An Improvement in Oil Lamps.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Oil Lamps.
WILLIAM SMITH 97 Marsh Lane Bootle Refreshment Room Keeper and
FREDERICK HOYER of 37 Hurst Street Liverpool both in the County of
Lancaster. We do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improvement in oil lamps and our improvement consists in providing a gauge
to indicate the amount of oil that may be in the reservoir of the lamp when this is
not visible and also to show when such reservoir is full so that when filling the
lamp the inconvenience and waste of an overflow may be avoided. We propose to
attain this by providing an air-tight float made of metal or other suitable material
to float upon the oil inside the reservoir. To such float we provide a gauge
attached which passes through the metal or other casing of the reservoir of the
lamp, and rising or falling with the supply of oil within the reservoir by aid of said
float," the quantity of oil in such reservoir may be indicated on such gauge itself,
or, the gauge may indicate it upon some convenient part of the frame of the lamp,
in quantities such as half pint, pint, quart &c. and "full." We may also use
said floating gauge to indicate the number of hours such oil as may be in said
reservoir, will keep the lamp burning. Other things may be used for the "float
such as pieces of wood or cork, but as such might by becoming saturated or
partially saturated with the oil, lose more or less of its buoyancy and thus not
continue to indicate accurately the oil within the said resevoir, the metal air-tight
“ Hoạt
seems preferable.
"
Dated this 28th day of July 1890.
29
WILLIAM SMITH.
FREDERICK HOYER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Oil Lamps.
WILLIAM SMITH Shopkeeper of 113 Park Lane Liverpool, late of 97 Marsh
Lane Bootle and FREDERICK HOYER Engineer &c. of 1 Maghull Street Liverpool
late of 37 Hurst Street Liverpool, both in Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
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:-
An improvement in oil lamps. Our improvement consists of a gauge to indicate
the amount of oil that may be in the reservoir of the lamp where this is not visible
and also to show when filling the lamp when such reservoir is full so that the
inconvenience and waste of an overflow may be avoided. We propose to attain
this by providing an air-tight float made of metal or some other suitable material to
float upon the oil inside the reservoir to which is attached a sliding gauge which
passes through the metal casing of the said reservoir on which various quantities
may be marked such as
half pint "pint,"
quart" and "full" or the said
gauge may indicate on some convenient place on the frame of the lamp itself. We
may also indicate the probable number of hours such oil as may be indicated as in
said reservoir will keep the lamp burning.
Other things may be used for the float such as pieces of wood or cork in lieu of
the air-tight float if preferred, but as such might by becoming saturated or
partially saturated with the oil lose more or less of its buoyancy and so not continue

page_text: to indicate accurately the amount of oil within the said reservoir the air tight float
seems preferable.
There are several ways of attaining the objects we have in view, that is of
securing an indication as to the quantity of oil in an opaque reservoir of oil or
paraffin lamps and the time such should burn and for preventing an overflow of oil
when filling lamps and we claim to avail ourselves of such, but after numerous
experiments we have found so far the following plan the most satisfactory.
22
In the metal bottom of the oil reservoir of such lamps as illustrated in the
drawing we fix an upright-rod-A-of suitable material in a convenient position
and this passes through the top plate of said reservoir and is continued to such
height above it as the indicator subsequently to be described can rise.
We next
provide a float B-which may be made of any suitable material, or, form but by
preference we use short sections of bamboo cane each end being carefully and
hermetically closed so that no leakage may occur. We pass through the said
float B a tube-C-of suitable material and sufficiently large. to let rod A pass
easily through it so that "float" B and its tube C may freely slide up and down
upon such rod A. The aforesaid rod A. being fixed in bottom plate of said reservoir
and float B with tube C having been duly "shipped on" said rod A the top
plate of said reservoir may now be closed down, of course a suitable hole for
passage of said rod A and tube C being made therein, whilst to secure any oil from
leaking through such hole we fit in it a short tube, D,. coming sufficiently high
above the top plate of reservoir to prevent any oil from being jerked up it, such
tube D being of sufficient diameter to let tube C work freely through it.
further provide a support, F, for the top end of rod A such support being con-
veniently fixed to the frame or body of said lamp and thus prevent any bending of
said rod A which of course would impair the accuracy of the indicator. To indicate
the quantity of oil in the reservoir we mark a scale of say "half-pint," "pint,"
quart,"
"full" upon tube C and to indicate the time the oil should keep the lamp
burning, we in like manner mark rod A with a scale showing hours or vice versa or
we may cause tube C to indicate time and quantity upon the framework of the lamp
or other suitable part or place by some suitable mechanism.
We may
Having now described the mechanism of our invention, we proceed to describe
the mode of working same. The lamp being ready and all the parts above described
being in working order, we proceed to fill the reservoir of the lamp and as we do so
"float" B begins to rise carrying tube C along with it up rod A and through the
short tube D till "float" B touches the top plate of reservoir. The top of tube C
will then be at top of rod A indicating the reservoir is "full." The lamp being
lighted, as the oil is consumed the "float" B with its tube C sinks gradually down
and a glance at the said scales indicates the quantity of oil in lamp-if any-and
the time it will burn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The employment of a "float" with an indicator in conjunction therewith.
2. The use of sections of bamboo cane for producing such "float."
3. The arrangement of fixed rod with "float" and tube working thereupon.
4. The short tube in upper plate of oil reservoir to prevent leaking of oil.
5. The arrangement herein described as a whole.
Ր A 1001
WILLIAM SMITH.
FREDERICK HOYER