IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BURNERS OF HYDROCARBON AND OTHER FLUID BURNING LAMPS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Coulter at the Offico
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th July
1863.
I, HENRY COULTER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Lamp
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BURNERS OF HYDROCARBON AND OTHER FLUID BURNING
LAMPS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the burners of two classes of lamps, namely
those in which glass chimnies are employed and those without glass chimnies;
and although my improved burners are most suitable for consuming kerosine,
paraffin, rock, well, and like oils known as "light spirit oils," they may be
employed for burning spirits and oils of various kinds.
Under that class in which glass chimnies are used, the.first improvement
has for its object the being enabled to remove the dome and chimney a con-
venient distance for trimming of the wick or for any other purpose, either
when the lamp is lighted or otherwise. The dome plate, which may be of any
desired form to fit to the perforated air distributor in any ordinary way, has
on or near the outer edges thereof the usual means for securing the glass
chimney. To the under side of the dome plate there is fastened a curvilinear
metal piece which passes downwards through the bottom of the burner near
the wick tube into the fluid container. When it is desired to remove the
dome and chimney it is simply necessary to press in an upward direction a.
small handle; the spring or screw usually employed to secure the chimney

page_text: answers the purpose well, when they will be moved upwards and sidewards a
sufficient distance to clear the flame if the lamp is lit.
The second improvement under this head has a similar object which is
accomplished by having one, two, or more straight rods fastened to the dome plate,
and passing through some part of the burner, so that when the dome plate
and chimney are moved together perpendicularly upwards the wished for
distance, a notch in one or more of the rods or projections on the same fits
again a shoulder or shoulders on the burner, and retains the dome plate and
chimney in the desired position; any other arrangement of spring or catch
may be employed. The same end would be gained by having the dome plate
to slide on one, two, or, more fixed rods on which would be catches for
retaining such dome plate and chimney at the desired distance from the flame
or wick.
Under that class without glass chimnies, the first improvement consists in
encircling the wick tube, and at a distance from the same by a perforated
plate or wire gauze work, preferably with apertures of varying sizes. On the
top of the perforated plate or wire gauze there is a metal dome which rises
above the top end of the wick tube, with an opening therein at which com-
bustion takes place.
•
The second improvement under this class consists in encircling the wick
tube by a perforated metal dome with openings therein in its height. On the
top of this dome, which terminates preferably above the level of the wick tube;
is a perforated metal work or wire gauze of a cylindrical or other form, at the.
top of which combustion takes place, this being some distance from the wick.
As this arrangement is specially suitable for use in the open air and for hand
use, I have devised means by which this dome and cylinder can be fitted to
any burner having a wick tube; these consist in passing over an ordinary wick
tube a ring or tube connected to a gallery into which the bottom of the per-
forated and open dome fits, and to which it may be hinged. A guide in
addition to the ring or tube which passes round the wick tube, as above
mentioned, will hold the dome and perforated or gauze work in any position;
and as such movement upwards or downwards decreases or increases the
flame, this last described modification is the best of the two, for a very small.
flame for use as a night light can be got, and which is not easily -extin-
guished, the small flame taking place inside the dome and at the wick.
The third improvement under this head consists in the use of two plates
perforated at the bottoms, and placed at two opposite sides of a wick tube, the
lower parts of such plates being some distance from the wick tube, but con-
verging towards each other at the top. The other two and opposite sides of

page_text: the wick tube are open and without plates, but from the edge of the wick tube
there is carried upwards and outwards two metal pieces which join. together
at their outer ends, the two side plates between and at the top of which com-
bustion takes place. As the width of the said side plates is much greater than
the greatest width of the wick or its tube, an extended and clear flame is
obtained.
The fourth improvement under this class is a simplification of the one last
described, and consists in encircling the wick tube, and at a distance therefrom,
by a ring larger in diameter than the widest part of such wick tube, and from
this ring two plates are made to pass upwards, and almost meet just over the
end of the wick. Outside and between these plates combustion takes place.