Improvements in Electric Gas Lighters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1895-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1895
Improvements in Electric Gas Lighters.
We, HARRY GRAHAM GRIER and ALBERT GLEAVES GRIER both of 735
N. 43rd Street in the City of Philadelphia and ALFRED SAMUEL HOTTLE of
4606 Wayne Street Germantown all in the County of Philadelphia State
of Pennsylvania one of the United States of America Electrical Engineer and
Leather Merchants respectively 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 :-
The object of this invention is to construct an automatic electric gas lighter
that will be particularly adapted for "Welsbach "burners and which may be
carried wholly by the shade holder and can be made detachable with the shade
holder from the fixed portion of the burner. A further object of this invention is
to so construct the burner that the screen will be below the internal flange of the
crown for the purpose hereinafter fully described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section illustrating in connection with a
Welsbach burner an automatic gas lighter constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a detached perspective view of the shade holder and screen with the
automatic apparatus attached; and
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the crown.
A is the hollow stem of the gas burner communicating with the pipe A¹ and
having an enlarged portion a provided with valved openings so that the gas will
be combined with a certain proportion of air in its passage to the crown.
B is the shade holder adapted to support the shade or chimney C, and the
crown B' which crown is shewn as being made in two sections 6 6' (Figure 1) one
insulated from the other by a ring c of non-conducting material.
A flange b² extends inwards around the portion 6' of the crown and situated some
distance below this flange is a screen e arranged at such a distance below the flange
that a channel e' is formed between the screen e and the flange 62 in which the gas
that escapes can circulate. The screen e is preferably supported upon a rib made
on the part 6 of the crown.
D is an electro magnet secured to the shade holder (or other convenient part) in
any suitable manner and pivoted to the frame of the said magnet at dis an
armature d and extending from the armature is a rod & having a bent over
portion da forming a moveable terminal. This rod d² passes through a guideway f
screwed or otherwise secured in the portion 6 of the crown and it may also be
screwed or secured in the frame of the magnet D to secure the magnet to the shade
holder.
The armature d is secured to the rod d' through a sleeve f¹ which is fixed to the
rod and is flattened on each side so that it will fit in a slot in the armature, thus
preventing the turning of the terminal d³ at the end of the rod d. Between the
sleeve and the slideway f is a spring f, which tends to push the armature d away
from the magnet D and to hold the terminal d down upon the flange 6 of the
portion 6 of the crown which is the fixed terminal insulated from the body of
the shade holder by the insulating material c. The wires may extend from the
Baid terminal and from the magnet D or shade holder and may be fastened to
line wires leading to a suitable button or any other form of cut out.

page_text: It
The rod d² is insulated from the screen which is shewn as being effected by an
eye of porcelain or other non-conducting material carried by the screen e.
will be seen that the sparking apparatus is within the mantle and that the entire
device is compact and can be readily attached to any burner by simply removing
the ordinary shade holder and substituting the shade holder having the magnet D
and other electrical connections as described.
In some instances binding screws hh may be provided at one side of the shade
holder to which suitable terminals may be connected, or the binding posts may be
arranged on the inside of the shade holder or the wires may extend from the
magnet D and from the fixed terminal so that the battery wires may be readily
connected to them.
By utilizing the turned in flange 62 of the portion b¹ of the crown as one terminal
and by lowering the screen e within the crown so as to form an annular channel e¹
the proper lighting of the burner as soon as the spark is made is insured as the gas,
as it escapes from the tube to the screen, circulates first within the channel, so
that as soon as the spark is made there is sufficient gas in the channel to ignite at
once.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination in an electric gas lighter, of the shade holder carrying a
crown, the outer portion of the crown being insulated from the inner portion and
forming one terminal of the lighter, a magnet carried by the shade holder, an
armature and a movable terminal connected to the armature and adapted to come
into contact with the portion of the crown forming the other terminal substantially
as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination in an electric gas lighter of the fixed portion of the gas
burner, the detachable shade holder, a two part crown carried thereby, one part of
the crown being insulated from the other and having a turned in flange forming a
terminal, a magnet supported by the shade holder, a pivoted armature a vertical
rod passing up through the crown and overhanging its flange the said rod being
attached to the armature and a spring for holding the movable terminal down upon
the fixed terminal substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination of the burner, a screen a channelled flange above the screen
in which the gas circulates, electric contacts at the channel and means for creating
a spark at the contacts substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination of a burner of the Welsbach type consisting of a central
tube for the mixture of air and gas, a crown having an internal flange around its
periphery a screen mounted within the crown some distance below the flange
forming a gas channel, the crown forming one terminal of an electric gas lighter, a
movable terminal adapted to come into contact with the fixed terminal and means
for actuating the moveable terminal, substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination in a burner, of the crown having an internal flange at its
periphery and an internal rib some distance below the flange, a screen mounted
within the crown upon the rib forming with the flange a gas channel, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
6. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting an electric gas lighter
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 16th day of July 1895