Improved Means for Lighting and Extinguishing Street and other Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Lighting and Extinguishing Street and other
Lamps.
A communication from ARTHUR GRORGE KENT-JOHNSTON, of Jamieson Street,
Sydney, New South Wales, Mining Engineer.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, 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 this invention is to simplify the igniting and extinguishing of street
and other lamps by means of electrically controlled or worked valves or taps whereby
any number of such lamps may be simultaneously lighted or extinguished from a
common centre.
This is effected by means of a horizontal plunger valve which crosses, at right
angles, the gas supply pipe. The horizontal plunger valve is provided with two
armatures, one at each end, in connection with two or more electro-magnets, so that
according as one or other of the magnets is switched into circuit the valve will be
drawn in one or other direction, and the supply of gas will either be allowed to
flow through to the burner, or will be cut off therefrom.
This effect may be
produced in many ways, but I prefer to construct the plunger valve with an
annular groove, so disposed and arranged that when the groove is in an axial line
with the gas supply-pipe and the burner, the gas shall be free to pass, by way
of the annular groove, to the burner, but when the groove is not in such line,
the supply of gas shall be cut off from the burner.
For lamps with an ordinary fish-tail or bats-wing burner, the movement of the
plunger valve is so regulated that the annular groove shall not pass quite clear of the
passage that leads to the burner, and thus a very small modicum of gas will be allowed
to pass, sufficient to leave a glimmering light at the burner. This glimmering light
will act as a pilot light so that when the plunger valve is moved in the
opposite direction the light shall be immediately turned up to give its full power of
light.
For lamps with incandescent burners, the annular groove will be so operated as to
pass quite clear of the gas passage, and will thus cut off all supply of gas. A separate
very small gas way will be provided, independently of the plunger valve, terminating
in a pilot burner, so that when the lamp is extinguished by the longitudinal motion of
the valve, a pilot jet will remain alight within the mantle.
The electro-magnets are connected with a central station, and may be switched
in or out of circuit at will with the result that the plunger valve will be drawn in one
or other horizontal direction, and the light turned up or extinguished as desired.
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the appliance, the
light being shewn turned full on. Fig. 2 is a detail view, on a larger scale, of the
plunger valve in the cut-off position, as applied to a bat's wing burner.
A is the main block, which may be of any suitable shape and size.
B, B¹, is the vertical gas passage from the source of gas supply to the burner C.
At right angles to the gas passage B, B¹, is a horizontal passage D, within which the

page_text: plunger valve E, is provided, at each end respectively, with an armature F, F¹, which
will be alternately attracted by the electro-magnets G, G¹, according to which of
these latter is switched into circuit with the source of electro-motive-power. The
electro-magnets are preferably doubled or arranged in pairs. Intermediately between
the armatures F, F, and on the shaft of the plunger E is a concentric cylindrical
shaped block I, which is medially divided by an annular groove h so disposed and
arranged that when the magnet G, is in circuit, and the armature F, attracted
thereto, it shall be axially in line with the parts B, B1, of the main gas passage; but
when the magnet G¹, is in circuit and the armature F1, attracted thereto, it shall not
be in line with the gas passage, but be quite clear of it in cases where the apparatus
is applied to an incandescent burner, or very nearly clear of it when the apparatus is
applied to an ordinary burner as shewn in the drawing. For clearness of illustration
and facility of reference the block H, is not shewn as making a nice fit with the
horizontal passage D, but it will be obvious that when practically applied, there
should be no leakage of gas. In Fig. 2 the groove his shewn in such a position that
a small modicum of gas will be free to pass, from the part B1, of the gas passage, to
the part B, and thus a glimmer of light will be maintained at the burner C.
When the apparatus is to be applied to an incandescent burner a separate
constricted gas way must be provided from the part B¹, terminating in a pilot burner
which will always remain alight, within the mantle.
This arrangement is not shewn in the drawings, but it can be easily understood,
as it is a very common device. Wire connections j, j¹, j, connect the electrical
portion of the apparatus with a central station, so that when the magnet G, is
switched in circuit at such station the armature F shall be attracted to the magnet,
thus bringing the groove axially in line with the gas passage, and the light will be
turned up to its full power; but when the magnet G', is switched in circuit at the
station the armature F¹, will be attracted, the groove will inove clear of the gas
way B, B¹, and the light will be extinguished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A horizontal plunger valve that is placed across the passage of the gas supply
pipe leading to the burner, in combination with an armature at each end of such
plunger, and with one or more electric-magnets which act upon each of such
armatures, the magnet being electrically connected with a central station, as, and
for the purposes specified.
2. A horizontal plunger valve that is medially provided with a way for the
passage of gas, so disposed and arranged that by giving the plunger valve a slight
longitudinal movement, the gas may either pass freely to the burner, or be partly
or wholly cut off therefroin as herein set forth.
3. A horizontal plunger valve that is medially provided with a way for the
passage of gas, so disposed and arranged that by giving the plunger valve a slight
longitudinal movement, the gas may either pass freely to the burner, or partly or
wholly cut off therefrom, in combination with an armature at each end of such
plunger, and with one or more electro-magnets which act upon each of such
armatures, the magnets being electrically connected with a central station as, and
for the purposes herein specified.
4. The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts in my
improved apparatus for lighting and extinguishing street and other lamps, as herein
specified and for the several purposes set forth.
Dated this 10th day of October 1900