Improvements in or connected with Acetylene Gas Lamps.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Acetylene Gas Lamps.
of
I, GEORGE ARBUTHINOT MOORE, of Spital, Bromborough, in the County
Chester, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to acetylene gas lamps such as are used for vehicles,
for domestic purposes, and the like; and it has more particularly for its object,
amongst others, to provide improvements in such lanips, by which the carbide
stored in a lamp; and not being for the moment used for the making of the gas,
shall be capable of being stored or held within the lamp, or in a part connected
with it in such a manner that it will be wholly unaffected by the moisture of or
about the lamp and the container, or from any source; and consequently. will
remain absolutely inert and undeteriorated, as long as it is not in actual use.
According to this invention, the carbide is niade up in comparatively small
quantities or charges, in suitable proportions to the size of the gas container or
vessel; and, these charges are so enclosed or wrapped up, that while they are
within the chamber or reservoir where they are stored, the vapour or moisture
within the lamp, or in fact no dampness, can reach the carbide; but when they
are fed from the container or reservoir (which is effected seriatim by suitable
mechanical means) and delivered to the place where they are converted to gas by
water, they cease to be water and damp proof, and access of water to the carbide is
provided.
This act of rendering the carbide charges open to the entrance of water when,
or on being fed or supplied for use in gas making, is, according to one inode,
effected by, or in the action of the feeding mechanism; or, by another mode, by
the manner in which the charges of carbide are made up and exist in the store
reservoir, and their condition when removed therefrom. As instances of these
two modes of effecting this end will be specified. The former may be accom-
plished by providing the carbide charges in cartridges or capsules in a suitable
cover, say, practically air and damp proof, which is imperforate, or imperforate
on the side which becomes exposed before being fed; and by perforating or
breaking the covering more or less by or through the feeding mechanism, in
moving them from the storage reservoir to the gas making chamber. Or, according
to the second mode, the charges or capsules may be enclosed in a batch by a
genéral side cover, and at one end where moisture or damp might have access to
the end charge or capsule, but not all over and the end cartridge or charge would
be sheared off in the feeding action and thus when supplied to and within the
gas making chamber, the moisture or water would have access to the uncovered
parts, whilst the remaining charges would still be practically damp proof.
The gas chamber may have a constant volume; or it may be of extensible
construction; and the feeding mechanism is of a convenient kind, which, by a
simple actuation by hand or otherwise, will remove the charges seriatim from
the reservoir or chamber in which they are stored, to the gas making chamber.
And it is preferred, that the charges should be of such size as will fill the chamber

page_text: with the required volume of gas, at a suitable pressure; so that the lamp can be
worked for any elected period of time.
Suitable means for introducing and containing water, filling the reservoir with
charges; and withdrawing the residuals will be furnished.
Dated this 10th day of Anril 1899
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.
Improvements in or connected with Acetylene Gas Lamps.
1, GEORGE ARBUTIINOT MOORE, of Spital, Bromborough, in the County of
Chester, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention has reference to acetylene gas lamps such as are used for
vehicles, for domestic purposes, and the like; and it has for its object, amongst
others, to provide improvements in, such lamps, by which the carbide stored in a
lamp, and not being for the moment used for the making of the gas, shall be
capable of being stored or held within the lamp, or in a part connected with it,
in such a manner that it will be wholly unaffected by the moisture of or about
the lamp and the container, or from any source; and consequently will remain
absolutely inert and undeteriorated, as long as it is not in actual use.
According to this invention, the carbide is made up in comparatively small
quantities or charges, in suitable proportions to the size of the gas container or
vessel; and, these charges are so enclosed or wrapped up, that while they are
within the chamber or reservoir where they are stored, the vapour or moisture
within the lamp, or in fact no dampness, can reach the carbide, but when they
are fed from the container or reservoir, which is effected seriatim by suitable
mechanical means, and delivered to the place where they are converted to gas by
water, they cease to be water and damp proof, and access of. water to the carbide
is provided.
The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a
sectional elevation shewing a lamp provided with improvements hereunder; and
Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken at A. A Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 4 is a plan in section taken at
BB Figure 3, shewing a modified form of lamp. Figure 5. illustrates in section, a
number of charges of gas making material in the form of capsules or boxes piled
up one upon the other, and made in the form of a single package.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2,
a represents the gas making chamber of the lamp, comprising an outer casing a
of rectangular form, a bottom plate b. and a cover or top plate C. d is a
rectangular tube of substantially the full width of the vessel a, constituting the
reservoir or storage chamber for holding charges of gas making substance:
d being a closing cap or cover at the charging end of same, by which any small
escape past the feeding device is prevented from escaping. e is a spring in the
tube under the carbide charges for forcing them upwards towards the feeding
device.
The charges of gas-making substance are designated o, and in this case, are
in the form of cylinders enclosed in coverings or containers impervious to mois-
ture, and lying horizontally one upon the other, in the tube .

page_text: The mechanical feeding device by which the charges. are fed seriatim from
the tube or reservoir d, to the chamber a, is in the form of a hollow cylinder f,
having a port opening through one side, as shewn; and it is supported and works
in a casing i attached to the lamp body a, to which the upper end of the tube d
is also attached. This casing i has two apertures, one, ¹, at the outside, through
which the charges o pass to the cylinder f from d, and another, 23, by which
these charges pass from f to the gas making chamber a. The cylinder is kept
in place in the casing i by outside caps 23, screwing onto the ends of the casing i;
and it is operated, that is revolved within its casing, by the stem h, which passes
through one of the caps, and a handle or lever h¹ on the end of same.
The charges of carbide of calcium, or gas making substance, are made up in
the form or capsules or cartridges; that is to say, the material is enclosed in a
covering of tin foil, waterproof paper, or the like; or partly of metal, and partly
of a similar material; or in any suitable way which renders them practically
damp proof, that is, impervious to moisture such as that contained in the gas
generated, or vapour given off from the water, in the gas making chamber; and
they remain in this condition until the time that they are to be fed to the
vessel a from the tube d. when they are pierced and rendered pervious to water.
This is effected, as shewn in the drawings, by a punch p, working through the
end of the cylinder f, and by pressing which, the end of the cartridge or capsule
will be perforated.
In action, assuming the reservoir to have been charged with cartridges o,
these charges will be pressed normally upwards by the spring e; and the opening
in the side of the cylinder f being opposite the opening of the case i, the
uppermost cartridge will move into the cylinder f. Then upon perforating the
charge at one end by pressing the punch p, (the return action of which is effected
by the spring p¹) the handle. h¹ is turned until the opening of the cylinder f is
opposite to the opening, whereupon it will fall out into the gas making
chamber a, and into the water in the bottom of same. Then by returning the
handle h¹ to the normal position, the feeding cylinder f would be ready to receive
another cartridge; while the chamber a would be out of communication with
the tube b.
When the charge, that is, the cartridge, falls into the water in the vessel a,
the water has access through the perforation in its end, and gas is thus formed.
The gas passes from the chamber a to the burner k through a regulating valve
or screwed plug 7 and a pipe m: it being ridded of excess of moisture, which it
may carry, by absorbing material n. contained in a case n¹, over the valve passage
of 1.
The body of the lamp shewn is provided with a partition a², extending from
the roof c to a point just above the floor or bottom c. The space on the outside of
this diaphragm forms a relief space or governing chamber, in which the water
may be pressed up when the pressure in a rises. The lamp is also provided with
a filling tube for charging it with water; and the bottom 6 is provided with a
cap or cover b¹, by the removal of which, the deposit or residue in a may be
removed; this cover being removed by unscrewing the thumb-screws 62. The
cover at the bottom of the tube d is similarly removed, and fixed in position by
thumb screws d³.
In the modification shewn in Figures 3 and 4, the reservoir or container d
for holding or storing the charges of gas making substance is. disposed within,
and passes through, the generating chamber a: and the means for feeding the
charges successively from this tube, to the interior of the vessel a, is by a disc f.
having a chamber g opening downwards, and working within the upper part of
the cover c, it being enclosed above by the plate or cover i.
In the feeding action, the chamber g is brought over the tube d; and then.
by turning the disc f by the handle h¹, half
say
revolution, it is brought over
an opening in the plate e, whereupon it drops from the chamber through
into the water in a. The lower end of the tube d is closed by a screw cap d¹;

page_text: and a similar screw cap b is provided in the bottom plate 6 of the lamp, for
removing the deposit and residue of the cartridges or capsules.
The charges of the gas making substance shewn in Figure 5 and which may
be used in connection with the lamp shewn in Figures 3 and 4 (or in other cases),
consist of boxes or cases, open at their lower ends normally, and piled one upon
the other, and then enclosed in an outer envelope p of suitable pliable material
impervious to moisture, adhered to the sides of the boxes or cases. The charges,
whilst in their package, are thus rendered proof against the entrance of moisture
at all points.
In use, a package of the capsule charges, thus made is placed within the
réservoir d; and when the chamber g of the disc f comes over the tube d, the
upper capsule charge of the package enters this chamber; and then, when the
disc is turned by the handle ', this uppermost charge will be shorn off and
removed, the envelope p of water-proof paper or other suitable material being,
in this action, cut across at the division line between the two upper capsules.
When the capsules. fall into the water in the chamber a, the water has access
to the carbide, through the open end of the case or box containing it The
remaining capsule charges, however, in the reservoir, will be impervious to the
entrance of moisture. Hence, those remaining in the reservoir are unaffected, and
proof against access of moisture to them internally, even if moisture or moist gas
does reach the reservoir d, more or less.
In the modification shewn in Figures 6 and 7, a lamp is shewn adapted to
deliver charges of gas making substance in the form of cylindrical capsules or
cartridges to the gas-making chamber a, but without a reservoir. The feeding
device f, in this case, is on the upper part of the lamp, after the manner of that
shewn in Figures 3 and 4, but the cylindrical charges are supplied to the chamber g
thereof through an opening in the top cover i, which is closed normally by a screw
cap
When a charge has been introduced into the chamber g, the device f is turned
round until the lower end of g, is over the opening in the plate c, when it drops
through into the chamber a. The gas normally passes from a through a central
opening in the device f and the stem h thereof, from whence it may be taken
to any point desired.
In some cases, this gas instead of passing direct away, as just described, may
pass from a into the spacer in the feeding device f, and from thence by a passage
in the upper part of r, as shewn, into a hole through the stem h; and this chamber
being filled with an absorbent material, it will absorb the moisture contained in
the gas as it passes on its way to the burner.
The charges of carbide or gas making material may, in this case, he opened or
perforated as they are introduced into the chamber g, so as to make them pervious
to the water when they fall into it.
In lieu of having the reservoirs or charge containers arranged out of connection
directly with the interior of the gas making chamber, they may be disposed in,
and open at their discharge end or part to the interior.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 'I
claim.is:-
1. The herein described improved acetylene gas lamp, namely, a lamp con-
structed and adapted to feed or supply mechanically, successive charges of the
gras-making substance-in the form, preferably of capsules or cartridges-to, the
gas making chamber'or water therein; substantially as described.
2. An acetylene gas lamp, adapted to store or hold a plurality of charges of gas
making substance in the form, preferably, of capsules or cartridges—in a
storage reservoir or chamber, and having a mechanical feeding mechanism thereon,
whereby said charges are adapted to be fed or transferred successively from said

page_text: storage reservoir or chamber to the gas-making chamber or water therein;
substantially as described.
3. An acetylene gas lamp having a storage reservoir or chamber adapted to hold
a plurality of charges of gas making substance-in the form, preferably, of
capsules or cartridges, and a means of feeding same successively mechanically
therefrom, to the gas-making chamber or water; substantially as described.
4. For the employment in acetylene gas lamps in which a plurality of charges
of the gas-making substance are held in a storage reservoir or chamber, and are
adapted to be fed successively therefrom to the gas-making chamber or water,
a package of charges made up and held by a common cover or envelope impervious
to moisture, substantially as in the manner herein set forth, for the purposes
specified.
5. An acetylene gas lamp, comprising a gas chamber, and a closed storage
reservoir or chamber for holding a plurality of charges of gas-making substance,
having a mechanical feeding device thereon; substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
6. An acetylene gas lamp having parts arranged and adapted to operate as set
forth with reference to and shewn in Figures 1 and 2; Figures 3 and 4; and
Figures 6 and 7, respectively, of the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of January 1900
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.