Year: 1886

page_text: We FREDERICK ALFRED MESSER and WALTER FULLER THORPE, both of 8 Quality
Court, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to manufacture improved forms of fire guards, for
the prevention of accidents arising from persons' clothes coming in contact with
the fire. Our invention also obviates the very objectionable necessity of detaching
or removing the guard from the stove, when attending to the fire, or performing
other operations in connection with the same.
We form our improved guards of one, two, or more plain or ornamental metal
bars; such bars being either hollow or solid, and of any suitable section; and
being hinged, pivoted, jointed, or otherwise attached to the stove, so that, when
required for use, such bar or bars will readily drop into the determined position ;
and, when not in use, it or they is or are capable of being raised to a vertical
position; for which purpose they are made to correspond with the semi-circular,
square, or other form or shape of the moulding on the stove; thereby adding to
the ornamental appearance of the same.
In fixing our improved guards to existing stoves, we sometimes make suitable
holes or slots in the latter, on each side of the fire-place, and at such distances
from the fire bars as may be found desirable; such holes or slots being formed to
receive the pivoted or jointed ends of the rods or their attachments. Such
attachments may, however, be formed in various ways to suit the construction of
the stove, and may be made either permanent or detachable.
It will thus be understood that our improved guard is attached to the stove, so
us to assume an horizontal position, or thereabouts, in front of the same, when in
use; and, when not in use, it is placed so as to assume a vertical position, or
thereabouts, in front of the stove.
The guard is sustained in a vertical position, by means of a catch or other
suitable fastening or fastenings fitted to any convenient part of the stove, or
by the bar or bars being suitably counterbalanced or so formed as to be self
upporting.

page_text: We, FREDERICK ALFRED MESSER, and WALTER FULLER THORPE, both of 8 Quality
Court, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of our said 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 our invention is to manufacture improved forms of fire guards, for
the prevention of accidents arising from persons' clothes coming in contact with
the fire. Our invention also obviates the very objectionable necessity of detaching
or removing the guard from the stove, when attending to the fire, or performing
other operations in connection with the same.
We form our improved guards of one, two, or more plain or ornamental metal
bars; such bars being either hollow or solid, and of any suitable section; and
being hinged, pivotted, jointed, or otherwise attached to the stove, so that, when
required for use, such bar or bars will readily drop into the determined position;
and, when not in use, it or they is or are capable of being raised to a vertical
position; for which purpose they are made to correspond with the semi-circular,
square, or other form or shape of the moulding on the stove; thereby adding to
the ornamental appearance of the same. The provisions to receive the ends of the
bar or bars may be either cast in one piece with the stove, or temporarily or
permanently attached to the same.
In fixing our improved guards to existing stoves, we sometimes prefer to make
suitable holes or slots in the latter, on each side of the fire-place, and at such
distances from the fire bars as may be found desirable; such holes or slots being
formed to receive the pivotted or jointed ends of the rods or their attachments.
Such attachments may, however, be formed in various ways to suit the construction
of the stove, and may be made either permanent or detachable.
It will thus be understood that our improved guard is attached to the stove, so
as to assume a horizontal position, or thereabouts, in front of the same, when in
use; and, when not in use, it is placed so as to assume a vertical position, or
thereabouts, in front of the stove." When necessary, the guard is sustained in a
vertical position, by means of a catch or other suitable fastening or fastenings
fitted to the upper part of the stove, by which the guard is prevented from falling
forward.
And in order that our said invention may be more particularly described and
ascertained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a fire-place, shewing a grate a, with alternate
modes and positions of fixing or attaching the guard 6 to the same.
In one arrangement the stove or grate a is provided with bosses c to engage the
bent ends 6 of the guard b; when desired the bosses are so shaped as to form a
rest c¹ for the guard, when in use.
In another arrangement holes are made in any suitable position, in the stove
grate, or mantle-piece to receive the ends b', and a bearing for the guard is formed
by other suitable means, such as that shewn at c².

page_text: .
When the guard is not in use it is turned up as shewn in Fig. 1, in which case it
is held in that position by means of a catch a³, or by other suitable means.
Fig. 2 is a plan, partly in section, of a fire-place" and stove, shewing alternative
modes and positions of fixing and supporting the guard. ·
Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a fire-place and stove fitted with the
guard.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views of an arrangement for attaching the guard 6 to the
stove or grate a, by means of a moveable hooked boss d; suitable holes or slots e
being made in the stove or grate to receive the boss d. In this case the guard b is
pivotted to the boss d, by means of a pin bolt or screw d. The boss d is provided
with a cover plate d' which is so placed for the purpose of concealing the upper
part of the slot e, when the apparatus is in position. The bar, when in use, is
supported in its desired position by being provided with a lug piece b³, for the
purpose of resting on the inclined plane ³. It will be seen that by this arrange-
ment the guard and its attachments can be easily removed from the gr..te when
desired.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are views of another arrangement for attaching the guard to
the grate or stove. b is the guard, c the boss, and c¹ the bearing pieces on which
the guard is supported, when in use; in this arrangement the boss c is fixed to the
stove by the flanges c³ and screws or bolts e¹.
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 shew an arrangement for fixing and supporting the guard-
preferably where it is composed of more than one bar; in the present example
three bars are shewn; c is the boss, provided with a recess or holes, to receive the
bent ends b¹ of the bars forming the guard. c c are suitably shaped bearing
pieces, on which the bar or bars b rest, when in use; c³ ³ are wings or flanges for
fixing to the stove grate or mantle-piece.
Figs. 13 and 14 shew another arrangement where the guard is composed of more
than one bar, the bars 6 being so formed or shaped, at their pivotted ends 62, that
they readily assume their relative positions, on being released from their vertical
position. In this arrangement the mode of attachment to the stove is similar to
that shewn in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, which admits of the whole apparatus being easily
removed, if required. Where desirable this description of guard could be made
with link, chain or other suitable flexible material, filling in the spaces between
the bars, thus forming a very secure fire-guard.
Figs. 15 to 26 are views, shewing details of various formations of the ends of
the guard, and the holes or slots e made in the stove grate or mantle-piece. In
these arrangements the ends of the bent bar or bars, forming the guard, are
sprung together or apart, as the case may be the ends then being inserted into the
holes or slots; after the ends are thus inserted the spring of the bar retains the
guard in its place in shaped holes or slots. The guard is, by means of the suitably
shaped ends, held and supported in its proper position on the stove, grate or
mantle-piece.
Figs. 27 and 28 are views shewing an arrangement for attaching the guard to
the stove, in which the guard is supported-when in use-by means of the lug b³,
resting on the plate b*.
Fig. 29 shews another arrangement for fixing and supporting the guard b. In
this case the guard is supported in its horizontal position by the heel piece b³,
coming in contact with and resting on the stove.
Fig. 30 is a side view, partly in section, and Fig. 31 is a partial front view
shewing another form of joint, in which the ends of the rod-bar or tube b, forming
the guard, are split, as at 6, to form a spring of such strength as to give sufficient
friction between the bar b and its joint, as to sustain the bar in its vertical position,
as shewn in dotted lines. The guard is supported in its horizontal position (or
thereabouts) by the heel piece b; the whole being fastened to the stove or grate
by means of suitable joints and screws or bolts.
Figs. 32, 33 and 34 are respectively side view, front view, and plan, of another
method of attaching the guard. The ends of the bar b-forming the guard-are split

page_text: or slotted as at 6° so as to form it into a spring, the ends being also provided with
small joggle or tongue pieces 5, which engage into recesses 67, made on the inside
of the joint 68, the joint being fixed to the stove or grate by means of the flanges c³,
and screws.
Figs. 35 and 36 shew an arrangement in which the guard is counterbalanced by
means of the counterweight f, and is for the purpose of holding or supporting the
guard in its desired 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 :-
1. The manufacture and use of improved fire guards and appliances in connection
therewith, severally operating substantially as berein before described and shewn
on the drawings.
2. The several methods of and means and appliances for attaching, supporting,
and detaching fire guards of the descriptions aforesaid, to and from grates and fire-
places, substantially as herein before described and shewn on the drawings.
3. The general construction combination and arrangement of the several and
respective parts or of some of them separately and apart from others of them,
constituting our improvements in fire guards, substantially as herein before
described and shewn on the drawings.
D2011 AT
1
1000