Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 20th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accetped, 20th Sept., 1887.
We, EDWARD DUNNING BARKER, of 24 Langdon Park Road, Highgate, and
STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYON, of 7 Ickburgh Road, Upper Clapton, both in the County
of Middlesex, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the flame issuing from an
ordinary gas jet may be instantaneously reduced to a small bead of light when required
without the possibility of turning the flame completely out; and also to provide a
self-acting draught guard for the said small bead of light in order to protect the same
from draughts or currents of air.
In gas taps or cocks constructed in accordance with this invention, small grooves or
channels are cut or otherwise formed on the ground surfaces of the plug and the body
of the cock or tap in such manner that when the said plug is turned into the "off"
position, in one direction, no gas will pass, but when turned into the "off" position
in the other direction, the said grooves or channels will form a bye-pass or passage
whereby a small quantity of gas is allowed to pass to the burner. In order to increase
or diminish the quantity of gas thus allowed to pass through the said grooves or
channels, a small screw may be tapped into a hole through the body of the cock or
tap in such a position that the end of such screw shall enter more or less deeply into
the said groove or channel in the surface of the plug. This screw also serves to prevent
the said grooves or channels from becoming clogged up with grease, or otherwise.
Instead of the beforementioned grooves or channels, suitable stops may be provided
for limiting the movement of the plug when turned in one direction.
The handle, by which the plug is turned, is preferably provided with a means of
indicating the direction in which to turn the same; for example, one side of a flat
plug handle may be rough, and the other smooth. When it is desired to protect the
small bead of light from draughts or currents of air, a cylindrical draught guard
surrounding the burner may be adapted to rise and fall automatically by means of a
small eccentric, cam, or other device, by the partial rotation of the plug.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1886.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Taps and Burners.
We, EDWARD DUNNING BARKER, of 24 Langdon Park Road, Highgate, and
STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYON, of 7 Ickburgh Road, Upper Clapton, both in the County
of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the 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 sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the flame issuing from an
ordinary gas jet or burner, may, by the operation of one tap, be either turned out
entirely, turned on to its full extent, or instantaneously reduced to a small flame when
required without the possibility of accidentally extinguishing the said small flame
entirely; and to provide means for the protection of the said small flame from draughts
or currents of air.
Figures 1 and 2 represent longitudinal sections of a gas tap or cock constructed in
accordance with this invention. A is the body of the cock or tap, B the plug, having
the usual gas passage B2 through same, B¹ is a groove, channel, or passage formed on
the external surface of the plug B, and A' is a similar groove, channel or passage
formed on the internal surface of the hody A. Or the grooves, channels, or passages
A¹ B' may be situated as shewn in Figure 3, or as in Figures 4 and 5. It will be
seen that when the plug B is turned into the "off" position as shewn in Figures 2, 3
and 4, the grooves, channels, or passages A³, B¹ form a bye-pass through which a
sufficiently small quantity of gas is allowed to pass to the burner to support a small
flame only. But that when the plug B is turned into the "off" position shewn in
Figure 5 for example, no gas will pass, and the flame will be entirely extinguished
in the usual way. When the plug B is turned balf way between these extreme
positions the tap will be "full on as usual.
We sometimes provide a small screw C (Figures 4 and 5) or its equivalent, tapped,
for example, into a hole formed in the body A of the cock or tap in such a position
that the end of such screw shall enter more or less deeply into the groove, channel, or
passage B¹ in the plug B, and serve to prevent the said groove, channel, or passage
from becoming clogged with grease or otherwise. This screw C may also be employed
for regulating the quantity of gas passing through the groove, channel, or passage B¹
(and thereby the size of the small flame) by causing the said screw to enter more or
less deeply into the said groove, channel, or passage B¹. But in this case, we prefer

page_text: to form the groove, channel, or passage B¹ on a different plane to that of the gas
passage B², and make such groove, channel, or passage B¹ to communicate with the
gas passage B' at its ends.
Instead of forming the groove, channel, or passage B'as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5 we sometimes form a hole B' direct into the gas passage B' of the plug B as
shewn in Figure 6, and we prefer to countersink such hole as shewn in order to
prevent clogging. This hole may be of larger area than is required for the supply of
gas to the small flame, and may be partly plugged by a wire or other plug, which may
fit tightly therein and be grooved, fluted, or otherwise, or the said plug may be loose
and bent over at the ends so as to allow free movement backwards and forwards, and
thus prevent the small aperture B¹ (Figure 6) from clogging.
The groove, channel, or passage A¹ may be formed in casting the body A of the
cock or tap, its area being unimportant, as the size of the small flame may be governed
by the area of the groove, channel, or passage B' in the plug B.
The handle F by which the plug B is turned is preferably provided with a means of
indicating the direction in which to turn the same; for example, the side E' of the
handle to be turned towards the burner when it is desired to leave a small flame only,
may be plain and smooth, and the side E to be turned towards the burner when it is
desired to extinguish the flame entirely, may be formed or cast with a pattern or
projection.
Instead of the beforementioned grooves, passages, or channels A¹, B¹, one of the
usual stops may be so placed that when the plug B is brought against such stop,
the gas passage B' is left sufficiently open to supply gas for the maintenance of the
small flame. In this case however we prefer to countersink one end of the gas
passage B, as shewn in Figure 7, and provide the other end thereof with a narrow
notch B' in order to facilitate the reduction of the quantity of gas for the maintenance
of the small flame.
When it is desired to protect the small flame from draughts or currents of air, we
employ a draught-guard, of cylindrical or other suitable shape, surrounding the burner,
and adapted to rise and fall automatically by means of a small cam, eccentric, or other
device, actuated by the partial rotation of the plug B. An example of this arrange-
is shewn in Figures 8 and 9, in which D is the draught-guard surrounding the burner F.
G is a cam formed on the plug B, and so adapted that, when the said plug B is turned
into the "down" position, the draught-guard D shall be raised in order to protect the
small flame from draughts or currents of air, but that when the plug B is turned into
the "full on" position, the draught-guard D shall be lowered. The means for
connecting the cam, eccentric, or other device with the draught-guard D may be
varied according to the relative positions of the tap and burner.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all of the Figures of the
Drawings.
Waste of gas consequent upon the flame being left unnecessarily high when not
required, is by these improvements avoided, and also the annoyance caused by the
unintentional extinguishing of the light when turning the flame down or up, it being
impossible in the latter case, to turn the flame out without first turning the plug into
the full-on position.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention'
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
First. A gas cock or tap constructed with a bye-pass consisting of grooves, channels
or passages formed partly in the plug and partly in the body of the cock or tap
substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the
Drawings hereto annexed, and for the purposes specified.
Second. In gas cocks or taps of the kind forming the subject of the first claim
clause hereof, the means for regulating the quantity of gas passing through the bye-
pass to the burner, and for preventing the groove, channel, or passage in the plug
from clogging, as herein before described, and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the
Drawings hereto annexed.

page_text: Third. In gas cocks or taps of the kind herein before described and claimed, the use
of a draught-guard automatically operated by the plug of the cock or tap substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings hereto
annexed.
Fourth. In a gas cock or tap provided with a stop, the use of the slit or slits at the
end or ends of the gas passage as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 7
of the Drawings hereto annexed, and for the purpose specified.
EDWD. D. BARKER,
S. E. GUNYON,
Applicants.