IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MODERATOR LAMPS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Phillips Thompson at the
- Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th October 1883. A com-
munication from Monsieur Arsène Joseph Lan, a person resident at Marseilles
in the republic of France.
"
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, [Civil
Engineer], "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MODERATOR LAMPS
munication from Monsieur Arsène Joseph Lan, a person resident at Marseilles in
the republic of France
& com-
The following is an abstract translated from the description of the invention
as forwarded to me by my foreign correspondent.
6
This invention consists of a new system of moderator lamp, and is based
essentially upon certain very simple devices which permit of the employment of
petroleum oil or other liquid hydro-carbons, whether mineral or vegetable, in said
moderator lamps.
The modifications which permit of obtaining this, result are as follows.
First. The adaptation in the reservoir of the lamp of a special piston which fits
absolutely tight and is furnished with valves.
Second. The formation in the tube surrounding the wick-carrier at a certain
distance below the top, of overflow orifices, which prevent the liquid from rising
to the top of the lamp.
Third. The establishment around the tube which contains the wick and oil, of
a tube concentric with it, closed at the bottom and constituting with the former
a kind of reservoir in which the liquid escaping from the before-mentioned orifices
and that which trickles from the upper part of the burner, unite, and from which
a special conduit leads down to the reservoir of the lamp.
lenns
قراء
Fourth. The closing-in of the lower part of the winding mechanism by mea
of a metallic casing, provided at its upper part with an opening to allow access
of air to the centre of the flame, and at its lower part with another opening
closed by a hinged door serving for the introduction of liquid into the reservoir of
the lamp.

page_text: The forms and general arrangements of the improved lamps are the same as in
moderator lamps ordinarily employed in oil lighting, so that it will be unnecessary
to describe them The following however is an outline of the chief features of the
new parts of the invention, as enumerated above.
The piston of the lamp. As above stated the piston of the lamp must be
perfectly tight; it consists of a leather disc (made of a peculiar leather known in
France as "cuir embouti") folded over downwards round the edge and firmly held
between two metallic plates screwed together in the centre by a screw which also
serves for fastening the piston to its hollow rod. In order however to permit the
combustible liquid to pass under this piston when the lamp is being wound up,
the two metallic plates and the leather disc are pierced with one or more holes
closed by a valve or valves fixed for this purpose under the lower plate. The
valve (or valves) which must also be perfectly tight, is formed of a leather flap
kept pressed against the lower plate by a steel spring, the form and arrangement
of which may be varied as considered desirable. In the special lamp illustrated
in the inventor's description, the piston is pierced with two openings, on opposite
sides of the centre and closed by a leather band kept up by a two-branched spring of
band steel. It will thus be understood that when the lamp is wound up, the
vacuum produced under the piston forces the valves to open and afford passage to
the liquid; on the other hand during the working of the lamp the valves remain
pressed against the lower metallic plate under the double action of the steel spring
before mentioned, and from the pressure of the liquid compressed by the main
spiral spring in the reservoir of the lamp, which tends when wound up to
force the piston downwards and so drive the liquid up the tube leading to the
wick.
Overflow orifices and receiver. In order to prevent the petroleum or other liquid
hydro-carbon thus driven up, from rising to the very top of the lamp, orifices are
formed in the tube into which it rises and which contains the wick and wick
carrier, at a certain distance below the top, and through these orifices the oil
overflows. This tube is further surrounded by a counter or concentric tube, which
with the first mentioned tube constitutes a kind of overflow reservoir; a small
conduit leads down from its bottom into the main reservoir of the lamp. The
exterior tube is not closed at its upper, part but simply comes close to the
inner one, so that the unconsumed liquid which may trickle from the top of the
burner may be collected and returned to the main reservoir by the conduit above
mentioned.
It will thus be understood that the combustible liquid raised in excess does
not come into contact with the air, and cannot emit bad smelling and inflammable
vapours, as would result from its fall in the open air into the interior of the lamp.
Closing-in of the central portion of the lamp. With the same object the lower
part of the mechanism of the lamp (underneath the globe) which is generally
exposed in ordinary moderator lamps, is closed in by means of metallic side plates
secured to the uprights or standards of the lamp, the regulating and winding
screws turning in holes made in these plates for the purpose One of these plates
is cut away and folded back at the middle of its upper part, so as to allow the
external air access to the central tube of the lamp; the opposite plate has at its
lower part a preferably rectangular opening closed by means of a hinged door or
flap this opening serves for the introduction of liquid into the lamp. The
regulating and winding screws pass through the other pair of plates.
It will thus be seen that the combustible liquid, once introduced into the
apparatus, is kept completely out of contact with the external air and cannot
consequently give off vapour disagreeable in smell and liable to accidental
ignition.
Finally, since petroleum or other hydro-carbons employed for lighting are more
fluid than the vegetable oil at present in use in moderator lamps, care must be
taken to give the moderator rod fixed at the bottom of the reservoir and on

page_text: which the hollow piston-rod slides a greater diameter than ordinary, so as to
slightly reduce the space between it and the piston-rod which affords passage to
the liquid. Without this precaution the rise of liquid would be too considerable
and the lamp would have to be wound up oftener.
It will be also understood that although this system of lamp is specially
designed for burning mineral oils, it is easy to employ it for burning olive, or
seed oils by merely replacing the moderator rod by one with a smaller diameter.
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