IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Hinks, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Hinks at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1878.
JOSEPH HINKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."
My Invention has reference to lamps having double flat wicks, and consists of
the mechanism herein-after described for raising and lowering the said wicks.
In constructing the said mechanism according to my Invention, employ axes
provided with pinions for raising and lowering the wicks, the said pinions acting
on the wicks through slots or opening in the wick tubes or holders as usual.
Instead however of one of the said axes being between the wick holders, and the
other on the outer side of one of the wick holders, as usual, I place both the said
axes between the wick holders. I fix the pinions on their axes in different planes,
so that the said pinions are not opposite to each other. By this means I am enabled
to employ pinions of larger size than could be employed in the narrow space between
the wick holders if the pinions were opposite to each other. One of the pinion
axes projects to a convenient distance from the burner, and terminates in a milled
head by which it is turned. The other, or second pinion axis, does not project
to the outside of the burner. This second axis carries at its end a toothed wheel,
which gears with a similar toothed wheel on a tube or tubular axis working on the
first-named axis. This tubular axis passes to the outside of the burner, and ter
ninates in a milled head of somewhat larger diameter than that of the first-named
axis, and situated immediately behind it. By turning one or other of the milled
heads, one or other of the wicks may be raised or lowered. The small front milled
head is fixed on the end of one of the axes, and when that milled head is turned,
one of the wicks is directly raised or lowered. By turning the larger hind milled*

page_text: head, its motion is transmitted through the tubular axis and the gearing described
to the other axis, and the other wick is raised or lowered.
By the arrangement described, the raising and lowering of each wick is effected
by the turning of the respective milled heads in the same direction. As the two
milled heads are concentric, and the larger one is immediately behind the smaller
one, either the one or the other or both simultaneously can be operated upon by
the thumb and finger, and the independent or simultaneous raising or lowering of
the wicks effected.
My Invention is especially applicable to lamps burning volatile oils, but is also
applicable to all lamps having double wicks, whatever be the nature of the com-
bustible burned in them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
.
the said Joseph Hinks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd August
1878.
JOSEPH HINKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer.
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."
1
"IM-
My Invention has reference to lamps having double flat wicks, and consists of
the mechanism herein-after described for raising and lowering the said wicks.
In constructing the said mechanism according to my Invention, I employ axes
provided with pinions for raising and lowering the wicks, the said pinions acting
on the wicks through slots or openings in the wick tubes or holders as usual.
Instead however of one of the said axes being between the wick holders, and the
other on the outer side of one of the wick holders, as usual, I place both the said
axes between the wick holders. I fix the pinions on their axes in different planes,
so that the said pinions are not opposite to each other. By this means I am enabled
to employ pinions of larger size than could be employed in the narrow space between
the wick holders if the pinions were opposite to each other. One of the pinion
axes projects to a convenient distance from the burner, and terminates in a milled
head by which it is turned. The other, or second pinion axis, does not project
to the outside of the burner. This second axis carries at its end a toothed wheel,
which gears with a similar toothed wheel on a tube or tubular axis working on the
first-named axis. This tubular axis passes to the outside of the burner, and ter-
minates in a milled head of somewhat larger diameter than that of the first-named
axis, and situated behind it. Both of the milled heads may, however, be made
of the same diameter. By turning one or other of the milled heads, one or other
of the wicks may be raised or lowered. The small front milled head is fixed on
the end of one of the axes, and when that milled head is turned, one of the wicks
is directly raised or lowered. By turning the larger hind milled head, its motion
is transmitted through the tubular axis, and the gearing described to the other
axis, and the other wick is raised or lowered.

page_text: By the arrangement described, the raising and lowering of each wick is effected
by the turning of the respective milled heads in the same direction. As the two
milled heads are concentric, and the larger one is immediately behind the smaller
one, either the one or the other or both simultaneously can be operated upon by
the thumb and finger, and the independent or simultaneous raising or lowering of
the wicks effected.
I will now describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner
in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan a portion of a double burner of a volatile oil lamp,
the wick raising and lowering mechanism of which is constructed and arranged
according to my Invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken in a direction parallel to the
principal axis of the mechanism, and, Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections of the
same taken in a direction at right angles to that in which the section Figure 2 is
taken, Figure 3 being taken through the wick pinions and Figure 4 being taken
through the toothed gearing.
Figure 5 represents a plan of the wick mechanism detached and, Figures 6 and 7
represent portions of the same detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, b, are the two flat wick holders or cases combined in the same burner, each
wick holder or case containing a flat wick as usual; c, d, are the two parallel
pinion axes situated and working between the two wick cases or holders a, b, as
best seen in Figure 1. The axis c carries two pinions e, e, and the other axis d
carries similar pinions f. f, the said pinions e, e, and f, f, acting through slots in the
wick holders or cases a, b, upon the respective wicks in the said holders or cases.
The pinions e, e, on the axis c are fixed in different planes from those in which the
pinions f. f. are fixed on the other axis d. The pairs of pinions e, e, f, f, on their
respective axes c, d, are not opposite each other, and consequently larger pinions
can be employed in the space between the two cases a, b, than could be used if the
pinions on one axis were opposite those on the other axis.
The pinion axis d, shown separately in Figure 6, projects some distance from the
burner and terminates in the milled head g for turning it. Around the projecting
or prolonged part of the pinion axis d a hollow or tubular axis h is situated and
works, the said hollow or tubular axis h being provided with a milled head i for
turning it, the said milled head i being situated behind the milled head g of the
prolonged axis d, so that both the said heads g and i may be grasped between the
thumb and finger. The tubular axis h is shown detached in elevation and section
in Figure 7. The pinion axis c carries near its end a toothed wheel k, which gears
with a similar toothed wheel on the tubular axis h working upon the prolonged
pinion axis d. By turning the front milled head g of the axis d in one or other
direction, the pinions f, f, raise or lower the wick in the wick case b, and by turning
the hind milled head i on the tubular axis h in one or other direction, its motion
is transmitted through the said tubular axis h and the toothed wheels l, k, to the
5 axis C, and the pinions e, e, on the said axis c raise or lower the wick in the wick
case a. By grasping the heads g, i, between the thumb and finger and simultaneously
turning them in the same direction, the two wicks in the wick cases a, b, may be
simultaneously raised or lowered. Thus the two wicks in the wick cases a, b, may
independently raised or lowered by the turning of one or other of the milled heads
g or i, or the two wicks may be simultaneously raised or lowered by the simultaneous
turning in the same direction of both of the said milled heads g and i, as will be
understood by an examination of the Drawing.
My Invention is especially applicable to lamps burning volatile oils, but is also
applicable to all lamps having double wicks, whatever be the nature of the com-
bustible burned in them.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention, the

page_text: improvements in mechanism herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, for raising and lowering the double flat wicks of lamps, that is to
say, arranging the parallel pinion axes of the wick raising and lowering mechanism
between the two wick holders or cases of the burner, and prolonging one of the said
pinion axes beyond the body of the burner, and placing upon the prolonged part of
the said pinion axis a second or tubular axis, which carries on its end a toothed wheel
which gears with a toothed wheel on the other pinion axis, the ends of the prolonged
pinion axis and the tubular axis being provided with milled heads concentric with and
situated near one another, so that either the one or the other or both simultaneously
can be operated by the thumb and finger, and the independent or simultaneous
raising or lowering of the wicks effected, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hinks, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this First day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
F. W. BACH,
92, New Bond St.,
W.
JOSEPH HINKS. (L.S.)