Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Electrically Igniting Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 187
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Electrically
Igniting Miners' Safety Lamps.
We, WILLIAM ACKROYD, of The Wheatleys, Birkenshaw, Colliery Proprietor,
and WILLIAM BEST, of Wesley Street, Morley, Engineer, both near Leeds, in
the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention refers to apparatus for electrically igniting miners' safety lamps,
and our object is to construct apparatus whereby the wicks of the said lamps may
be ignited in a more expeditious and certain manner than heretofore.
According to our invention we employ a wire or other conductor which passes
through the bottom of the lamp vessel by way of an insulated tube which effectually
insulates it from contact with the lamp itself.
The upper portion of the said conductor passes up through the centre of the
wick, from which latter it may be insulated by a tube of porcelain or other suitable
insulating material capable of withstanding a certain amount of heat. The
conductor may be adjustable so as to enable it to be regulated in height as
required, and the upper surface of the said conductor is preferably situated at or
about the height of the upper surface of the wick tube.
When a round wick is employed, the said wick is suitably made of tubular form,
and the conductor may if required be constructed in the wick; or the upper end
of the wick may be composed of cotton wool, being fed with oil by suitable wicks
ascending from the reservoir.
In lighting the lamp, an induced current is passed by way of the conductor to
the top of the wick, and a spark or electric flame is produced which passes
across the top of the wick from the conductor to the wick tube, thus effectually
lighting the wick.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1896.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicants.
CO
FICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Electrically
Igniting Miners' Safety Lamps.
We, WILLIAM ACKROYD, of The Wheatleys, Birkenshaw, Colliery Proprietor,
and WILLIAM BEST, of Wesley Street, Morley, Engineer, both near Leeds, in
the County of York, 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 refers to apparatus for electrically igniting miners' safety lamps,
and our object is to construct apparatus whereby the wicks of the said lamps may
be ignited in a more expeditious and certain manner than heret fore.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to

page_text: describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar
letters refer to like parts in both figures.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lamp constructed according to our invention,
and Figure 2 is a section of an apparatus for electrically igniting the said lamp.
A is a conductor which passes through the centre of the wick B, by way of an
insulating tube C, and the said tube C is held in position by a tube D, which latter
is securely fixed to the lamp bottom E. F is the wick tube which holds the wick
at the required height, and G is a regulating tube which slides on the wick tube F,
and the height of the regulating tube G may be regulated by a screw H, thus
enabling the flamé from the wick to be raised or lowered as desired.
Referring particularly to Figure 2, J is a wire which connects a battery K with
a terminal L of a coil M, and N is a wire which connects the other terminal P of
the coil M with the said battery K, a push switch R being provided for connecting
and disconnecting the battery. S is a ring for the reception of the lamp to be
lighted, and the push switch R comes through the ring S so as to be actuated by
the lamp on the latter being inserted in the said ring. T is a spring contact which
is connected with the secondary circuit of the coil M by means of a wire U, and
V is another contact piece which is connected to the other pole of the secondary
circuit of the coil M by means of a wire W.
By placing a lamp constructed as described with reference to Figure 1 in the
ring S, the spring contact T comes against the conductor A, and the edge of the
lamp bottom E rests on the contact piece V, thus completing the secondary circuit
of the coil M. The placing of the lamp in the ring S depresses the push switch R,
thereby connecting the coil M with the battery K; and this connection causes an
induced current to pass from the coil M through the wire U, spring contact T and
the conductor A, from which latter it passes in the form of a spark or sparks
across the wick B to the regulating tube G, and thence by way of the lamp
bottom E, contact piece V and wire W, back to the coil M. The sparks in passing
between the conductor A and regulating tube G, iguite the wick B, and the central
position of the conductor A enables the said sparks to pass directly over and in
contact with the said wick, thus obviating the danger hitherto experienced of the
electric sparks failing to come in contact with the wick and therefore failing to
light, same.
The conductor A may be made adjustable in height, to enable same to be moved
to the most advantageous position for lighting, and a cap A' may be provided so
as to give the sparks less distance to travel when crossing the wick.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The conductor A situated in the centre of the wick, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
2. The combination of the conductor A, wick B, insulated tube C, wick tube F,
and regulating tube G, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The arrangement of the parts named in the foregoing claim, in combination
with the apparatus for lighting the said lamp illustrated at Figure 2 of the
accompanying drawing, substantially as set forth.
4. The general arrangement, construction and combination of the various parts
forming the improvements in or connected with apparatus for electrically igniting
miners safety lamps, substantially as and for the purposes set forth, together with
any mere modification or modifications thereof.
Dated this 21st day of November 1896.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for the Applicants.