IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLES USUALLY TERMED BLOWERS, BEING PLATES OR CURTAINS APPLIED TO ENCLOSE STOVE FRONTS, AND IN THE MEANS OF AFFIXING THE SAME
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Stephens, of Northampton Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Metal Worker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLES USUALLY TERMED BLOWERS, BEING
PLATES OR CURTAINS APPLIED TO ENCLOSE STOVE FRONTS, AND IN THE MEANS
OF AFFIXING THE SAME."
Sealed the 25th May 1866, and dated the 16th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Stephens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1866.
I, JAMES STEPHENS, of Northampton Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Metal Worker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLES USUALLY TERMED BLOWERS,
BEING PLATES OR CURTAINS APPLIED TO ENCLOSE STOVE FRONTS, AND IN THE MEANS
OF AFFIXING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to articles known as fire-blowers, being in ordinary
simply plates of metal placed before stoves to enclose the opening down
to the level of the fire. For the most part these articles are applied only
to stoves heating principally by radiation from the exterior surface of the
stove, the whole of which is exposed; whereas I make my improved
blowers applicable to register stoves and fire-places generally.

page_text: I construct my blower of metal in two, three, or more pieces fitted to
each other in a telescopic manner, so that the area thereof may be extended
or decreased; the parts are made to slide one within the other, and where
only to enclose the open area of the stove above the fire I find two parts suffi-
cient, but three or more may be used; while if the whole area of the stove
is to be enclosed, that is to say, down to the ground, I employ three or four
pieces sliding one within the other. The plates may be made of brass and
the whole surface polished, or they may be of iron or steel and japanned
more or less ornamentally. In either case I swage and bend the metal to
impart stiffness thereto, while suitable guides or chases are formed at each
end for the parts to slide and be guided one within the other. Binding
screws are applied to fix the parts in the collapsed form or in any inter-
mediate position, and a box may be provided in which to deposit the blower
when not in use.
I rivet two bosses at the upper part of the blower, through which I
insert the stems of two hooks and screwed stems projecting through the
front, while the books are projected behind; nuts with handles more or
less ornamental are placed on these screws in front. To fix the blower
these hooks are deposited behind the ledge at the upper part of the open-
ing in the stove, while the nuts are turned round and so bite and fix the
article in position.
The means of fixing is also applicable to ordinary blowers formed of a
single sheet.
These improved blowers are applicable for drawing up a fire, for facili-
tating the draught and preventing the effects of a smoky chimney, and for
excluding dust, smoke, soot, and air when the chimney is not in use. By
making the blower to elongate or contract its effect on the draught of a
chimney may be regulated at pleasure by extending it over a greater or
lesser area of the opening of the recess in the stove.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Stephens in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STEPHENS, of Northampton Road, in the County of Middlesex, Metal
Worker, send. greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Stephens, Her special licence that I, the said
James Stephens, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Stephens, 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
“IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARTICLES USUALLY TERMED BLOWERS, BEING
PLATES OR CURTAINS APPLIED TO ENCLOSE STOVE FRONTS, AND IN THE MEANS OF
AFFIXING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Stephens, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
- NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Stephens, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be. per-.
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to articles known as fire-blowers, being in ordinary
simply plates of metal placed before stoves to enclose the opening down
to the level of the fire. For the most part these articles are applied only
to stoves heating principally by radiation from the exterior surface of the
stove, the. whole of which is exposed; whereas I make my improved
blowers applicable to register stoves and fire-places generally.
I construct my blower of métal, in two, three, or more pieces fitted to
each in a telescopic manner, so that the area thereof may be extended
or decreased; the parts are made to slide one within the other, and where.
only to enclose the open area of the stove above the fire I find two parts
sufficient, but three or more may be used; while if the whole area of the
stove is to be enclosed, that is to say, down to the ground, I employ three
or four pieces sliding one within another. The plates may be made of
brass and the whole surface polished, or they may be of iron or steel and

page_text: japanned more or less ornamentally. In either case I swage and bead or
corrugate the metal to impart stiffness thereto, while suitable guides or
chases are formed at each end for the parts to slide and be guided one
within the other. Binding screws are applied to fix the parts in the col-
lapsed form or any intermediate position, and a box may be provided to
receive the blower when not in use.
I rivet two bosses at the upper part of the blower, through which I
insert the stems of two hooks, the screwed stems projecting through the
front, while the hooks are projected behind; nuts with handles more, or
less ornamental are placed on these screws in front. To fix the blower.
these hooks are disposed behind the ledge at the upper part of the opening
in the stove, while the nuts are turned round and so bite and fix the article
in position.
This means of fixing is also applicable to ordinary blowers formed of a
single sheet.
These improved blowers are applicable for drawing up a fire, for facili-
tating the draught and preventing the disagreeable effects of a smoky
chimney, and for excluding dust, smoke, soot, and air when the chimney
is not in use. By making the blower to elongate or contract its effect on
the draught of a chimney may be regulated at pleasure by extending
it over a greater or lesser area of the opening of the recess in the

page_text: of the metal where. necessary to do away with the sharpness thereof. The
upper part of A has a set-off b, which brings the plate level with the inner
surface of the box ends; these box ends may either be made in the solid
of plate A or rivetted thereto. In order that the inner part B may slide
freely inside of A and between the box ends C, C, I furnish it with
friction rollers d, d, running therein, while others f, f, are fitted to part
A, A, which bear.on and guide the ends of B.
In order to secure the part B in any position I provide a binding screw
e, by which it may be fixed at pleasure, otherwise part B slides perfectly
free in part A. I fix two bosses g,g, at the upper part of A, and fit hooks
h, h, (seen separately at Figures 6 and 7,) with square shanks to slide
through holes therein. The said hook shanks are screwed and fitted to
screw bosses or nuts i, i, (seen separately at Figure 8,) having milled heads
or hand-holds; these nuts i, i, serve to draw the hooks tight on the part
to which they are to be fixed, and also as handles whereby to lift the blower.
In applying a blower to a stove the hooks h, h, are disposed behind the
face plate thereof, while at the same time the nuts i, i, are turned, which
draws the hooks forcibly against the back of the stove plate and compresses
the blower against the face of the stove, whereby it is fixedly sustained in
position.
If the stove has no curtain-like part of the front plate, as represented in
Figures 1 and 2, small holes or recesses may be formed in the inclined part
I of the stove, so as to permit of the hooks taking hold and cramping the
blower in position. When the blower is affixed in position the sliding
plate B may be lowered down, as indicated in dotted lines, Figures 1, 3,
and 4, and as far as desired, it may be to enclose all the area above the fire
and so produce a fierce draught through it. The blower may be made in
three, four, or more pieces, to expand and contract and so present a very
small area when contracted, and may be made sufficiently ornamental to
remain for the most part on the stove, with which it may harmonize in
design, and when taken down will occupy very small space and will not
be an unsightly cumbrous thing like an ordinary blower.
These blowers may be fixed with small thumbscrews screwing into the
be otherwise fixed in lieu of the hooks before described.
stove, or it may
I prefer that the blowers should be made of bright metal, as japan may be
affected by the heat of the fire, although for common kinds of the manu-
facture the part A might be so ornamented and the inner slide B
black

page_text: Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of. per-
forming the same, I declare that what. I claim as my Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters is, the combination:
of fire-blowers so as to expand and contract in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Stephens, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. STEPHENS. (L.S.)