Improvements in Apparatus for Locking and Unlocking Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Locking and Unlocking Miners'
Safety Lamps.
We, NICHOLAS NEEDHAM of Chamberlain Colliery Oldham in the county
of Lancaster Colliery Manager, JOHN JOSEPH NEEDHAM, Knott Lane, Bardsley
Ashton-under-Lyne assistant Smith, and JAMES WILLIAM NEEDHAM 131, Chamber
Road Oldham, Miner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
Our invention consists of a combined rivetting and punching machine for the
purpose of rivetting the lead rivets usually employed for locking or Sealing Miners
Safety Lamps and also for punching or drifting out the said rivets when it is desired
to open the Lamps.
The rivetting die is attached to a head or plate to which is also attached a suitable
punch and opposite to each is a corresponding die, the one to form the rivet head and
the other to hold the hasp or plate of the Lamp firmly while the punch expels the
rivet. The head is carried on a suitable sliding bar and motion is imparted to the
bar by a suitable lever. A spring keeps the head in the position in which it is ready
for operation.
We arrange the machine to operate Vertically when required by varying the
position and form of sliding bar and Lever.
We use no appliance for cutting off the rivet heads but punch them out with both
heads on the punch passing through one head and itself shearing off the outer portion
of it. By this means the extracted rivet is sufficiently long to be used again and
in some cases several times whereby we effect a great saving in the cost of the
rivets used.
EDGAR C. MILLS,
Agent to the Applicants

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Locking and Unlocking Miners'
Safety Lamps.
We, NICHOLAS NEEDHAM of Chamberlain Colliery Oldham in the county of
Lancaster Colliery Manager, JOHN JOSEPH NEEDHAM Knott Lane Bardsley, Ashton-
under-Lyne, assistant Smith, and JAMES WILLIAM NEEDHAM 131, Chamber Road
Oldham, Miner, 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 consists of a combined rivetting and punching machine for the
purpose of rivetting the lead rivets usually employed for locking or scaling Miners
Safety Lamps and also for punching or drifting out the said rivets when it is desired
to open the Lamps.
In the accompanying drawings.
Fig. I. is an elevation
Fig. II. is a plan viow
Figs. III. and IV. are cross sections and Fig. V. is a sectional plan of part of the
machine.
Similar letters of reference refer in all the figures to the same parts.
Upon a base plate a are cast or attached the brackets b, c, and d. Of these c and d
serve as guides for the sliding bare having at one end the head f and being embraced
at the other end by the fork g of the hand lever g. A collar h serves as an
abutment for the Spring i and also as a stop for the bar limiting its motion to the
right.
To the head is attached another short sliding bar k. which is also guided by
bracket c and which serves to prevent any rotation of the bar e.
To the face of the head we attach the rivetting dio having a suitable recess
which may bear a private letter or mark to serve as a seal and also the punch m.
Exactly opposite to the corresponding die n is fixed to bracket and exactly opposite
to punch m is fixed the hollow dico. This is shewn more clearly at Fig. V where the
punch m is seen about to enter the small hole o¹. The rivetted hasp of the Lamp to be
unlocked is inserted into the recess of suitably shaped to receive it and is held exactly
in position by its flanges resting upon the face o of the die and fitting between the
projections o and o³. The rivet is thus brought exactly to face the hole o¹ and on
the punch being advanced the rivet is thrust out by the hole o². We use no appliance
for shearing or cutting off the rivet heads but punch them out with both heads on.
The punch passes through the first head and itself shears off the outer portion of it.
By this means the extracted rivet is sufficiently long to be used again and in some
cases several times whereby we effect a great saving in the cost of the rivets used.
The rivetting or locking operation is performed by the dies and n in the ordinary
manner.

page_text: The action of the hand lever g will be readily understood. When depressed the
rivetting or extracting operation is performed and when released it rises to position
shewn by action of the spring i thus of course withdrawing the die and punch m
ready for operation upon another lamp.
For locking or unlocking Lamps in which a vertical rivet is used we make the
machine in vertical form, the principle and method of action being however similar to
that already described.
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 :-
I. Unlocking Miners' Safety Lamps by expelling the rivet by means of a punch
without previously cutting off or shearing off the rivet head.
11. The punch and hollow die serving also as a guide or chuck for the Lamp hasp-
for the purpose of expelling the rivets of Miners' Safety Lamps substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
III. The combined locking and unlocking or rivetting and expelling machine for
Miners' Safety Lamps substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
EDGAR CONISTON MILLS,
Agent to the Applicants.