Improvements in or connected with Incandescent Gas Street Lamps and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Incandescent Gas Street Lamps
and the like.
I, GOTTLOB HIMMEL, of 5, Pfleghof Strasse, Tübingen, Wurtemberg, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The general introduction of incandescent gas lamps for lighting streets, public
places and the like, is impeded by considerable drawbacks.
The vibration caused in the lamp by gusts of wind, the jarring of street traffic
and the like whereby the very susceptible incandescent mantle is frequently
damaged and often after a short time has to be replaced by a new one, is indeed
met by a spring mounting of the incandescent mantle, for instance by the inser-
tion of spring air-mixing tubes. No means have however been hitherto provided
for preventing sudden shocks to the lamp such as are not infrequently caused by
carelessness or want of skill on the part of the lamplighter.
All incandescent gas lamps have horizontally iying tap plugs which are opened
and closed by a vertical movement of the lighting torch of the lamp lighter,
which movement operates the tap. As all taps are not equally easy to open
and close, the lamplighter frequently strikes pretty sharply against the arm or
lever of the tap usually causing a violent vibration of the lamp which is injurious
to the mantle. If further self closing taps are employed, that is to say taps for
closing the lighting pipe after the lamp has been fully lit, a somewhat heavy
counterweight is again necessary for closing such a tap and the lamplighter
when lighting the lamp must also lift this counterweight and is thereby the
more induced to push vigorously against the lever of the tap in order to open
the latter, or in other words to cause jarrings in the lamp.
In order to overcome this drawback, that is to avoid any shock to the incan-
descent gas lamp when lighting the same, the following arrangement is
employed;-
It consists essentially in the opening of a peculiar vertically placed gas tap
being effected by a horizontal movement of the arm of the tap. The lamp lighter
cannot thus exert a great force with his lighting torch as he must press sideways
whilst care is taken to prevent too rapid a turning of the arm of the tap by
the arrangement that if the tap be suddenly opened too far the progressive
igniting tube is closed before the lamp is lighted. The tap must then be again
shut before the lamp can be lighted. The usually correctly working lamp
lighter is thus unable to impart a shock to the lamp and will also take care not
to have to light the lamp a second time, and therefore will proceed very cautiously
when lighting so that usually any shock is avoided.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation; and
Figure 2. a plan view of an incandescent gas street lamp fitted with the above

page_text: Figures 3 to 6 are sectional elevation and plan, also vertical section and cross
section on an enlarged scale of the peculiar tap and lighting device as well as
the means for operating same.
The tap body A is screwed firmly on the end of the gas pipe and the hori-
zontally revoluble tap proper B is held on the tapering tap body A.by means of
two nuts win such a way as to be easily revoluble. The tap body A has no
passage running right through it but has beneath an axial boring extending
up to about half the length, from the upper end of which boring a radial passage a²
leads to the outside of the tapering tap body. Two elbow passages and are
further provided lying laterally somewhat apart which lead from the tap proper B
or side of the tap body A to the top of the tap body in the following way, namely,
one aperture a opens into a gas supply pipe E for the lamp J, said pipe lying
in a prolongation of the axis of the tap, whilst the second aperture a¹ ends in a
pipe Flying concentrically to the pipe E, said pipe being provided with small
laterally projecting lighting nozzles f f f lying about 8 to 10 centimetres apart,
which serve for graded or progressive lighting and through the small apertures
of which nozzles, gas escapes directed parallel to the pipe F, and is lighted at
the lowest nozzle and the graded flame is conveyed upwards through the elbow
pipe and tube 3, or rather the small openings in the latter, to the lamp J and
lights the latter (Figure 3).
The graduated lighting device and the pipe F is enclosed in a protective pipe G
which passes through the lamp bottom and has a protective cap g beneath lying
over the lowest nozzle f with the object of affording protection to the lowest
nozzle of the igniting flame against being extinguished by wind or the like.
The tap proper B has an internal recess or groove b which is so arranged that
when the tap is entirely closed, the aperture a², that is to say the gas supply
to the recess is also shut off.
If the tap be opened, gas flows through the aperture a² out of the pipe into
the recess b of the tap B and from the latter through the lighting flame opening a
to the graduated or progressive lighting pipe F and through the passage a to
the supply pipe E of the lamp. If the tap be completely opened so that the
tap arm Crests against the stop e on which an indiarubber block or a spring
may be provided to avoid too great a shock on striking it, the pipe for supplying
the graded or progressive igniting device is cut off, that is, the opening a¹ of
the tap is again closed whilst the pipe to the lamp remains open and the lamp
continues to burn.
In order to provide for a convenient lighting, itself free from shock, a fixed
contact piece bent round at the free end is provided against which the arm C
of the tap bears when the latter is closed. The lamp lighter when lighting the
lamp then only needs to insert the lighting torch carried on the lighting pole H,
between the arms C and D in order to open the tap far enough to allow gas to
flow to the progressive lighting device and the burner of the lamp. If he turns
the arm C further to the right as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6, the progres-
sive lighting device pipe is again closed. If the lamp lighter is too hasty, by
which means as a rule the incandescent mantle is damaged, he immediately again
dloses the igniting pipe when opening the tap, so that the lamp is not lit and
the lamp lighter must recommence afresh after first closing the tap. This he
finds out by himself and is therefore the next time more careful in lighting the
lamp.
This improved lamp lighting device, in addition to the saving of the incan-
descent mantles, affords the advantage of greater simplicity with an absolutely
certain action. In consequence of the central arrangement of the pipes for the
main supply and the progressive igniting device, and also the protective pipe for
the latter, these pipes need only be of small diameter and consequently only a
small opening in the bottom of the lamp is necessary to allow of their passing
through. A simple clean, cheap and favorable construction is obtained, whilst
hitherto complicated and costly devices were necessary.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. A lighting device for incandescent gas light lamps with a graded or pro-
gressive lighting adapted to ensure a certain lighting of the lamp free from
shocks, characterised by a horizontally revoluble tap (B) being arranged on a
fixed tap body (A) forming a prolongation of the gas pipe, which tap proper (1)
has an internal recess or groove (6) adapted to communicate with three radial
and elbow passages (a a a²) formed in the tap body (A) in such a way that after
the lighting torch (h) has been inserted between a fixed piece (D) and the mov-
able arm or lever (C) of the tap proper, the lamp pipe and progressive igniting-
pipe are opened so that the lamp is lighted, whilst on the lighting torch (h) being
moved further sideways the pipe to the progressive lighting device is again
immediately closed, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. In a lighting device for incandescent lamps such as hereinbefore described,
the arrangement of the main supply pipe (E) the progressive lighting pipe (F)
and the protecting pipe (G) to allow of the former being arranged centrally and
to allow the upper ends of the elbow passages (a and a¹) of the tap body (A) to
open respectively into the feed pipe (E) and the space between the latter and
hereinbefore
the progressive lighting pipe (F) of the lamp, substantially as
described.
1000
THIS
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6. Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.