MENTS IN LAMPS."
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Otto Wollenberg at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 29th May 1876.
OTTO WOLLENBERG, of Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany.
MENTS IN LAMPS."
* IMPROVE-
Hitherto the various experiments which have been made with petroleum and
other similar lamps to increase their utility by using a circular burner of larger
dimensions than from 1 tins to 1 fins in diameter, have failed from inability to
provide a proper means for guiding the wick and the difficulty of ensuring a
sufficient draught of air to ensure complete combustion of the petroleum or other
substance being consumed.
Now I propose to obviate these disadvantages in the following manner:-I take
3 shafts or spindles made of wire or other suitable material, and arrange them in
the form of a triangle in the interior of a circnlar burner of any suitable dimensions.
One end of one of such shafts or spindles is elongated to a suitable length so that it
may project a convenient distance beyond the exterior of the burner, and this
elongated end is provided with a suitable knob or handle to permit of its being
rotated by the hand as hereafter described. The opposite end of such elongated
shaft or spindle, as also the ends of each of the other two shafts or spindles, may be
either round or slightly tapered to enable them to fit into suitable recesses or orifices
formed on the inner circumference of the cylinder of the burner for their reception.
About midway on each of such spindles or shafts I place a pair of small toothed
wheels at a suitable distance apart from each other; these three pairs of wheels I call
"driving wheels," they are simply passed over the shaft or spindle without any
soldering or other fastening which is unnecessary, and towards either end of each of
such three shafts I place a small cog wheel so arranged that the cog wheel at one
end of each shaft gears into the cog wheel placed on the corresponding end of the
next shaft; these six cog wheels so gearing into each other I call "motor wheels."
An air pipe of suitable size passes through the oil reservoir, and is connected at one
side to the surrounding pipe or tube of the burner towards the top by means of a
connecting piece which extends the entire length of the burner and becomes con-
siderably narrower at the top than at the bottom; such air pipe is provided at its
top with a metal disc fixed on a stem, such disc serving as a flame expander; by
means of this air pipe the air is enabled to pass freely without compression and thus
secures complete coinbustion, at the same time it allows of one flat wick or of two
flat wicks half the size being used as may be desired.

page_text: The use of two wicks is preferable when the oil reservoir is formed flat as it is
better supported against the sides of the reservoir.
Another disadvantage of the wicks of a circular section in present use is that
being short they descend straight to the bottom where they terminate, not being
capable of bending. The operation of my improved burner is as follows:-On
turning the projecting end of the elongated shaft or spindle by means of the knob
or handle before described the motor wheels gearing into each other cause the three
shafts or spindles forming the triangle in the interior of the burner to simultaneously
rotale and thus impart motion to the driving wheels before mentioned, and the
teeth of such driving wheels catching in the wick or wicks placed around the burner
thereby cause the wick or wicks to rise uniformly and evenly, while owing to the
connecting piece before mentioned becoming narrower at the top of the burner as
already described the wick or wicks form a perfect circle around the entire circum-
ference of the top of the burner.
My improved circular burner is also applicable to lamps having glass_ chimneys,
as it may be used either with or without the flame expander before described.
It is very suitable for lighting rooms of large dimensions, and also for use in
cooking or other apparatus which is heated by means of petroleum.
If desired the air pipe passing through the centre of the burner may be dispensed
with, as by so doing it facilitates the adjustment of a fresh wick or wicks.
By this improved arrangement of the burner wicks of much larger dimensions
than those hitherto employed may be used with the utmost facility and ease whereby
greatly increased illuminating and heating power are obtained, thus greatly enhancing
the utility of petroleum and other similar oils for lighting and heating purposes.