Mechanical Apparatus for Lighting Fires.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Mechanical Apparatus for Lighting Fires.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Marvin McOmber, of Ottawa Kansas, U.S.A.
Inventor) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful mechanism for mechanically and
automatically lighting fires.
By this invention a base is provided which is situated in a convenient position in
front of the grate. At one end of this base is pivotally secured a suitable match-
arm, which is adapted to receive a match at its free end. Around the pivot of this
arm a suitable coiled spring is arranged, which tends to keep the forward end of
the arm against the bars of the grate. A thin flexible ignition plate has one end
secured to the base and its other end raised or elevated in the path of the free end
of the match-arm. At one corner of the base is arranged a suitable catch which is
adapted to hold the match-arm back against the pressure of the coiled spring. The
catch is operated by means of suitable levers and connecting rods or wires, which
are operated by suitable clockwork mechanism in such manner that the catch
releases the match-arm at any time at which the clock is set.
The fire having been previously laid and a piece of paper or other inflammable
material having been placed in front of the fire bars, a match is secured to the end
of the swinging arm which is held back by the catch. At the time at which the
clock is set to relieve the catch, the match-arm swings forward, and the match is
ignited upon the ignition plate, and, the inflammable substance in front of the
fire grate is ignited, and the fire is thus started.
Dated this 13th day of August 1890.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Mechanical Apparatus for Lighting Fires.
1, JOHN PITT BAYLY of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London; Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Marvin McOmber, of Ottawa, Kansas U.S:A.
Inventor,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to devices for automatically lighting a fire by striking a
match upon a roughened surface and holding it to a piece of inflammable material,
as paper, etc., from which the flames are communicated to the material which had
been prepared beforehand to make the fire; and it consists in the improved
construction and combination of parts of such a device which shall possess points of
superiority, durability, and general efficiency, as will be hereinafter more particularly
set forth.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same numerals indicate
corresponding parts in each of the views,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front part of a stove with my improved.
fire-lighter on the hearth in position for use and showing a view of the mechanism
for operating it.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a side view of the ignition-plate.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the arm for holding the match.
Fig. 5 is a detail view of the mechanism for securing the match-arm and for
releasing it; and
Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the invention, showing the cord or lanyard for
connecting the latch-lever with the operating mechanism secured upon a reel.
In a great many places it is often very desirable to have some means by which
the fire can be started at some predetermined time, and especially where there is an
alarm of some kind to awaken the person who is to use the fire after it has
been started, as thus time will be saved and the room will be warmed before it
has to be occupied.
Although my invention is applicable to the fires in factories, stores, and in offices,
I have shown it in connection with an ordinary kitchen-stove 1, within which the
material has been placed ready to make the fire as soon as the match is applied.
A fuse 2, as a piece of paper or other inflammable material, is placed in such
a position that after the match 3 has been rubbed across the face of the ignition-
plate 4 it is brought into contact with the fuse, which is thus ignited and its flames
communicated to the material in the stove in any convenient manner; but I have
shown it held by a fuse-holder consisting of the two jaws 5 and 6, which are
sufficiently clastic to permit of the fuse being easily inserted between them.
The match is held at the outer end of an arm 7, which is pivotally secured at one
end upon the post 8 in the base 9, and is swung around toward the fire by means of
the coiled spring 10, one end of which is secured to the base and the other end
engages with the arm. The match is held in a transverse groove 11 (Fig. 4) by
the spring 12, which is secured to the arm at one end, so that its opposite end can
be drawn or forced back from the arm when the match is inserted.
The ignition-plate is preferably made out of a thin segmental piece of flexible
material, and is secured at one end to the base 9, and has its opposite end slightly
raised or elevated, so that as the match is drawn across its upper face the frictional
contact between the two will be increased and the free end of the plate will be
forced down out of the way. The face of the plate can be roughened by sand,
emery, or the like, to insure the ignition of the match.
The match-arm is held from swinging toward the fire by means of a notched peg
or pin 13 (Fig. 5) in its outer end, which is engaged by a catch-lever 14, pivotally
secured to a latch-post 15 at one corner of the base. The post may be provided
with a notch 16, through which the peg projects when being held by the lever.
The longer arm of the latch-lever is heavier than the shorter arm, which engages
with the peg, and therefore, when the match-arm is brought back until the peg
projects through the opening 16, the weight of the outer end of the lever is
sufficient to hold the shorter end in engagement with the notch in the under side
of the peg but when it is desired to release the arm to start the fire it is only
necessary to raise the outer end of the latch-lever, which may be done in any
convenient manner; but I have shown it in connection with and adapted to
be operated by the alarm mechanism of a clock 17. If the clock is at a distance
from the stove, as in another portion of the same or in an adjoining room, the
connection between the two is most readily made by means of a series of bell-crank
levers 18 and 19, which are connected with each other and with the clock and the
rod 20, wires 21, and cord or lanyard 22 in the same way that ordinary bell-hanging
is done. The rod 20 is secured at one end to a sector wheel or plate 23, which
engages with the alarm-wheel 24, and is drawn in a short distance by the movement
of the wheel 23, which is caused to make about one-third of a revolution when the
alarm is sounded. The inward movement of the rod operates the bell-crank levers
and the wires and lanyard sufficiently to raise the outer end of the latch-lever and
release the notched peg in the match-arm, which is being held by the shorter end
of the lever. As soon as the match-arm is thus released, it is swung around by the

page_text: spring 10, and the match is drawn across the ignition-plate and caused to burn.
The arm is stopped by coming in contact with the fuse-post, which is preferably
secured to the edge of the base. The fire of the match is communicated to the
fuse, which burns readily and communicates its flames to the material within the
stove and the fire started as well as though the match had been struck and applied
in the ordinary manner.
The base is preferably made out of a piece of non-combustible material and is of
sufficient weight to not be easily moved out of its position after it has been
arranged to start a fire. It can be placed upon the hearth of the stove or in front
of the grate, and may be provided with short legs 25. In some cases it may
be necessary to use a longer cord or lanyard than in others, so I provide one which
is of sufficient length to connect with the end of the wire 21, and then after making
its intermediate part fast to the latch-lever 1 wind the remaining portion upon
a flat disc-like reel 26, (Fig. 6) which is placed upon the under side of the base, and
is operated by the folding winch or handle 27, or it may be spring actuated. The
cord is passed through a hole in the base, convenient to the latch-lever, and
is provided with a hook or button 28 to engage with the lower end of the
lanyard 22.
The latch-lever 14 is prevented from being drawn too far up by the lanyard or
being twisted off the post 15 by a staple 29, which is driven into the base near the
post with its upper end over the lever. A pin or screw 30 is fastened in the base,
upon which the outer end of the lever rests when the opposite end is not in engage-
ment with the pin on the end of the match-arm; or, instead of the staple and screw,
as above described, two studs 31 31 can be secured in the latch-post, one above and
the other below the end of the lever, and against which it engages when it is at the
limit of its movement in either direction.
As above described, the material may be placed in the grate of a stove in
the evening before retiring and then my fire-starter placed in position and
connected with the operating-line wire and the alarm of the clock set for any given
hour of the following morning. When the predetermined hour arrives, the
occupants of the house are aroused by the sounding of the alarm and the match
released from its position and the fire started, and by the time the housekeeper can
get ready to prepare the meal the fire is burning nicely and the room is warm and
comfortable. The device is then unloosened from the operating-wire and removed
from the stove until it is needed again, when it is again arranged and operated as
before. It can also be applied to the parlour-fire and be caused to light it at any
predetermined hour, or it may be operated mechanically at any time and at
a distance from it by drawing upon the cord or wire, which is extended to the point
from which it is desired to operate it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :
1. In an automatic fire-starter, the combination, with a bar, of a match-arm
pivotally secured thereto at one end and adapted to receive a match at the other
end, a spring for operating the arm, and a thin flexible ignition-plate having one
end secured to the base and its other end raised or elevated and in the path of the
free end of the match-arm, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with the supporting-base, of the pivot-post 8 thereon, the
match-holder arm 7, pivoted at one end on said post and having the match-
groove 11 and spring 12 at its opposite end, the ignition-plate 4, the latch-post 15,
recessed at its upper end, the pivoted latch-lever, the lanyard 22 connected with
one end of said lever, the bell-crank levers and connections, and the notched peg
on the match-holder arm, all adapted to operate substantially as described.
3. In an automatic fire-starter, the combination, with the pivoted spring-actuated
match-holder arm having its outer end provided with a match-receiving notch, of a

page_text: spring-keeper secured over said notch, the latch-post notched at its upper end, the
latch-lever pivoted thereto, and the stop-post 30, all substantially as specified!
Dated this 13th day of June 1891
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.