AN IMPROVEMENT OR IM- PROVEMENTS IN ILLUMINATION
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hunt, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IM-
PROVEMENTS IN ILLUMINATION."
Sealed the 27th February 1855, and dated the 22nd December 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd December 1854.
I, JOHN HUNT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
OR IMPROVEMENTS IN ILLUMINATION" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in introducing a gas or other lamp into the interior
of a transparent or semi-transparent ornamental vessel or chamber. The said
chamber is open at the bottom, and on the side near the lower part air enters
by the said openings, and passes out by openings near the top. Immediately
over the flame and in the interior of the ornamental chamber a vessel is fixed,
containing slacked quick lime. The products of combustion pass up through a

page_text: central opening in the said vessel, and strike against a dome or deflector at the
top of the said opening, whereby the said products of combustion are deflected
on to the said lime, and the carbonic acid more or less withdrawn before the
air vitiated by combustion enters the room.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st June
1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HUNT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day-of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Hunt, Her special licence that I, the said John Hunt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Hunt, 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 IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ILLUMINATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Hunt, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Hunt, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of surrounding the flame or flames of a gas or other
lamp constructed and provided with the appendages herein-after explained, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Figure 1 represents my Invention in vertical section, as I prefer to carry
out my said Invention when applied to a lamp suspended from a ceiling or
elsewhere. a is a bowl, which may be made of a hemispherical or any other
figure; the said bowl is made of glass, or other transparent or semi-transparent
substance, and is suspended by chains or otherwise. Three arms, of which two
b, c, are shown in the Drawing, are connected with the bottom of the bowl a,
and support the cone or chimney d, the lower edge of the said cone or
chimney & being situated at a short distance above the top of the bowl a, so
as to leave a space between them, as represented. On the top of the cone or
chimney d is an ornamental metal gallery e; the said gallery is furnished
with lateral perforations, as shown at f. g is a dome surmounting the gallery e,
and terminated by the metallic piece h, herein-after particularly described, to
which said metallic piece any suitable ornamental figure may be given. In
the axis of the cone or chimney d is an annular vessel i; the said vessel is
made of unglazed earthenware, and is supported by arms on the lower edge of
the gallery e, as represented. The said vessel i is provided with a cover k,
which is also made of unglazed earthenware. The annular vessel i is filled or
partially filled with slacked quick lime, or other substance capable of absorbing
carbonic acid gas. The action of my Invention is as follows:-The flame or
flames are situated in the bowl a, the combustion being carried on by means
of air entering mainly between the lower edge of the cone or chimney d and
the upper edge of the bowl a. The heated air and products of combustion
rise up the axis of the cone or chimney d, and striking against the dome or
cover k, are deflected upon the lime or other absorbent of carbonic acid con-
tained in the annular vessel i. The current of heated air, partially deprived
of its carbonic acid gas, descends through the central channel in the vessel i,
and ascending on the outside of the said vessel enters the dome, 9, from whence
it passes by the lateral openings f, f, into the atmosphere. The piece h, which
surmounts the dome g, is made hollow, and is furnished with perforations, as
represented. A small amount of air is thereby permitted to pass through the
said part h, and the overheating of the said part is thereby avoided.
Figure 2 represents my Invention applied to a pillar bracket gas lamp or
arm of a chandelier, that is to say, to a gas flame issuing from the top of a
pillar or from a bracket or chandelier. The flame is situated in the lamp
glass l. On the top of the glass la perforated metal gallery m is situated, and
on the top of the said gallery the dome or deflector n, made of unglazed
earthenware. The top of the gallery m also carries the dome o, of transparent
or semi-transparent material, and the dome o is surmounted by the metallic

page_text: ornament p, which said ornament p is hollow, and is perforated, in order to
permit of a limited circulation of air through it. The heated air arising from
the flame, after striking against the deflector or dome n, passes out by the
openings in the gallery m. The heated air arising from the dome or deflector
n escapes by the perforations in the metallic ornament p. This modification
of
my Invention is adapted for a lamp having a single flame or series of small
flames, and I do not consider it necessary in the said modification to provide
for the absorption of the carbonic acid gas.
Figure 3 represents, in vertical section, another modification of my Inven-
tion. In this modification, the flame is enclosed in a glass, formed of two hemi-
spherical halves, joined by a perforated metallic gallery or band. In the
Drawing the upper half only of the lamp glass is shown. Near the top of the
upper part of the lamp glass a dome or deflector q, of unglazed earthenware, is
suspended by a hollow rod r, which said hollow rod r is fixed to the glass by
the ornament s. The hollow rod r and ornaments are shewn in section of the
full size in Figure 4, which said Figure will render intelligible the manner in
which the parts q, r, s, in Figure 3 are put together, as well as illustrate the
ventilating property of the ornament h, Figure 1, and p, Figure 2. Although
I prefer to make the parts a, d, g, in Figure 1, and 1, o, in Figure 2, and the
hemispheres described with reference to Figure 3, of glass, yet the same may
be made of china, or other transparent or semi-transparent material, and the
shape of the said parts may be varied without interfering with the action
of the same. And although I prefer to make the deflectors k, Figure 1,
n, Figure 2, and q, Figure 3, and the annular vessel i, Figure 1, of unglazed
earthenware, as described, yet the said deflectors may be made of metal, or any
other material not injuriously affected by heat.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,-
First, the introduction of a plate or deflector into the interior of such lamp
shades or glasses as are closed or nearly closed at top, and through which air
circulates by lateral openings, whether the said deflectors be combined with a
vessel containing an absorbent of carbonic acid gas or otherwise, as herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Second, the ventilation of such lamp glasses or shades as are closed or nearly
closed at top by means of a metallic ornament surmounting the same, the

page_text: said ornament being perforated, so as to permit of a limited circulation of
air therethrough, as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hunt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN HUNT. (L.S.)