CERTAIN IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GOTTLIEB
Boccius, of New Road, Shepherds Bush, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-,
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Gottlieb Boccius, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Gottlieb Boccius, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as J, the said Gottlieb Boccius,
my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, make, use, exercise, and vend,-
within that part of Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, Her Dominion, of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad; my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS AND APPARATUS FOR
THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT;" in which said Letters Patent
here is contained a proviso, that I, the said Gottlieb Boccius, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
he same is to be performed, under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the-said-
Gottlieb Boccius, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully set forth and
described in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being had to
the illustrative Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention of "Certain Improved Arrangements and Apparatus for the
Production and Distribution of Light" is of three parts:-
The first consists in the addition to all lamps having glass or other chimneys,
and more particularly to the chimneys of the burners for the combustion of
gas, for which I, the said Gottlieb Boccius obtained Her Majesty's Letters
Patent, dated the Twenty-seventh day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-two, of a light magnifier of the form and placed in the position to be
presently herein-after described. Figure 1, of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
represents one of my Patent burners with this light magnifier added thereto.
As these burners were originally constructed, two or more concentric metal
chimneys or cylinders c, d, were placed within the usual glass chimney (h), all
the three chimneys being open both at the top and bottom. The present improve-
ment consists in inserting within the innermost of the two inner chimneys the
magnifier referred to, which consists of a metal tube. closed at bottom, which
tube dips into the flame, but has no passage for the flame up through it, as in
the case of the chimneys. The outer ring 6 of the burner, represented in
Figure 1, is about fifteen inches in circumference, the inner ring b² about nine
inches. The inner concentric chimneys c, d, are about three-eighths of an inch
apart, and the circumference of the inmost chimney d is equal to that of the
outer ring b. G is the light magnifier; it is of about the same length as the
concentric cylinders or chimneys c, d, and of about two-fifths the diameter of
the inmost chimney d; for about four-fifths of its length from the top it is
perfectly cylindrical, but is tapered towards its lower extremity. It is fixed
and kept in the centre of the inmost chimney by stays f, f, or by any other
convenient means. The materials of which I prefer making this magnifier are
an alloy composed of twenty parts of copper, from eight to ten of zink, and from
five to seven parts of nickel, constituting what is known by the name of the
best German silver; but it may be made of any metal or metallic alloy, which
is infusible when exposed to the action of flame fed with atmospheric air
only. Or, instead. of the whole. of the tube, the lower part only, which is
exposed to the direct action of the flame, may be made of the infusible metal

page_text: or alloy, or of any other substance that will bear the degree of heat to which
the upper part of the tube is likely to be exposed. The magnifier is repre-
sented in the Drawing as being of about two inches in diameter, but I do not
confine myself to that diameter, for I find that when tubes of any diameter, not
exceeding about one-half the diameter of the inmost of the two inner cylinders,
are placed within that cylinder as aforesaid, they more or less encrease the
luminous effect arising from the combustion of any given quantity of gas.. The
magnifier is also represented in the Figure as being of a circular form, like the
burners and the chimneys; but if the burners and chimneys are made of
an octagon, square, or any other form, the form of the magnifier may be also
changed to correspond.
The second part of my said Invention consists in adapting to the oil lamp,
commonly known by the name of the argand lamp, the improvements compre-
hended under the Patent of the Twenty-seventh January, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-two, secondly herein-before recited, and those which have
been just described, as forming the first part of my present Invention.
Figure 2.of the Drawings hereunto annexed represents a common argand
lamp thus improved.. Over the flame, and within the usual glass chimney are
placed the two or more concentric cylinders or chimneys c, d, and within the
innermost of these concentric cylinders or chimneys the light magnifier G:
The chimneys c, d, as well as the light magnifier G, are made of the best
German silver, composed as aforesaid, or of any of the substitutes (in whole or.
part) for the same, before pointed out. For the wick of the lamp I use either
threads of cotton, or asbestos, or platinum wire, or any other sort of thread,
or wire, or filament which will serve to convey the oil or other combustible
substance used to the flame. The diameter of the inmost of the two concentric
chimneys should not be much greater or less than the diameter of the burner,
and the space between the flame at the bottom and the outer concentric chimney
should not be much greater or less than the external diameter of the burner.
The distance at which these chimneys may be placed above the surface of the
burner will vary with the size, but should be greater in small than in large
burners; and in small lamps the magnifier G may be dispensed with, as shewn
in Figure 3, as also in large lamps where a very intense light is not desired.
The third part of my Invention relates solely to the distribution of light.
It consists, in the addition to lamps of all descriptions, of a reflector of the
peculiar .conformation afterwards described, or in so placing such reflector in
relation to any lamp that it shall serve to encrease the force or brilliancy of
the light furnished by the same. If placed immediately above the flame the
reflector should be of the form shewn in the plan, Figure 4, and section

page_text: Figure 5. The face on which the light inpinges is made of an undulating or
wavy form, or a combination of.concave and convex cures a and b. The length
of each of the curves a and b, should be equal to the height of the flame to
which the reflector is to be applied, and the curve nearest the flame should be
concave, and that furthest from it convex. If the reflector is intended to be
placed behind instead of above the flame, then the centre aperture C may be
dispensed with, and the curves commence immediately from the centre. By
either of these arrangements the rays of light are distributed very equally in all
directions, and with an extremely novel and pleasing effect. The reflector may
be made of any metal or metallic alloy which is itself capable of taking a high
polish, or which may have a high polish given to it by gilding, silvering, tinning,
or otherwise, or of any substance or combination of substances other than
metals to which a highly reflective surface can be given.
And having now described my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-.
First, the adaptation to all lamps having glass or other chimneys, and more
particularly to gas lamps provided with my Patent burners, of a light magnifier
of the form and substance and placed in the position before described.
Second, the additions to or improvements in the common argand lamp, before
described.
And, third, the reflector, for the better distribution of light, of the peculiar
conformation before described.
In witness whereof. I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-