IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS BURNERS AND LAMPS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I HENRY
SMITH, of Birmingham, Lamp Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present inost Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Smith, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Henry Smith, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henry Smith, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS BURNERS AND LAMPS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Henry
Smith, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Smith, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to that description of lamps wherein the air for sup-
porting combustion is caused to be deflected against the external surface of
the flame at a position above the point of ignition, and it is well known that
such lamps are now become of general and extensive use, owing to the bril-
liancy of light produced thereby, even when consuming common or low priced
oils. In such lamps as they are at present constructed, the lower part or support
of the deflector being made of metal, and rising considerably above the point
of combustion (whether applied to gas burners or oil lamps), prevents the light
of so much of the flame which is below the deflector from being employed.
The present Invention has for its object certain modes of constructing and
applying deflectors, that in addition to obtaining the benefits derived from the
use of such deflectors, so much of the flame which is below the deflector will
be obtained for use.
And in order to give the best information in my power, that my Invention
may be readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing
hereunto annexed, first remarking that the same letters of reference are used
to indicate the same parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a gas burner having an arrangement or construction of
deflector applied thereto according to my Invention, the glass chimney and the
deflector being shewn in section. Figure 2 is a plan, Figure 3 an elevation,
and Figure 4 an underside view of the deflector shewn separately. a is an
ordinary Argand gas burner, b is an ordinary glass chimney, and c is the
deflector, the lower portion of which is of glass, having the upper or deflecting
surface of metal fixed thereon, as is shewn in the Drawing, and the arrows
indicate the direction of the air which supports the combustion of the flame
externally; and it should be understood that the air to the external surface of
the flame should as much as possible be confined to pass through the deflector.
By this arrangement it will be seen that the diameter of opening in the de-
flector through which the flame passes is materially less than the diameter of
the upper part of the chimney, and it will be evident that the air, as it rises
up the interior of the deflector, will be deflected in towards the flame with a
tendency to pass in a nearly horizontal direction through the flame, and thus
produce a like brilliant effect to the lamps now commonly known as the
"solar lamp," with the additional advantage of obtaining the light of so much

page_text: of the flame which is below the deflector, and which was formerly hid or
covered by the deflector. Figure 5 shews part of an Argand oil lamp, having
a deflector constructed according to my Invention; and Figure 6 shews the
deflector and the parts with which it is connected separately. In this instance
the deflector is supported by a wire frame or supports d, d, in connection with
the gallery for the glass chimney; by this arrangement the deflector c will be
supported within the glass chimney, and will for the most part intercept the
air passing up within the chimney, and cause the air to be deflected across the
flame in like manner to the preceding one, with a similar advantage of ob-
taining for use the light of so much of the flame as is below the deflector.
Figure 7 shews a gas burner with another arrangement of deflector c and mode
of applying it. Figure 8 is a plan, Figure 9 an edge view of the deflector,.
and Figure 10 is the spring or hoop of wire by which the deflector is retained
in its place in the glass chimney, c being the deflector, and e the wire hoop or
spring by which it is supported and retained in its place in the glass chimney.
In all the cases the air for supporting combustion at the external surface of
the flame is caused to be deflected in a nearly horizontal direction against the
flame, and at a point considerably above the point of ignition, at the same
time the light of so much of the flame which is below the deflector is obtained
for use in place of being hid by the deflector, as is the case in the lamps and
gas burners now constructed.
_
day of
Having thus explained the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not claim the use of deflectors generally for causing the air
supplied to the external surface of the flame to be deflected, or caused to cross
in nearly a horizontal direction against the flame at a point considerably above
the point of combustion, a Patent having been taken out by Jeremiah
Byrnier, of Birmingham, bearing date at Westminster, the
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty the
present Invention being for modes of constructing and applying de-
flectors in such manner as to allow of the light of so much of the flame as
is below the deflector to be obtained for use in place of being hid by the
deflector as heretofore. And it should be stated that I prefer to make the
upper deflecting surface c of brass; I do not, however, confine myself thereto.
It will be evident that the deflectors c, shewn as applied to gas burners, may
be applied to oil lamps, and that the deflector shewn as applied to an oil
lamp may be applied to gas burners. But what I claim as the Invention
secured by the present Letters Patent is,.-
First, the mode of applying a deflecting surface c by means of a glass
support, as shewn and described in respect to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the mode of applying a deflecting surface c within a glass
chimney by wire supports or an open frame, as shewn and described in respect
to Figures 5 and 6. And,
Thirdly, I claim the mode of applying a deflecting surface retained within a
glass chimey, as shewn and described in respect of Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.