Improvements in Colliery and other Safety Lamps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1893
Complete, Specification Left, 19th.. Feb., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Colliery and other Safety Lamps.
We, ALBERT JAMES and JOHN HODGKINS, both of, 15, Heol-Ganol, Trallwn
Gardens, Pontypridd, and HARRY LUCAS, of 23, Taff Street, Pontypridd, in the
County of Glamorgan, Sheet-metal Workers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to Improvements in Colliery and other Safety Lamps. In
carrying it into effect we pass a vertical pin or rod up through the oil container.
The bottom end of it is fast to a short radial lever which passes outwards through
a slot. The end of this lever is made into a catch and threaded with the same
thread as the bottom of the lamp. Springs are fixed to keep the lever in position.
The top of the said pin carries another lever or arm, preferably flat, and wide
enough to cover the wick. Its function is to pass over and cover the wick for
extinguishing the light. The invention is used as follows. The lamp is lit in the
ordinary way, and, the part detached is screwed on to the top portion, the lever at.
the bottom of the pin being placed in a recess or slot in the inside circumference
of the top part of the lamp at any position in the thread to carry the same, the
thread on the outer end of this lever corresponding.
*
The bottom part of the lamp is screwed up home until the lever or catch engages
in the before mentioned slot or recess. To extinguish the light, the bottom part is
unscrewed, when the top lever or arm or extinguisher puts the light out immediately
by covering the wick.
It will be seen that in consequence of the threaded. end of the lever projecting
slightly beyond the outer periphery of the lower portion of the lamp, upon turning
the screw to the right or in the same direction as the hands of a clock, the threaded
lever will naturally fall to the left and the opposite way to which the lamp is
turned, thus causing the extinguishing arm to stand further away from the flame of
the wick so that the lower part of the lamp can be screwed up home without the
extinguisher interfering with the light in any way. Now upon anyone turning the
bottom portion of the lamp in an opposite direction, the threaded lever projecting
beyond the part to which it is attached, would'spring into the recess or slot in the
outer case before described and upon continuing to unscrew the bottom of the lamp,.
the threaded lever, in consequence of its coming in contact with the edge of the
recess or slot, would have the effect of turning this lever over to the right, or in
the opposite direction to which the bottom of the lamp is being turned by the act.
of unscrewing. Therefore the extinguishing arm at the top of the upright pin
would be brought over the wick and flame and remain there as long as the lamp is
being unscrewed, and consequently extinguishing the light.
It is not possible with this invention for any danger to arise from the light being
exposed, because as soon as the act of unscrewing the bottom of the lamp is started,
the light is put out immediately.
According to another form of this invention, we can, if preferred, place the
vertical pin in the lower plate supporting the glass, and support it in a suitable.
bearing on which it shall be capable of revolving.. The bottom end of this pin is'
made in the form of a catch and at the top of it is fixed the extinguishing arm or
lever similar to the one above described. A thin radial strip of metal projects
down for the purpose of more completely surrounding the wick on the sides, as well
as covering the top of it so as to ensure the light being put out. A spiral spring

page_text: is placed around this pin, one end of which is attached to the top lever or
extinguisher, and the other end-is fixed to the plate. This spring keeps the
extinguisher in position away from the flame.
In this method the recess or notch is cut in the collar on the top of the bottom
portion of the lamp containing the oil.
'
The bottom portion of the lamp is then screwed to the other part of the lamp as
ordinarily, the projecting catch in the upright spindle being then in such a position
as to allow of the revolution of the lamp upon the oil chamber and to keep the
extinguisher away from the wick until the lamp is screwed home, but when the
lamp is unscrewed or turned in the opposite direction, then the catch falls in
the notch and upon still turning the lamp in the opposite direction, the projecting
catch in consequence of its shape and the way in which the lamp is turned keeps
the extinguisher over the flame during the whole of the operation. But when the
bottom part is screwed right off and free, the extinguishing arm takes its position
away from covering the wick which is then ready to be re-lit and replaced as herein
described.
Dated this 19th day of May 1893.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Colliery and other Safety Lamps.
We, ALBERT JAMES and JOHN HODGKINS both of 15, Heol-Ganol, Trallwn
Gardens, Pontypridd, and HARRY LUCAS, of 23, Taff Street, Pontypridd, in the
County of Glamorgan, Sheet Metal Workers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in colliery and other safety lamps for
mines, and the object of it is to provide such lamps with an improved automatic
extinguisher adapted to be operated by the act of opening the lamp; to prevent the
oil retainer being unscrewed after it has been partially screwed home; to prevent
it being screwed up again after it has been partially unscrewed until after it has
been disconnected from the frame of the lamp; and to prevent the wick being
withdrawn from the wick tube without extinguishing the lamp.
The present invention can be applied to any type of safety lamp in ordinary use
at a very small cost. Any form of wick may be used, round, tubular or flat.
In order that the invention and the means by which it is to be carried into effect,
may be thoroughly understood, we will now describe it and them in detail referring
in so doing to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as part of this
Specification.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary Clanny safety lamp.
Figure 2 is a full size vertical section through the oil container.
Figure 3 is a plan of the ring f.
Figure 4 is an inverted plan thereof.
Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of the top of the oil container, with the wick-
tube and collar.
Figure 6 is a detail sectional side elevation of the extinguisher and extinguisher
mechanism.
Figure 7 is a plan corresponding with Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a sectional detail of the detent, detent-spring and notched portion of
the collar.
Figures 9 to 12 are detail sectional plans illustrating the co-operation of the
detent and notches.
a is a ring fast to the bottom of the lamp frame b. It has an internally projecting

page_text: shoulder a' and a female screw a' below the said shoulder. c is the oil container..
It is provided with the male screw adapted to engage with the female screw a
for the purpose of holding the lamp frame and the oil container together, and with.
the shoulder to prevent it being screwed into the ring a farther than is necessary..
d is the collar on the top of the oil container through which the wick tube e passes
and d' is the holding ring.
The: :
f is a ring screwed up the screw a³ into the ring a as far as the shoulder a¹.
screw a² of the ring a is long enough to receive the ring and the screw c¹ of the
oil container c and to provide a space between the two for the detent g. The latter
is pivotted to the under face of the ring f on the vertical pivot g₁ so as to swing
parallel with the said ring. is a notch cut in the outer face of the collar d at its
junction with the oil container c. When the latter is screwed up, the detent g is in
the notch h. The shape of the latter, in plan, is clearly illustrated in Figures 9
to 12. The pivotted detent is under the control of a spring or equivalent device
which is adapted to return it to its normal position that of being radial to the
centre of the lamp. We have illustrated the use of an open ring spring g' held to
the underside of the ring by screws g³ while its free ends are hooked into eyes g*
formed on the opposite sides of the detent. The holding screws hold the spring by
that side of it which is opposite to the free ends of it, the two screws standing at.
equal distances from the said ends respectively. i is a narrow and shallow notch in
the face of the collar d. It is a vertical continuation of the narrower face of the.
notch hand is large enough to engage the nose only of the detent g. The pivot g'
is continued upwards through a vertical tube g³ fast to the ring f, to the proper
height for carrying the extinguisher ; which is made fast to it by means of the
arm. The extinguisher is therefore swung laterally to and from the flame and
for that reason is hood-shaped, being open at the side and having a recess ³ formed
in the lower side of it to provide for the said side missing the wick tube when the
extinguisher is swung over it.
When the detent is in the notch h, the extinguisher is held away from and clear
of the wick, as clearly shewn in Figure 3.
The operation of the invention as far as the same is described above is as.
follows:-
As the oil container c is being screwed home, the detent 9 is swung to one side as
shewn in Figure 11 and the notch i passes it without engaging with it. Figure 9.
shews how the detent is still kept swung out on its pivot even when the notch is
passing it. This freedom from engagement is much facilitated by the prominent
convexity of the relative side of the detent. At the moment that the oil container
is screwed home, the detent is forced into notch h. The container is thereby locked
and the extinguisher held away from the wick. If it be attempted to now unscrew
the container c, the narrow face of the notch h engages the detent g and rocks it on
its pivot g', thereby swinging the extinguisher; over the wick and putting the light.
out. Figure 10 shews the detent 9 out of the notch h (and the extinguisher there-
fore over the wick) as long as the unscrewing is continued. Any attempt to.
unscrew the oil container c before it is screwed home will be baffled by the
engagement of the notch i and detent g. Further, an attempt to screw home the
container c after it has been partially unscrewed will be baffled by the engagement
of the notch and the detent. The imminence of these engagements is indicated in
Figures 11 and 12 respectively.
If an
A further part of our invention provides for the prevention of the withdrawal of
the wick from the wick tube. k k is a small screw working transversely through the
side of the tube. It is tightened up after a fair allowance of slack wick has been
provided in the wick tube (tapered to receive such allowance), above it.
attempt is made to withdraw the wick from the wick tube e by means of the
trimmer e', not more than the slack can be withdrawn. If the slack be withdrawn
from the tube e and an attempt to unscrew the container c be then made, such slack
will be wound round the top of the tube by contact with the extinguisher and the
light put out. A ring in the wick may be substituted for the screw k.

page_text: „Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of lamp and automatic extinguisher, as set forth.
2. The combination of pivotted detent, returning spring or its equivalent device
and notch or notches on the oil container, as set forth.
:
3. The combination of two notches on the oil container, as set forth.
4. The combination with the oil tube of a detaining screw, or ring, as set forth.
Dated this 19th day of February 1894.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.