CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS, WHICH LAMPS, SO IMPROVED, I DENOMINATE "PALMER'S BIRMINGHAM ECONOMIC LAMPS
Year: 1812

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SIMPSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tin Plate Worker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of
July, in the fifty-second year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said John Simpson, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Simpson, my
exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of
years therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS, WHICH LAMPS, SO IMPROVED, I
DENOMINATE "PALMER'S BIRMINGHAM ECONOMIC LAMPS;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said John Simpson, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly.

page_text: cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same (relation being
thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Simpson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained as follows (that is to say):-
Firstly, I do make an improvement in the construction of that part of the
fountain lamp which is called the reservoir, see Fig. 1 of Drawings hereunto
annexed, wherein a represents the plate of a valve, which, when down, closes
an hole in the diaphragm g, h, and the said plate is fixed to the end of a
lever a, c, moveable upon the center b, and closed by a spring, or otherwise,
when not acted upon by the wire d, c, and e is an air-tight stopper or screw
piece, which, when down it its place, pushes the upper end of d, c, and keeps
the said valve open, and the effect and advantages of the said improvements
are that the valve a will be closed whenever the stopper e is taken out to
fill the reservoir, but will be open when that stopper is in its place, and
the said diaphragm g, h, is further useful by allowing the air, which must
be suffered to enter through the tube at bottom of the reservoir, to rise and
ascend without impediment, and which effect will not happen when the tube
is small, and the valve apparatus is directly at the top thereof.
And, secondly, I do improve the construction of the apparatus for carrying
the wick in all lamps which have an internal and an external current of air
passing through and by the flame as follows,-namely, I do make of iron,
brass, or other suitable metal, the cylindrical tube upon or in which the
female part of the screw for sliding up the wick holder is formed, and do
indent the said female part of the screw by hammering upon a cylindrical tool
nearly of a size to fit the internal cavity of the said cylindrical tube, and
having the said female part of the screw very accurately made thereon, and
upon which the said iron, brass, or other metal tube must be placed,
in order to being hammered upon, and having the said female part of
the screw indented therein. And, further, I. do make a male thread, of
considerable length, and formed so as to fit into the before-mentioned
female part, by soldering a wire or otherwise within or upon the concave
surface of the carrying or sliding tube, to which the wick is usually fixed or
attached, instead of the small stud usually made and applied to that purpose;
and upon the convex surface of the carrying or sliding tube I do affix a
projecting piece about half the length of the said tube, instead of the small
stud usually applied to this purpose, and which projecting piece, when the
wick holder is in motion, slides in a groove made in the outer tube of the

page_text: fixed part of the lamp, within which said fixed tube at the top is likewise
inserted a narrow rim of thin metal, for the purpose of confining the wick
in its place; by the fixed part of the lamp, I mean the part which in all lamps
of this kind contains the oil for the immediate supply of the cotton wick; and
further, I do connect a piece of tube to the upper part of the before-mentioned
indented cylindrical tube, of such a size as nearly to fit the bore of the inner
tube of the fixed part of the lamp, and of such a length as to pass through
down that bore to the bottom of the said fixed part; and to the lower part
of the said piece of tube I do attach the lower part of the apparatus of the
lamp, which has heretofore been usually applied only to receive the spare
oil; and by moving the said lower part round when needful, motion is given
to the indented cylindrical tube upon which the wick holder is placed, by
which means I do raise and lower the wick without the use of any piece or
part at the top. And,
Thirdly, I do improve the construction of lamps of the kind or description
last-mentioned, by placing two or more wires or pieces of metal, as represented
in Figs. 2 and 3, immediately within and in contract or nearly so with the
upper rim of the outer tube through which the external current of air is
In
allowed to pass, and having tails beneath for giving motion to the same.
Fig. 2, a, a, represents a part of the outer air tube. b, b, a semecircular
portion of wire, which touches the inside of the tube, and is continued
down through an interior sheath or support to h, where the same is bended
out horizontally. c, c, is another similar wire, which occupies the like
One of
situation, and completes the circle, and has its lower termination at i.
the said wires is shewn separate in Fig. 3, and the effect of the said wires
is, that while they continue in the situation here described they alter the
direction of the external current of air, or part thereof, and do reflect the
same inwards against the flame, and do render the same more brilliant; and
further, that when the tails are turned (by the application and action of a
circular piece attached to the lamp, or otherwise) into the situations ƒ and g,
the wires themselves take the situations d and e, and do snuff the wick by
passing closely over it; and in such lamps as from motives of simplicity in the
construction, or otherwise, may be made without requiring the motion for
snuffing, I do place or fix an interior ring of metal within the said tube, in
place of the the upper parts of the said wires, and I do in that case altogether
omit the wires and the piece for moving them; and, moreover, I do, in
conjunction with the said wires or ring, apply and use an horizontal plate
of, metal, supported in the center of the lamp, at a small distance above the
bottom of the flame, and of the same diameter as the interior air tube, or

page_text: nearly so, and the said wires or ring and plate do greatly increase the brilliancy
of the flame, and do likewise allow the use and consumption of the common or
impure oil, if preferred.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Simpson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twelve
MOLE, Extra.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord 1812, the aforesaid John Simpson came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowleged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twelve