SOME USEFUL ADDITIONS TO AND IMPROVEMENTS ON CARRIAGE AND OTHER LAMPS
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COLLINS, of George Street, Grosvenor Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Lamp Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by Petition, humbly represent to His present Majesty
King George the Fourth, that I had, after some study and expense, invented
"SOME USEFUL ADDITIONS TO AND IMPROVEMENTS ON CARRIAGE AND OTHER LAMPS,"
thereupon His Majesty was graciously pleased to issue His Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the
Tenth day of March, in the first year of His reign, which Letters Patent do
give and grant unto me, the said William Collins, and to my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or to my or their servants or agents, His said
Majesty's especial licence to make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and to have
and enjoy the whole profit and advantage arising by reason of the said Inven-
tion, during the term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters
Patent, by which His Majesty also requires and strictly commands all His
subjects whatever, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, that, during the continuance of the said term of fourteen years, they
shall not, either directly or indirectly, make, use, or put in practice my said
Invention, or any part of it, or in any ways counterfeit, imitate, or resemble
the same; the said Letters Patent also contain a proviso obliging me, the
said William Collins, to particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by

page_text: an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to
be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar
months after the date of the said Letters Patent, upon failure of which,
the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the!
same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Collins, have executed this Instrument, by which I do declare that
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in manner following
(viz)
-
My Invention of additions to and improvements on carriage and other lamps
is applicable to every description of lamp wherein a reflector is employed for
the purpose of directing or concentrating the rays of light. My Invention
possesses the property of reflecting or throwing the rays of light in any
required direction with much facility, which property would be of great
importance in carriage lamps, since the coachman would be enabled to direct
the rays of light to any particular objects without moving from his seat, and
again to return the rays of light into their former direction almost instan-
taneously, if occasion should require. The object of my Invention is effected
by the addition of certain apparatus in the following manner:-The piece of
metal or other substance employed as a reflector is situated behind the flame
of the lamp or candle in the manner of those reflecting lamps already in use;
but instead of the reflector remaining stationary, as heretofore, it has a power
of revolving or turning round the flame of the candle or lamp, so as to cause
the rays of light to be reflected in any desired direction at pleasure. In order
to render the explanation of my Invention more clear and intelligible, I have
hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings or Plans, which represent a form of
wax or composition candle lamp applicable to a carriage, and constructed with
the addition of my improvements.
Figure 1 of the Drawing shews the lamp in its complete state, as it would
appear with the two glass doors S, S, placed open, to exhibit the interior
apparatus; and Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent detached parts to
explain my improvements in detail. The same letters of reference denote the
same parts in all the Figures on the Drawing. The candle is contained in the
tube A, which is firmly fixed into the bottom of the lamp case F, F; this tube
projects up some distance above the bottom F, F, and is there surrounded by
a shallow circular box B, having a short tube through its centre, which turns
round easily upon the upper part of the tube A. The box B contains a
.

page_text: spiral steel. spring of the form seen at P, Figs. 2 and 4. (Note.-The spring
P would operate better if it was coiled in the opposite direction to what is
observable in the Drawing.) The innermost end i of the spring is fixed to the
centre tube of the circular box B and the outermost end to the bottom of the
lamp. case by a piece or support k, Fig. 1, 2, and 4. By this means, if the
box B is turned round upon the candle tube, it winds up the spring P, whose
elastic power will react to return the box to its former position when required..
The reflector C is fixed upon the box B by two fastenings 6, b; Fig. 2, so
that it can be taken off in order to be cleaned out of the lamp case.
D, Figs. 1 and 2, shews a small tube placed upright in the angle of the lamp
case, and passing through a round hole p in the upper part thereof, in such
manner as to be capable of turning round upon a metal pin or rod r, Fig. 5
and 3, which is firmly fixed into the bottom of the lamp case. This tube cott
tains a spiral spring, as seen at Fig. 5, coiled round the pin r. One end of
the spring is fastened to the pin r, and the other end to the tube D. This
spring operates in a manner similar to the spring P above described. The
box B has a sweep or arch E affixed to it, and partly surrounding it, having
a channel or grove on its edge to contain a small chain or cord C for the
purpose of turning the box B and reflector C round upon the candle tube.
One extremity of the cord C is fastened in the channel of the arch E, and the
extremity to the lower part of the small upright tube D. By this arrangement,
if the tube D is turned round by means of the cross handle G, at its upper-
most end, it will wind up the cord C, and cause the box B and reflector to
move round the flame of the candle so as to change the direction of the
reflected rays of light. This motion operates also to wind up the spring P,
which is prevented from immediately returning by the action of the small
detent e, which is fixed firmly upon the top of the pin 1, and entering into the
teeth of the racket wheel t, soldered upon the upper end of the tube D, the
detent e is pressed into the teeth of the racket wheel t by the force of the
small spring n. Fig. 7; thus, if the tube D is turned round to wind up the
spring P, &c., as before mentioned, the detent e retains it in that situation; but
when it is required to return the reflector C to its original position, the
detent e may be removed from the teeth of the racket wheel by placing the
finger upon its tail f, or a piece of string may be attached to the tail f for
the purpose of pulling it back, which would allow the tube D to be turned
suddenly round by the recoil of the spring P, until the piece m upon the edge
of the box B, Figs. 1 and 2, comes into contact with the fixed stop O in the
bottom of the lamp case, when the rays of light would be reflected in their
original direction. The spiral spring contained in the tube D, above men

page_text: tioned, is for the purpose of turning the tube back when the detent e is
removed; but if this spring should not be found sufficiently active, a second
spring may be applied externally, as seen at H, Fig. 2.
Figure 2 of the Drawing represents a detached view of part of the lamp.
The top of the spring box B is supposed to be removed to shew the spring P;
the box has no plate on the under side, but is entirely open, to allow the spring
support K to pass down to the bottom of the lamp case, as above stated.
m shews the stop piece fixed upon the edge of the box B; b, b, two fastenings
to secure the reflector C, Fig. 1, in its place; E, the arch affixed to the cir-
cumference of the box B; C, the cord attached to the lower part of the tube D
and arch E; t shews the small racket wheel on the top of the tube; and G,
the cross handle to turn it round by; k is a piece of metal on the outermost
extremity of the spring P, which is to be revited. to the bottom of the lamp
case.
Figure 3 represents part of the lamp case, shewing the upper part of the.
candle tube A, the candle in which tube is forced up against the contracted
top a of the tube (as it consumes) by the action of a spiral spring included
in the tube beneath it, in the same manner as the carriage candle lamps at
present in use. The box B goes on between the two collars v, v, so as to turn
freely round upon them; O is a fixed stop for the piece m on the box B to s
bear against; part of the upright fixed pin r is seen in the angle of the lamp
case, which the tube D turns upon; d is a fixed loop, through which the cord c
passes to keep it from escaping out of the channel round the arch E.
Fig. 4 represents the spring P entirely separated from the box B, &c.; k,
the piece which fixed to the bottom of the lamp case.
Figure 5 represents the pin r detached, with its spiral spring round it, as
before mentioned. e, the small detent, fixed at the top of it, which enters the
teeth of the racket wheel t, Fig. 2.
Figure 6 shews a circular plate of metal, having a hole through its center
of such diameter as to fit tight over the top of the candle tube A. This plate s
is for the purpose of preventing any melted wax which might run over the top
of the tube from the candle from entering the fitting part where the box turns
round upon, so as to impede its action.
Fig. 7 shews the case which contains the small detent e and spring n as it
would appear from the under side; the square hole in its center fits upon the
square top of the pin r immediately above the racket wheel t in Fig. 2.
I have now described fully all the parts of a lamp constructed with my
additions and improvements, and it only remains for me to state what parts I
consider as my Invention, and to which I claim exclusive privilege, there being

page_text: many parts herein mentioned and introduced into the annexed Drawing which
are found in carriage and other lamps already in use, and to which parts I
make no claim; but I wish to state that my Invention consists in the additional
parts and apparatus connected with and concerned in the operation of the
revolving spring box, &c., to remove the reflector round the flame of the candle,
so as to direct or throw the rays of light in any direction. The shape and
form of the various parts may be altered at the discretion of the workman, as
well as the materials of which the same might be made, without departing
from the object of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Collins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named William Collins, in the
presence of
CHAR³ JONES,
Signet Office.
WILL CROSS,
His Clerk.
WM (L.S.) COLLINS.
Inrolled the Eighth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty.