Year: 1886

page_text: I, ALFRED WILLIAM BEVIS, of 78 Malmesbury Road, Bow, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to enable gas jets and other lights to be raised and
lowered from a distance, the principal use consisting in the application of my
arrangement to bed room gas jets, so as to permit the occupant of the bed to raise
and lower the light at will, without having to disturb himself or herself.
For this purpose I provide the plug of the gas cock or valve with a lever or arm
in place of the ordinary cross handle. To this lever or arm a cord is secured, one
end passing in one direction, and the other end in the opposite direction from the
lever, and each passing over a suitable fixed point, and being then carried to
within easy reach of the occupant of the bed. The invention may be applied to
existing gas jets by securing the lever or arm to the ordinary cross handle of the
gas cock or valve.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side
elevation showing a suitable method of carrying my invention into effect, as applied
to an ordinary wall bracket.
A is the lever for actuating the cock or valve D, and to it is secured a cord, one
end B of which passes through a hole at the extremity of the arm C while the
other end B' passes through a hole at the extremity of another arm C¹, the two
arms being shown as formed in one with the shell of the cock or valve D. The
arms C, C¹, form simply points over which the two ends of the cord B, B¹,
pass, in
order to ensure the lever A being moved in opposite directions according to which
end of such cord is pulled, and it will therefore be readily understood that they
may be of any other suitable form and placed in any position which will ensure
this effect.
The lever A is shown in the position which it will occupy. when the cock or
valve is nearly closed, that is to say when only a small light is given. When
desired to have a full light the cord B must be pulled, thus turning lever A until
its end comes in contact with arm C, when the cock D will be full open. In order to
enable the gas to be turned full on again after it has been lowered, without having

page_text: to relight the gas, it is necessary to provide means for preventing the gas being
turned right out. For this purpose a number of beads or balls E (preferably of
metal) are threaded on the cord B₁ between lever A and arm C¹, so that, when
cord is pulled, such beads will limit the movement of arm A and prevent the
cock or valve D being entirely closed. Instead of the beads a piece of piping or a
wire might be used, and would in the same way prevent the cock or valve D being
entirely closed.
.
In order to regulate the amount of light left burning a screw or other adjust-
ment F is provided to work through the arm Cand so determine the position
where the movement of lever A is arrested when pulled over by cord B¹.
Instead of the cock or valve D being nearly closed when in the position shown
in the drawings, this may be the full open position, in which case the screw
adjustment F will be arranged to work through arm C instead of arm C¹ in order
to regulate the amount of light to be left burning.
It will also be understood that the screw adjustment F might if desired be
carried by the lever A.
0
When desired to turn the gas right off, this can be effected by turning the lever A
by hand, the flexible connection formed by the beads E or the piece of piping or
wire, and the actuating cord, permitting this, when there is no pull on such cord.
Figs. 3 and 4 show modifications of the mode of actuating lever A.
In Fig. 3 the cord B, B¹, is not secured to lever A, but is capable of sliding
through a hole in its end to a limited extent determined by two knots B³, B³, the
knot B being capable of passing freely through a hole in arm C, while the knot B³
is prevented from passing through the hole in arm C¹. Supposing the lever A to
have been pulled over by cord B to the position shown in full lines, in order. to
pull it back to the opposite position the pull on cord B¹ will first cause the cord
to slip through lever A until knot B2 comes in contact therewith, when the con-
tinued pull will bring the lever over to the position shown in dotted lines, its
further movement being arrested by knot B³ coming in contact with arm C¹.
To bring the parts back to their original position, the pull on cord B will cause the
cord to slip through lever A until knot B³ comes in contact therewith, when the
continued pull will bring lever A over until it is arrested by coming in contact
with arm C. The screw adjustment F will act in a similar manner as in the first
described arrangement.
In Fig. 4 the cord is shown as fitted with a piece G outside one of the arms C
or C, such piece limiting the movement of arm A in one direction to prevent the
gas being turned right off, until it is, turned, so that it can enter or pass through a
hole of corresponding shape formed in the arm, when desired to entirely extinguish
the gas. The piece might if desired be placed inside the arms C, C¹, between the
lever A and either of such arms, the movement of lever A. being limited in the
opposite direction by any suitable means.
The cock or valve D might itself be constructed so that it is only capable of
being closed when turned in one direction, and when turned to the extreme
position in the other direction always leave a small light burning.
The cord B, B¹, may be of cat gut, string, or other suitable flexible material, and
the ends are preferably suspended in a suitable position over the bed, so as to be
out of the reach of children, and also prevent their being accidentally pulled after
the gas has been entirely shut off.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a further modification in which the two cords B, B¹, pass
over a single common fixed point C, the plug, of cock D being fitted with a double
armed lever A, A¹, and cord B connected to arm A and cord B¹ to arm A¹. It
will be seen that by pulling on one or other of the cords the light may be raised
or lowered as desired.. The screw or other adjustment F to regulate the light to
be left burning when the same has been lowered, is shown as fitted to arm A¹ and is
brought in contact with another arm or stop H when arm A¹ is in its extreme position
in one direction. The arm H is preferably pivotted at one end as shown at H,
so that it can be turned aside to allow the arm A¹ to pass it and thus entirely

page_text: extinguish the light. After arm A¹ has passed arm H the latter can be turned
back to its original position, when it will by locking arm A¹ prevent the gas being
turned on again, thus ensuring against accidents which might result from the cord
being pulled either by children or by accident. To enable the gas to be turned on again
arm H must be first turned on its pivot and arm A¹ then caused to pass in front of
same, when by returning arm H to its original position, the parts will again be
ready to be operated by means of the cords as before described.
The ends of the cord B, B¹, are preferably marked or otherwise formed to
distinguish the proper one to pull in order to raise or lower the light.
Although I have described my invention as applied to the raising and lowering
of gas jets, it will be understood that it may also be applied to actuate the means
for raising and lowering other lights, either for heating or lighting purposes, such
for example as the means for making and breaking the circuit of electric lamps,
or for raising and lowering the wicks of oil lamps.
Further, although I have described my invention as applied for use in bed rooms,
it will be readily understood that the same is equally applicable to other cases
where it is required to raise and lower gas or other lights from a distance.
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. The means for raising and lowering gas lights, consisting in the use of cords
connected to the plug of the gas valve and passing over a fixed point or points to
the place from which it is desired to operate, whereby the valve can be turned as
required by pulling one or other of such cords, all substantially as described.
2. The means for preventing gas jets actuated as described in the preceding
claim from being entirely extinguished by pulling on the cords, while permitting
such jets to be extinguished when desired, all substantially as described.
3. The combination with the means for actuating gas jets in order to raise and
lower the lights as described in claim 1, of a screw or other adjustment to regulate
the amount of light left burning when such light has been lowered by pulling one
of the cords, substantially as described.
4. The application of the means described for raising and lowering gas jets, to
the raising and lowering of electric or other lights, either for lighting or heating
purposes, from a distance.