An Automatic Contrivance for Lighting Lamps or other Burners.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Contrivance for Lighting Lamps or other Burners.
I, HENRY TROTTER, of Wellfield, Taff's Well, near Cardiff, in the County of
Glamorgan, Ships Store Merchant 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 :-
This invention consists of a match holder, a prepared surface or surfaces for
igniting matches upon, a lamp or other burner, and subsidiary apparatus, the whole
contained in a frame which may be suspended on a wall or placed in any other
convenient position. The said invention is designed for the purpose of automatically
lighting the lamp or other burner at any predetermined time by attaching a detent,
which holds the match holder back, to a lever actuated by an alarum clock, or by
attaching the detent to any other suitable apparatus which will remove it from the
match holder at any predetermined time.
My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing,
which represents a plan of the apparatus.
The match holder A is attached to a bar B ending in a coiled spring C fixed on the
frame D. The action of the spring C causes the match holder to move forward
horizontally into the position A shown by the dotted lines, and a guide E is attached
to the frame at F to regulate the horizontal travel of the rod B. The rod is held back
by a detent G which is pivotted at H, and can be moved vertically by means of the
handle J. The said handle may be attached to a cord, or to the weight of an alarum
clock, or to any suitable apparatus which will have the effect of removing the
detent G from the rod B and so allowing the rod to spring forward horizontally. In
the match holder A are sockets to hold one or more matches P. One socket under
another is a convenient arrangement. The prepared surface, or surfaces K are also
attached to coiled spring or springs L which allow the surfaces a slight horizontal
rocking motion as shown by the dotted lines K'. The prepared surface may be in
separate portions if desired, each portion being attached to a separate spring. The
prepared surface is so placed that the matches P in the match holder A rub against it
when the detent G is withdrawn. The lamp or other burner M is of ordinary
..

page_text: construction and the shape of it can be so made as to suit the rest of the
apparatus.
In operation a match P is placed in each of the sockets of the match holder A and
the position of the guide E and lamp M are so arranged that the matches at the end
of their forward horizontal travel are close to the wick or orifice of the burner, N as
shown at P¹. When the detent G is withdrawn the action of the spring C moves the
match es forward horizontally. In their travel the matches rub against the prepared
surface K, ignite, and are carried forward ignited to the wick or orifice of the
burner N, which consequently is ignited also.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
The combination of a match holder with a suitable guide for the same, a prepared
surface or surfaces for igniting matches upon, a lamp, or other burner, and a pivotted
detent, the whole arranged by means of springs to automatically ignite the lamp or
other burner when the pivotted detent is removed by the action of an alarum clock, or
by any other suitable apparatus which will remove the said detent at any predetermined
time substantially as described.