Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 29th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 1st Nov., 1887
We GEORGE GORDON BRODIE of Catherino Street Aston near Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Ironfounder and JAMES DAMREL PRIOR of No. 143 Isledon
Road Finsbury Park London in the County of Middlesex Manager do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to such fire grates as have movable bottoms capable of
being raised and lowered for the purpose of diminishing or increasing the capacity of
the grates and capable of being fixed in the position to which they may have been
adjusted.
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said grates in
the manner hereinafter described whereby great simplicity in the construction and
efficiency in the action of the said grates are secured.
The front of the grate is made of a series of either horizontal or vertical bars the
said bars being preferably situated in a vertical plane. In the middle of the front of
Into one side of this
the grate is a vertical slot closed at top but open at bottom.
slot a series of small inclined slots open the said side slots inclining from their open
ends downwards. The bottom of the grate consists a separate frame of bars at the
middle of the front edge of which is a projection or handle for the purpose of raising
or lowering it. Or in place of the said handle a socket may be substituted into which
socket a short rod or handle may be temporarily inserted for the purpose of raising
or lowering the said bottom. The said handle or socket engages and slides in the
vertical slot in the front of the grate. The said handle or socket projects a short
distance in front of the grate. The length of the frame of bars constituting the
bottom of the grate is somewhat greater than the length of the body of the grate
from front to back and at the back of the grate is formed a recess for the reception of
the rear part of the bottom.
On each side of the said recess is a fixed horizontal rod or projection on which the
edges of the rear part of the bottom of the grate rest. Or a horizontal bar may be
fixed in the said recess parallel to the front of the grate on which horizontal bar the

page_text: rear part of the bottom may rest. Or in place of the said projections or bar any
other fixed horizontal support may be employed.
The action of the parts is as follows:-
The bottom of the grate is inserted in its place by being passed under the front of
the grate and its rear part being made to rest on the horizontal support at the back of
the grate the handle or socket at the front of the bottom being introduced into and
raised in the vertical slot until the bottom is brought into such a position as will give
the required capacity to the body of the grate. The handle is then pressed laterally
so as to give a slight sliding motion to the bottom and thereby to make the handle
or socket engage in the side slot situated at the level to which the bottom has been
raised. As the said side slots incline downwards from their open to their closed ends
the introduction of the handle or socket into one of them securely supports the bottom
in the position to which it had been adjusted.
In order to change the position of the bottom the bandle is raised and pressed
laterally in the direction proper to disengage it from the side slot and to bring it into
the principal or vertical slot in which it can be raised or lowered and the front of the
bottom brought to a higher or lower level and fixed thereby engaging the handle or
socket in the side slot at that level.
When the front of the bottom is raised to a higher level than that of its back or is
depressed to a lower level than that of its back the rear part of the said bottom slides
upon tho horizontal support at the back of the grate the bottom in such case becoming
virtually lengthened.
The extreme end of the back of the bottom may be curved downwards into a hook
like form by which means the back of the bottom is prevented from passing from off
its support unless the rear part be lifted vertically.
Instead of making the vertical slot in the front of the grate at the middle of the
front it may be made near the edge of the front at either side.
Our improvements are especially applicable to the fire grates of kitchen or cooking
ranges but are also applicable to fire grates generally.
Dated this Fourteenth day of January 1887.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Fire Grates.
We GEORGE GORDON BRODIE of, Catherine Street, Aston, near Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Ironfounder and JAMES DAMREL PRIOR of No. 143 Isledon
Road, Finsbury Park, London in the County of Middlesex, Manager do hereby
declare the nature of our 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 has reference to such fire grates as have movable bottoms capablo of
being raised and lowered for the purpose of diminishing or increasing the capacity of
the grates and capable of being fixed in the position to which they may have been
adjusted.
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of tho said grates
in the manner hereinafter described whereby great simplicity in the construction and
efficiency in the action of the said grates are secured.
The front of the grato is made of a series of either horizontal or vertical bars the
said bars being proferably situated in a vertical plane. In the middle of the front of
the grate is a vertical slot closed at top but open at bottom. Into one side of this
slot a series of small inclined slots open the said side slots inclining from their open
ends downwards. The bottom of the grate consists of a separate frame of bars at the
middle of the front edge of which is a projection or handle for the purpose of raising
or lowering it. Or in place of the said handle a socket may be substituted into which
socket a short rod or handle may be temporarily inserted for the purpose of raising or
lowering the said bottom. The said handle or socket engages and slides in the
vertical slot in the front of the grate. The said handle or sockot projects a short
distance in front of the grate. The length of the frame of bars constituting the
bottom of the grate is somewhat greater than the length of the body of the grate
from front to back and at the back of the grate is formed a recess for the reception of
the rear part of the bottom.
A horizontal bar is fixed in the said recess parallel to the front of the grate on
which horizontal bar the rear part of the bottom of the grate may rest. Or in place
of the said horizontal bar any other fixed horizontal support may be employed.
The action of the parts is as follows:-The bottom of the grate is inserted in its
place by being passed under the front of the grate and its rear part being made to
rest on the horizontal support at the back of the grate the handle or socket at the
front of the bottom being introduced into and raised in the vertical slot until the
bottom is brought into such a position as will give the required capacity to the body
of the grate. The handle is then pressed laterally so as to give a slight sliding motion
to the bottom and thereby to make the handle or socket ongage in the sido slot situated
at the level to which the bottom has been raised. As the said sido slots inclino down-
wards from their open to their closed ends the introduction of the handle or sockot
into one of them securely supports the bottom in the position to which it had been
adjusted.

page_text: In order to change the position of the bottom, the handle is raised and pressed
laterally in the direction proper to disengage it from the sido slot and to bring it into
the principal or vertical slot in which it can be raised or lowered and the front of the
bottom brought to a higher or lower lovel and fixed there by engaging the handle or
socket in the side slot at that level.
When the front of the bottom is raised to a higher level than that of its back or is
depressed to a lower lovel than that of its back the rear part of the said bottom slides
upon the horizontal support at the back of the grate, the bottom in such case becoming
virtually lengthened.
The extreme end of the back of the bottom may be curved downwards into a hook
like form by which means the back of the bottom is prevented from passing from off
its support unless the rear part be lifted vertically.
Instead of making the vertical slot in the front of the grate at the middle of the
front it may be made near the edge of the front at either side.
Our improvements are especially applicable to the fire grates of kitchen or cooking
ranges but are also applicable to fire grates generally.
We will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation and Figure 2 in vertical section the fire grate
of a kitchen or cooking range in which the rear part of the movable bottom of the
said grate is supported and slides upon a fixed horizontal rod or bar crossing the
recess at the back of the fire grate; Figure 2A represents a horizontal section of
the same.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1. 2 and 2ª.
a is the front of the fire grate made of a series of horizontal bars and 6 is the
vertical slot in the middle of the said front a and c, e the side slots opening into the
said vertical slot b; d is the movable bottom of the fire grate consisting of a frame of
bars cast in one piece. The said bottom d has at the middle of its front part and
projecting from the front a of the fire grate, a projection or handle e for adjusting
and fixing the height of the said bottom in the fire grate. The rear part of the
inovable bottom d is situated in the recess fat the back of the grate and the said rear
part is supported by and slides upon the fixed horizontal rod or bar 9 (see Figure 2^)
crossing the recess from side to side. In the said recess of the rear part of the
movable bottom d is capable of sliding and of taking different angles as the height of
the said bottom is adjusted as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.
The bottom d of the fire grate is inserted in its place by being passed under
the front of the grate and its rear part made to rest on the horizontal support g, the
handle e at the front of the said bottom d being introduced into and raised in the
vertical slot b to the desired height. As the vertical height of the bottom d is adjusted
in the fire grate, the rear part of the said bottom slides on the supporting rod or
support g as herein before described. To fix the movable bottom d in its adjusted
position its handle e is pressed laterally so as to cause it to engage with one of the
side slots c in the front a of the grate as represented in Figure 1.
To change the position of the bottom d the handle e is raised and pressed laterally
so as to disengage it from one of the side slots c and bring it into the vertical slot b in
which it can be raised or lowered and the front of the said bottom brought to a higho
or lower level and again fixed by means of the handle e in one of the side slots c. A
hook d² at each end of the rear part of the movable bottom d prevents the said bottom
passing from off the supporting rod g unless the said bottom is lifted vertically.
Figure 3 represents in front elevation and Figure 4 in vertical section and Figure 4*
in horizontal section, a fire grate in which the front bars are vertical and the movable
bottom is fixed in its adjusted position by a cross piece on the handle engaging with
slots or notches on either side the middle vertical slot in the front of the grate. The
continuous bar on which the rear part of the movable botton d is supported and slides
is marked g; d³, d' is the cross piece on the front or handle end é of the movable
bottom and i, i are the slots or notches on either side the vertical slot b with which
slots or notches the said cross piece d³, d³ can be engaged to support and fix the front

page_text: of the said bottom. In this arrangement the front end of the movable bottom dis
first slightly raised to disengage its cross piece d³ from the slots or notches i, i and the
said bottom is then raised or lowered and pressed inwards or drawn outwards to
engage its cross piece with a higher or lower set of slots or notches instead of giving
the said bottom a lateral motion in conjunction with the raising or lowering motion
as before described.
Figure 5 represents in vertical section and Figure 5A in horizontal section the same
arrangement as last described excepting that in place of supporting the rear part of
the movable bottom d upon a horizontal bar passing from one side of the recess f to
the other side, a fixed horizontal support & forming the top edge of the back plate
or wall of the fire grate is used to support the rear part of the said movable
bottom d as represented.
A continuous rod, bar or support at the back of the fire grate for the sliding
movable bottom to rest and slide upon may be made in other ways than those
represented.
Instead of making the vertical slot in the middle of the front of the grato, tho
bars of which front are either vertical or horizontal, the said vertical slot and the side
fixing slots or notches may be made near the edge of the said front at either side or
at both sides; in which cases the handle or handles on the movable bottom is or are
arranged to engage with the side slot or slots. The handle end e of the movable
bottom & may be square or an axial hole or socket made in it for the reception of a
detachable handle by which to adjust the movable bottom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our
invention of "Improvements in fire grates";-
Making the movable bottoms of fire grates capable of a sliding motion from front
to back and back to front substantially in the several ways herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings so as virtually to lengthen or shorten
the said bottom as it takes different angles in being adjusted in the fire grate, the said
arrangements of sliding movable bottom being used preferably in combination with
the back recess in which the rear part of it slides and with the front supporting and
fixing arrangements herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated this Twente sixth day of Santambor 1987