Improvements in Incandescent Gas Lamps or Lanterns principally intended for Street Use.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1897-Accepted, 17th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Incandescent Gas Lamps or Lanterns principally
intended for Street Use.
1, ERNEST EDWIN PROBERT, Accountant, of Trevine, Hadley Road, New Barnet,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, (which
has been communicated to me from abroad by Antonie Cornelis Nermeyer,
Manager of the Deventer Gas Works, of 3 Raamstraat, Deventer, Holland), and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
Imus invention relates to an improved construction of incandescent lamps or
lanterns principally intended for street use, whereby same may be ignited and
extinguished without having to open the frame or lantern of the lamp, and it con-
sists essentially in the employment of an ordinary igniter for street lamps, mounted
upon a suitable handle and provided with a shuing lamp, the action or inserting
the igniter into the underside of the lamp serving to open the gas tap or cock to
the burner, and also to open a valve communicating with an auxiliary burner
terminating near the main burner, so that when the amp igniter is raised, such
auxiliary burner will become ignited and so ignite the main burner, while when
the igniter is withdrawn the auxinary burner will be extinguished, and the parts
will return to their original position leaving the main burner ignited.
By this means as the case or lantern of the lamp is not opened, a chance of a
sudden rush of air on to the mantle of the incandescent burner, and the couse-
quent destruction or deterioration of same, is avoided, while the necessity for
employing a permanently burning bye-pass flame, (which might accidently become
extinguished) is avoided, and a consequent economy in the consumption of gas
effected.
3
The accompanying drawings illustrate a suitable method of carrying my
invention into effect,
Fig. 1 being a side elevation partly in section, and showing a portion of the
surrounding frame or lantern of the gas burner, the parts being shown in the posi-
tion when such burner is extinguished.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they occupy when the
gniter has been inserted into the lantern for the purpose of lighting the burner.
Fig. 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section of the valve and pipe for supplying
as to the auxiliary burner, and
Fig. 5 is a sectional end view of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the pipe to the main burner and of the upper end
f the auxiliary burner, showing the sleeve employed for preventing the back-
ighting of the former, and
Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of Fig. 6.
Referring to the drawings A is the main burner, upon which the mantle B is
nounted in the ordinary manner, and the supply pipe C to which proceeds down-
vards to the outside of the lantern or casing D of the lamp. where it is provided

page_text: with the usual cock or tap E. The bottom of the lamp or casing D is provided
with an opening through which projects a funnel F secured to or forming part of
a plate Ghinged within such lantern or casing at g. The upper part of the open-
ing of funnel F is normally closed by a plate H hinged to the casing 1) at h.
Within the lantern or casing D of the lamp a branch pipe I projects, from the
main gas pipe C, and the upper end of same normally forms the seat for a valve J
secured to or forming part of a tube K constituting the auxiliary burner, and the
upper end of which terminates near the burner A. The tube K is capable of
sliding vertically upon the upwardly extending arm of the branch gas pipe I, and
has a stud or pink, (preferably adjustable) terminating near the upper surface of
the hinged plate G..
The plug of the gas tap E is connected to a lever L, which is counterbalanced
as shown at 7, so that when lever L is actuated the plug remains in the position to
which it has been shifted.
As above stated Fig. 1 shows the position occupied by the parts, when the burner
A is extinguished.
In order to light such burner, the operator or lamp-lighter inserts the upper
end of the igniter M into the fork of the lever L connected to the plug of the tap
or valve E in the gas supply pipe C, and forces same upwards, the ignition lamp m
being then in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig 2. The result of this
action is to open the gas valve. E and thus supply gas to the burner A. The
continued upward movement of the igniter M brings the upper end of same within
the funnel and causes same to rise, the plate G to which same is attached or forans
part of turning upon its hinge g. This upward movement of the plate G also
causes the flap or plate H to turn upon its hinge / in the opposite direction, thus
unclosing the opening from the funnel into the interior of the lantern or casing D.
The upward movement of the plate G will also have brought its upper surface
into contact with the lower end of the stud, or projection & secured to the base of
the auxiliary burner K, thus raising the valve from off its seat against the upper
end of the branch gas pipe I. As the valve E in pipe C is open the gas will
consequently issue from the upper end of the branch pipe I and into the lower end
of the auxiliary burner K. The branch pipe I is preferably provided with an
adjusting screw n for the purpose of regulating the amount of gas which can pass
through such branch pipe I to the auxiliary burner, K.
The auxiliary burner K is preferably formed of some perforated material such
as metallic gauze, and as above stated its upper end terminates in close proximity
to the burner A.
The metallic gauze of the auxiliary burner acts on the same principle as that of
what is known as the Davy lamp; the gauze prevents backlighting by the igniting
flame, which (by the draught of air) burns with a blue flame and ignites the gas
issuing from the burner A without any deposit of smoke on the mantle B.
All perforated material will not be suitable for the construction of the auxiliary
burner, but metallic gauze is best suited for the purpose, and care must be taken
not to employ gauze of too coarse a mesh, as otherwise the protection against
back-lighting in consequence of the rise in temperature will not be efficiently
ensured.
When the parts have been moved to the position above described the ignition
lamp m' is by means of its handle m² raised to the position shown in full lines in
Fig. 2 and the gas issuing through the perforations of the auxiliary burner K
will be ignited and the flame extend upwards to the upper end of such burner,
when the gas from the main burner A will in its turn be ignited.
Upon removing the igniter M, the funnel F with its plate G will descend, and
consequently permit the auxiliary burner K to do the same, thus closing the valve J
against the upper end of the branch pipe I, and thus extinguish the flame of the
auxiliary burner.
The descent of the plate G will also permit the flap or plate H to turn downwards
on its hinge and close the upper end of the orifice of funnel F.

page_text: The lever L will however remain in the position to which it has been raised,
and the burner A will consequently remain ignited, and can only be extinguished
by turning the lever L in the reverse direction.
The opening near the upper end of the gas supply pipe C leading to the
burner A are covered by a sleeve with an opening o directed away from the
auxiliary burner K so that all chance of backlighting resulting from the flame
from the latter will be avoided.
It will be readily understood that the various details above described may be
considerably modified according to circumstances or as desired, the essential
feature being that the parts should be so arranged that the insertion of an igniter
should open the supply of gas both to the main burner and to a branch pipe leading
to an auxiliary burner, while the lamp of such igniter should ignite the flame of
the latter, whereas the withdrawal of the igniter should cut off the supply to the
auxiliary burner and close the opening through which the igniter is inserted,
while leaving the supply open to the main burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
-
1. The improved incandescent gas lamp herein before described and illustrated.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts for incandescent gas lamps and
burners consisting in a lever or part secured to the plug of the valve to the main
burner, and which is actuated by inserting an igniter within the lantern or casing
of such lamp, the act of inserting such igniter also opening a gas passage to an
auxiliary burner which is ignited by the lamp within such igniter, while the
withdrawal of the igniter causes the closing of the supply of gas to the auxiliary
burner while leaving the supply to the main burner open, all substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
3. The improved arrangement of parts for igniting incandescent gas lamps and
burners consisting in a lever connected to the plug of the valve in the gas supply
pipe of same, and which lever is actuated by the action of inserting an igniter
within the lantern or casing of the lamp, and of a hinged plate serving to lift a
valve from its seat on a supply pipe delivering gas to an auxiliary burner the
upper end of which terminates near the incandescent burner, and also of a second
hinged plate serving to close the opening through which the igniter is inserted,
when such igniter is withdrawn.
Dated this 14th day of June 1897.