IMPROVEMENTS IN COOKING RANGES OR KITCHEN RANGES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Thomas Hassall, of the Firm of Hassall and
Singleton, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COOKING RANGES OR KITCHEN RANGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Thomas Hassall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1877.
HENRY THOMAS Hassall, of the Firm of Hassall and Singleton, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COOKING RANGES
OR KITCHEN RANGES."
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described, whereby
the depth of the grate of the range may be increased or diminished, and the size of
the fire proportionately increased or diminished.
..
I make the front bars separate from the other part of the grate, the said front
bars being carried by a frame to which the top or fall bar is jointed. The said
frame carrying the front and fall bars slides in grooves or recesses made on the
opposite sides of the front of the fire-place. In the ash-pit, and a short distance
below the bottom of the grate, is an arm or lever jointed to a back portion of the
grate. The free end of this arm projects a short distance in front of the grate, and
the frame of front bars rests on the said arm. By raising or lowering the said arm
the frame of front bars resting on it may be raised or lowered, and as the bottom of
the grate is fixed, the depth of the grate is thereby increased or diminished. The
said arin may be supported in the required position by means of a rack on. the
side of the grate, the arm after it has been raised into the required position being
made to rest on one of the teeth of the said rack. The arm is raised and lowered
by means of a separable rod, which can be inserted in a hole in the end of the
arm when it is wished to raise or lower the front of the grate.
בד -

page_text: Instead of supporting the sliding frame of bars upon the arms described, it may
be hung upon chains passing over pulleys, and balanced by counterbalance weights.
My Invention is applicable to cooking or kitchen ranges which are convertible
into either open or close ranges.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Thomas Hassall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th December 1877.
HENRY THOMAS HASSALL, of the Firm of Hassall and Singleton, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COOKING RANGES
OR KITCHEN RANGES."
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described, whereby
the depth of the grate of the range may be increased or diminished, and the size of
-the fire proportionately increased or diminished.
I make the front bars separate from the other part of the grate, the said front
bars being carried by a frame to which the top or fall bar is jointed. The said
frane carrying the front and fall bars slides in grooves or recesses made on the
opposite sides of the front of the fire-place. In the ash-pit, and at a short distance
below the bottom of the grate, is an arm or lever jointed to a back portion of the
grate. The free end of this arm projects a short distance in front of the grate, and
the frame of front bars rests on the said arm. By raising or lowering the said arm
the frame of front bars resting on it may be raised or lowered, and as the bottom of
the grate is fixed, the depth of the grate is thereby increased or diminished. The
said arm may be supported in the required position by means of a rack on the
side of the grate, the arm after it has been raised into the required position being
made to rest on one of the teeth of the said rack. The arm is raised and lowered
by means of a separable rod, which can be inserted in a hole in the end of the
arm when it is wished to raise or lower the front of the grate.
Instead of supporting the sliding frame of bars upon the arm or lever described,
it may be hung upon chains passing over pulleys, and balanced by counterbalance
weights.
My Invention is applicable to combined open and close fire cooking or kitchen
ranges, that is, to combined open and close fire-ranges in which the fire may be an
open one or a close one at the option of the user of the range.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and represent transverse vertical sections of the fire-grate of a cooking
or kitchen range containing my Invention; and Figure 3 is a horizontal section of
the same taken on the line a, b, Figure 1.
In Figure 1 the sliding frame of the front bars is represented in its highest
position, and the fire-space of the grate of its full depth for forming a full-sized fire,
and in Figure 2 the said sliding frame of front bars is represented depressed in the
grate for the purpose of diminishing the fire-space of the grate.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each of the Figures of the
Drawing.

page_text: c, c, is the range, and d, d², is the grate, and e-the ash-pit. The fire-grate & and
its bottom d² are fixed, the said fire-grate and bottom being set in the range in the
ordinary way. ✓ is the frame of front bars of. the grate, which frame is separable
from and capable of a vertically sliding motion in the sides of the fixed fire-grated, d²;
f2 is the top or fall bar of the frame of bars f. In opposite sides of the fixed fire-
grate d, and near the front thereof, grooves or recesses g, g, are made, as best scen
in the section, Figure 3, and the side vertical bars or uprights f, f, of the frame of
bars are made of a figure proper to slide in the said recesses or grooves g, g, in the
fixed sides of the grate d, d, as will be understood by an examination of Figure 3.
In the ash-pit e, and below the fixed bottom d² of the grate, is an arm or lever h,
jointed at to the side of the fire-place. The said arm or lever h is capable of a
slight lateral notion on its pin or centre, as well as a rising-and-falling motion, and
the outer end of the said arm or lever has an eye h³, with which the hooked end of
a separate rod may be engaged for moving the said arm or lever.
The sliding or.
moveable frame of front bars f, f, is supported upon the arm or lever in the
manner illustrated in the Drawing. For the purpose of supporting the arm h at the
required height according to the depth of fire-space required in the grate, two (or
more) studs or projections constituting a kind of rack are made. I have only shown
in the Drawing two of these rack studs or projections, marked respectively i and k,
for fixing the moveable or sliding frame of bars f, f, in two positions, but by
increasing the number of rack studs or projections the sliding frame of bars f, f,
may be supported at any intermediate position between the two positions repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 2, or at other required height in the grate.
In Figure 1 the arm or lever his represented resting on the upper stud or pro-
jection i, so as to support the frame of bars at its highest position for using the full
depth or fire-space of the grate, and in Figure 2 the arm h is represented resting on
the lower rack stud or projection , so as to support the frame of bars in its lowest
position, and thereby to diminish the depth or fire-space of the grate to about one-
half, as represented.
When it is required to adjust the depth of the fire-space of the grate it is only
necessary to hook the hooked end of the rod described in the eye h³ of the arm or
lever h, when the said arm or lever may be disengaged from its supporting stud or
projection or k, and be raised or lowered on to the upper or lower supporting stud
or projection.
In addition to the facility with which the depth of the fire-space of the grate may
be adjusted by the use of my Invention, it also permits the fire, when the range is
being used as a close range, to be replenished by temporarily lowering the sliding
frame of front bars without removing the hot plate or cooking utensils.
When I support the sliding frame of bars f, f2, by counterbalance weights I
connect the said frame of bars to chains, which chains-are passed over pulleys at the
top of the grate. These chains are conducted to the back or other convenient part
of the range, and are weighted sufficiently to counterbalance the weight of the sliding
frame of bars fƒ³. I prefer however the arrangement of parts described and illus-
trated in the Drawing.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention,―
The improvements in cooking or kitchen ranges herein-before described and illus-
trated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, the combination with or
adaptation to the fire-grates of ranges of the kind described of the sliding or
moveable frame of front bars f, f2, the two (or more) rack slides or projections i, k,
and the supporting arm or lever h, h², h³, for the purpose of increasing or diminishing
at pleasure the depth of the grate, and consequently the fire-space of the said grate,
substantially as described and illustrated.
Also, the modification described, in which the sliding frame of front bars is

page_text: balanced by counterbalance weights instead of being supported upon a jointed arm
or lever.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Thomas Hassall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
FRANK PEARMAN.
HENRY THOMAS HASSALL. (L.S.)