Improvements in Kitchen Ranges.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Kitchen Ranges.
I GEORGE FREDERICK WILLIAMSON of Midland Foundry, Wellingborough in
the County of Northampton, Engineer and Iron Founder do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
:-
This invention relates to improvements in grates of kitchen ranges of that kind
in which provision is made for raising the grate bottom so as to reduce when
required the capacity of the fire basket for purposes of economy of fuel.
According to my present invention I make the front bars of the grate either.
horizontal or vertical or partly horizontal and partly vertical, in two parts hinged
or pivoted together so that the upper portion may turn through an angle of about
90 degrees when the front bars are raised together with the grate bottom.
I fit the front bars, consisting as herein before described of two portions hinged
or pivoted together, in guides formed at both sides of the grate, the lower portion
of the bars having projecting pins preferably two at each side to engage in the
guides. These projecting pins may be provided with rollers to roll in the guides.
The upper portion of the front bars hinged or pivoted to the lower portion is
maintained in a vertical position by pins which act as tripping pins to turn outwardly
the upper portion of the bars when these are carried up to a predetermined point
which may be reached when the grate bottom is at its medium or its highest point
according to requirement. The upper portion of the front bars may be caused to
turn outwardly as a fall bar when the front bars are raised, by shaping the guide
in the form of a cam path in which a projection upon the fall bar engages.
The arrangement herein before described may be operated by a rising bottom
grate supported upon a cam having three points of rest one for the lowest position
of the grate bottom, one for its medium position, and one for its highest position.
In that case I make the grate bottom engage by slotted projections with two of
the pins of the front bars which engage in the guides for the front bars and I may
provide rollers to turn upon the said pins during their travel in the said slots to
contribute to the ease of the movement of the grate bottom in lifting the front
bars.
The front bars may however be arranged to be lifted, and in their movement
to raise the bottom grate. This may be accomplished by providing a lever to
lift the front bars, a counterweighted pendulous rack beneath the grate serving
to retain them at the various elevations provided by the teeth of the said rack or
the front bars may be formed with racks at each side engaging with pinions fitted
at the sides of the range, a detent being provided to retain the grate at the pre-
determined points until the detent be released and the folding portion of the front
bars may be dispensed with allowing part of the front bars to rise vertically above
the top of the fire when the grate bottom is raised.
The lower portion of the front bars may be made to receive a front table so
adapted to rise with the bars and occupy the same relative position with the fire in
its expanded or contracted form.
Bad thin the LAS MAL 1000
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Kitchen Ranges.
GEORGE FREDERICK WILLIAMSON, Engineer and Ironfounder of Midland
Foundry Wellingborough in the County of Northampton do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention for improvements in kitchen ranges relates to ranges of that class
provided with a rising and falling bottom grate serving to regulate the capacity of
the fire basket according to need and thus effecting an economy of fuel; and
consists essentially in arranging the front bars so that they are capable of sliding
vertically and in connecting the said front bars to the bottom grate in such manner
that they are raised vertically with the bottom grate; and in a new and improved
arrangement for lifting the bottom grate.
In the accompanying sheets of illustrative drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the centre of the fire basket of a range
constructed according to this invention and Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation and
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same.
The front bars of the grate are made in two parts ab the upper part 6 being
pivotted by means of the pins c to lugs d projecting from the top of the lower part a of
the front bars. The upper part of the grate is also provided with two projecting
pins e which are cast in the bosses on its sides during the process of casting. On
the pins e are placed rollers 9 which work in the cam races h situated in the front
frame and curved so that when the front bars are raised the top part is turned
outwards and when the bars are raised to their highest position becomes
horizontal or approximately so. The lower part a of the front bars is also
provided with projecting pins 1 m cast in its sides during the process of casting,
the upper pins projecting from bosses n. Rollers o are placed on the pins / m
and work in grooves in the sides of the front frame i so as to guide the part a
vertically. The race forms a continuation of the grooves p.
The bottom grate q is pivotted at the back of the fire basket on the pins
> and
it is provided at its front on either side with slotted projections s which engage
with the lower pins m on the front bars, rollers t being placed on the pins so as to
reduce the friction as the projections s travel backwards and forwards in relation
to the pin during the upward or downward motion of the bars.
In order to maintain the grate and bars in the desired position a rack u is pivotted
to lugs cast on the bottom grate and hangs down vertically a slight distance
behind the front frame i which is provided with a fixed pawly to engage with the
said rack. The rack is weighted in such manner that it tends to engage with the
said pawl.
In order to raise and lower the bottom grate it is provided centrally at
its front with a projection a a passing underneath the front bars which are
suitably slotted to allow of this as clearly shown. This projection a a
is cast with a hole a bin which fits the end of a lever ac by which the
grate is raised and lowered. The lever is inserted to adjust the grate and can
afterwards be removed. In order to allow of the grate being lowered from
its highest or other position means are provided for forcing the rack u out of.
engagement with the pawl y. A suitable arrangement for this purpose consists of
a small lever ad pivotted to the lever ae and normally retained in the position
shown in Figure 1, by a spring af. The inner end of the lever ad is cam shaped
and bears against the curved surface of a projecting lug ae cast on the rack u.
When the lever ac is inserted in the hole ab, the end of the lever ad bears against
the curved surface of the lug a e. The grate can be raised by simply raising the
lever a c.
When desired to lower the grate the outer ends of the levers ac ad
are grasped in the hand and slightly raised to relieve the pressure of the rack u on

page_text: a e
the pawly and as the outer ends of the levers approach one another the inner ends
recede and the inner end of the lever ad acts on the curved surface of the lug
and forces the rack u backwards out of gear with the pawl y so that the grate can
then be lowered.
On releasing the levers the spring af returns the lever ad to its normal
position and the rack again gears with the pawl and holds the grate in the
position to which it has been lowered. The projection ah on the lever ac
prevents the inner end of the lever ad passing below the curved surface of the
projection ae on the rack u.
A front table ag is provided with two L shaped projections at its rear end
which pass between the front bars and engage with the bottom bar so that the
table ag is held horizontal and rises and falls with the bars.
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. An adjustable grate or fire basket for a kitchen range consisting of front bars
adapted to rise and fall vertically and of a rising and falling bottom grate
connected to the front bars the whole substantially as described.
2. An adjustable grate or fire-basket for a kitchen range consisting of front
bars constructed in two parts pivotted together and adapted to rise and fall
vertically and the upper part to turn outwards from the vertical when the lower
part is raised and inwards towards the vertical when the lower part is lowered,
and of a rising and falling bottom grate connected to the front bars, the whole
substantially as described.
3. In a grate or fire basket provided with a rising and falling bottom the devices
for holding the bottom grate in the desired position consisting of a fixed pawl
and of a weighted rack pivotted to the bottom grate and adapted to engage with
the said pawl, the whole substantially as described.
4. In a grate or fire basket provided with a rising and falling bottom grate, the
devices for holding and operating the bottom grate as desired, consisting of a fixed
pawl, of a weighted rack pivotted to the bottom grate and adapted to engage
with said pawl of a lever adapted to engage with the grate and by which it can
then be raised or lowered, and of a supplementary lever adapted to force the
rack out of gear with the pawl, the whole substantially as described.
5. The improvements in kitchen ranges substantially as described with reference
to the drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1899
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.