IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS FLAMES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Herbert John Haddan at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th April 1880. A communication from
abroad by Daniel Iseminger and Matthew Faloon, both of Bloomington, State
of Illinois, United States of America.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS FLAMES." [A communication
from abroad by Daniel Iseminger and Matthew Faloon, both of Bloomington,
State of Illinois, United States of America.
The Invention relates to automatic gas lighters designed to be operated by an
extra pressure of gas, and constructed as follows:-The gas pipe from the burner
to be lighted or extinguished is led into a casing where it ends opposite a movable
mercury cup attached to one arm of an oscillating lever, the other arm of which is
actuated by the motion of a weighted Hexible diaphragm inside the casing, and
exposed on one side to the pressure of gas which enters the casing through a pipe,
the motion of the mercury cup having the effect of opening or closing the inlet of
the pipe leading to the burner. The casing is preferably open at the top and
provided with a cover, between which and the flanges of the casing the horizontal
diaphragm is fixed, while the vertically vibrating arm is pivoted to a standard
attached to the moveable base plate of the casing, and supporting also the mechanism
for operating said arm. To the top of said standard journalled a wheel provided
with four parallel rods, with which two pivoted pawls or catches engage in the
following manner :-
One pawl or catch is pivoted to the standard, and serves for retaining said wheel
in any position desired, while the other pawl or catch is pivoted to a rod attached
to the flexible diaphragm, and moved up and down by the motion of the latter,
thereby turning the said wheel. The second pivoted catch is guided by a slotted
standard attached to the base plate, and the upper side of the diaphragm is provided
with a rod guided in a vertical line. A small auxiliary pipe leads from the gas
chamber to the main burner, and is provided with a small auxiliary burner protected
from the wind by a globe or equivalent, and serving to ignite the main burner.
The wheel has also two projecting pins for engaging with the opposite end of the
oscillating arm, from which the mercury cup is supported.

page_text: When the main burner is extinguished the end of its gas pipe dips into the
mercury of the movable cup. In order to lower said cup and admit gas to the pipe
an extra pressure of gas is applied at the gasworks, which raises the diaphragm and
with it the second pawl so as to turn the wheel ono quarter of a rovolution and
bring the projecting pins into a horizontal position, which releases the end of the i
vibrating arm sufficiently to allow the mercury cup to fall and make the end of the
pipe free for the admission of gas. The pressure of gas can then be reduced to
allow the weighted diaphragm to resume its former position without changing the
position of the cup because the wheel is detained by the first catch. For extin-
guishing the lamp an extra pressure of gas is again applied at the works so as to
raise the diaphragm and turn the wheel one quarter of a revolution, whereby the
projecting pins force down the end of the vibrating lover and raise the cup at the
opposite end.