AN IMPROVEMENT IN OIL LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, FERNANDO HARRY WHITEHEAD LIVESEY of No 2 Victoria Mansions, West-
minster in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the naturo
of my invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN OIL LAMPS and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:—
My invention relates to a construction of oil lamp so arranged that while the
oil reservoir is placed above the light and therefore causes no shadow below, the
flow of oil to the wick tube is automatically determined by the level of the oil in
the wick tube, so that no excess of oil can be supplied. I will describe the con-
struction which I adopt for this purpose, referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section and fig 14 is a plan of a lamp such as might be supported
on a bracket, having its reservoir at one side above the flame, and fig. 2 is a vertical
section of a lamp such as might be suspended from the ceiling of an apartment or
railway carriage, having an oil reservoir of annular form surrounding the chimney;
Fig. 2 is a part section of the oil reservoir.
In these figures like letters indicate corresponding parts. R is the oil reservoir
which is an air tight vessel communicating with the wick tube T by two pipes or
passages, first by the oil passage O, which leads from the bottom of the reservoir
and opens into the wick tube at a certain level; secondly, by the air passage A,
which opens from the wick tube at a level slightly higher than the mouth of O and
terminates with an open mouth near the top of the reservoir.
There is also another pipe or passage F which from an open top, closed by a cap
to keep out dirt, descends by a bend below the level of the oil in the wick tube
and turns up to open into the reservoir. Near the lower mouth of the passage O
there is a stop cock C which is closed when the reservoir is being filled. This is
done by removing the cap from the top of F and pouring in oil, the air displaced
from the reservoir escaping by the passage A into the wick tube and so passing
away.
On the reservoir being charged, the cock C is opened and oil now flows by O into
the wick tube, its place in the reservoir being taken by air entering by the passage A.
When the oil rises in the wick tube to such a height as to seal the mouth of A, the
farther flow of oil is arrested, because no air can enter the reservoir.
Although I have described a single lamp having its own reservoir, it may be
readily understood that a number of lamps may be supplied from a single reservoir,.

page_text: the wick tube of each lamp communicating with the reservoir by passages such
as O & A and the reservoir having a filling pipe or passage F, bending down to a
level below that of any of the wick tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :--
The construction of oil lamp wherein the wick tube communicates with the oil
reservoir by an oil passage and an air passage and the reservoir is provided with
a filling tube or passage, arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
Dated this 30th day of December 1884.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.