting band with it. In the position shown in
Fig. 6 the lighting cap is in the immediate vicinity of the small hammer.
soon as the catch f has passed the extreme point of the projection r the spring o
springs back again and the hammers strikes on the percussion or lighting cap
which is now exactly between the hammer and the piece t and causes it to explode.
The wick to be arranged on the tube u is movable in an axial or vertical
direction by means of the following arrangement. On the nut which is pre-
vented from being displaced in an axial direction by means of the disk w, is the
key y provided with a square hole fitting on the nut. The nut x is in connection

page_text: with the bolt z, through which the rod b passes. The bolt z continues upwards
in the form of a tube. This tubular part a', which is arranged axially movable
in the fixed casing b, is in connection with an upper tube which carries the
wick, the connection being formed by means of two small screws c c. Between
the two tubes and a¹ there is the fixed casing 61 in which two longitudinal
slots d' d' are arranged for the passage of the connecting screws c¹ c¹.
When one turns the nut. by means of the key y from the right to the left, the
bolt z and consequently the tubular piece connected to it moves outwards as the
connecting pieces arranged in the slots of the fixed casing prevent the revolution
of this tubular piece t, consequently the tubular piece carrying the wick is
moved outwards. When instead of screwing the wick outwards it is desirable to
screw the same inwards, it is sufficient to turn the nut e in the opposite direction.
The safety closing device on the new miners lamp is arranged so that the lamp
cannot be opened without using special means and consequently accidents are
avoided during mining operations as both the screw closure by unscrewing which,
the wick can be got at for the purpose of trimming etc., and the other screw.
closure which has the purpose of allowing the filling of the lamp are secured so
that they cannot be wrongfully and unnecessarily unscrewed. For this purpose the
plate farranged between the two screw closures and of the part el is pro-
vided with a spring operated hook g', which reaches through a slot in the plate f
into a corresponding groove h' of the under part of the lamp, as soon as a pressure
is operated on the spring hook from above which is effected by screwing down the
part . The part which comes on the upper screw closure of the part el has
two levers no turning on a pin and standing under the effect of a spring m¹
These levers by the action of the spring press into corresponding grooves in the
plate fi when the part k is completely screwed on the part f¹. In this manner it is
impossible to open the lamp except by specially provided means as both the under
and the upper screw closures are secured the one by the spring operated hook g¹
and the other by the levers n', o¹.
The lamp can only be opened by drawing the levers no out of the slots in the
plate fi by means of magnets and disengaging thus the securing devices.
Further this new miners lamp is provided with two protecting caps p¹ and q¹
of which the one is arranged outside and the other q' inside the columns . The
same are provided on the upper and the under ends with inwardly bent teeth s¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An improved miners' lamp constructed for the purpose of greater safety and
having a lighting apparatus to be operated from outside in which percussion caps
arranged in a row on a band and serving for lighting the wick, are rolled off by
pulling a ring arranged outside the lighting apparatus and when the ring is
pulled back are moved so that one cap is exploded by a hammer, whereby the
lamp is lighted by the arising sparks.
2. In a miners' lamp a device to be onerated from outside and serving for dis-
placing the lamp wick in axial direction by turning a screw nut in the one or the
other direction.
3. In a miners' lamp spring operated safety closures, which prevent, the lamp
being unscrewed by an unauthorized hand, the main organ of this closure being
movable by means of a magnet.
4. In a miners' lamp one or more protecting caps provided with inwardly bent
teeth to allow the air circulation round the lamp, but divert the mine gases
sufficiently to render the same harmless.
5. In a miners' lamn the combination of the aforesaid contrivances for lighting
and adjusting the wick.

page_text: 6. In a miners' lamp the several improvements herein described and constructed
as herein set forth and illustrated.
Dated this 21st day of July 1897.
HERBERT HADDEN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to Applicant.