A New. OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING CIGARS AND TOBACCO."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Walker, of Trinity Square, Southwark,
in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "A New.
OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING CIGARS AND TOBACCO."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th August 1878.
I, JAMES WALKER, of Trinity Square, Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING CIGARS AND TOBACCO," to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide "smokers" and others with
a novel, convenient, efficient, and perfectly safe apparatus, about the size
and shape of an ordinary watch, for readily lighting cigars and pipes,
and thus to supercede the present dangerous practice of carrying fusees
or lucifer matches in the pocket.¨

page_text: The said apparatus consists of a convex metal box or case, having in
one side or in the lid thereof a sunk recess. Inside this case I mount
on an axle or spindle and fixed thereto a flat, hollow, steel drum with
one side or end open, the diameter of which drum is about one-half that
of the inside of the said box. Within this drum and firmly secured to
the outer box is a hollow cylinder or spring box, to the edge or rim of
which spring box I attach one end of a steel coil spring, which is wound
up by means of a thumbscrew head attached to the said axle, turning in
the before-mentioned sunk recess of the outer box. The said spring is
held from recoiling by a ratchet wheel attached to the drum and pawl, :
pressing against it by means of a small spring attached to the outer box.
In this operation the other or free end of the said coil spring is caught
up by a catch or tongue formed on or about the centre of the said axle.
In the periphery of the said drum a number of grooves or notches is cut
or formed in various directions.
In the space between the drum and the rim of the outer box a piece
of suitablé stone is fixed in a clip or cup formed at the end of a light
spring, which gently presses the pointed or bevelled end of the said stone
against the edge or rim of the drum. Partly around the said space
within the box, with one end near to the piece of stone, I place a piece
of chemically prepared cotton or other wick, or what is known as
"German tinder," which end is moved backwards from and forwards to
the place or part where the sparks are thrown off by means of a small
toothed wheel or carrier fitted and working in the edge or rim of the
said box. In the rim of this box between the piece of stone and the
near end of the tinder is an opening fitted with a lid flanged at its
jointed end.
In operating my improved apparatus the coil spring in the spring box
is wound up, as herein-before described, and then suddenly released or
"let go" by withdrawing the pawl clear of the ratchet wheel, when the
recoil of the said spring causes the drum to revolve rapidly, and as the
edges of the grooves or notches strike against the point or edge of the
stone sparks are driven off, which fly against the said end of the tinder
and speedily ignite it; the lighted tinder is then drawn or carried
through the opening in the rim of the box by the said small toothed
wheel or carrier and applied to the cigar or tobacco, which it lights in
the usual way; the tinder is then returned within the box by reversing
the motion of the said carrier, and the said opening closed by its lid,
•

page_text: the flange of which presses against the burning tinder and extinguishes
it.
The outer box may be made with flat sides without the sunk recess
therein, and the spring may be wound up by means of a small winch
or other suitable leverage, in which case the ratchet wheel and pawl
arrangement may be either retained or dispensed with. In this latter
alternative it is only necessary to "let go" the winch handle to release
the coil spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRÉSENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WALKER, of Trinity Square, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Walker, Her special licence
that I, the said James Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Walker, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
LIGHTING CIGARS AND TOBACCO," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Walker, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent,

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Walker, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of this Invention is to provide "smokers" with an efficient.
and perfectly safe apparatus, about the size and shape of an ordinary
watch or thereabouts, for readily lighting cigars and pipes charged with
tobacco, and thus to supercede the present dangerous practice of carrying.
fusees or lucifer matches in the pocket.
In order that my said Invention may be more easily and more fully
understood, and be more readily performed, I now proceed to explain
the same with the aid of the accompanying Drawing, which forms part
of this Specification, reference being made thereto by the numerals and
letters marked thereon, which reference applies to each Figure of the
said Drawing where the same index numerals and letters appear.
Figure 1 is a view of the outside of the bottom of the case shewing
the sunk recess and winding lever therein.
Figure 2 is a view of the outside of the lid of the said case shewing
an opening therein, through which one end of the pawl lever
protrudes.
Figure 3 is an inside view of the body of the case shewing my
improved apparatus fixed therein.
Figure 4 is an inside view of the lid of the said case shewing the pawl
lever and the springs which operate and hold it.
'
]
Figure 5 is a section of the case shewing the sunk recess, the winding a
lever therein, the steel drum, and the ratchet wheel.
Figure 6 is a plan of my improved lever pawl, which is bent at its
free end so as to project through an opening in the lid of the case.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the steel drum and ratchet wheel.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the spring (herein-after called the umbrella
spring) which holds the said lever pawl clear of the ratchet wheel when
the coil spring is let go or set free.
Inside the body of the case a I mount on an axle or spindle 6 and
fixed thereto a flat, hollow, steel drum c with one side or end open, in

page_text: the periphery of which drum a number of grooves or notches is out or
formed in various directions. Within the said drum and firmly secured
to the case a I place a hollow cylinder or spring box d, to the edge or.
rim of which spring box I attach one end of a steel coil spring e, which
is wound up by a thumbscrew head or the lever ffitted on the axle 6,
and turning in the sunk recess g. The said spring is held from recoiling,
when being wound up, by the ratchet wheel h and pawl . This ratchet
wheel is fitted on the same axle 6 as the drum c, and the pawl is
pivotted to the lid a³ of the case at . The pawl is pressed against
the said ratchet wheel by the spring ;, which is attached to the inside of
the lid a².
In the space between the drum c and the rim of the case a a piece of
chemically prepared artificial stone / (the same or similar to Ransome's
Patent artificial stone) is fixed or held in a clip or cup formed at or
fixed to the end of the spring 1, which spring gently presses the pointed
or bevelled end of the said stone against the rim of the drum c. Partly
around the said space within the case, with one end near to the piece of
stone, I place a piece of chemically prepared cotton m, or other wick, or
what is known as German tinder. In the rim of the case a between the
stone and the near end of the tinder m is an opening fitted with a lid n
having a flange n³ at its jointed end.
•
In operating my improved apparatus the coil spring e is wound up
around or about the axle 6 by the lever f, the free or inner end of the
said spring being caught up by a small catch or tongue 6¹ formed on
the said axle, a slit or notch being formed in and near the end of the
spring for that purpose; the spring is then suddenly released or "let
go" by withdrawing the pawl i clear of the teeth of the wheel h, the
pawl being held clear of the ratchet wheel by the catch at the free end
of the umbrella spring o, when the recoil of the spring e causes the drum
to revolve rapidly, and as the edges of the grooves or notches thereon
strike against the point or edge of the stone / sparks are driven off,
which fly against or upon the end of the tinder m and speedily ignite it;
the lighted tinder is then drawn or carried through the said opening in
the rim of the case by operating the small toothed wheel or carrier p,
and applied to the cigar or tobacco, which it lights in the usual way.
The tinder is returned within the case by reversing the motion of the
carrier p, and the said opening closed by the lid n, the flange n³ of
which presses against the burning tinder and extinguishes it..

page_text: Fourthly. The ratchet wheel and pawl arrangement.
And, Fifthly. Annealing the inner end of the steel coil spring, all
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn in the
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Walker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
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