Improvements in Lamps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th D:c., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Lamps.
I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of 151 Strand, Middlesex, Patent Agent, (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Manuel Carranza, of Guatemala, Republic of
Guatemala, Central America, and José Maria Tinoco, and Ysidro Altozano, both of
the City and County of San Francisco, State of ('alifornia, United States of America,
Gentlemen,) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to electric igniting devices for lamps; and the invention
consists of the constructions and combinations of devices which we shall hereinafter
describe. A reservoir is provided which may be circular or other shape. A fount is
also provided for the lamp which is supported upon the reservoir by a suitable
standard. Within this reservoir is a closely fitting piston above which is seated a
spiral spring serving to press the piston down. The piston is provided with a
number of downwardly opening valves. A rod in the shape of a rack-bar extends
upwardly from the piston through the top of the reservoir and is engaged by a pinion
mounted on a cross-shaft journalled in the aforesaid supporting standard; said shaft
having on the other end a suitable thumb-screw whereby it can be rotated so as to
raise the piston. A supply or food pipe extends from near the bottom of the roservoir.
to near the top of the fount. A safety or overflow pipe extends from near the top of
the fount downwardly into the top of the reservoir above the piston. Oil is fed to the
reservoir through suitable hoppers or funnels on its top. Within the fount is a float
on the end of a pivoted lever, the other end of which carries a valve, which is seated.
in and adapted to close the upper end of the aforesaid supply pipe, and which float
and lever controls the supply of oil to the fount. The burner is constructed upon the
top of the fount and contains the wick tube in which is the wick. An oxtinguishing-
plate is provided, and has the shape of an elbow or bell-crank lever, which is pivoted.
at its angle. The upper end of the lever is curved and is adapted to be thrown.
directly over the top of the wick thereby extinguishing it. It is held back however.
in its normal position by a small spring, and is operated by a suitable lever and.
button; the lever being pivoted to a standard on the top of the fount.
There is provided on the other side of the wick-tube an igniting device, consisting
of a transverse shaft mounted in electrically-insulated bearings and adapted to be
rocked by a suitable lever and button. Suitable arms extending npwards are secured
to the shaft and are adapted to be rocked towards and from the wick. In the top of.
those arms are fitted opposing set-screws, extending between the ends of which is a.
spiral wire made of platinum plated with iridium. The platinum wire is included in>
an electric circuit as follows: Under the reservoir is a hollow base in which is contained
a suitable electric pile or battery, from which extend circuit wires which are preferably.
carried upwardly within the walls of the lamp structure and are connected to the ends
of the platinum. By a simple arrangement, the circuit is made und broken automati-,
cally when the arms carrying the platinum wire are moved towards or away from the:
wick. When the circuit is made, the platinum wire is heated to incandescence and.
said wire coming into contact with the wick lights it.
In an alternative form of this invention, the Tower reservoir for oil is dispensed with.
and the oil is contained in the upper reservoir or fount only. The foot of the lamp in
this form of the invention contains only the battery.
Dated this 16th day of December 1889
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lamps.
1, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of 151 Strand, Middlesex, Patent Agent, (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Manuel Carranza, of Guatemala, Republic of
Guatemala, Central America, and José Maria Tinoco, and Ysidro Altozano, both
of the City and County of San Francisco, State of California, United States of
America, Gentlemen), 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 :—
Our invention relates to electric igniting devices for lamps; and our invention
consists of the constructions and combinations of devices which we shall hereinafter
fully describe and claim.
Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of our
invention;
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lamp, showing our improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lighting-frame.
A is the reservoir of the lamp, which may be circular or other shape.
'
B is the fount of the lamp, supported upon the reservoir by the standard C. Within
the reservoir is a closely, fitting piston a, above which is seated a spiral spring a',
serving to press the piston down. The piston is also provided with a number of.
downwardly-opening valves a³. A rod in the shape of a rack-bar a extends upwardly
from the piston through the top of the reservoir and is engaged by a pinion c, mounted
on a cross-shaft c', journalled in the standard C, said shaft having on its other side a
suitable thumb-screw, whereby it can be rotated, so as to raise the piston a.
D is the supply or feed pipe extending from near the bottom of the reservoir to near.
the top of the fount.
D¹ is a safety or overflow pipe extending from near the top of the fount downwardly
into the top of the reservoir above the piston.
The operation of the parts as far as described is as follows: Oil is fed to the
reservoir through the hoppers or funnels at on its top. By means of the pinion and
rack the piston a is raised, so that the oil which is above it passes down through the
valves a' into the reservoir under the piston. The spring a', acting on the piston
serves to force it downwardly against the oil, thereby pressing the oil upwardly in the.
feed tube D into the fount above. Within the fount is a float E on the end of a
pivoted lever e, the other end of which carries a valve e', which is seated in and
adapted to close the upper end of the supply pipe or tube D. Therefore, when the oil
reaches a certain level in the fount it raises the float and causes the valve E to shut off
the supply; but when the oil in the fount has been consumed sufficiently to lower its
level the float drops and opens the feed tube. In case this mechanism should fail to
operate, the safety-pipe D¹, serving as an overflow-tube, prevents an undue level of the.
oil in the fount and a possible overflow through the wick-tube. Traversing the..
supply-tube is a cut-off valve d, operated by a bar from the outside. This valve may
be operated when it is desired to cut off the supply of oil from the reservoir and to
only consume whatever oil is in the fount. In the safety-tube D', about at a level
with the bottom of the fount, is an opening d', which is controlled by a valve d,
operated from without, so that if it be desired to let the oil out at onco which is
within the fount, the opening may be uncovered, thereby allowing the oil to run down -
the pipe into the reservoir.
Fis the burner inclosing the wick-tube f, in which is the wick f.
Gis an extinguisher-piate, which has. the shape of an elbow or bell-crank. lever,
pivoted at its angle at the point g. The upper end g' of the lever is curved and is
adapted to be thrown directly over the top of the wick, thereby extinguishing it. It
is hold back, however, in its normal position by means of a small spring 92. This
extinguisher-plate is operated by means of a lever H, which is pivoted at to a
standard on the top of the fount. One end of the lever is forked and embraces a
د...

page_text: fixed pin g on the horizontal arm of the extinguisher-plate, while the other end of
the lever has an upwardly-extending button h'. The spring 9, holding the
extinguishing-plate back out of action, also causes the button to remain up. There-
fore by pressing down on the button the lever H is vibrated, so as to turn the
extinguishing plate on its pivotal centre, and throw its upper curved end over the
wick, thereby extinguishing the light. On the other side of the wick -tube is a trans-
verse shaft I, which is mounted and adapted to rock in electrically-insulated bearings i
by means of a pivoted lever J, the forked inner end of which embraces a bail j
on the shaft. The outer end of the lever has a button j', whereby said lever is
operated.
Firmnly secured to the shaft I are arms K, extending upwardly at each end of the
wick-Lube. In the top of these arms are fitted opposing set-screws L, extending
between the ends of which is a spiral wire M, made of platinum plated with iridium.
It will be seen, therefore that by pressing down the button j the lever J will rock the
shaft I and its upright arms K, thereby throwing the platinum wire into contact with
the top of the wick. A spring S serves to return the parts to position and hold the
wire away from the wick.
Ati
The platinum wire is included in an electric circuit as follows: Under the
reservoir A is a hollow base N, in which is included or contained a suitable electric
pile or battery, from which extends the circuit-wires w, which are preferably carried
upwardly within the walls of the lamp-structure. At one end of the shaft I, and in
contact therewith, is a metallic piece O, with which one of the wires to connects.
the other end is a bent metallic piece O¹, the end of which lies just back of one of the
upright arms K of the shaft, though when said arm is pressed backwardly in normal
position it is not in contact with the metallic piece, but only comes in contact with it
when the arın is thrown forward. With this metallic piece O' the other wire w is
connected.
The shaft I is in two sections as shown, connected at the centre by an insulator or
non-conducting piece, so that the course of the current must be through the
platinum wire. The circuit, however, remains open when the parts are in normal
position, for there is then no contact between the piece O¹ and the arm; but when the
button is pressed down so as to swing the parts over and carry the platinum wire
directly over the top of the wick, then at that moment the circuit is closerl by the
contact of the arm with the piece 0, so that the current passing through the platinum
wire heats it to incandescence, and said wire being in contact with the top of the wick
lights it. When the button is released, the parts resume their normal position and
the circuit is opened.
In order to adjust the platinum wire accurately to the height of the wick, we make
the arms K extensible by securing to their tops, by means of elongated slots and
set-screws k, the pieces k³, which carry the set-screws L and wire M. The set-screws L
serve to keep the platinum wire taut.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a lamp, a lighter for the wick, consisting of a swinging frame adapted to be
moved forward and backward to close and open an electric circuit, said frame having
a spiral platinum wire in said circuit, whereby it is heated to incandescence, the said
wire being in contact with the top of the wick, substantially as herein described.
2. In a lamp, a rocking or swinging frame in an electric circuit and adapted to be
moved forward and backward to close and open said circuit, a wire carried by said
frame and adapted by the movement of the frame to be thrown into contact with the
wick, and an electric circuit including the wire, whereby it is heated to incandescence
thereby lighting the wick, substantially as herein described.
3. In a lamp, and in conbination with the wick thereof a swinging frame carrying
the wire M, adapted by the movement of the frame to be thrown into and out of
contact with the wick of the lamp, the wires of an electric circuit, and connections

page_text: between said wires, and the swinging frame, whereby the circuit is alternately close:
and opened by the swinging of said frame, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.
4. In a lamp, the rock-shaft I and the lever-connections and button by which it is
operated, in combination with the arms of the rock-shaft, the wire M secured between
the tops of the arms and adapted to be thrown into contact with the top of the wick
by the movement of the shaft, and an electric circuit, including the wire whereby
it is heated to incandescence and lights the wick, substantially as herein described.
5. In a lamp, and in combination with its wick-tube and contained wick, the rock-
shaft I, the button and lever-connections by which said shaft is moved, and the spring
by which it is returned, the arm secured to said shaft, the wire M, secured between
the arms, and an electric circuit, including the wire, for rendering it incandesceut,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
6. In a lamp, and in combination with its wick tube and contained wick, the
sectional insulated rock-shaft the button and lever-connections, and the spring by
which said shaft is operated, the arms secured to said shaft, the wire M, secured
between the tops of the arms and adapted to be thrown into and out of contact with
the wick, the electric-circuit wires w, the contact piece 'O, connected with one wire,
and bearing on one end of the shaft, and the contact-piece O¹, connected with the other
wire, and with which one of the arms of the shaft is adapted to come in contact when
the wire is thrown over into contact with the wick, whereby the circuit through the
wire is closed, and said wire rendered incandescent to light the wick, substantially as
herein described.
Dated this 16th day of September 1890.
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.