Improvements in and appertaining to Automatically Lighting and Extinguishing Gas Jets.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and appertaining to Automatically Lighting and
Extinguishing Gas Jets.
A communication from abroad by MATHIEU DEFRAIGNE, of No. 21 bis, Rue
Molière, Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this invention is to allow of immediately extinguishing or lighting
automatically any number of gas jets, the operations being controlled from a point,..
or a station, more or less distant from these jets.
It is based essentially on the use of compressed air, or of vacuum as an
intermediate agent between the apparatus for lighting or extinguishing, placed.
close to the gas jets, and the handle or tap fixed at the place from which it
is desired to simultaneously bring about the lighting or the extinguishing of
these jets.
For this purpose, each of these gas jets is fitted with a pilot burner, the tap of
the burner proper is actuated by the piston of a small air cylinder, situated near
the jet and communicating with a special series of pipes, which a single 3 way cock
allows of being instantaneously put in communication, either with the external air,
or with a reservoir of compressed air, or a vacuum reservoir, according to whether
one or the other of these intermediate agents of transmission is employed.
It will be easily understood that this system is applicable not only to gas jets in
use in public streets, but also to any group of jets capable of being connected with
the place from whence it is desired to effect the instantaneous lighting or extinguish-
ing, and especially in theatres, cafés, factories, railway stations, or private houses.
In order to carry out this invention in practice, the tap of each gas jet is made
with 4 ways, that is to say, its box is perforated with two passages placed at right
angles, and on this box a ratchet wheel, with 8 teeth, is fixed; it will easily be
understood that, under these conditions, if the tap be, for instance, in the position
allowing the passage of gas as soon as the ratchet wheel is moved one tooth forward,
the tap will be closed, and, by moving it forward again another tooth, it will be
again opened, and so on, since the number of teeth in the ratchet is double that of
the openings in the box to which it is attached.
Further, on the gas jet or on its support, a small cylinder is fitted, in which a
piston moves, the rod of which works a pivoted lever fitted with a spring pawl
arranged so as to act on the teeth of the above named ratchet; the cylinder is closed
at its upper end by a cover which, while allowing a free access of the outside air,
limits the travel of the piston, so that it corresponds exactly to the displacement of
one tooth of the ratchet wheel.
Finally, on the gas jet or on the part to which the cylinder is attached, a check
pawl is mounted, which holds the ratchet wheel, and, consequently, the box of the
tap in the position to which it is turned and which prevents it turning back during
the return movement of the lever and its pawl. It is obvious then, that under these
conditions, every time the piston may be raised, the tap will be forced to make of
a revolution, that is to say, to pass from its closed position to an opened one, and

page_text: vice versa; this tap turning always in the same direction at each impulse which it
receives.
In order to produce the successive movements of the rotating gas tap, the bottom
of the cylinder communicates freely with a tube branching at its lower end from the
principal pipe, which leads from the point from whence it is desired to actuate the
said gas tap. This station is fitted with a threeway valve or tap, branching from a
main pipe, or from a reservoir filled with compressed air, the use of which will be
shown later.
At the upper part of the gas jet, a branch tube terminates, which serves as a
pilot light, similar to that which is employed with the gas jets at present in use, and
in which the lighting can be produced by the simple fact of opening the inflow tap
for the gas.
The apparatus thus arranged works in the following manner :-
Presuming that the tap of the gas jet is closed, and that it is desired to light up,
it will be sufficient to turn the threeway cock, fixed at the station, so as to allow of
the compressed air contained in the reservoir to flow into the pipes, and act on the
cylinders placed near the jets; under this action the piston of each cylinder when
rising will force the ratchet wheel, and consequently the tap of the corresponding
gas jet, to turn of a revolution; the tap being then open will allow the gas to
reach the burner where it will be lighted by contact with the flame of the pilot.
This operation terminated, the threeway cock, governing the system of pipes, is
again turned, so as to place the former in communication with the external air, and
the piston of each cylinder, being no longer supported by the pressure of the air,
redescends under the action of its own weight, the pawl on the lever which is
actuated thereby sliding over a tooth of the ratchet which remains held in position
by the check pawl, and the apparatus is then again ready to receive a fresh impulse.
When the second impulse is given by again allowing the compressed air to enter
the pipes, the ratchet wheel of each gas jet will make of a revolution, and thus
achieve the closing of the corresponding cock and the jet will be immediately
extinguished the parts will then resume their normal position as before, as soon
as the pipe is put in communication with the external air.
The same results can naturally be equally well obtained by the use of vacuum,
and it is sufficient to arrange the cylinders in a suitable manner.
It
It is equally evident that the fourway cocks for the gas can be replaced by
ordinary taps; it is sufficient in that case that the rotating movement imparted to
the plugs of these taps corresponds to of the circumference; the result can easily
be obtained by means of levers or gearing, suitable arranged for the purpose.
may also be stated, that, in certain cases, the valve for lighting or extinguishing the
gas may be made to work by means of a starting arrangement actuated by an
electric or other clock-work which will thus assure the absolutely automatic action
of the system at fixed hours.
Dated this 13th day of May 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and appertaining to Automatically Lighting and
Extinguishing Gas Jets.
A communication from abroad by MATHIEU DEFRAIGNE, of No. 21 bis. Rue.
Molière, Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,.
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn,. in the

page_text: County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 object of this invention is to allow of immediately extinguishing or lighting
automatically any number of gas jets, the operations being controlled from a point,
or a station, more or less distant from these jets.
It is based essentially on the use of compressed air, or of vacuum as an inter-
mediate agent between the apparatus for lighting or extinguishing, placed close
to the gas jets, and the handle or tap fixed at the place from which it is
desired to simultaneously bring about the lighting or the extinguishing of these
jets.
For this purpose, each of these gas jets is fitted with a pilot burner, the tap.
of the burner proper is actuated by the piston of a small air cylinder, situated near
the jet and communicating with a special series of pipes, which a single 3-way cock
allows of being instantaneously put in communication, either with the external
air, or with a reservoir of compressed air, or a vacuum reservoir, according to
whether one or the other of these intermediate agents of transmission is employed.
It will be easily understood that this system is applicable not only to gas jets
in use in public streets, but also to any group of jets capable of being connected
with the place from whence it is desired to effect the instantaneous lighting or
extinguishing, and especially in theatres, cafés, factories, railway stations or private
houses.
On the annexed drawings:
Figure 1 is an elevation with a part in section showing a gas jet fitted with the
device.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the tap and air cylinder actuating it.
Figure 3 shows the arrangement of pipes for compressed or rarefied air applied
to a street gas lamp.
с
In order to carry out this invention in practice, the tap of each gas jet a is made
with 4 ways, that is to say, its plug c is perforated with two passages placed at
right angles, and on this plug a ratchet wheel d, with 8 teeth, is fixed; it will
easily be understood that, under these conditions, if the plug e be, for instance, in
the position allowing the passage of gas, as soon as the ratchet wheel d is moved
one tooth forward, the tap will be closed, and, by moving it forward again another
tooth, it will be again opened, and so on, since the number of teeth in the ratchet
is double that of the openings in the box to which it is attached.
Further, on the gas jet a or on its support, a small cylinder e is fitted, in which a
piston moves, the rod of which works a pivoted lever g fitted with a spring pawl h
arranged so as to act on the teeth of the above named ratchet; the cylinder e is
closed at its upper end by a cover i, which, while allowing a free access of the
outside air, limits the travel of the piston f, so that it corresponds exactly to the
displacement of one tooth of the ratchet wheel d.
Finally, on the gas jet or on the part to which the cylinder is attached, a check
pawl is mounted, which holds the ratchet wheel, and, consequently, the plug of
the tap in the position to which it is turned and which prevents it turning back
during the return movements of the lever g and its pawl. It is obvious then, that,
under these conditions, every time the piston f may be raised, the plug e will be
forced to make of a revolution, that is to say, to pass from its closed position to
an opened one, and vice versa; this tap turning always in the same direction at each
impulse which it receives.
In order to produce the successive movements of the rotating gas tap, the bottom
of the cylinder e communicates freely with a tube k branching at its lower end from
the principal pipe l, which leads from the point from whence it is desired to
actuate the said gas tap. This station is fitted with a 3-way valve or tap m,
branching from a main pipe n, or from a reservoir filled with compressed air, the
use of which will be shown later.

page_text: At the upper part of the gas jet, a branch tube terminates, which serves as a
pilot light, similar to that which is employed with the gas jets at present in use,
and in which the lighting can be produced by the simple fact of opening the inflow
tap for the gas.
.
The apparatus thus arranged works in the following manner :-
Presuming that the tap of the gas jet is closed, and that it is desired to light up,
it will be sufficient to turn the 3-way cock m, fixed at the station, so as to allow the
compressed air contained in the reservoir n to flow into the pipes l, and act on the
pistons in the cylinders e placed near the jets; under this action, the piston of
each cylinder when rising will force the ratchet wheel d, and, consequently, the tap
of the corresponding gas jet, to turn of a revolution; the tap, being then open,
will allow the gas to reach the burner," where it will be lighted by contact with the
flame of the pilot /.
This operation terminated, the 3-way cock m, governing the system of pipes, is
again turned, so as to place the former in communication with the external air, and
the piston of each cylinder e, being no longer supported by the pressure of the air,
descends under the action of its own weight, the pawl on the lever g which is
actuated thereby sliding over a tooth of the ratchet which remains held in
position by the check pawl and the apparatus is then again ready to receive a
fresh impulse.
When the second impulse is given by again allowing the compressed air to enter
the pipes, the plug e of each gas jet will make of a revolution, and thus achieve
the closing of the corresponding cock and the jet will be immediately extin-
guished; the parts will then resume their normal position, as before, as soon as the
pipe is put in communication with the external air.
The same results can naturally be equally well obtained by the use of vacuum,
and it is sufficient to arrange the cylinders, actuating the gas jets, in a suitable
manner.
It is equally evident that the 4-way cocks for the gas can be replaced by ordinary
taps it is sufficient, in that case, that the rotating movement imparted to the plugs
of these taps corresponds to of the circumference; the result can easily be
obtained by means of levers or gearing suitably arranged for the purpose.
It may
also be stated that, in certain cases, the valve m may be actuated by an electric or
other clockwork, which will thus assure the absolutely automatic action of the
system at fixed hours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an apparatus for simultaneously lighting or extinguishing any given
number of gas jets, the combination of a small air cylinder situated in proximity to
each jet burner, a gas tap, the plug of which carries a ratchet wheel actuated by
the piston of the cylinder aforesaid, and a series of pipes, each communicating with
one of said cylinders and all adapted to be simultaneously placed, as required, either
in communication with the external air or with a reservoir of compressed air (or a
vacuum chamber) in a fixed point or station more or less distant from the jets,
substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for lighting or extinguishing gas jets, the combination, with
an air cylinder, of a gas tap, the plug of which, pierced by 4 ways, has a ratchet
wheel having 8 teeth and provided with a pawl and check pawl, the said wheel
turning always in the same direction under the action of the said pawls and the
piston of the aforesaid cylinder, the whole being arranged substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. In an apparatus for simultaneously lighting or extinguishing gas jets, the
combination of an air cylinder e, a gas tap plug c having a ratchet wheel d actuated
as described by the piston f of the said cylinder, a valve or 3-way cock m for

page_text: placing the cylinder e as desired in communication either with the external air or
with a reservoir n of compressed air, (or a vacuum reservoir) situated at a more or
less distant point, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 13th day of February 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.