An Improved Device for Regulating the Flames in Gas Burners.
Year: 1885

page_text: An Improved Device for Regulating the Flames in Gas Burners.
I GEORGE DOWNING, of 8 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "AN
IMPROVED DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE FLAMES IN GAS BURNERS." Communicated
to me from abroad by Robert Saalfeld of the firm of Horwitz & Saalfeld Burner
Makers No 4 Wrangel Strasse in the City of Berlin and German Empire, to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved device for regulating the flames in gas
burners in which a continuously burning flame of minimal size is employed which
by a simple partial rotation of a circular slide can be increased to any desirable
extent within the power of the burner. If the flame is burning in its reduced
state the part rotation of the circular slide will cause the flame to shoot up into
the full flame and a like movement of the said ring slide in the opposite direction
will immediately reduce the flame to any fixed extent.
If for instance a workman is called away from his bench or other occupation ho
simply gives the circular slide a part revolution when the flame will be reduced to
a minimum; when he returns to his work he has nothing to do but simply turn
the circular slide back into its former position when the large flame will at once
shoot up.
In this manner enormous quantities of gas will be saved which would not occur
if the workmen or other persons were compelled to reignite their gas on their
return, as they would be certain to leave the flame burning in order to save the
trouble of relighting.
If the gas flame is not required for a time it is much more economical to turn
it down to a tiny flame by means of the circular slide than to waste time in
relighting the same.
In order to attain this object a horizontal partition is arranged in the inferior
part of the burner so as to form two superpoised chambers or compartments which
said partition is provided with a very small perforation so as to allow a very small
quantity of gas to pass from the lower into the upper compartment and supply
sufficient gas to keep the small flame requisite for keeping the burner alight when
the connection between the supply pipe and the burner is cut off.

page_text: I further employ a circular slide provided with two slots or openings one at each
side of the said slide. The burner itself is also provided with two like slots or
openings one located above, the other below the horizontal partition. A snugly
fitting cap is now screwed over the circular slide so as to form a small gas
chamber.
If the slide is so moved or partly rotated that the openings or slots correspond
with each other gas will pass through the openings below the partition into the
space between the cap and the circular slide and from thence through the slots or
openings above the said partition and so to the burner tip.
So long as the slots do not correspond with each other the main supply is cut
off and gas can only pass through the tiny perforation in the partition to the
burner consequently only a small flame can burn.
If however the slide is so moved that the openings in the same and in the
burner correspond the communication between the supply pipe and the burner tip
is established and the flame will give its maximum light..
The circular slide is provided with a small handle with a knob of nonconducting
material in order to facilitate the operation of the said slide.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
!
An Improved Device for Regulating the Flames in Gas Burners.
I GEORGE DOWNING of 8 Quality Court, Chancery Lane in the City of London,
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for AN IMPROVED
DEVICE FOR REGULATING THE FLAMES IN GAS BURNERS a communication to me by
Robert Saalfeld, Berlin, Germany, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved device for regulating the flames in gas
burners in which a continuously burning flame of minimal size is employed which
by a simple partial rotation of a circular slide can be increased to any desirable
extent within the power of the burner.
If the flame is burning in its reduced state the part rotation of the circular slide
will cause the flame to shoot up into the full flame and a like movement of the
said ring slide in the opposite direction will immediately reduce the flame to any
fixed extent.
%
If for instance a workman is called away from his bench or other occupation he
simply gives the circular slide a part revolution when the flame will be reduced to
a minimum; when he returns to his work he has nothing to do but simply turn.
the circular slide back into its former position when the large flame will at once
shoot up.
In this manner enormous quantities of gas are saved which would not occur if;
the workmen or other persons were compelled to reignite their gas on their
return, as they would be certain to leave the flame burning in order to save the
trouble of relighting.
If the gas flame is not required for a time it is much more economical to turn it
down to a tiny flame by means of the circular slide than to waste time in
relighting the same.
In order to obtain this object a horizontal partition is arranged in the inferior.
part of the burner so as to form two superpoised chambers or compartments which
said partition is provided with a very small perforation so as to allow a very small
quantity of gas to pass from the lower into the upper compartment and supply,
sufficient gas to keep the small flame requisite for keeping the burner alight when
the connection between the supply pipe and the burner is cut off.
I further employ a circular slide provided with two slots or openings one at each:
side of the said slide. The burner itself is also provided with two like slots or
openings one located above, the other below the horizontal partition. A snugly.
fitting cap is now screwed over the circular slide so as to form a small gas
chamber.
If the slide is so moved or partly rotated that the openings or slots correspond
with each other gas will pass through the openings below the partition into the
space between the cap and the circular slide and from thence through the slots or
openings above the said partition and so to the burner tip.

page_text: So long as the slots do not correspond with each other the main supply is cut off
and gas can only pass through the tiny perforation in the partition to the burner
consequently only a small flame can burn. If however the slide is so moved that
the openings in the same and in the burner correspond the communication
between the supply pipe and the burner tip is established and the flame will give
its maximum light.
The circular slide is provided with a small handle with a knob of nonconducting
material in order to facilitate the operation of the said slide.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved device for regulating the flames in gas
burners.
Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the connection between the upper and
lower part of the burner closed.
Figure 3 is a vertical section showing the connection between the two com-
partments of the burner and the annular space or chamber open so that gas can
freely flow to the burner tip.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of Figure 2 on the line A B.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section on the line C D in Figure 3.
Figure 6 is the elevation of the central part of the burner with the annular cap
removed so as to more plainly show the slots for the passage of the gas to the
burner tip. The main tube a of the burner is provided with a horizontal
partition 6 in which a small boring c is arranged through which a small quantity
of gas can flow to the burner tip and thus keep up a continuously burning tiny
igniting flame. The main tube a is provided with two slots of the former
arranged beneath, the latter above the horizontal partition b the said main tube
being further provided with male screw threads on its outer surface to receive a
cylindrical or circular slide g said slide being provided with suitable female screw
threads..
This cylindrical or circular slide 9 is provided with two slots e¹ f1 corresponding
to the slots e f in the main tube.
A cap is screwed over the circular or cylindrical slide g and forms an annular
gas chamber or canal h. When the slots e¹ f¹ in the circular or cylindrical slides g
correspond with the slots e f in the main tube a of the burner gas will flow from
the lower compartment i of the main tube a through the slots e e¹ into the annular
chamber h around the slide g and through the slots f¹f into the upper com-
partment and so to the burner tip. If now the circular or cylindrical slide g is
given a quarter revolution by means of a flat ring n and handle or lever m which
is arranged around the main tube a and is firmly clamped between the lower edge
of the cap and the flange to the slide g, the slots e e¹ and ƒ f¹ will no longer
correspond with each other and the communication between the upper and lower
compartments ik will be cut off so that only the small quantity of gas passing
through the tiny boring in the horizontal partition can pass to the burner and thus
maintain the small igniting flame.
In order to limit the movement of the slide 9 the same is recessed at its base
and comes in contact with a stop or pin o in the main tube a when the stroke to
one or the other side is full and thus at the end of its one stroke the slots e e¹ƒƒ¹
will be in communication and at the end of the opposite stroke all connection cut off.
The main tube is further provided at its upper end with screw threads to receive
a globe holder.
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 an improved device for regulating the flames in gas burners the arrange-
ment construction and employment of the main tube a in combination with the
horizontal partition b and perforation c and with the slots ef substantially as set
forth in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. In an improved device for regulating the flames in gas burners the arrange-
ment construction and employment of the circular or cylindrical slide g and its
slots e¹ f¹ in combination with the main tube a and the slots ef substantially as
set forth in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. In an improved device for regulating the flames in gas burners the arrange-
ment construction and employment of the cap forming an annular gas chamber h
between the exterior surface of the slide g and the inner surface of the cap & in
combination with the slide g, ring n and handle m and the slots e elf f¹
substantially as set forth in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
4. The general construction arrangement and application of my improved device
for regulating the flames in gas burners substantially as set forth in the foregoing
specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.