Improvements in or relating to Acetylene and similar Generators and Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Acetylene and similar Generators
and Lamps.
I, ALVIN LEROY BUFFINGTON, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Minnea-
polis, Minnesota, United States of America, 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:-
This invention has for its immediate object to provide an improved acetylene
gas lamp especially adapted for use on bicycles; and to this end, it consists of the
novel devices and combinations of devices, hereinafter described and defined in
the claims.
The preferred form of the invention, designed as a bicycle lamp, is illustrated
in the accompanying drawings. Therein like characters indicating like parts,
throughout the several views,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved bicycle lamp;
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the lamp;
Figure 3 is a vertical section, taken on the line ³ ³ of Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a vertical section, taken on the line of Figure 3.
It will be noted that in the construction shown, the lamp, taken as an entirety.
forms a true or nearly true sphere or ball.
The main body portion of the lamp is made up of a metallic zone a and con-
centric cylindrical section a¹, which is spaced apart inward of the same, but
connected therewith at its ends to form an annular water-containing compart-
ment a² that extends in a vertical plane. At its top, the annular water com-
partment is provided with a water inlet passage a³ that is normally closed by
The bottom-most
means of a plug a provided with very small air vents a5.
portions of the sections a and a¹ are connected, preferably near their central
portions, by means of a thimble a that is provided with a screw-threaded needle
valve b. Lateral perforations a' lead to the needle point of the valve from the
water compartment a². and a capillary passage as leads from the needle valve seat
into the bottom of the cylindrical chamber or compartment formed within the
cylindrical flange a¹. The needle valve b is provided with a spring arm b¹, by
means of which it may be readily removed, and which is bent to the outline of

page_text: the exterior of the lamp, and frictionally engages the same so as to hold the
valve wherever set.
The outer or forward end of the cylinder a¹ is closed by means of a concave
web or plate c that is either formed with a reflector on its face, or covered with a
removable concave reflector, indicated at c¹, but preferably provided with both,
for reasons which will be hereinafter noted. The axis of this reflector or of the
reflectors extends concentric to the axis of the cylinder a¹, and approximately
in a horizontal direction, although this might, of course, be considerably varied.
The concave plate c is provided at its centre or axis, with a perforated forwardly
projecting nipple c² provided with a gas burner c³. The perforated nipple c² and
burner are so constructed that the gas which is forced therethrough and the
burning flame therefrom will be projected forward approximately on the line
of the axis of the reflector. The importance of this construction will be given
further attention later on. It may be here noted that the passage through the
nipple opens directly from an inwardly projecting cap c, provided with a
multiplicity of capillary perforations, in its peripheral wall
d indicates a clamping ring, which has screw-threaded engagement with the
outer and forward margin of the section a, and is provided with an inturned
flange which overlaps the edge of the reflector c¹ and removably secures the
same.
The ring d carries a skeleton guard formed by intersecting wires d', which are
bent so as to protect the flame from the burner ³, and to complete the spherical
form of the lamp. & indicates coloured signal buttons preferably of blue or
red glass, which are secured in the skeleton frame d, one on each side of the
burner.
The rear end of the cylinder a¹ is normally closed by means of an end piece f.
which completes the spherical form of the rear portion of the lamp, and is pro-
vided with an inwardly projecting flange f¹ that has screw-threaded engagement
with the rear margin of said cylinder a¹. A gasket or packing ring f³ is
mounted in a suitable seat in the section f, outward of the flange f¹, and engage-
able with the end of the portion which connects the sections a and a¹. At its
central portion, the section f is provided with a rearwardly projecting screw-
threaded nipple f³, in which a ball socket or seat is formed. g indicates a stem
which is provided, at one end, with a ball g' which is held in its seat within the
nipple by means of a perforated cap g² and screw-threaded on to said nipple f³.
The other end of the stem g is secured to the frame off the bicycle in any suitable
way.
The generating chamber h, it will be noted, is formed within the cylinder a¹
between the concave front wall c, and rear section f. A carbide holder of novel
construction is preferably employed, which is especially designed and adapted
for use in connection with the lamp above described. It will, of course, be under-
stood that this carbide holder is capable of use in connection with other forms of
generators. This carbide holder consists of two parts made up of alternate layers
of perforated thin metal and absorbent material extending over or approximately
over the entire holder. The perforated metal portions are preferably placed in
direct contact with the carbide and surround the same with absorbent material.
k and indicate a pair of telescopically engageable metal cups or sections which
are perforated over their entire surfaces. 2 indicates a third cup-like section
which is perforated over its entire surface. This section 12 telescopes over the
sections and . indicates cloth or other absorbent material which is placed
between the ends of the sections and and the cylindrical sides of
the sections k¹ and k². indicates a disc of cloth or other absorbent
material which is pressed against the perforate end of the section k¹,
as shown by means of a metallic disc n engaging the same, and the coiled spring n¹
compressed between said disc n and the. rear end section f.
indicates water contained in the annular water compartment or chamber a²,
and indicates carbide contained within the carbide holder. The carbide does

page_text: not need to be granulated, but should be finely broken. It will be noted that, in
the operative positions of the parts, the lower peripheral portion of the carbide
holder stands directly over and in close contact with the feed water passage as.
By means of the ball and socket joint, the lamp may be adjusted at any angle,
or turned in any position within, of course, its possible limit of movement per-
mitted by the joint; and, when the nut is tightened, the lamp will be securely
held wherever set.
To open up the generating chamber, the lamp may be turned bodily so as to
unscrew the body of the same from the relatively fixed section f. This, of course,
gives ready access to the interior of the generating chamber, so that the carbide
holder may be removed, cleaned, refilled and replaced in working position. The
body of the lamp is, of course, secured to the section f by turning the same in
reverse direction from that required to remove it.
The generating action is started by moving the valve 6 by means of the arm b',
in the proper direction to open up the water feed passage a8. As atmospheric
pressure is rendered effective within the water compartment a², the water will
be fed into the generating chamber under a pressure equal to that of the column
of water itself. The water which is fed into the generating chamber will come
almost instantly into contact with the absorbent material, and by the latter, will,
under the action of capillary attraction, be conducted completely around the
carbide in the holder. When the generation is started, small particles only of
the carbide and absorbent material will be in direct contact, but, as
the generating action proceeds, the decomposed products will fill the
perforations of the metallic sections, and thus greatly increase the direct
contact between the absorbent material and the contents of the holder. In this
manner of giving increased contact between the absorbent material and the products
of decomposition, the increased resistance which the water finds in reaching the
carbide, through the lime products, is nearly or quite offset or compensated for
by the increased direct contact between said lime products and the absorbent
material.
c4
The gas which is generated finds a ready escape through the perforations e of
the cape, and thence through the nipple and burner c. The perforated cap
will prevent any water which might possibly, by some contingency, collect in a
considerable quantity within the generating chamber, from being thrown into the
nipple or burner 3, under the vibrating movement of the bicycle.
By the use of the improved and novel arrangement of the reflector and the gas
burner, which co-operates therewith the most satisfactory results are obtained.
By projecting the flame on the axis of the reflector from a burner located at its
centre, almost the entire reflecting surface of the reflector is rendered effective.
while, with an ordinary vertically projected flame, a large portion of the reflected
rays are cut off or absorbed by the flame itself. It has also been determined by
experiment that a gas flame will stand a much stronger wind, when projected
directly against the same, than it will when turned sidewise to the same.
flame which is turned sidewise or projected at approximately a right angle to the
wind seems to be extinguished, as if cut off. Furthermore when the lamp is
advanced rapidly in the direction of the axis of the reflector, the wind which is
caught by the concavity of the reflector seems to meet in a vortex near the burner,
and thus either to rebound or to resist the reverse force of the wind.
The
The above features make the lamp especially adapted for use on a bicycle. It
has been demonstrated that the lamp can be run at a higher possible bicycle speed,
with the burner unprotected or exposed as shown, and even without the use of the
skeleton guard, which, as a matter of fact, is used more to prevent a person from
burning his hand or clothes than for any other purpose.
The lamp is certainly very simple in construction, compact, and neat in appear-
auce and its efficiency has been thoroughly demonstrated.
It will, of course, be understood that the features of construction above noted are
capable of a large range of variation.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A spherical acetylene generator and lamp.
2. In a lamp or generator, the combination with a generating compartment of
a water-containing compartment extending in a vertical plane and surrounding
said generating compartment and a water feed passage between said compartments
substantially as described.
3. In a lamp or generator the combination with a horizontally disposed cylin-
drical generating chamber, of an annular water containing compartment extending
in a vertical plane and surrounding said generating compartment, and a water
feed passage between said compartments substantially as described.
4. In a lamp the combination with a generating compartment of a water-con-
taining compartment extending in a vertical plane and surrounding said generat-
ing chamber a water feed passage between said compartments and a hand-set
valve for opening and closing said passage, substantially as described.
5. In a lamp the combination with a horizontally disposed cylindrical generating
chamber of an annular water-containing compartment extending in a vertical
plane and surrounding said generating chamber a water feed passage located in
the lowest portion of said generating chamber and a hand-set valve for opening
and closing said passage substantially as described.
6. In a lamp the combination with a relatively fixed rear end section of a re-
movable section involving an annular water-containing comparinent and a con-
cave front end wall serving as a reflector back, the generating chamber being
formed within said water compartment and in communication therewith through
a feed water passage substantially as described.
7. In a lamp the combination with a relatively fixed rear end section of the
removable section involving the annular water containing compartment and the
concave front and wall serving as a reflector, back, the generating chamber being
formed within said annular water compartment and in communication therewith
through a feed water passage and a gas burner opening from said generating
chamber through said concave reflector back, in position to project the flame on
the axis thereof.
8. In a gas lamp the combination with a gas burner opening through one side
thereof, of a perforated protecting cap within the generating chamber, covering
the passage to said burner, substantially as described.
9. The combination with a concave reflector, of a gas burner arranged to project
the flame on the axis thereof, substantially as described.
10. The combination with the concave reflector of a gas burner opening centrally
through the same and arranged to project the flame approximately on the axis
thereof substantially as described.
11. In a lamp the combination with a generating chamber one wall of which
is concave of a reflector covering said concavity and a gas burner opening from said
generating chamber through said concave end and reflector and arranged to
project the flame approximately on the axis of said reflector, substantially as
described.
12. In a lamp provided with a concave end, the combination with one or more
concave reflectors securable in said concavity of an annular clamp holding said
reflector or reflectors in working position, a convex skeleton guard projecting from
said annular clamp and a gas burner opening axially through said concave end
and reflector substantially as described.
13. In a lamp provided with a concave end which of itself constitutes a reflector
the combination with one or more removable reflectors of a gas burner opening
from said generating chamber through said concave end and reflectors and
arranged to project the flame on the axis thereof, substantially as described.
14. The combination with a lamp provided with a reflector in its forward face
of a gas burner at the axis of said reflector a convex skeleton guard projecting

page_text: forward of said reflector, and coloured signals of glass or similar material located
in the sides of said skeleton guard, substantially as described.
15. A body of carbide or similar gas-producing material held in compact form
by a holder made up of alternate layers of perforate metal and absorbent material
substantially as described.
16. A carbide holder made up of perforate metal having direct contact with the
carbide therein contained and a covering of absorbent material surrounding said
perforate parts substantially as described.
1
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.