Improvements in and relating to Acetylene Gas Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Acetylene Gas Lamps.
We, WILLIAM NELSON MOORE, Patent Agent, and JACOB KARR, Gentleman,
Citizens of the United States of America, residing respectively at 2029, 0 Street,
North-West, and 215, Third Street, North-West, in the City of Washington, and
District of Columbia, United States of America, 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 following statement:-
Our invention has for its object an acetylene gas lamp which shall be of the
simplest construction, yet attractive or ornamental in appearance, and which can
be manufactured at a moderate cost, such lamp to be light and compact. The
invention has for its further object the provision of means whereby the supply of
water to the generator can be regulated with great nicety and with certainty, so
as to insure safety in the use of the lamp by the public.
The invention has for its further object the arrangement of the regulating
mechanism so as to bring it within the reach of the individual, when the lamp
is used for bicycles on the steering head of the same. The invention has for its
further object to so combine the parts of the lamp as that it can readily be dis-
membered for the purpose of removing exhausted carbide from, and recharging,
the generator with fresh carbide, or for cleansing or other purposes.
But that our invention may be fully understood we will describe the same,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention in
its application to bicycle lamps, and in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective view, Figure 2 a vertical central sectional view, and
Figure 3 a plan view of a lamp embodying my improvements.
The essential features of the invention lie in the construction of the lamp body
and relative arrangement of the generator and water reservoir and the feed regulat-
ing devices, and the combination with the generator and water reservoir of a
percolator.
In the drawings, A indicates the lamp body, which is preferably made from metal
tubing. One end of the lamp body is closed, and this closure may be a removable
cap or cover E. In the top or cover E for the lamp body is provided a screw-
threaded bearing for a needle valve H that has at its outer end above the cover a
milled knob h, or other means whereby the needle valve can be readily turned.
In practice we provide the knob h with a resilient or spring finger adapted to be
moved over a notched or toothed segment h² on the top or cover of the lamp body,
so that the needle valve may at once be set to the proper feed without leaving this
to the experimentation or judgment of the user. This is of great advantage and
importance, especially when the lamp is freshly charged with carbide, in which
case the supply of water thereto should not exceed that which is required to generate
sufficient gas to supply the burner.
In the top or cover E is formed a filling aperture normally closed by a screw-
plug e, in which a vent el is formed for the admission of air and escape of gas.
The lamp body is divided into a water chamber C and a gas generating chamber,

page_text: by a partition B, which is preferably conical and has at its apex a discharge port
controlled by the needle valve H above referred to.
Although it is not absolutely necessary to give a conical form to the bottom of
the water chamber, yet it is obvious that in lamps which are subjected to jars or
vibrations this form is of advantage, in that it serves to hold the upper end of the
percolator in proper position, thus dispensing with special fastening devices.
The carbide holder consists of a cylinder M of less diameter than the lamp
body A, so as to leave an annular space a between the two, which constitutes the
gas chamber. The cylinder M is of such length as to surround the greater portion
of the conical bottom without of course contacting therewith. The bottom m of
this cylinder M is adapted to be screwed or otherwise removably connected with
the lamp body, and from said bottom rises a percolator R whose upper end
surrounds the apex of the conical bottom B of the water chamber or reservoir and
the feed port therein. The carbide holder M constitutes the generator.
To the lamp body is secured in any usual or preferred manner a burner hood T
provided with a draft chimney U, air ports W, jewels V and lens Y of any usual
or preferred arrangement and construction, and in practice a reflector is arranged
in rear of the burner nozzle p on the burner pipe P, or the hood may be so
constructed as that its rear wall will perform the function of a reflector. The
burner pipe P communicates with the gas chamber a, and is or may be provided
with a stop cock. In practice it is perhaps preferable, for the sake of greater
safety, not to provide the burner pipe with a stop-cock, because careless persons
may forget to open the same when starting the lamp, and may manipulate the
valve so as to feed too much water to the generator, thereby endangering the
safety of the lamp notwithstanding the provision of the vent el in the plug e.
The percolator R consists of a foraminous tube, as one made of wire gauze
or the like, which is filled with an absorbent material, as cotton or other material
that will not readily pack, so as to deliver the water fed thereto to the carbide.
in a diffused state.
It will be seen that the percolator thus performs also the function of storage
chamber for water which gradually percolates through the meshes to the carbide,
and is thus fed thereto in a diffused state, instead of drop by drop, and in this
case the top feed is of the utmost importance, in contradistinction to a bottom feed,
as has been the case in some acetylene gas lamps, in that the carbide is acted
upon from top downward, instead of from bottom upward, the exhausted carbide,
owing to its increase in bulk, rising towards the source of water supply, instead
of lifting the unaffected carbide away from said source, as is the case with a
bottom feed, wherein the supply of water has to be gradually increased, in
order to compensate for absorption by the exhausted carbide, and such a feed be-
comes dangerous in the hands of inexperienced persons, and renders the lamp
impracticable for general uses. On the contrary, when the water is fed into the
upper end of the percolator, these disadvantages are obviated.
I am aware that it is not new to provide a direct connection between a water
chamber and a generating chamber below the same and combine therewith a valve
extending through and out of the water chamber, nor is it new to provide the
water chamber with a vent for admission thereto of air and escape therefrom of gas,
and I do not claim these features per se.
As described, the lamp is of the simplest construction, the generator is readily
removed from the lamp body for any purpose, and as the water is fed to the
generator in regulated quantities and in a diffused condition, only the volume of
gas required to properly supply the burner is generated, thus rendering the lamp
perfectly safe in the hands of inexperienced persons.
I prefer to provide the lamp with a steering head bracket Z, so as to bring
it within easy reach of the rider and enable him to manipulate the needle valve I
should this become necessary.
With a proper charge of water and carbide the lamp will burn for a very long
time, comparatively speaking, without adjustment of the water supply, practical

page_text: experiments having shown that the lamp will so burn from seven to eight hours
and give a steady bright light, visible from a great distance.
From what has been said it is obvious that the lamp body may in form or
configuration and dimensions undergo various modifications according to the uses
to which the lamp is to be applied without thereby changing its internal arrange-
ment. For instance, the burner tube, or several such, may be extended to a burner
of any suitable description arranged above the lamp body, and the latter may be
provided with a foot or base to rest upon.
It will therefore be understood that we do not limit the invention in its
application to cycles or other vehicles, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
1. An acetylene gas lamp comprising a lamp body having a water chamber in
its upper portion provided with a controllable discharge opening in its bottom,
a carbide holder removably connected with the lower end of the lamp body and
constituting the generating chamber, and a percolator extending from the bottom
of the carbide holder to the bottom of the water reservoir and surrounding the dis-
charge opening therein, and means for taking the gas generated to a burner, for
the purpose set forth.
2. An acetylene gas lamp comprising a lamp body having a water chamber
in its upper portion provided with a controllable discharge opening in its bottom,
a carbide holder of less diameter than the lamp body to form a gas chamber
between the two, said carbide holder constituting the generating chamber and
extending nearly to the bottom of the water chamber and being removably con-
nected with the lamp body, and a percolator removable with the carbide holder
and extending from its bottom to the bottom of the water chamber and surround-
gas chamber
ing the discharge opening therein, and means for taking gas from the
to a burner, for the purpose set forth.
3. An acetylene lamp, comprising a lamp body having a water chamber in its
upper portion, the bottom of which chamber has the form of an inverted cone
provided in its apex with a discharge opening, a needle valve controlling said
opening and extending through the top of said water chamber, a carbide holder
removably connected with the lower end of the lamp body, a percolator extending
from the bottom of said holder to and surrounding the apex of the conical bottom
of the water chamber, and means for taking the gas generated to a burner, for
the purpose set forth.
4. A bicycle lamp constructed substantially as described for the purposes set
forth.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.