Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Lighting Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Lighting Miners'
Safety Lamps.
We, WILLIAM ACKROYD. of Birkenshaw, Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM
BEST of Wesley Street, Morley, Foreman Lampman, both near Leeds, in
the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to construct apparatus for lighting miners safety
lamps through the medium of a spark caused by the broken contact of two
electrical conductors, in such a manner that the parts employed therewith are few
and of simple construction, and the generation of an external electric spark is
rendered practically impossible.
According to our invention we firmly connect a conductor spring to the wick
tube or other suitable part of the lamp bottom, the upper end of the said spring
carrying a carbon or other conductor which is free to advance into contact with a
stationary carbon or other conductor situated at the side of the wick of the lamp.
An insulated tube passes up through the oil chamber, and a conducting rod is fitted
within the insulated tube in such a manner that on its being pressed upwards, it
comes against the underside of the conducting spring and brings the two carbous
or other conductors into contact, the contact being broken on removing the upward
pressure on the conducting rod.
A circular receptacle or ring is provided for the reception of the lamp when it
is required to be lighted, and if required a clamp may be employed for the purpose
of holding the lamp down to the ring. Below the ring a cylindrical conductor is
provided. having one of the poles of an electric circuit connected to same, and
within this cylindrical conductor, a central conductor is situated, insulated from
the said cylindrical conductor and kept upwards by a spring. The parts above
described, which are situated below the ring, are contained in an airtight box, in
which is also situated an electric gencrator and as the interior of the box is not
exposed to the surrounding air, sparks made at the generator within the box will
not endanger the "mine" in which the apparatus is employed.
When it is desired to light a lamp fitted with apparatus constructed according to
this invention, the said lamp is placed on the ring and clamped down. The cylin
drical conductor is then raised, and the central conductor is brought in contact
with the lower surface of the lamp. On the cylindrical conductor rising still
more, it comes into contact with the vertical rod situated in the oil chamber, which
in its turn presses against the underside of the spring carrying the movable
carbon or other conductor, and brings it into contact with the carbon or other
conductor on the wick tube. The passing current immediately warms the wick,
which, nitting vapour is ignited by means of the electric spark or flash generated
on the breaking of the contact.
When the lamps are required to be lit cutside the " nine," the clamping down
arrangement may be dispensed with, and a central and cylindrical conductors may
be employed, the required action being produced by pressing the lamps down onto
the conductors.

page_text: CUMPLEIE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Lighting Miners'
Safety Lamps.
We. WILLIAM ACKROYD of Birkenshaw, Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM
BEST of Wesley Street, Morley, Engineer, both near Leeds, in the County of
York, 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 our invention is to construct apparatus for lighting miners safety
lamps, through the medium of a spark caused by the broken contact of two
electrical conductors in such a manner that the parts employed therewith are few
and of simple construction, and the generation of an external electric spark is
rendered practically impossible.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer to
like parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a miners safety lamp and lighting apparatus,
constructed according to our invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a section
and a plan, of a slightly modified form of apparatus. According to our invention
we firmly connect a conductor spring A to the wick tube B, the upper end of the
spring A carrying a carbon or other conductor C, which is free to advance into
contact with a stationary carbon or other conductor D situated at the side of the
wick of the lamp. An insulated tube E passes up through the oil chamber F and
a conducting rod G is fitted within the tube E, in such a manner that on its being
pressed upwards, it comes against the underside of the conducting spring A, thus
pressing the carbon C, into contact with the carbon D, the contact being broken on
removing the upward pressure on the rod G.
A circular receptacle or ring H is provided for the reception of the lamp when
it is required to be lighted, and a clamp J is provided for the purpose of holding
the lamp down to the ring H. K is a cylindrical conductor, which is connected to
one of the poles of an electric circuit, and a central conductor L is mounted in
insulating material L' and kept upward by a spring M. N is a lever which is
fulcrummed at N' and a push rod N is connected to one of the ends of the said
lever N for the purpose of actuating same. At the opposite end of the lever, a
forked arm is formed which takes onto the pins T; and a spring T₁ presses on
the lever N and tends to keep the end down. P is a box which encloses
an electric generator R, together with most of the parts forming the lighting
apparatus, and as the interior of the box is not exposed to the surrounding air,
sparks formed within the box will not endanger the mine in which the apparatus is
employed.
When it is desired to light a lamp fitted with apparatus constructed according to
this invention the said lamp is placed on the ring H and clamped down. The
generator R is then set in motion, and the push rod N2 is depressed, the latter
motion rocking the lever N which lifts the cylindrical conductor K, at the same
time compressing the spring T. As the cylindrical conductor K rises, the
conductor L comes in contact with the lamp bottom, and on the conductor rising
still further the rod G is lifted which latter bending the spring A, the carbon C is
brought in contact with the carbon D, thus completing the circuit. The current
passes through the cylindrical conductor K, rod G, spring A, carbon C, carbon D,
and thus through the lamp bottom F to the central conductor L, which completes
the circuit with the generator, through the wires a and b. On the rod N2 being
released, the parts above described return to their normal positions thereby causing

page_text: the carbons C and D to come apart and so break the electric circuit, causing a
spark or sparks to pass between the carbons C and D which light the wick, the
latter being already heated by the passage of the electric current. In this manner
there is no danger of causing external electric sparks, as every contact point is
enclosed and safe from communication with the outside air.
When lamps are required to be lighted outside a mine where there is no danger
from explosive gases, the clamping down arrangement may be dispensed with and
the modified arrangement shown at Figs. 2 and 3 may be employed. In this
arrangement the cylindrical conductor K is securely fixed to a bed plate P, and
the central conductor L is actuated in a similar manner to that above described.
On the lamp being placed in the ring H the conductor K comes into contact with
the rod G, and the conductor L comes against the lamp bottom F, and on the
lamp being pressed down the spring A is actuated and the circuit is completed as
before described.
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 that what we
claim is :-
1. The carbon D situated on the wick tube B of a lamp, in combination with
the carbou C, spring A and conducting rod G, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
2. The carbon D, carbon C, spring A and rod G, in combination with the
cylindrical conductor K and central conductor L, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
3. The mechanism situated in the lamp as described, in combination with the
sliding conductors actuated by the means shown at Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings, substantially as set forth.
4. The mechanist situated in the lamp as described, in combination with the
fixed cylindrical conductor and central conductor, substantially as shown at Figs. 2
and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts, forming
our invention for electrically lighting miners safety lamps, substantially as set
forth, together with any mere modification or modifications thereof.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1895.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicants.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicants.