IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EXTINGUISHING GAS LAMPS
Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED LE-GRAND of 100 Bunhill Row in the County of Middlesex, Hydraulic
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EXTINGUISHING GAS LAMPS to be as follows:-
My invention for improvements in apparatus for automatically extinguishing gas
lamps has for object to provide means whereby the flame from a gas jet may be
automatically extinguished at any desired given interval of time after lighting.
It is a well known physical fact that a bell or inverted cup suspended over
a flame from a horizontal axis about which it is free to oscillate is caused by the
action of the heated currents of air produced by the action of the flame to oscillate
with a pendulous motion about the said axis so long as the flame beneath is,
maintained. It is also well known that the periods of oscillation are practically
constant for the same pendulum even though the amplitudė of oscillation be subject,
to considerable variation.
My invention consists in utilising the said oscillations to extinguish gas lamps
and in order to effect this, I suspend over a gas flame a bell or inverted cup free to
Oscillate about its horizontal axis of suspension and connect it by any suitable
means to a train of clockwork or reducing mechanism provided with a detachment,
device for releasing a weight or spring which is arranged to, act upon a lever or.
other connection attached to the gas supply cock and so, shut off the supply of gas.
and thereby extinguish the flame. When igniting the gas, the attendant, in
opening the gas supply cock brings the extinguishing mechanism into its initial
position and the suspended bell by means of its vibrations actuates the clockwork
mechanism and releases after performing the requisite number of oscillations
the spring or weight by which the gas supply, cock is closed. As the periods of
oscillation remain practically constant the time for extinguishing the flame may be
adjusted with great accuracy.
.

page_text: Gas Lamps.
I ALFRED LE GRAND, of 100 Bunhill Row, in the County of Middlesex, Hydraulic
Engineer, 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:-
My invention for improvements in apparatus for automatically extinguishing gas
lamps has for object to provide means whereby the flame from a gas jet may be
automatically extinguished at any desired given interval of time after lighting.
It is a well known physical fact that a bell or inverted cup suspended over
a flame from a horizontal axis about which it is free to oscillate is caused by the
action of the heated currents of air produced by the action of the flame to oscillate
with a pendulous motion about the said axis so long as the flame beneath is
maintained. It is also well known that the periods of oscillation are practically
constant for the same pendulum even though the amplitude of oscillation be
subject to considerable variation.
My invention consists in utilising the said oscillations to extinguish gas lamps,
and in order to effect this I suspend over a gas flame a bell or inverted cup free to
oscillate about its horizontal axis of suspension and connect it by any suitable
means to a train of clockwork or reducing mechanism provided with a detatchment
device for releasing a weight or spring which is arranged to act upon a lever or
other connection attached to the gas supply cock and so shut off the supply of gas
and thereby extinguish the flame. When lighting the gas, the attendant in
opening the gas supply cock brings the extinguishing mechanism into its initial
position and the suspended bell by means of its vibrations actuates the clock work
mechanism and releases after performing the requisite number of oscillations the
weight or spring by which the gas supply cock is closed. As the periods of oscil-
lation remain practically constant the time for extinguishing the flame may be
adjusted with great accuracy.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side
elevation and Fig. 2 an end elevation of one arrangement of apparatus constructed
according to my invention.
A bell or inverted cup a is suspended from a spindle b provided with knife
edges c working on bearings in the bracket d secured to the frame plates e. On
the extension of the spindle b is mounted a boss 9 carrying two pawls h which
engage alternately with the teeth of the ratchet wheel i as the bell or cup a
Oscillates. The rotary motion thus imparted to the wheel i is communicated
through the pinions j, k, l, m, n, o, p to the wheel q secured to the main spindler,
the ends of which work in the frame plate e and the bracket 8.
One end of a lever t is mounted loosely upon the main spindler and its other
end is weighted by the weight u and provided with a stud pin v. One end of
a rod w is connected to the stud pin v and the other end is formed with a slot a
and is connected by a pin y to the end of the plug lever ≈ of the gas cock a1.
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page_text: When the levert is turned so that its centre line makes a small angle with the
vertical, it rests against the bracket 8 until detatched by mechanism to be herein-
after described.
On the main spindler is also mounted a divided disc b, fitting the spindle
tightly but sufficiently free to allow of its rotation independently of it. The
divided disc b₁ is provided with a hooked lug c, having a projecting tooth d' formed
at a part of its periphery, the tooth d₁ projecting so as to be capable of engaging
with the lever t. At the back of the disc b, and on the spindler is a lever ₁, the
end of which is provided with a tooth fi projecting sufficiently to be capable of
engaging with the lever t and with a screw clamp g₁ having an index pointer h
thus enabling the lever e, and tooth f₁ to be securely clamped in any desired position
on the divided disc b₁. The divisions upon the disc b, are so made that they
indicate the time required to elapse between the lighting of the gas and its
extinction.
The drawings above referred to shew the apparatus in its initial position, that is,
when ready for or immediately after lighting the gas.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
Supposing the index pointer h₁ to be clamped at the required position on the
divided disc b₁, the attendant pushes the hook c₁ round to its initial position
carrying with it by means of the tooth d₁, the lever t (the lever then resting
against the bracket 8) and opening the gas cock a, through the lever 2, pin y and
rod w.
The escaping gas is then ignited in the usual manner.
Fig. 3 shews a modification of the pendulum in which instead of the bell or
inverted cup a pendulum formed of a piece of flat metal bent in the form shewn
is employed..
It will be obvious that the various parts may be considerably modified without
departing from the nature of my invention.
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 :-
1. In apparatus for automatically extinguishing gas lamps, utilising the oscilla-
tions of a suspended bell, cup or other similar pendulous body caused by the action
of the currents of air generated by a flame beneath to actuate releasing mechanism
whereby the gas is shut off and the said flame extinguished at a given desired
interval of time after lighting substantially as described.
2. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for automatically extinguishing
gas lamps substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
Agents for the Applicant,
156, Strand, London, W.C.