Improvement in Locking Devices for Miners' and like Safety Lamps.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Locking Devices for Miners' and like Safety Lamps.
I, WILHELM DEBUS, Coal-Miner, of 105, Mülheimerstrasse, Oberhausen, Rhine-
land, in the German Empire, 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 has for its object, to construct miners' safety lamps in such a
manner, that they cannot be opened by the workmen while in the mine, but can
be opened easily and rapidly by means of an electro-magnet which is situated in
a locality supplied with electric current for lighting or power.
In the accompanying drawings;-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation and partial section of a miners' safety lamp embody-
ing my invention; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 represent details of construction.
As usual, the lamp is screwed into a ring r carrying the lamp chimney and
the regulating screw for the wick, or it may be attached to the said ring by means
of a bayonet lock or other suitable device.
The upper part or supporting ring r has a recess a, while the lower part or oil
receptacle of the lamp contains a thimble h which may form one piece with the
same, and the side of the said receptacle has an opening co-axial with the said
thimble, so as to form a rim or projection v.
The lamp is screwed into the ring as usual, and placed so that the recess
and the thimble coincide with each other, Figs. 1 to 3. Subsequently the bolt
or locking piece b is inserted into the thimble, which bolt has the shape of a
cylindrical tube provided with elastic tongues k distributed equally around the
circumference.
k
After the locking piece 6 has been inserted, the tongues & spread out into the
position represented by Fig. 1, so that their free ends will abut against the
rim and prevent the bolt from being drawn out by purely mechanical means.
As the tubular bolt is closed from all sides, except in front, the tongues cannot
be reached through the interior of the bolt.
The lock can, however, be opened by means of a powerful electro-maguet, the
extremity or pole-piece of which is shaped, so that it can be introduced into the
tubular bolt. The drawing Fig. 3 shows the cylindrical extremity m of such a
magnet, which is preferably situated in the locality, where the lamps are
charged with oil.
Such a magnet, when introduced into the thimble, will attract the divergent
tongues or elastic pawls and draw them towards the sides of the tubular bolt,
so as to occupy the position represented by Fig. 3, in which the bolt can be drawn
out by the subsequent withdrawal of the magnet m. That is to say, the entire
bolt will follow the magnet, when the latter is withdrawn, as represented by the
arrow in Fig. 3.
In other respects the lamp may be constructed in any known manner.

page_text: 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 is ;-
-
1. A locking device for miners' and like safety lamps comprising in its con-
struction a tubular bolt provided on its circumference with elastic tongues or
pawls and adapted to be introduced into an opening formed at the junction of
the upper and lower part, the whole being arranged and adapted to operate sub-
stantially as described.
thimble
2. In a miners' safety lamp, the combination of an oil receptacle and cover or
supporting ring having at their junction a lateral opening, with a
mounted in the interior of the oil receptacle, and a tubular bolt having on its
outside elastic tongues or pawls, the whole being so arranged that the said bolt
may be introduced through the said lateral opening into the thimble, after which
the said tongues will spread out and abut against a rim, so as to prevent the
withdrawal of the said bolt, until the tongues have been contracted by means
of a strong magnet introduced into the said bolt, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of January 1800
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
Agents, 37 and 39, Essex Street, Strand, London.