AN IMPROVED ÅIR BAREFYING LAMP BURNER
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Silver, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, now of Moorgate Street, in the
City of London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ÅIR
BAREFYING LAMP BURNER."
Sealed the 17th March 1874, and dated the 30th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Silver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1873.
I, THOMAS SILVER, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, now of Moorgate Street, in the City of London, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
AIR RAREFYING LAMP BURNER," to be as follows :—
My said Invention relates to a burner chiefly designed for lamps
which burn hydrocarbon fluids, and is designed to obviate the necessity
for a glass chimney upon the same. These lamps have a flat wick tube
extending through and above a cylinder provided with the usual con-

page_text: trivance for adjusting the wick, and which is constructed to be screwed
or otherwise attached to the top of the body of the lamp or reservoir
containing the hydrocarbon fluid to be burned.
Upon this cylinder I secure a disc, which has a dished or concave
form. To the periphery of this disc I secure a conical or bell-shaped 5
cover in such a manner as to leave apertures between the said disc and
cover; or I may form apertures or perforations through the said disc
near its periphery. The said conical or bell-shaped cover is formed of
metal or other suitable material. Its upper part is dome shaped, and
has in its apex a slot or aperture for the passage of the flame. Within 1
this cover I fit a smaller cone of metal or other suitable material, which
has in its apex an aperture of similar shape, but shorter and narrower.
The lower part of this inner cone may be plain or corrugated. It may
also be one entire picce, or split or divided into one or more pieces, and
if desired it may be perforated with small holes for the passage of air.
It may either be attached to the outer bell-shaped cover or to the wick
tube. When properly fitted its apex will be slightly above the top of
the wick tube.
The purpose of the aforesaid inner cone is to heat and rarefy the air,
thereby causing it to ascend rapidly, and by impinging upon the flame
of the burner cause a more perfect combustion of the oil. Moreover,
when the said burner is attached to the top of the wick tube, it assists
materially in vaporizing the oil.
In the ends of the slots or apertures of the inner and outer cones I
place two metal strips facing each other, and inclined downward toward
the wick tube. These metal strips form shields, which protect the
edges of the flame from the ascending air, and cause the flame to
expand or spread laterally; they also improve the combustion by
exposing a broad surface of flame to the action, of the ascending air.
To prevent an abrupt acceleration of the passage of the air through
the burner when the lamp is moved, or by a disturbance of the external
atmosphere, I make the outer cone or bell-shaped cover to extend below
the aforesaid disc, whereon it is supported, this extended portion forming
a vertical curtain or shield around the said disc.
To prevent the heating of the body of the lamp or other reservoir con-
taining the oil or fluid, I fit at the top and bottom of the aforesaid
cylinder a disc of cork or other material which is a bad conductor of

page_text: heat; or I secure in the bottom of the said cylinder a taper plug of
wood or other suitable material, which wedges into the collar of the
lamp or reservoir. The wick tube extends through this plug, and is
secured therein.
I prefer to combine with the said wick tube a small flat tube for the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Silver in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 27th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SILVER, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
now of Moorgate Street, in the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs.and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Silver, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Silver, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Silver, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for “AN IMPROVED
AIR RABEFYING LAMP BURNER," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Silver, my exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Silver, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing,
forming a part of this Specification :—
5
My said Invention relates to a burner chicfly designed for lamps
which burn hydrocarbon fluids, and is designed to obviate the necessity
for a glass chimney upon the same. These lamps have a flat wick tube
extending through and above a cylinder provided with the usual con-
trivance for adjusting the wick, and which is constructed to be screwed 1
or otherwise attached to the top of the body of the lamp or reservoir
containing the hydrocarbon fluid to be burned.
In the accompanying Drawing, which I will now describe, I have
shewn how my said Invention may be conveniently carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my Invention; Figuro 2 is a 18
horizontal section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a transverse section illustrating a modification of the said
Invention; Figures 4 and 5 shew detached portions of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
In Figure 1 a is the aforesaid cylinder, to which the wick tube bis 20
attached. Upon this cylinder I secure a disc c, which has a curved or
dished form. To the periphery of this disc I secure a conical or bell-
shaped cover d. I form apertures or perforations through the said disc
near its periphery, as shewn at c. The said conical or bell-shaped cover
is formed of brass or other suitable metal or material. Its upper part № 25
is dome shaped, as shewn, and has in its apex a slot or aperture ď³ for
the passage of the flame. Within this cover I fit a smaller cone or
cover of brass or other suitable metal or material, with a dome-shaped.
top f¹, and which has in its apex an aperture f2 of similar shape, but
preferably shorter and narrower. The lower part of this inner conc or 30
cover may be corrugated, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, or quite plain or
smooth. It may also be one entire piece, or split or divided into two or
more pieces, and I prefer that it should be perforated with small holes g
for the passage of air to equalize the currents of the same ascending to
the flame through the concs. The conc or cover f may either be 35
attached to the outer bell-shaped cover by cross pieces or arms h, as in
Figures 1 and 2, or may be supported upon the wick tube, as shewn in

page_text: Figure 3, or secured in any other suitable manner. When this cone or
cover is properly fitted the apex of its dome will be slightly above thè
top of the wick tube b, as shown.
The purpose of the aforesaid inner concf is to heat and rarefy the air,
thereby causing it to ascend rapidly, and by impinging upon the flame
of the burner cause a more perfect combustion of the oil. Moreover,
when the said burner is attached to or supported by the top of the wick
tube, as in Figure 3, it assists materially in vaporizing the oil ascending
in the wick tube.
In the ends of the slots. or apertures d, f, of the inner and outer
cones d, f, I place two metal strips i, whose width is preferably made
the same or nearly the same as that of the said apertures, and which are
inclined from the outer aperture" downward toward the wick tube, as
clearly shewn in Figures 1 and 3. They may be formed of the metal
pressed or cut out of either of the aforesaid slots or apertures, or of
separate picces of metal. These metal strips i form shields, which
protect the edges of the flame from the ascending air, and cause tho
flame to expand or spread laterally; they also improve the combustion
by exposing a broad surface of flame to the action of the air ascending
through the cones or covers.
If desired, I may use more than two concs or covers formed with slots
or apertures, and fitted with the metal strips, as above described.
To prevent an abrupt acceleration or other disturbance of the passage
of the air through the burner when the lamp is moved, or by a agitation
of the external atmosphere, I make the outer cone or bell-shaped cover d
with an extension & below the aforesaid disc, whereon it is supported, as
shewn in Figure 1, this extended portion forming a vertical curtain or
shield around the said disc.
To prevent the heating of the body of the lamp or other reservoir
containing the oil or fluid, I fit at the top and bottom of the aforesaid
cylinder a disc of cork or other material which is a bad conductor of
heat, or I secure in the bottom of the said cylinder a taper plug / of
wood or other suitable material, as shewn in Figure 5, which fits like a
wedge in the collar 7 of the lamp or reservoir. The wick tube extends
through this plug, and is secured therein, as shown.
If desired this plug may be made of metal, and covered with cork or
other bad heat conductor, or may be fitted into a lining of the same fixed
in the collar.

page_text: I prefer to combine with the said wick tube a small flat tube n for the
escape of vapour from the reservoir.
My Invention may also be advantageously applied to gas burners, and
may be used with the ordinary fish-tail or bat's-wing burner, but I prefer
to use a gas burner formed of a flat tube, with a number of small per- 5
forations in the top of the same.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. In a lamp burner constructed with domes or covers placed one
above the other, the combination with the same of the metal strips 1
or flame shields fitted in the slots or apertures in the said domes or
covers, and arranged in relation to the wick tube as herein set forth, for
the purposes specified.
Second. In a lamp burner provided with inner and outer cones or
bell-shaped covers, the suspension or supporting of the inner cone or 1
cover upon the wick tube, for the purpose specified.
Third. A lamp burner, constructed as above described, provided with
means for preventing the heating of the oil in the body of the lamp
or reservoir, as specified with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Fourth. In a lamp burner constructed with the two cones or bell-
shaped covers, as above described, the perforations around the inner conc
or cover, as herein set forth and for the purposes specified.
2
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Silver, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth-day of March, One thousand a
eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
THO³. SILVER. (L.S.)