Improvements in Overhead Lamps for Railway and other Lighting Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1099
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 2nd June, 1900 -
Date of Application, oth sept., 1999
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 2nd June, 1900 -
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Overhead Lamps for Railway and other Lighting
Purposes.
A communication from abroad by ARTHUR KITSON, of Germantown, Phila-
delphia, in State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to hanging lamps in general and is more specifically
designed to produce an improved form of cushioned spring supporting apparatus
for railway lamps.
While the invention is capable of application to any character of lamp and any
situation, yet it is most advantageously employed in mounting vapor burning
lamps employing the incandescent mantle in railway cars or similar places where
the lamps are subjected to numerous sudden shocks and continued vibrations.
According to one arrangement, suitable for use in a car, the lamp is of the
type known as the cluster lamp, used in burning vaporized kerosene oil under the
ordinary form of Welsbach incandescent mantle. The lamp is of the usual con-
struction except that it is made unusually heavy and has an ornamental band
around its upper part to hide the suspension springs hereinafter referred to..
There is the usual opening in the roof of the car, through which projects any
convenient form of ventilator, having a shield, under the car roof to protect the
same. One piece of metal is spun so as to form the shield and the lower portion
of the ventilator, and this is held up against the car roof, with intervening
gasket between, by any convenient means. This may be effected by means of a
series of studs, passing up into the roof and through the gasket and shield, each
of said studs being provided with an adjustable collar, which comes up under
the shield, and holds it firmly in place. Each of the studs is preferably made in
the form of a hollow cylinder having a transverse partition therein, into which
fits a screw eye bolt, which may be adjusted by means of a nut. From the eye
of the eye bolt there depends a spiral suspension spring, the lower end of said
spring being fastened to the frame plate of the lamp by any convenient means,
as by a screw. A spiral cushioning spring of larger diameter surrounds each
one of the suspension springs, having its lower end resting on the said frame
plate of the lamp and its upper end pressing against an adjustable collar on the
outside of the corresponding stud.
A second adjustable collar on the stud, has a depending lug, extending down
alongside of the said suspension and cushioning springs, and from its lower end
extends horizontally a centreing spring, the other end of which is attached
to a ring, which surrounds the chimney of the lamp, and just loose enough
to slide freely up and down said chimney. This centreing spring may be fastened

page_text: to the said ring in any convenient manner, but it is preferred to make its attach-
ment adjustable by means of a screw.
Where an incandescent mantle is employed it is found highly advantageous
to protect the same from the abraiding action of the burner, by wrapping the
upper portion of said burner with fibrous asbestos, to a thickness which nearly
fills the lower portion of the mantle.
The method of operation of the lamp is as follows:-
The parts being assembled, each of the first mentioned collars is so adjusted
that the corresponding cushioning spring will be placed under compression and
the corresponding suspension spring under tension. The secondly mentioned
collar is so adjusted that the ring surrounding the chimney will be located near
the base of the chimney of the lamp, and the centering springs put under the
proper tension by manipulating the screws attached thereto. It is evident that
the lamp will then be free to rise and fall gently under any extraordinary jolting
action of the car, but will remain practically unaffected by ordinary vibrations,
all said vibrations being taken up by the action of either the suspension spring
or the cushioning spring. Similarly any extraordinary side jolt produced by
the coupling of the cars will be taken up by the centering springs, and all
ordinary side vibrations will be absorbed by the suspension and cushioning
springs without bringing the lamp chimney into contact with its surrounding
ring. The latter ring sliding freely up and down the chimney the up and
down motion of the lamp is not interfered with by the centering apparatus to
any appreciable extent. The hot gases are carried out through the ventilator.
The degree of pressure put upon the suspension and cushioning springs may
also be varied by turning the nut, and by means of the adjustment of the nut of
the corresponding eye bolt and the adjustable collar on the corresponding vertical
stud, the vertical position of the lamp may be varied. The action of the springs
as above described, when supplemented by the steadying and cushioning of the
lower end of the mantle by the wrapping of asbestos fibre, enables the incan-
descent mantle to be used in car illumination and as great a length of life
obtained for said mantle as in ordinary lamps employed in stationary structures.
The advantages of the invention consist in the complete spring suspension and
cushioning effect of the apparatus against every kind of jolt. The lamp being
heavy remains undisturbed by the ordinary vibrations of the car, and when
displaced by any unusual jolt the shock of the same is taken up by the springs,
so that even the fragile Welsbach mantle is not disturbed.
Dated this 8th day of Sentembor 1800
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Chartered Patent Agent.
Improvements in Overhead Lamps for Railway and other Lighting
Purposes.
A communication from abroad by ARTHUR KITSON, of Germantown, Phila-
delphia, in State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare

page_text: -
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 hanging lamps in general and is more specifically
designed to produce an improved form of cushioned spring supporting apparatus
for railway lamps.
Whilst the invention is capable of application to a lamp of any character
and any situation, yet it is most advantageously employed in mounting vapour-
burning lamps employing incandescence mantles in railway cars or similar
places where the lamps are subjected to numerous sudden shocks and continued
vibrations.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is half a side elevation and half a vertical
section of an example of car lamp provided with apparatus according to this
invention;
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section corresponding to the line s² 2 of¹ Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is a detail view of the burner.
The lamp I shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is of the type known as the cluster lamp,
used in burning vaporized kerosene oil under one or more Welsbach incandescence
mantles of ordinary form. The lamp is of the usual construction except that it
is made unusually heavy and has an ornamental band 2 around its upper part
to hide the suspension springs hereinafter referred to. There is the usual open-
ing 3 in the roof 4 of the car through which projects a suitable ventilator 5
having a shield 6 under the car roof to protect the same. One piece of metal is
spun so as to form the shield and the lower portion of the ventilator 5, and
this is held up against the car roof 4 with a gasket 7 between, by any suitable
means. This may be effected, as shown, by means of a series of studs 8 which
pass up into the roof or other support and through the gasket 7 and the shield 6,
and each of which is provided with an adjustable collar 9 which comes up under
the shield 6 and holds it firmly in place. Each of the studs 8 is preferably
made in the form of a hollow cylinder having in it a transverse partition 10 into
which fits a screw eye bolt 11 which may be adjusted by means of a nut 12.
The studs form what is hereinafter referred to as a rigid supporting frame.
From the eye of each eye bolt 11 there depends a spiral suspension spring 13 the
lower end of which is fastened to the frame plate 14 of the lamp by any con-
venient means, as by a screw 15. A spiral cushioning spring 16 of larger diameter
surrounds each of the suspension springs, having its lower end resting on the
frame plate 14 of the lamp and its upper end pressing against an adjustable
collar 17 on the outside of the corresponding stud 8.
A second adjustable collar 18 on each stud 8 has a depending lug 19 extending
down alongside the suspension and cushioning springs 13 and 16 and to its lower
end is attached a centering spring 20 which extends horizontally therefrom and
whose other end is attached to a ring 21 which surrounds the chimney of the
lamp, and is just loose enough to slide freely up and down the said chimney.
This centering spring may be fastened to the ring in any convenient manner, but
it is preferred to make its attachment adjustable by means of the screw 22.
Where an incandescence mantle 23 is employed, it is found highly advantageous
to protect the same from the abraiding action of the burner 24 by wrapping the
upper portion of the said burner with fibrous asbestos 25 to such a thickness as
nearly to fill the lower portion of the mantle.
The method of operation of the lamp is as follows:-
The parts being assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the collars 17
is so adjusted that the corresponding cushioning spring 16 is placed under com-
pression and the corresponding suspension spring 13 under tension. The
collars 18 are so adjusted that the ring 21 surrounding the chimney will be located
near the base of the chimney of the lamp, and the centering springs 20 are put
under the proper tension by manipulating their screws 22. It is evident that
the lamp will then be free to rise and fall gently under any extraordinary
jolting action of the car, but will remain practically unaffected by ordinary

page_text: vibrations, all such vibrations being taken up by the action of either the suspen-
sion springs 13 or the cushioning springs 16. Similarly any extraordinary side
jolt produced by the coupling of the cars will be taken up by the centering
springs 20 and all ordinary side vibrations will be absorbed by the suspension
and cushioning springs 13 and 16 without bringing the lamp chimney into contact
with the ring 21. The ring 21 sliding freely up and down the chimney, the up
and down motion of the lamp is not interfered with by the centering apparatus
to any appreciable extent. The hot gases are carried out through the venti-
lator 5.
The degree of pressure put upon the suspension and cushioning springs 13
and 16 may also be varied by turning the nuts 12; and by means of the adjust-
ment of the nuts 12 and the adjustable collars 17, the vertical position of the
lamp may be varied. The action of the springs as above described, when supple-
mented by the steadying and cushioning of the lower end of the mantle by the
wrapping of asbestos fibre as shown in Fig. 3, enables incandescence mantles to
be used in car illumination and as great a length of life obtained for such mantles
as in ordinary lamps employed in stationary structures.
The advantages of the invention consist in the complete spring suspension and
cushioning effect of the apparatus against every kind of jolt. The lamp being
heavy remains undisturbed by the ordinary vibrations of the car, and when
displaced by any unusual jolt the shock of the same is taken up by the springs,
so that even a fragile Welsbach mantle is not disturbed..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
1. The combination of a lamp, a plurality of spiral suspension springs therefor,
and a spiral cushioning spring surrounding each suspension spring and subjected
to compression by the contraction of the said suspension spring.
2. The combination of a lamp, a rigid supporting frame therefor, a plurality
of suspension springs for the lamp attached to the said frame, and a plurality of
cushioning springs opposed to the said suspension springs, together with a
plurality of centering springs for the said lamp, all the said springs being con-
nected to or engaging with the rigid supporting frame.
3. The combination of a lamp, a supporting frame comprising a series of
depending studs, a series of suspension springs connected to the lamp and to the
said studs, lugs extending laterally from the said studs, and a series of centering
springs extending from the lamp to the lugs.
4. The combination of a lamp, a rigid supporting frame therefor, a ring
surrounding the chimney thereof and free to slide longitudinally, centering
springs extending horizontally from the said ring and connected to the supporting
frame, and plurality of suspension springs for the said lamp.
5. The combination of a lamp, a rigid supporting frame therefor, a ring sur-
rounding the chimney thereof, centering springs extending horizontally from the
said ring and connected to the supporting frame, and a plurality of suspension
springs for the said lamp, together with a plurality of cushioning springs opposed
to the said suspension springs.
6. A cushioned spring suspension device for a lamp, which comprises the
following parts in combination: a hollow vertical cylindrical stud, a spiral
suspension spring having its upper end adjustably fastened in the interior of the
said stud and its lower end adapted to be attached to the lamp frame, a spiral
cushioning spring of larger diameter surrounding the said suspension spring and
the lower end of the stud, and having its lower end pressing downward upon the
lamp frame, together with an adjustable collar on the said stud against which
the upper end of the cushioning spring rests.
7. The combination of several cushioned suspension devices according to

page_text: Claim 6, with a ring surrounding the lamp chimney and a centering spring
extending from the ring and connected to the stud of each of the said devices.
8. The combination of a support, a plurality of hollow studs depending there-
from, a spiral suspension spring extending up into the interior of each stud and
adjustably fastened therein, a lamp frame attached to the lower ends of the
suspension springs, spiral cushioning springs surrounding the suspension springs
and resting on the lamp frame, an adjustable collar on each stud against which
the upper end of the corresponding cushioning spring presses, an adjustable
depending lug on each stud, a centering spring attached to the lower end of each
lug, and a ring which loosely fits over the lamp chimney and to which the inner
ends of the centering springs are attached.
9. Cushioned spring supporting apparatus for overhead lamps constructed,
arranged, and operating as herein before described with reference to and shown
in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Chartered Patent Agent.
Dated this on day of ar
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Chartered Patent Agent.