Improvements in Oil Lamps or Lanterns.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Oil Lamps or Lanterns.
We, MATTHEW WHELDON AISBITT, of Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, in the
County of Glamorgan, Marine Surveyor, JAMES MILLER, of the Bute Dry Dock,
Cardiff, in the said County of Glamorgan, Coppersmith, and WILLIAM JONES, of
the Bute Dry Dock, Cardiff, in the said County of Glamorgan, Assistant Manager,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in oil lamps or lanterns, and is principally
applicable to the oil signal lamps or lanterns used on ships for mast and side
lights, but our invention is not confined absolutely to lamps or lanterns for the
atoresaid purposes; it may be used in all oil lamps or lanterns wherein the light
is projected through a condensing or bulls-eye lens placed in front of the light.
The object of it is to ensure the correct relative position of the flame with the
optical centre of the lens or glass. It is well known in the optical projection
of light that the source of the light must be perfectly in the optical focus of the
lens, and to supply an ordinary lamp with a flat wick, for this purpose, it is
essential that the flame shall occupy a certain and definite position with regard
to the lens, so as to project the light-giving portion of the Hame in the proper
direction.
The burner or part containing the wick is, at present, usually connected with
the lamp reservoir by means of a screw-threaded neck or cylindrical pro-
jection on the bottom of the wick-holder fitting into a corresponding tapped
socket rigidly fixed to or made integral with the top of the oil reservoir.
When the wick-holder is inserted in this way there is no definite stop so as to
secure the position of the wick in its required place; by the mere fact of the screw
arrangement being used, when the wick-holder is screwed down the position of
the wick is indefinite. In other cases the wick-holder is in the form of a smooth
tube and is merely pushed into a bush at the top of the oil reservoir with the
same defective result as before mentioned.
.
According to our invention, a smooth projecting tube is formed upon the wick
holder, which tube slides in another tube, oil-tight, upon the oil chamber, this
latter tube has a form of bayonet-groove indented into its inner surface. A pro-
jection upon the tube in the wick-holder fits into the bayonet-groove, in the tube
of the oil-chamber, first dropping in vertically a slight distance, and then further
by rotating the wick holder horizontally through a small portion of a circle and
then right home by again vertically pushing the wick-holder down into the oil
chamber. This insures that the wick shall occupy always the same position, and
cannot by any means be altered or arranged wrongly.
The bayonet-groove absolutely prevents the wick-holder from coming out, or
being accidentally lifted up out of position. The outer tube with its bayonet-
groove descends low down into the oil reservoir thus forming a small chamber
immediately adjacent to the wick and separate from the larger reservoir, so that

page_text: when the lamp is rocked about there will be always a small portion of the oil
comparatively at rest whilst the larger portion may be running to and fro in
the outer part of the reservoir, thus rendering the lamp much safer in use in
consequence of the oil in the outer reservoir having no communication with the
outer atmosphere except down through the central tube, and thereby making it
impossible for an explosion to occur within the oil chamber, as such can only be
caused through the oxygen of the atmosphere mixing to a certain proportion with
the highly inflammable vapour from the oil within the oil-chamber.
With regard to mast-head and side lights, it is essential that the light shall
always be at its best and this can never be so when the wick is not properly placed,
the white portion of the flame being better utilised by placing the wick edgewise
in a line with the optical centre of the lamp, and our improved lamp is made so
that the bayonet joint before mentioned renders and maintains its position
absolutely correct. It is obvious that these bayonet-jointed tubes, constituting
the chief feature of our invention, can be applied or fitted to almost any existing
form of wick-holder, and that the whole of our improved arrangement can be
adapted to almost any existing form of oil retainer providing that the socket open-
ing is sufficiently large for this purpose.
Dated this 17th day of February 1800
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
Pmprovements inps or Lanterns.
We, MATTHEW WHELDON AISBITT, of Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, in the
County of Glamorgan, Marine Surveyor, JAMES MILLER, of the Bute Dry Dock,
Cardiff, in the said County of Glamorgan, Coppersmith, and WILLIAM JONES, of
the Bute Dry Dock, Cardiff, in the said County of Glamorgan, Assistant Manager,
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 follow-
ing statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in lamps or lanterns, and is principally
applicable to the oil signal lamps or lanterns used on ships for mast and side
lights, but our invention is not confined absolutely to lamps or lanterns for the
aforesaid purposes; it may be used in all oil lamps or lanterns wherein the light
is projected through a condensing or bulls-eye lens placed in front of the light.
The object of it is to ensure the correct relative position of the flame with the
optical centre of the lens or glass. It is well known in the optical projection
of light that the source of the light must be perfectly in the optical focus of the
lens, and to supply an ordinary lamp with a flat wick for this purpose, it is
essential that the flame shall occupy a certain and definite position with regard
to the lens, so as to project the light-giving portion of the flame in the proper
direction.
The burner or part containing the wick is, at present,, usually connected with
the lamp reservoir by means of a screw-threaded neck or cylindrical pro-
jection on the bottom of the wick-holder fitting into a corresponding tapped
socket rigidly fixed to or made integral with the top of the oil reservoir.
When the wick-holder is inserted in this way there is no definite stop to secure
the position of the wick in its required place. By the mere fact of the screw
arrangement being used, when the wick-holder is screwed down, the position of
the wick is indefinite. In other cases the wick-holder is in the form of a smooth

page_text: defective result as before mentioned.
We will now proceed to describe our invention with the aid of the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a lamp or lantern as used for ships'
side lights, comprising the oil reservoir and the wick-holder; the outside casing
and arrangement of lenses being purposely omitted as they form no part of our
present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of Figure 1, shewing the wick tube dipping
well down into the oil reservoir.
Figure 3 is a part plan of Figure 1, the flange of the wick-holder and the wick
raiser being represented by dotted lines.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the wick-holder detached from the reservoir; shewing
the projection or bayonet stud which interlocks with the groove in the wick tube
socket.
a is the prolonged cylindrical lower portion of the wick-holder; b is the cor-
responding socket constituting the neck of the oil vessel into which socket the said
cylindrical portion of the wick-holder fits slidably; c is the oil vessel; d is the
bayonet or angular groove formed in the neck or socket b; e is the stud or projec-
tion on the cylinder a which engages in the groove d; f indicates the chamber or
space enclosed by the lower end of the cylinder a; g is the wick; h is the tube
which receives the wick; d' is the flange of the wick-holder upon which the
chimney rests, and is the wick raiser.
According to our invention, a smooth projecting tube a is formed upon the
wick-holder, which tube slides in another tube b, oil-tight, upon the oil-chamber
or vessel c. This latter tube has a form of bayonet-groove d indented into its
inner surface. A projection e upon the tube a on the wick-holder fits into the
bayonet-groove d, in the neck-tube of the oil-chamber, by first dropping or push-
ing it in vertically a slight distance, and then further or deeper by rotating the
wick-holder horizontally through a small portion of a circle, and then right down
or home by again vertically pushing the wick-holder downwards into the oil-chamber.
This ensures that the wick g shall occupy always the same position, and cannot
by any means become altered or disarranged.
The bayonet-groove d, absolutely prevents the wick-holder from coming out,
or being accidently lifted up out of position. The outer tube with its bayonet-
grooved descends low down into the oil reservoir c, (as seen in Figure 2) thus
forming a small chamber or reservoir f immediately adjacent to the wick g, and
separate or divided off from the larger reservoir c, so that when the lamp is rocked
about by the natural rolling of the ship or otherwise there will be always a small
portion of the oil, (that contained in the smaller chamber f), comparatively at rest,
whilst the larger portion outside may be running to-and-fro in the outer part of
the reservoir c, thus rendering the lamp much safer in use, the oil in the outer
reservoir c having no communication with the outer atmosphere except down
through the central tube, and thereby making it impossible for an explosion to
occur within the oil vessel c, as such can only be caused through the oxygen of
the atmosphere mixing in a certain proportion with the highly inflammable
vapour. from the oil within the said oil-vessel.
With regard to mast-head and side lights, it is essential that the light shall
always be at its best, and this can never be so when the wick is not properly
placed, in relation to the lens of the lamp; the white portion of the flame being
better utilised by placing the wick edgewise in a line with the optical centre of
the lamp. To ensure this correct relation our improved lamp is made so that the
bayonet-joint before mentioned renders and maintains the position absolutely
correct. It is obvious that this arrangement of interlocking tubes, constituting
the chief feature of our invention, can be applied or fitted to almost any existing
form of wick-holder, and that the whole of our improved arrangement can be

page_text: adapted to almost any existing form of oil vessel or retainer provided the socket
opening is made sufficiently large for this purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. In an oil lamp or lantern, the combination with the oil vessel thereof of a
tubular socket fixed substantially upright in top thereof, and socket projecting above
the vessel and extending inwards to within a short distance of the bottom and
having an angular groove formed in its side, substantially as and for the purposes
described and illustrated.
2. In an oil lamp or lantern, the combination with the oil vessel and a tubular
socket extending inwards to within a short distance of the bottom and having an
angular groove in the side thereof, of a wick holder having its lower part tubular
and an exterior stud or projection thereon, said lower part fitting slidably in the
socket in the oil vessel, the stud engaging in the angular groove in the side of the
socket, substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
.
Dated the 5th day of May 1899
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.