Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Lamps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Lamps.
I, AUGUSTUS WILLIAM BRITTAIN, of 64, Gresham Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My present invention relates to certain improvements in the mechanism described
in my Specification No. 8529 of 1896, and comprises an arrangement for controlling
and operating the extinguishing apparatus therein described, wherein the weight
which operates the release instead of being supported on a seat is suspended at the
lower end of a bar as a pendulum in such wise that it is free to swing in any direction,
and so that when it becomes oblique to a certain extent in relation to the fixed parts,
the upper end of the bar or a projection therefrom releases a detent, or operates a
lever which releases a detent and sets free the spring whereby the extinguishing
mechanism is operated and which spring in this improved arrangement may
conveniently be placed under a lever arm one end of which is controlled by said
detent and the other end of which operates the moving parts of the extinguishing
mechanism.
The rising shutter described in my said Patent No. 8529 may be connected directly
or otherwise with the above named lever arın and may be constructed either with or
without the mechanism for lowering the wick which latter is not actually necessary
for all purposes.
I, AUGUSTUS WILLIAM BRITTAIN, of 64, Gresham Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, 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 :-
My present invention relates to certain improvements in the mechanism described
in my Specification No. 8529 of 1896, and comprises an arrangement for controlling
and operating the extinguishing apparatus therein described wherein the weight which
operates the release instead of being supported on a seat is suspended at the lower
end of a bar as a pendulum in such wise that it is free to swing in any direction, and
so that when it becomes oblique to a certain extent in relation to the fixed parts,
the upper end of the bar or a projection therefrom releases a detent, or operates a
lever which releases a detent, and sets free the spring whereby the extinguishing
077

page_text: mechanism is operated and which spring in this improved arrangement may
conveniently be placed under a lever arm one end of which is controlled by said
detent and the other end of which operates the moving parts of the extinguishing
mechanism.
The rising shutter described in my said Patent No. 8529 may be connected
directly or otherwise with the above named lever arm and may be constructed either
with or without the mechanism for lowering the wick which latter is not actually
necessary for all purposes.
The extinguishing mechanism comprises, for an Argand Burner, a tubular case or
shutter surrounding the wick tube, and which rises, in obedience to the pressure of a
spring, above the level of the wick and closes against the flame-spreading disc. For
flat wick burners whether duplex or otherwise the wick tube (or each of them) is
surrounded by a loosely fitting sliding case part of which is so jointed as to close
when the same rises to a certain level over the top of the wick tube and thus
completely shut in and extinguish the lamp.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1, is an elevation of part of an ordinary
Argand lamp fitted with my said invention. Fig. 2, is a section of the same. Fig. 3,
represents the release and extinguishing mechanism in the position it assumes when
the lamp is tipped on one side and the release has operated, and the extinguishing
shutter has risen. Fig. 4 is a detail plan of the lever ; together with the shutter
and wick tube.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same apparatus applied to a flat wick duplex burner,
with some of the outer casing removed but indicated in dotted lines: Fig. 6, is a
like elevation; Fig. 7, a plan of the same, and Fig. 8, represents an alternative form
of lever h h¹.
Referring then to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4; a is a tubular shutter which operates as the
extinguisher and which fits loosely over the wick tube b and is impelled upwards by
the helical spring c which tends to force it against the flame-spreading disc d as
shown in Fig. 3. e is a weight at the lower end of the stem e¹ the upper end of
which has a disc shaped head f. g is a flat bar fixedly attached to the framing of
the burner and having near its outer end a hole of sufficient size to allow the bar e',
which passes through it, the required freedom of motion, but not large enough to let
the disc fpass through; h h¹ are two arms of a lever which is jointed at 2 to the
fixed bar g. The arm h rests on the disc f and may conveniently be provided with a
knob or button h³. The arm h¹ is formed at its free end with a detent which
engages with the lever j which lever is shown in plan in Fig. 4, and which is centered
on a joint at k, and one end of which is formed as a fork j¹¹, the ends of which are
each slotted at m to receive a pin projecting one from each side of the shutter a.
The action is as follows:-when the lamp is to be prepared for being lighted the
free end 2 of the lever j is lifted until it is engaged by the detent at the end of the
lever arm h¹ and the shutter a brought down to its lowest point and the spring c
compressed, all the parts being then in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the
wick may be adjusted by means of the ordinary milled head o in the usual manner
and the lamp lighted.
If now the lamp be inclined out of the vertical as shown in Fig. 3 in any direction,
or upset or violently agitated, the disc f becomes a lever of which the fulcrum is that
edge which is in contact with the bar g, and the diametrically opposite edge of which
lifts the lever arm h thereby drawing back the other arm thereof h¹, and withdrawing
the detent from under the lever j, which being thus released is operated by the
spring c which raises the shutter a until it closes against the disc d, as shown in
dotted lines in Fig. 1, and extinguishes the flame.
In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 which show the application of the same mechanism to a duplex
burner with flat wicks, the same letters of reference refer to the same or equivalent
parsts, and the same description is applicable except that the lever ; is not forked, and
pas es through a slot in and operates a piece p which has a downwardly extending
pint round which the spring c is coiled and which piece connects the two shutters q q
(one for each wick) which are provided with covers q¹ fitting obliquely over the top

page_text: so as to be opened and pushed back by the wick tubes 6 when the shutter is being
lowered as shown in Fig. 6 in full lines, and which covers are each closed when
they rise by a spring acting on the tail end of the shutter which is pivotted at s as
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8, shows the lever h h¹ separately with the detent portion of it fitted with a
small roller u whereby friction between it and the arm ; is lessened and the release
made more certain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improvements in safety apparatus for lamps substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. The improvements in safety apparatus for lamps consisting of an apparatus for,
in case of accident, automatically extinguishing the lamp, the motive power of which
is derived from a compressed helical spring placed, (in an argand lamp,) round the
central wick tube (b) or, (in a duplex lamp,) round a vertical stem (t) and which is
controlled by a pendant weight e, bar e¹, disc f, lever j, shutter a or q, substantially
as described and shown in the drawings.
3. A lamp which will if dangerously inclined or violently agitated or upset be
extinguished by the release of a spring operated shutter or shutters, such spring and
shutter being controlled and set free by a suspended weight such as e, operating a
head fand lever h h¹, and releasing a lever j and thereby the spring c and shutter
such as a or q substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In a safety apparatus for extinguishing lamps in case of accident or the like, the
combination of the pendent weight e, bar el, disc f, lever h h¹, lever ;, helical spring c,
and shutter a as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, of the drawings.
5. In a safety apparatus for extinguishing lamps in case of accident or the like, the
combination of the pendant weight e, bar e¹, disc f, lever ; helical spring c, shutter q,
with cover q substantially as described and shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the
drawings.
Dated the 25th day of November 1807
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicant.