IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LANTHORNS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hughes, of Wolverhampton, in the County
of Stafford, Tin Plate Worker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF LANTHORNS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
October 1863.
I, THOMAS HUGHES, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Tin
Plate Worker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
HENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LANTHORNS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of lan-
thorns. In constructing dark lanthorns it is usual to employ a screen, which.
is connected with the top of the lanthorn, so that by turning the lanthorn top
partly round the screen may be brought in front of the lens or bull's-eye, and
tbus hide the light. This construction is, however, inconvenient, because
when the lanthorn has been alight for some time the top becomes so hot that
it is inconvenient to take hold of it to turn it round.
According to iny Invention I employ a similar screen to that before used,
but in place of fixing it to the top of the lamp I mount a button at the bottom
of the lamp in such a manner that it can be turned round, and to this button
I attach the screen; or I mount a screen within the lanthorn on pivots, which.
are carried by the sides of the lanthorn, so that the screen can be turned about.

page_text: a horizontal axis. One or both of the pivots passes through to the exterior
of the lanthorn, and has a button fixed on it, so that by turning the button
partly round the screen can be brought down so as to come between the flame
and the lens or bull's-eye. When out of use the screen is conveniently made
to pass behind the reflector, or, if preferred, it may itself serve as the reflector
of the lamp, being suitably formed and polished for the purpose. In order to
supply air more effectually to the flame of a lamp I employ three or other
number of tubes passing up around the oil vessel; they are placed equidistant
the one from the other and are curved over at the top so as to direct the air
which enters the lanthorn by them directly on to the flame. Or in place of
causing the tubes to pass up around the exterior of the oil vessel, they may be
caused to pass up through it when it is found more convenient.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HUGHES, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Tin Plate Worker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ime, the said Thomas Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Hughes, my exécutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LANTHORNS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Hughes, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Hughes, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of lan-
thorns. In constructing dark lanthorns it is usual to employ a screen, which
is connected with the top of the lanthorn, so that by turning the lanthorn top
partly round the screen may be brought in front of the lens or bull's-eye, and
thus hide the light. This construction is, however, inconvenient, because when
the lanthorn has been alight for some time the top becomes so hot that it is
inconvenient to take hold of it to turn it round.
According to my Invention, I employ a similar screen to that before used,
but in place of fixing it to the top of the lamp, I mount a button at the bottom
of the lamp, in such a manner that it can be turned round, and to this button
I attach the screen; or I mount a screen within the lanthorn on pivots, which
are carried by the sides of the lanthorn, so that the screen can be turned about
a horizontal axis. One or both of the pivots passes through to the exterior of
the lanthorn, and has a button fixed on it, so that by turning the button partly
round the screen can be brought down so as to come between the flame and
the lens or bull's-eye. When out of use the screen is conveniently made to
pass behind the reflector, or, if preferred, it may itself serve as the reflector of
the lamp, being suitably formed and polished for the purpose.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a vertical section of a dark lanthorn constructed according
to my Invention in such manner that the screen can be turned by a button or
handle at the bottom of the lanthorn, as above described. a is the screen of
the lanthorn carried at its lower end by a disc b; this disc turns on a pin c,
which passes through the bottom d of the lanthorn, and below the bottom of
the lanthorn a button or handle e is formed upon the pin; by this button or
handle the screen can be turned round. The screen a carries, as is usual, a
reflector e. The lamp of the lanthorn may be supplied with air through holes
formed through the bottom of the lanthorn and allowed to rise up around the
oil vessel, as is usual, or the lamp may be supplied with air by a pipe or pipes
rising up through the oil vessel of the lamp, as shewn in the Drawing, but to
this arrangement I lay no claim. In this case the disc 6 has a hole formed
through it; this hole when the screen is in either of its two positions, comes

page_text: over one or other of two holes g, g, formed through the bottom d of the
lanthorn. The oil vessel of the lamp rests on the disc b, and through the oil
vessel a tube k passes, and when the oil vessel is put in its place the tube k
comes over the hole f, and thus the air rising through this hole can pass up
through the tube to the burner. The oil vessel is held in its place on the
disc b by ring projecting up from the disc into which the lamp is received.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of a dark lanthorn, the shade of which is
supported by pivots carried by the sides of the lanthorn, as above described.
In the arrangement shown in the Drawing the shade itself forms the reflector
of the lanthorn, but a stationary reflector may, if preferred, be employed, as
before stated. a is one of the pivots of the shade, on one of which pivots a
handle is formed, by which the shade may be turned so as either to come
between the lamp and the lens or bull's-eye, or so as to be at the back of the
lanthorn, and then serve as a reflector. The lamp c is passed up into its place
through a hole in the bottom of the lanthorn, and when in its place is turned
partly round, so that pins projecting from its circumference may rest upon the
bottom, and so be retained within the lamp.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hughes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
THOMAS HUGHES.
(L.S.)