IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMP BURNERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMP BURNERS." -A communication from
abroad by Rufus Spaulding Merrill, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th July 1871, and dated the 2nd May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd May 1871.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMP BURNERS," a communication from
abroad by Rufus Spaulding Merrill, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United State of America, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrange-
ments of the burners for hydrocarbon liquids, such as petroleum and oils
obtained from the destructive distillation of coal, whereby a more brilliant
flame than heretofore is produced. According to these improvements

page_text: it is proposed to employ two or more flat or equivalently formed wicks
(such for example as elliptical or slightly curved) having an air or
draft passage formed or placed between each two of them in combination
with a single or double flame deflector having one slot towards which
the flames of all the wicks are drawn and through which they pass
in the form of a single flame, the intensity of which is greatly in excess
of that of the several flames when burning separately. Air enters the
space between the wick tubes cither through special passages formed in
the sides of the burner and communicating with the central space, or
through perforations in the sides of the burner.
The double deflector consists of two cones or caps placed one within
the other, the inner one being secured to the outer by any suitable
means which will allow air to pass up between them, and both are
slotted in the same vertical plane, the slots being oblong, of the usual
width and length, and situate about over the central air space. There
is one set of ratchets and spindles for elevating the wicks for each wick
tube, the spindles being geared together at one end outside of the burner
so that by revolving the one spindle the other will also be put in motion
and the two will thus operate in unison to raise and lower the wick in
both tubes. The -cup-which- encloses the ratchets is closed by a cap
and the deflector is supported upon a perforated and distributing plate
surrounding the cap, and also forming the gallery for the chimney, and
it is held down by the same spring which is used to hold the chimney
in place. The distributing plate which carries these parts is united with
a guide tube which is adapted to be slipped on and off from the wick
tubes, and when placed on the tubes rests at the bottom on the cap.
The upper part of the burner is thus made moveable and can be taken
off at any time in order to light or trim the wicks. In some cases the
wick tubes are surrounded at their upper ends by a conical air directing
cap which may also consist of a simple flange, perforated, or not, of any
construction suitable to deflect or change the direction of the currents
of air which pass up to the flames within the deflector.
.
According to another style of burner a raised deflector with a single
slot is used having interior chimney supporting springs on its edge or
periphery, the perforated air distributer and the rest or gallery for the
chimney being arranged some distance below the deflector.
Two or
more wick tubes are employed in this burner also, with the central draft
air passage between them, and the wick raising ratchets are geared

page_text: together like those of the burner before referred to. If desired, however,
the wick raising devices of each wick tube may be distinct and separate,
cach wick being operated by its own spindle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis- ·
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAMP BURNERS," a communication to me from abroad by Rufus
Spaulding Merrill, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal,
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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying

page_text: Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
The said Invention relates to burners for hydrocarbon liquids, such
as petroleum and oils obtained from the destructive distillation of
coal; and it consists in certain improvements in the combination and
arrangement of the parts of lamp burners whereby a brilliant flame is
produced by means of two or more flat or equivalently formed wicks
having an air or draft passage between them in combination with
a double or internal and external deflector and a guide tube or conical
air directing cap or deflecting flange. The internal and external
⚫deflectors have each a single slot made therein towards which the flames
of both or all the wicks are drawn, and through which slots they pass
in the form of a single flame whose intensity is greatly in excess of
that of the several flames of which it is composed were those flames
-maintained separate, each passing through a distinct slot formed in the
deflector.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical central section of a lamp burner
made in accordance with this Invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view
of the lower part of the burner from which the upper or moveable
.section consisting of the chimney rest and holder, perforated air dis-
tributer, and double deflector has been removed; Figure 3 represents
a horizontal section through the lower part of the burner; Figure 4 is
a view of the combined air distributer and chimney gallery, or rest and
spring holder, with the deflector removed in order to shew the guide
tube which is adapted to fit snugly around the wick tubes or base
of the burner in order to hold the upper or removeable part in its
proper position on the lower part of the burner. a, b, are two flat wick
tubes to which I make no claim apart from their combination with the
rest of the parts herein-after described. These tubes are fixed in the
base and secured to the collar of the burner in any suitable manner.
Between the wick tubes is a space c for air, which in this instance enters
the burner through passages d formed in the sides of the burner and
communicating with the central space c, as shewn in Figure 3. With

page_text: these two wick tubes thus arranged a double or internal and external
deflector with a single slot in each is employed, consisting of the two
concs or caps e, f, placed one within the other as shewn in Figure 1, the
inner one being secured to the outer by any suitable means which will
allow air to pass up between them, and both being slotted in the same
vertical plane as shewn at g, the slots being oblong, of the usual width
and length, and located about over the central air space c. The lower
ends of the wick tubes pass through the screw collar h of the burner
and around the tubes above the collar is the usual cup ¹ which encloses
and supports the ratchets and spindles i, one set for each wick tube,
the two spindles being geared together at one end outside of the burner,
as shewn at k (Figures 2 and 3), so that by revolving the one spindle
the other will also be put in motion and the two will thus operate in
unison to raise and lower the wick in both tubes. The cup ¹ is closed
by the cap i, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The double deflector e, f, is
supported upon a perforated air distributing plate which also forms
the gallery for the chimney, and it is held down by the spring m also
used to hold the chimney in place. The plate which carries these
parts is united with a guide tubo n which is adapted to be slipped on
and off from the wick tubes and when placed on the tubes rests at
the bottom on the cap . The upper part of the burner is thus made
movable and can be taken off at any time in order to light or trim
the wicks.
Figure 5 shews a single deflector combined with two wick tubes a, b,
having an air space c between them in a manner similar to that already
described, and used in combination with a conical air directing cap o,
which may also consist of a simple flange p, perforated or not, as shewn
in Figures 6, 7, and 8, and of any construction suitable to deflect or
change the direction of the currents of air which pass up to the flames
within the deflector. The burner in Figure 5 is of ordinary construction
in other respects and need not be further described.
In Figure 9 a raised deflector with the single slot 9 is shewn com-
bined with the double flat wicks and having interior chimney supporting
springs & on its edge or periphery, the perforated air distributor & and
the rest or gallery for the chimney w being arranged some distance
below the deflector f. The wick raising devices of each wick tube may
be distinct and separate, each operated by its own spindle. The wick

page_text: tubes I prefer to make flat, but they may be slightly elliptical or curved
in cross section if desired.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination of two or more flat or equivalently shaped
wick tubes with the peculiar double air deflector e, f, as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figure 1 of the
Drawings annexed.
Second. The combination of two or more flat or equivalently shaped
wick tubes with the lateral passages d, d, formed in the sides of the
burner and communicating with the central space c, as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figure 3 of the
Drawings annexed.
Third. The combination of the guide tube n with the combined per-
forated air distributing plate and chimney gallery or rest 1, as and for
the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 4 of
the Drawings annexed.
Fourth. The combination of the conical air directing cap o, or the
air deflecting flanges p, whether plain or perforated, with double flat or
equivalently shaped wick tubes and with a single or double air deflector ƒ,
as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures
5, 6, 7, and 8 of the Drawings annexed.
Fifth. The combination of two or more flat or equivalently shaped
wick tubes with an elevated or raised deflector ƒ provided on its periphery
with internal chimney supporting springs & as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figure 9 of the Drawings annexed.
2
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to 3
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the First day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)