Improvements in Electric Gas-lighters.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 19th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Gas-lighters.
I, THOMAS PETER HEWITT, Eccleston Park, Prescot, in the County of Lancaster
Watch Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and efficient mechanism for
actuating electric gas lighters, which may be easily and silently operated.
In carrying out the invention, I provide an outer fixed cylindrical case, and an inner
revolving cylinder, both made of ebonite or other suitable insulating material, or two
cylinders revolving in opposite directions, in which may be cut air spaces, to form the
dialectric. The top and bottom of the outer cylindrical case is preferably closed by
metal caps, which also serve as pivots or cones in which the spindle of the inner
cylinder rotates. Through the outer cylinder above or below the end of the inner
cylinder or cylinders, a push or finger piece is placed which on being pressed in
causes the inner cylinder to rotate at a high speed by the force given to the
pusher.
The actuating mechanism consists of a quadrant rack or friction piece, working on
a pivot or cone preferably fixed on a base plate in the outer case.
The push piece which works straight in and out by a guide pin slides against the
end of the quadrant and causes it to partially rotate on its axis or pivot. When it
has reached the end of its traverse, a spring causes both the quadrant or its equivalent
and push piece to return to their normal position. The quadrant gears with a small
pinion or drum, fitted loosely to the spindle of the inner cylinder, and arranged with
a click ratchet and spring clutch or equivalent mechanism, so as to turn the spindle
with the forward motion. This is done in my experimental apparatus in the following
inanner.
On one of the faces of the pinion are cut ratchet teeth, which are made to gear
with corresponding teeth on the face of a clutch collar or disc. This collar slides on a
squared part of the inner cylinder spindle. A spiral or other light spring causes the
collar or clamp to be kept in gear with the teeth on the face of the pinion. The teeth
are so made that when the pinion makes its forward revolution, it causes the toothed
Pris 1

page_text: clutch on the inner cylinder spindle to revolve with it, but when making the return
revolution the toothed clutch (owing to the construction of the teeth, and the vertical
movement which is provided) does not return with it. The speed imparted to the inner
cylinder is imperceptibly retarded by the return of the quadrant and push piece, it
therefore continues to revolve until it loses the momentum.
I do not confine myself to any mode of producing an electric spark for lighting gas,
but prefer to fix to an ebonite disc fitting in the outer cylinder, light contact springs,
preferably made of copper or brass springs or foil, in such a manner that when the
inner cylinder is revolved by the mechanism already described, a contact is made with
the contact pieces provided on the ends or sides of the inner cylinder.
The upper metal cap is made so as to support a sparking tube. Through the base
plate on which is fitted the mechanism, an insulator is passed which carries a contact
spring. By this means connection is established between one of the collecting contact
pieces, and one of the wires of the sparking tube. The other collecting piece is caused
to come into electrical contact with another wire, or with the metal of the sparking
tube itself when the cap is screwed on the outer cylindrical case.
Dated this 18th day of February 1887
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Electric Gas-lighters.
I, THOMAS PETER HEWITT of Eccleston Park, Prescot in the County of Lancaster,
Watch Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and efficient mechanism for
actuating electric gas lighters, which may be easily and silently operated, and is an
improvement upon that species of electric lighters described in British Letters
Patent Nos. 5992 of 1883, and 6315 of 1885.
The fire lighters as set forth in the beforementioned Specifications require a very
strong push to have any effect, and the sparks continue for a very brief period, so that,
if at that moment the electrodes happen not to be enveloped with gas, no lighting takes
place.
Now by avoiding multiplying gear I obtain an easy working, and the finger can
press the button in much more rapidly, causing a rapid succession of sparks.
The invention is best set forth in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, are views of one form of my invention, and
Figures 5, 6, and 7 another form.
Referring more especially to figures 1 to 4 inclusive,
A is an outer cylindrical case formed of ebonite or other tough, hard, non-conductor
of electricity. B an inner revolving cylinder made of similar material to A. Instead
of a stationary and revolving cylinder, two cylinders could be used revolving in
opposite directions to each other. 1 prefer, however, the plan shown, as simpler.
Cand D, cylindrical metal caps closing the top and bottom of the cylinder; these
serve as pivots or supports or bearings, in which the spindle E or pivots E¹, E³, of
the inner cylinder B rotate. F stout metallic base screwed to cylinder B by screw f.
G push button or finger piece guided by passing through a slot in casing, and having
a slot g to accommodate further guide pin or screw g'. H segment of toothed wheel
centred at h, and held normally at one extremity of its stroke by spring I fixed to
point i on the segmental wheel, and j on fixed plate J. This latter plate is firmly
screwed or fixed to cap C in any convenient inanner. e pinion riding loose on
spindle E2, and gearing into segmental toothed wheel H, and having crown ratchet
wheel K attached immovably to, or formed in one with it. This crown ratchet
wheel gears into corresponding crown ratchet wheel K¹ sliding up and down
a squared part of spindle E², and held up against its fellow ratchet
wheel by spring k. Spindle E² is firmly fixed to an insulating plate L fitting
the top of cylinder B, projections in B fitting into corresponding notches in L,
whereby L while easily taken off, when the apparatus is taken to pieces, is immovably
attached, and is obliged to revolve with cylinder B when the parts are all in place
M a stout wooden or ebonite diaphragm firmly fixed to cylinder A. N insulating
plate and tube carrying conductor Q. P, metal tube carrying metal point or
electrode p near its end, at which point the tube is cut away at intervals so as to give
full access to the electric spark, which, when the apparatus is at work, plays between
p and q. 9, a second metallic pin or electrode, with its point a short distance from the
on

page_text: point of p, as shown; this pin is carried insulated in tube P, and its other end is
electrically connected to conductor Q. On the inside of cylinder B are preferably
6 equidistant metal foil carriers R extending from near the bottom to the top, and in
electrical connection with light contact springs, or copper or brass brushes
projecting from the outside of cylinder B, and bent back all in the same direction, so
that in rotating the cylinder shall drag them after it.
r
External cylinder A has metal foil armatures S, S', fixed to its inner surface covering
the larger part of its lower surface, having a narrow piece, and projecting up at one
side of each, nearly to the diaphragm M, as shown, two collecting strips T T¹ inter-
mediate with these narrow pieces are electrically connected (T with cap C, tube P, and
point q, and T with an annular plate t, conductor Q and pin q) two other pieces of
foil intermediate between each pair of foils S & T or S¹ & T' are connected together
to neutralize the residual electricity.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The button G being pushed in, the part G2 of its broad shank pushes forward the
segment wheel H past pinion e³ causing it and spindle E2 and the inner cylinder to
revolve with great speed. In removing the finger, spring I causes the quadrant and
push to fly back, the crown wheel K, however, rides over the teeth of K, without
stopping the rotation of the cylinder. The moment, however, the normal position of
the push is reached, the spring k brings clutch K again into contact with K. The
rapid revolution of the foils R past the armatures S, induces opposite electrical states
in the two. The opposite electricities are taken up through brushes r by foils T' and T
and conducted to p & q causing an electric spark, whenever they are strong enough
to bridge the distance between, and this spark lights the gas.
Figures 5. 6. and 7 show a modification, in this case pusher G' acting on arm of
quadrant wheel H³ drives a pinion U, and a spur wheel V on the shaft of U drives the
central pinion e¹ and the spindle E carrying the central cylinder B in place of the
crown ratchet wheels K and K', the spur wheel V is prevented from running freely on
its axis by means of a ratchet and spring pawl set forth more clearly in Figure 6.
This drawing was made by a misunderstanding with the intermediate gearing U.
The quadrant His preferably made to gear direct with a pinion on spindle E and the
intermediate gearing is then dispensed with.
The remaining parts are substantially the same as those of Figures 1 to 4, except
that an additional handle W is provided and is attached to the lower cap at D¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood, that I do not claim in this specification any of the parts described in
specifications No. 5992 of 1883 and No. 6315 of 1885 nor handle G¹ except when
used with direct action on a cylindrical generator, but that what I claim is :-
1st. Electric gas lighters in which the quadrant or its equivalent acts directly upon
the central pivot, instead of by gearing, whereby the finger can act with considerable
force, and much more rapidly than when gearing be used, substantially as set forth in
Figures 1 to 4.
2nd. The general arrangement of electric gas lighters, substantially as described in
either of the two sets of Figures in the drawings-subject to the disclaiming clause and
in the case of Figures 5 and 7 they must be construed as explained in the text-without
intermediate gear.
Dated this 19th love of Nawamba 1907
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.