IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING APARTMENTS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE PREVENTION OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Corbitt, of Elm Tree Bank, Rotherham,
in the County of York, Stove Grate Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING APARTMENTS, PARTS OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE PREVENTION OF SMOKY
CHIMNEYS."
Sealed the 25th September 1855, and dated the 31st March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Corbitt, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
March 1855.
I, WILLIAM CORBITT, of Elm Tree Bank, Rotherham, in the County of
York, Stove Grate Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING APARTMENTS, PARTS
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE PREVENTION OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of grates
or stoves for culinary and other purposes, whereby a current of cold air is heated
at the back of such grate or stove, and is emitted while in a heated state into
the apartment to be warmed and ventilated. The actual fire-holding portion
of the grate may be of any of the well-known constructions, but behind the
fire brick back and sides is formed an air-heating chamber of fire brick or

page_text: iron, in communication with the outside of or from any convenient portion of
the building, by a suitable cold air passage or passages or pipes. The admission
of this cold air into the heating chamber is regulated or controlled by means
of a valve or valves, which may be opened or closed by a rod or other suitable
contrivance placed on one or each side of the grate. The air having been
heated passes up behind the cheeks of the grate or stove, an air passage or
chamber being fitted thereon for that purpose. One or more openings are
made in the upper parts of the front of the grate or stove, such openings or
apertures communicating with the hot air passages behind the cheeks. The
heated air will thus emerge into the apartment, and greatly assist in the
warming and ventilating the same. And also for the more perfect consumption
of smoke an air passage (supplied from below the fire-grate) is formed between
the inner and outer bricks at the back of the fire, by which means air is
introduced at the top of the brick immediately under the back moulding
through an opening left, which gives a supply of air at a temperature suffi-
ciently high for causing the combustion of the smoke. At the back of the
grate is fitted a hooded or curved draught door, the object of the curve or
hood on the upper edge of this door being to prevent the entrance of smoke
into the apartment by down draught. A hinged conductor for conducting
the smoke into the chimney is placed at the lower portion of the top plate or
arch of the stove or plate, which forms a reversed inner arch, and is capable
of being opened or closed by a rack and hinge or other suitable arrangement;
which door works between side plates, so that when either open or closed the
smoke in its passage to the chimney must pass up the centre by the over
hanging door. The curve or hood herein-before referred to is applicable to
chimney pans or tops, whereby the entrance of a down draught into the
chimney will be effectually prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Corbitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CORBITT, of Elm Tree Bank, Rotherham, in the County of York, Stove Grate
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Corbitt, Her special license that I, the said William Corbitt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Corbitt, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND
VENTILATING APARTMENTS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE
PREVENTION OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Corbitt, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Corbitt, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
grates or stoves for culinary and other purposes, whereby a current of cold air
is heated at the back of such grate or stove, and is emitted while in a heated
state into the apartment to be warmed and ventilated. The actual fire-
holding portion of the grate may be of any of the well-known constructions,
but behind the fire brick back and sides is formed an air-heating chamber of
fire brick or iron, in communication with the outside of or any convenient
portion of the building, by a suitable cold air passage or passages. The
admission of this cold air into the heating chamber is regulated or controlled
by means of a valve or valves, which may be opened or closed by a rod or
other suitable contrivance placed on one or both sides of the grate. The air
having been heated passes up behind the cheeks of the grate or stove, an
air passage or chamber being fitted thereon for that purpose. One or more
openings are made in the upper part of the front or moulding on the front of
the grate or stove, such openings or apertures communicating with the hot air
passages behind the cheeks. The heated air will thus emerge into the room,
and greatly assist in the warming and ventilating of the same; or these

page_text: openings may be connected with pipes to conduct the warm air to other parts
of the room or adjoining rooms.
For effecting the. more. perfect consumption of smoke an air passage (sup-
plied from below the fire-grate) is formed between the inner and outer bricks
at the back of the fire, by which means air is introduced. at the top of the
brick immediately under the back moulding through an opening left for that
purpose, giving a supply of air at a temperature sufficiently high for effecting
the combustion of the smoke. At the back of the grate is fitted a hooded or
curved draught door, the object of the curve or hood on the upper edge of the
door being to prevent the entrance of smoke into the apartment by down
draught. A hinged conductor for conducting. the smoke into the chimney is
placed at the lower portion of the top plate or arch of the stove or plate, and
forms a reverse inner arch capable of being opened or closed by a rack and
hinge, or other suitable arrangement. This door works between side plates,
so that when either open or closed, the smoke in its passage to the chimney
must pass up the centre of the stove by the overhanging door. The curve
or hood herein-before referred to is applicable to chimney pans or tops,
whereby the entrance of a down draught into the chimney will be effectually
prevented.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer to
the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures..
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a complete front elevation of a
domestic fire-place or fire-grate constructed according to my Invention;
Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional plan of the same, taken along the .line
1, 2; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation of the grate, taken through
the vertical centre line thereof; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a wind
guard for the tops of chimneys, constructed according to my improvements.
A is the fire-holding portion of the grate, which may be of any of the ordinary
well-known constructions. Behind the fire brick back B and metal sides or
cheeks of the grate C, C, is formed an air-heating chamber D of fire brick
or iron, as found most convenient. The air-heating chamber is in communi-
cation at its lower extremity, either with the exterior of the house or with
any convenient portion of the building by the passage E, which admits cold
or fresh air into the heating chamber D, the admission of this cold air being
regulated or controlled by means of the regulating valve F, which may be
opened or closed by the rod G placed on one side of the grate, and connected

page_text: at its lower end with the valve, or by any other simple and convenient
arrangement. The upper part of the rod G may have notches formed in it,
or a spring, for the purpose of holding it in any required position. The air in
the chamber D, having been heated by the fire in the grate or stove, passes
up behind the cheeks of the same, an, air passage or chamber being fitted
thereon for that purpose, as shown at H, H, Figs. 2 and 3 of my Drawings.
One or more apertures I, I, opening into the room to be warmed and venti-
lated, and these apertures may be partially covered with ornamental fret work
or mouldings, are made in the upper part of the front of the grate or stove,
as shewn at Fig. 1 of my Drawings, such apertures communicating with
the hot air passages or chambers behind the cheeks of the grate. The heated
air emerges from these apertures into the room; and greatly assists in the
warming and ventilating of the same; or the apertures may communicate
with pipes, which may conduct the warm air to other parts of the room or
into adjoining rooms.
"
"
In order to effect a better combustion of the smoke arising from the fuel
in the grate, I construct an air passage J between the inner and outer bricks
at the back of the fire. This passage is supplied with warm air from the
under side of the fire-grate, and this air is introduced into the grate at the
top of the brick immediately under the back moulding K through an opening
left for that purpose. By this simple contrivance a supply of air is given to
the fire at a sufficiently high temperature for effecting the combustion of the
smoke. For the purpose of preventing the entrance of smoke into the apart-
ment by down draught I employ a hooded or curved draught door L, situated
at the back of the grate. The curve or hood M on the upper edge of this
door effectually diverts the course of the smoke, and prevents its entrance into
the apartment. The lower edge of the door L rests in a suitable groove at N
in the moulding, and may be shut forward, as shewn by the dotted lines, or
opened backward against the back plate O.. A. curved rack P hinged to the
back of the door, and passing through a slot in the back plate O, serving to
keep the door L fixed in any required position. A hinged door or conductor Q
for conducting the smoke into the chimney is hinged at R to the lower portion
of the top plate or arch of the stove, forming a reversed inner arch, which
may be opened backward as shewn by the dotted lines, or closed as shewn by
the full lines. A rack S, or other suitable contrivance; serves to keep this
conductor fixed in any required position. This smoke conductor, which I
propose to apply also to culinary or cooking stoves, works between the side
plates T, T, so that when either open or closed the smoke in its passage to the

page_text: chimney must pass up the centre of the stove in front of the hooded or over-
hanging door L.
I propose also applying the regulating valve, inner arch, or smoke conductor,
and hooded or curved door to air stoves, as a means of warming and venti-
lating public buildings, churches, ships, &c. Fig. 4 represents a combination
of metal rings and hoods B and A, and their application to chimney tops as
wind guards, for the purpose of preventing the entrance of down draughts
into chimneys. A, A, are two metal hoods formed on the upper edge of the
curved metal rings B, B, but so situated as to be immediately over against or
opposite to each other. The lower one of these hoods is made to project
slightly into the upper hood, by which means the lateral entrance of the wind
into the chimney is effectually prevented.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention. secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the system or mode of heating air, and conveying the same whilst in
a heated state into the interior of rooms, in the manner and for the purpose
herein-before described.
Second, the general construction and arrangement of fire-places or fire-grates
for warming and ventilating rooms, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of effecting the consumption of smoke in
domestic stoves or grates by admitting a current or currents of heated air
through a suitable passage or passages made in the fire brick back of the
stove or grate, and allowing such current or currents of heated air to emerge
into the fire-holding portion of the stove or grate, immediately above the fuel
contained therein, as hercin-before described, and illustrated by Figure 3 of
my Drawings.
Fourth, the application and use of the hooded or curved draught door L for
the purpose of preventing the entrance of smoke into the apartment by down
draught, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the application and use of the hinged inner reversed arch or smoke
conductor, working between side plates for the purpose of conducting the
smoke to the chimney through the centre of the fire-place or fire-grate.

page_text: Sixth, the combination of the metal rings and hoods B and A, shown in
Fig. 4 of my Drawings, and the application of the same as wind guards to
chimney tops, for the purpose of preventing the entrance of down draught into
the chimney, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Corbitt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM CORBITT. (L.S.)