Year: 1896

page_text: We, ROBERT DUNSEITH MCKELLEN, of Lane Ends, Romiley, Cheshire, Salesman,
and JOHN DUNSEITH MCKELLEN, of 42 Boston Street, Hulme, Manchester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to an improvement in firegrates, and is more especially
applicable to domestic purposes. It is intended to provide a means by which the
fires, now usually left in the lower rooms of a dwelling house on retiring for the
night, and which uselessly burn away, may conveniently, and with a minimum
of trouble, be transferred to the rooms above, and thus impart to the occupants
their cheerfulness and warmth.
In order to carry out our invention we employ a moveable firegrate which fits
into the fireplace of a lower room, and the room or rooms vertically above it.
These fireplaces are connected together by a hollow casing of rectangular or other
suitable, section, which to suit the fireplaces in most of the houses in this Country,
may be built into the wall in which the fireplaces are situated. The moveable
firegrate is caused to move up or down this hollow casing from one fireplace to
another as may be required, and its weight may be balanced by suitable counter-
weights attached to it by a chain or other suitable flexible connection, passing
over a pulley or pulleys placed above the greatest elevation to which the firegrate
is to be raised. These weights, as the firegrate ascends from a lower to an upper
roam, descend, and vice-versa, being guided by a vertical tube built into the wall
beside the hollow casing or forming part of it. Guides are also provided to ensure
the smooth travel of the firegrate. Dampers or cut-off divisions are provided
in the hollow casing at suitable positions to cut off each fireplace from any connec-
tion with the rest of the apparatus, and put it in communication solely with its
own particular flue or chimney. They serve the purpose of preventing smoke from
rising to the room or rooms above, if the firegrate is at a lower level and of pre-
venting cinders, ashes, &c. from falling down the hollow casing into the room or
rooms below, when the firegrate is at a higher level. They may be automatically
opened and closed by the movement of the firegrate in its travel, this being
arranged in such a manner that they are always closed whenever the firegrate is
in position in any fireplace.
In the arrangement for raising and lowering the firegrate, we do not confine
ourselves to the counter-weights acting in the manner we have indicated, but any
method which will effect the desired purpose may be employed, such as winding
the flexible connection on a drum placed at any required elevation, &c. Suitable
contrivances are also provided to conveniently supply or put into action the motive
power required to raise or lower the firegrate.

page_text: We, ROBERT DUNSEITH MCKELLEN, of Lane Ends, Romiley, Cheshire, Salesman,
and JOHN DUNSEITH MCKELLEN of 42 Boston Street Hulme, Manchester,
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:-
Our invention relates to an improvement in firegrates and is more especially
applicable to domestic purposes. It is intended to provide a means by which the
fires now usually left in the lower rooms of a dwelling house on retiring for the
night, and which uselessly burn away, may conveniently and with a minimum
of trouble be transferred to the rooms above and thus impart to the occupants
their cheerfulness and warmth.
In order to carry out our invention we employ a moveable firegrate which fits
into the fireplace of a lower room and the room or rooms vertically above it.
These fireplaces are connected together by a hollow casing of rectangular or other
suitable section which to suit the fireplaces in most of the houses in this Country
may be built into the wall in which the fireplaces are situated. The moveable
firegrate is caused to move up or down this hollow casing from one fireplace to
another as may be required, and its weight may be balanced by suitable counter-
weights attached to it by a chain or other suitable flexible connection passing
over a pulley or pulleys placed above the greatest elevation to which the firegrate
is to be raised. The weights, as the firegrate ascends from a lower to an upper
room, lescend and vice versa, being guided by a vertical tube built into the wall
beside the hollow casing or forming part of it. Guides are also provided to ensure
the smooth travel of the firegrate.
Dampers or cut off divisions are provided in the hollow casing at suitable posi-
tions to cut off each fireplace from any connection with the rest of the apparatus,
and put it in communication only with its own particular flue or chimney.
They serve the purpose of preventing smoke from rising to the room or rooms
above if the grate is at a lower level, and of preventing cinders, ashes &c. from
falling down the hollow casing into the room or rooms below when the grate is
at a higher level. They may be automatically opened and.closed by the movement
of the firegrate in its travel, this being arranged in such a manner that they are
always closed whenever the firegrate is in position in any fireplace.
In the arrangement for raising and lowering the firegrate we do not confine
ourselves to the counter-weights acting in the manner we have indicated, but any
method which will effect the desired purpose may be employed, such as winding
the flexible connection on a drum placed at any required elevation &c.
Suitable contrivances are also provided to conveniently supply,
the motive power required to raise or lower the firegrate.
or put into action
In order that our invention may more conveniently be described, we append
drawings of the arrangement we prefer to adopt.
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of two fireplaces connected by a hollow casing as
described and showing the general arrangement. Details of the winding and
damper mechanism appear in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Only two fireplaces are shown,
though the same principle applies to any number vertically above or below.
Fig. 2. is a sectional front elevation upon the line a. b. in Fig. 3., Fig. 3. is a
sectional plan upon the line c. d. in Fig. 2., and Fig. 4. is a sectional side elevation
upon the line e. f. in Fig. 2., all to a larger scale, of the upper fireplace with the
firegrate in position, and showing details of the winding and damper mechanism.

page_text: In Fig. 1. Fp & Fp, are two fireplaces connected together by the hollow
casing C, in which the firegrate Fy is capable of being moved from Fp to Fp or
vice versa. One side of this hollow casing C, has a slot, Se Fig. 4.,
running its whole length, and a projection or lug, Lg, Fig. 3.,
fixed to the firegrate, passes through it and being made to fit the slot, serves
as a guide and prevents the firegrate Fy from moving from back to front. The
firegrate Fg is attached to an endless chain Ch by means of a shackle Sh connected
to this projection or lug. This chain passes round two toothed pulleys or sprocket
wheels, SW, & SW2, which are placed-one SW above the greatest clevation to
which the firegrate is to be raised--the other SW, below the shackle Sh when the
firegrate is in position in the lowest fireplace with their planes of rotation coin-
cident, and parallel to the front and back of the firegrate. The axles of the two
sprocket wheels are continued in the direction of the fronts of the fireplaces, but
do not project into the rooms in which the fireplaces are situated: terminating
within the surfaces of the walls or mantelpieces. A square, Sq, is formed upon
the outer end of each, upon either of which a box key, K Fig. 4., may be placed,
the rotation of which in a clockwise or contra-clockwise direction effects the desired
raising or lowering respectively of the firegrate Fg. The weight of the fire-
grate Fg is counterbalanced by a weight, W, attached to the chain, Ch, upon the
opposite side to the shackle, Sh, and in such a position as to descend when the
firegrate, Fg, ascends and vice versa. Wheels, W, W, W, and W, are provided,
which serve the double purpose of maintaining the horizontal position of the fire-
grate, Fg, and minimising friction during its movement from one fireplace to
another. They are placed one pair, W, W₂, upon the bolt to which the
shackle, Sh, is attached, and bearing against the slotted side of the hollow casing,
one upon each side of the slot-and the other pair, W, W, upon a lug, or foot, F't,
cast, or otherwise fixed, to the underside of the firegrate within the hollow casing,
and bearing also against the slotted side of the hollow casing, and also one upon
either side of the slot, so that the pressure of one pair against the side of the cas-
ing is in a diametrically opposite direction to the pressure of the other pair.
Fixed to the under side of the firegrate, and of the same size, is a division P,
which, as the firegrate ascends or descends, prevents ashes or cinders from falling
down the hollow casing. In the hollow casing, C, directly above the flue, 17, lead-
ing from the fireplace, F, to the chimney, and working upon an axle running
from side to side of the hollow casing, placed sufficiently far back so as not to
interfere with the travel of the firegrate but not necessarily against the back plate,
is placed a damper or cut off division 1). The axle upon which this damper works
is prolonged through the slotted side of th casing and upon the end of it is keyed
a lever DL, which communicates by means of rods, R₁, R, with bell crank levers.
For our convenience we only show one of these bell crank levers, B L, Fig. 4.,
but the action we are about to describe will suffice for both. It is worked by a
rod, H, called hereafter the drawbar, running horizontally in suitable bearings
from back to front of the hollow casing, and terminating, in the wall or mantel
of the room in which is the fireplace, in a handle H. Fixed to this drawbar are
two collars which engage the other arm of the bell crank lever BL. On drawing the
handle out from the wall the bell crank lever, B L, actuates the damper lever, 1) L,
by means of the rod, R₁, thus opening the damper for the travel of the fire-
grate, Fg. Returning the handle to its position against the wall reverses the action
and closes the damper again.
In order to ensure that the damper shall adways be opened before the fire-
grate, Fg, can be moved out of either fireplace, FP or Fa we provide that an
rm, M, keyed onto the drawbar, II, carries a stop, St, which, when the drawbar
is in its normal position and the damper closed, engages between two of a series of
radiating ribs, V, cast upon, or fixed to, the side of the sprocket wheel. When the
Hamper is opened by pulling out the drawbar this stop disengages itself and allows
the movement of the firegrate to he effected. Further, should the damper by any
means close during the travel of the firegrate, the stop, St, would re-engage with

page_text: the radiating ribs, Y, and prevent further movement of the firegrate until the
damper was opened again.
When the firegrate is in the fireplace, Fp, and the damper closed, smoke might
still find its way into the room above through the slot in the casing. We therefore
attach to that side of the firegrate, Fg, a strip of suitable material, 0, reaching up
to the damper, D, and of the requisite width, thus covering that part of the slot
which is exposed.
Instead of moving the damper by means of the drawbar, H, it may automatically
be moved by means of projections on the firegrate engaging with a system, of bell
crank levers and rods so arranged that the movement of the firegrate, from one
fireplace to the other, may itself at the commencement of its travel open, and at
the end close, the damper or dampers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare the what we
claim is :-
1. The use of a hollew casing or passage connecting two or more fireplaces
situated in rooms vertically above or below one another for the purpose of trans-
ferring the fire from one fireplace to another.
2. The use of a moveable firegrate adapted to this hollow casing or passage.
3. The principle of ensuring that the damper shall be open, and remain open,
at the commencement of, and during the travel of, the firegrate from one fireplace
te another.
4. The automatic opening and closing of the damper or dampers by the firegrate
in its travel from one fireplace to another.
Dated this 12th day of July, 1897.
R. D. MCKELLEN,
J. D. MCKELLEN.