IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS TO BURNERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Brocksieper, of Bridgeport, in
the State of Connecticut, United States of America, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS TO
BURNERS."
Sealed the 26th July 1864, and dated the 27th May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Brock-
sieper at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th May 1864.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BROCKSIEPER, of Bridgeport, in the State of Con-
necticut, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS TO
BURNERS," to be as follows:-
Regulators have heretofore been made with a valve suspended from a
diaphragm of oil silk or similar material, which valve has been raised by the
pressure on the oil silk to check the flow of gas to the burner, the object
being to make the flame more steady, and prevent the flickering and blowing
consequent upon too great pressure of the gas. These regulators have been

page_text: unreliable because there has been no means for adjusting and rendering
uniform their action under the different. circumstances of pressure or imper-
fections of construction.
The nature of my said Invention consists, first, in adjusting the size of the
aperture at which the gas issues from the valve-chamber to the burner, and,
second, in an adjustable opening into the valve chamber, by which first
improvement the size of the flame can. be controlled, and by the second
improvement the gas is allowed to enter the chamber and pass to the burner
in a regulated quantity, even if the valve itself should be closed by sudden or
heavy pressure of the gas, so that under all the circumstances that arise the
flame is maintained at a given size, regardless of the pressure, thus effecting
a saving of gas and obtaining an uniform light. I employ a screw with a
conical point introduced from the outside of the case holding my regulator as
a means for enlarging or making smaller the opening for the gas from the
valve or diaphragm chamber to the burner, but any other suitable adjustable
device, such as a slide, may be employed to effect this first point of my
improvement. The opening for the gas to pass into the said valve and
diaphragm chamber is regulated in a similar manner by the point of a screw
or by a slotted or notched screw accessible when the burner, and regulator are
removed from the pipe or introduced from the outside of the regulator, so as
to be adjustable while the burner is in place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance-of- the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick William Brocksieper in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th November-1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK 2
WILLIAM BROCKSIEPER, of Bridgeport, in the State of Connecticut, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Hér heirs and successors, give-and grant unto me, the
said Frederick William Brocksieper, Her special license that I,. the said
Frederick William Brocksieper, my executors, administrators; and assigns; or
such others as I, the said Frederick William Brocksieper, my executors,..
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from

page_text: time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
-should and lawfully might makė, 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 MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS
TO BURNERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick
William Brocksieper, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seál
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 Frederick William Brocksieper, 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, referencé being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)':-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a gas burner with my regulator applied thereto,
and Fig. 2 is a section of the regulator itself in about twice the usual dimen-
sions. Regulators have heretofore been made with a valve suspended from a
diaphragm of oil silk or similar material, which valve has been raised by the
pressure on the oil silk to check the flow of gas to the burner, the object
being to make the flame more steady, and prevent the flickering and
blowing consequent upon too great pressure of the gas. These regulators
have been unreliable because there has been no means for adjusting and
rendering uniform their action under the different circumstances of pressure
or imperfections of construction..
The nature of my said Invention consists, first, in adjusting the size of the
aperture at which the gas issues from the valve chamber to the burner, and,
second, in an adjustable opening into the valve chamber, by which first
improvement the size of the flame can be controlled, and by the second
improvement the gas is allowed to enter the chamber and pass to the burner
in a regulated quantity, even if the valve itself should be closed by sudden or
heavy pressure of the gas, so that under all the circumstances that arise the
lame is maintained at a given size regardless of the pressure, thus effecting a
saving of gas and obtaining an uniform light.
a cap
In the Drawing a represents the socket to be screwed upon the gas pipe,
nd 6 the burner itself, which are to be of any ordinary character; c is
eceiving the burner 6 on its upper end, and attached at the lower end to the
ocket a by screwing or otherwise; d is a conical cup forming a gas chamber

page_text: and setting upon a packing at e, so as to be gas-tight at this point. In the
centre of said cup is an opening 1 in which is a conical valvef that is sus-
pended from a diaphragm g of oil silk or other suitable material. This dia-
phragm g is made gas-tight at its edges by the cap h that is compressed upon
the same by turning over the edges of the cup d. The valve chamber thus
formed is to be pressed tightly to the packing e by the spring 8 or other
suitable means. The conical valve f hanging from this diaphragm leaves
sufficient space around said valve for the gas to pass through the openings 1,
and thence by the opening 2 to the burner; but if the pressure of the gas
increases, the gas acting upon the diaphragm 9 causes that and the valve to
rise and shut off the inlet opening of the gas sufficient to preserve the size of
the flame and prevent the light flickering; but said pressure might close the
valve entirely, I therefore introduce through said valve the screw i that has a
groove or tapering channel cut therein; the position of this screw is so adjusted
previous to the burner being put on the pipe that the part of said tapering
channel that is of the proper size is at the lower face of the valve, hence
the valve cannot entirely stop the flow of gas by closing on its seat, but
there will be a given amount of gas pass through the valve itself to the
burner. To the orifice 2 of the valve chamber I apply a device to regulate
the size of the opening; this I find to be the most convenient in the form of a
screw with a tapering point, so that by adjusting that screw the escape of gas
and the size of the flame can be regulated regardless of the ordinary cock in
the pipe, and this produces a sufficient detension of the gas to cause the
necessary accumulation of pressure in the valve chamber to operate on the
diaphragm and thereby raise or allow the valve to descend and enlarge or
diminish the inlet aperture to the said chamber. A hole in the cap h at 3
allows the gas above the diaphragm g to draw in or pass out as the diaphragm
rises or falls. It will be evident that an opening into the chamber d may be
made either through a notch in the valve seat or an opening at any other
point closed, more or less, by the point of a screw or other device. I have
represented in Fig. 2 in dotted lines a screw, applied through the socket a,
with a conical end, whereby the opening to the valve chamber can be regulated
from the outside without removing the burner from the pipe, and a screw of
this character may take the place of the screw i.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, regulating the size of the opening between the valve chamber and
burner by a screw or its equivalent for the purposes set forth.
Second, I claim regulating the inlet opening to the valve or diaphragm

page_text: chamber by an adjustable screw or its equivalent, substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Brocksieper, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, A.D.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witnesses,
FRANZ BUSSE,
FREDRIK WILLIAM BROCKSIEPER. (L.B.)
of Bridgeport, Conn.,
FERDINAND ROHDE,
of Bridgeport, Conn.