Improvements in Apparatus to be Employed for Extinguishing the Flame in Oil and Spirit Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be Employed for Extinguishing the
Flame in Oil and Spirit Lamps.
I, JAMES PARKES of The Laurels, Bridgnorth, Salop, Minister, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention aud in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention for "Improvements in apparatus to be employed for extinguishing
the flame in oil and spirit lamps" relates more particularly to lamps constructed
with circular burners with cylindrical wicks, and flame spreader. The aim and
object of my invention being simplicity in construction and efficiency in its
application, the operation he effected by the person using the lamps and auto-
matically, thus avoiding loss of life and property by explosion and fire chiefly
caused by persons blowing down the chimney in the act of extinguishing the
flame.
To effect this object I employ in combination the following arrangement of parts,
constructed thus:-
I take a ribbon of steel (or other elastic material) but steel by preference of
the kind used for springs in clocks, of a required width and guage, and length,
suitable to my purpose.
To the upper surface of the reservoir or oil container forming part of a
lamp (of the kind commercially known as the "Lamp Belge" on account of its
having a central cylindrical air shaft for draught to or in connection with the cylin-
drical wick for purposes well known) I arrange securely the one end of a metallic
tube and this tube passes through the body of the said reservoir and to the lower part
of the same opening into the central air shaft, being secured there also, this tube
receives the ribbon of steel and serves as a "guide tube" when one end of this
ribbon of steel is placed in this "guide tube" with pressure it can be passed down into
the air shaft and up the same until engaging with the under surface of the "flame
spreader" and by which means it can be raised to the required height above the
cylindrical wick, the ribbon of steel in its forced passage up the air shaft assumes
a bowed form which bears against the one side of the air shaft and the resistance
is sufficient to support the flame spreader in its raised position.
the
It will be understood that the inner end of the ribbon of steel by passing up
air shaft and against the "flame spreader" raised the saine, actuated by the outer
end of the steel ribbon which is provided with a small knob to be taken between the
thumb and finger, for this purpose, an inward pressure raising the "flame spreader"
while the motion reversed allows it to fall automatically and the flame is
extinguished.
And in order that my said invention may be more readily understood, I will
proceed to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings
which illustrates my invention as applied to the "Lamp Belge" but applicable to
other like lamps.
The same letters of reference den ste the same parts in each figure in which they
occur.
Figure 1 is a view in elevation (partly sectional) of a lamp reservoir, of a lamp
constructed with a circular burner, a cylindrical wick and a cylindrical air shaft
therewith, with my invention applied thereto, and shewing the flame spreader
raised above the cylindrical wick and the wick exposed for lighting.
Figure 2, is a view in elevation (partly sectional) of a lamp reservoir, of a lamp
constructed as Figure 1. with my invention applied thereto but with the "flame
preader" lowered, and the flame extinguished effected by the under surface of

page_text: flame spreader bearing upon the cylindrical wick and the cylindrical wick tube
which also forms the cylindrical air shaft.
Figure 3 is a view in elevation partly sectional as Figure 1 but with a different
form of "flame spreader" raised as when the lamp is lighted.
Figure 4 is a view in elevation (partly sectional) as Figure 2 with the said
"flame spreader" lowered and the light extinguished without lowering the wick.
a, is the reservoir or oil container, & is the circular burner containing the cylin-
drical wick c, and d is the central cylindrical air shaft therewith, e is the "flaine
spreader," is a ribbon of steel, g is a metallic guide tube secured at hand i, jis
a knob in part with the slide rod k and to which is secured the one end of fat l
and passing down the guide tube g and up the air shaft d carries the slide m, con-
figurated to move up and down d with freedom but not to obstruct the free passage
of air up d which would be fatal to the burning. n is a throttle acting as a stop
to m. o is configurated as m, but is fixed, to its centre I arrange a short tube p
or its equivalent to receive the tubular stem g of the flame spreader e.
OPERATION.
Refer to Figure 1. it will be perceived that is down the guide tube g to its
compass, as the knob j bears upon the surface of a, and that is forced thereby
down the tube y and up d, the cylindrical air shaft passing through m (and to
which it is secured) and carrying the same up and against the throttle m, which is
its limit, still taking a vertical position and entering 7, the stem of e finds its
bearing and is thereby raised sufficient to expose the cylindrical wicke; for
lighting e is supported in this raised position by the bowed form off, bearing
against the central cylindrical air shaft d at d.
Refer to Figure 2 it will be perceived that by withdrawing by means of the
knob j, is also withdrawn from its prior position and m from n, until it reaches
the stop r; as m, is lowered e falls with it automatically and the flame is
extinguished.
It may be necessary to lower the wick, to the level of the periphery of the
circular burner b for more effectually distroying the smell arising from the carbon
of c according to the form of flame spreader e as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. To
effect this give a turn in the proper direction to the knobs, of the spindle t, which
operates upon the wick e, for raising and lowering in a well known manner.
If the flame spreader e is configurated as shewn in Figures 3 and 4, that is with a
flange and dished part it will be perceived that when e is lowered from the
position shewn at Figure 3 to that of Figure 4 for extinguishing v, enters the
cylindrical air shaft d, and cuts off the passage of air which immediately
extinguishes the flame as is well known, u overlapping the wick c, and burner b,
destroys the smoke and smell.
While I have described the features of my invention and the object I have
attained and shewn upon the sheet of drawings furthermore I do not limit myself
to these drawings only as illustrative of my invention, nor to form or details of
construction, but contemplate necessary or desirable changes in the construction,
and the substitution of equivalent members, for instance I have described and
shewn the employment of a ribbon of steel but I may employ a thread of steel
or other elastic metal, or material, I have described and shewn my invention as
applied to a circular burner carrying a cylindrical wick but with certain modifica
tions the same mode of extinguishing may be employed to other burners than
circular without departing essentially from the principle of my said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
clain is
"In improvements in apparatus to be employed for extinguishing the flame in
oil and spirit lamps,"
"
1. The combination and arrangement of the steel ribbon f working in guide

page_text: tube g actuated by knob j, and carrying slide m, said steel ribbon f passing
into 9 for raising and lowering the flame spreader e, substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The construction and arrangement of "flame spreader" e with flange u and
dished part v, substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and
illustrated by the drawings.
3. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts substantially
as herein before described in the foregoing specification and illustrated on the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
Date 20th Iul 1906
THOS.
KENDRICK,
New Eldon Chambers, 50 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent.