Year: 1898

page_text: Date of
Application, 15th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
I FRANK THEODORE WILLIAMS, of Meriden, New Haven County, Connecticut,
U.S.A., Inventor, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in central-draught lamps and the object is
to improve the construction of the spreader and other adjacent parts thereof. In the
preferred embodiment of my invention
Fig. 1 indicates a central draught lamp provided with my improvement and with
a part of the outer wick-tube broken away.
Fig. 2 indicates substantially the same view, except that the wick is lowered and
the extinguisher in operation.
Fig. 3 indicates a sectional view, of Fig. 1, showing the
position.
1:
wick in its burning
B and D are,
Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the spreader and extinguisher.
A is a lamp-fount which may be of any preferred construction.
respectively, the outer and inner wick-tubes of a central-draught construction
enclosing the circular wick C.
The wick C is provided with wick-raising means E,
as is common in lamps of this class, and I therefore have not shown the same, as it
forms no part of my invention. Within the wick and the inner wick-tube and move-
able by the wick relatively to the latter is a spreader F for feeding air to the flame
from within the central-draught aperture, and provided with a top which is prefer-
ably imperforate, except for a central hole therein. The spreader is provided with
an annular flange G, as shown, extending over the wick and resting thereon so as to
support supporting the spreader by the wick, and with a second flange N below the
top and above the flange G. The spreader, as a whole, therefore, moves up and
down with the wick as it moves between the two stationary wick tubes and, as the wick
is lowered, the flange G operates to extinguish the flame, as shown in Fig. 2. I is a
rod fixed at H to a cross bar as shewn in the drawing in-any-suitable-manner and
screw-threaded at its upper part where it passes through the hole in the top of the
spreader. A nut J is preferably adjustable upon the screw-thread as shown, and
when the wick is raised the spreader will come in contact with said nut and prevent
Paine 877

page_text: the further raising of the wick. This provides a simple and easily adjustable stop for
the wick, preventing its being raised to too great a height.
In this class of lamps, it is necessary that a large quantity of air should be at all
times fed to and completely mixed with the flame and the vapor arising from the
wick in order to effect complete combustion. Where the flame in a lamp burns
directly up from the top of the wick past the spreader, the air from the central-
draught tube will, to a certain extent, mix with the vapor and flame, but such
construction will not sufficiently mix the air so supplied with the vapors. In my con-
struction, the flange G prevents the wick from burning at the top, but the flame is
located at the outside thereof. The hot vapors laterally emerging from the wick pass
around the flange G and form eddy currents which meet and commingle with the
currents of air laterally emerging from the spreader. The flange N at the middle of
the spreader helps further to intimately mix the vapors and the air, and, by the time
the vapors reach the top of the spreader, they are thoroughly mixed with air and in a
proper condition for perfect combustion.
The spreader and extinguisher are movable with the wick, being raised by the wick
bearing on the flange G and, therefore, the spreader is at the same height at all
times above the top of the wick. When a larger flame is desired, the wick is raised
to the desired height and the increased amount of vapor will mix with an increased
amount of air drawn in from the central-draught tube and I have found that such
flame may be increased to a remarkable extent by my.construction.
The adjusting means shown provide a simple and easy means of regulating the
extreme height to which the wick is to be raised. Much trouble is experienced in
lamps, especially in those of the round wick burners, by the wick being turned too
high when it is first lighted as the metal parts are warmed up by the initial flame
and the vapor is more readily generated and consequently the flame grows larger
until the lamp begins to smoke. My adjusting arrangement may be adjusted so
that the wick cannot be turned above a predetermined point, and in this way the
danger of smoking is prevented.
It will be observed that the spreader may be rotated, and in this way the flange which
rests upon the wick, will act as a wick-cleaner, and by such rotation will cut or brush
the consumed parts of the wick off from the unconsumed part. This rotation can be
accomplished by the fingers.
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
claim is
1. In a device of the character described in the combination, of an inner and an
outer stationary wick-tube, a spreader, moveable by the wick relatively to the wick tubes
a wick, and a stop therefor consisting of a flange on the spreader a rod I or guide and
a stop-proper such as the nut J substantially as described.
2. In a device of the character described in the combination, of an inner and an
outer stationary wick-tube, a spreader, moveable by the wick relatively to the wick tubes
a wick, and an adjustable stop therefor consisting of a flange on the spreader and a
nut J screwed on a rod I secured within the inner tube.
3. In a device of the character described in the combination, of an inner and an
outer stationary wick-tube, a wick, a spreader, provided with a projection over said
wick to spread the vapors and movable with and by the said wick and an adjustable
stop therefor. substantially as hereinbefore described.
>
4. In a device of the character described in the combination, of an inner and an
outer stationary wick-tube forming a passage between the same in which a wick is
adapted to move, a movable spreader to supply air to the flame and moveable with the.
wick, an extinguisher movable with said spreader, and an adjustable stop for said
spreader comprising a rod I or guide, and a stop-proper such as the nut J.
5. In a device of the character described in the combination, of an inner and an
outer stationary wick-tube forming between the same a passage in which a wick is
adapted to move, a movable spreader and an adjustable stop therefor secured within

page_text: said inner wick-tube substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 15th day of October, -898.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.
Agents for the Applicant.