Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the Supply of Gas.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the
Supply of Gas.
I, JOHN LAMB of 41 Wilson Street Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of
York, Watchmaker, Jeweller and Optician do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Improvements in automatic gas apparatus which is driven by clock work for the
purpose of regulating the light by turning it up at night & down in the morning,
to enable the same to be fixed or applied to gas buoys, floating lighthouses, ships,
barges or any other floating, or moveable object or any other object where it would
be suitable.
The improvements consist of a spring or pin or both, and a roller to be fixed at
the end of the lever I.
The spring or pin or both, (to be fixed in any position,) is to ensure its successful
working by keeping the lever 1, (which turns the gas tap,) in its proper position,
so that there will be no danger of the lever I overturning, (which would turn the
gas out,) or moving, which would cause an unsteady light.
The roller is fixed for the purpose of lessening the friction caused by the
pressure of the spring.
B being a tooth wheel driven by the clock & rotates the mechanism enclosed
within the circle of A A'A".
C is a star wheel which comes in contact with tappet bar D, which in turn
rotates endless pinion E; this pinion is geared into wheels F & F', which carry
round with them connecting rods G & G¹, these connecting rods work the
seginents H & H to & fro, these segments having teeth on their convex face
gear into wheels which are fixed on to the bosses of A¹ & A", to regulate the
distance between these two segments A¹ & A".
As the mechanism is rotated, the lever I is risen to the dotted marks by the
segments A A' & A, & runs on their outer edges; so long as the lever I remains
in this position the gas will be turned down, as the arbor which passes through the
boss of the lever I is connected with the gas tap, as the segments A A' & A pass
from underneath the lever I it is then at liberty to drop down, (in a similar manner
as shown in the drawing,) which turns on the gas. The lever I is held down by a
spring, either fixed round the arbor at K, or in any other suitable position.
J is a roller fixed on the end of lever Í to lessen friction. A pin can be fixed at
a suitable distance from the back of the lever 1 to prevent it from overturning.
Dated this 31st day of March 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Regulating the
Supply of Gas.
I, JOHN LAMB, of 41 Wilson Street, Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of
York, Watchmaker, Jeweller and Optician, 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:-
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction
of apparatus driven by clockwork and used for automatically regulating the supply
of gas to a burner or burners, on gas buoys, ships, floating light-houses, barges,
Di

page_text: beacons, or any other floating, moveable or fixed objects, where such apparatus
may be required. The main objects of the invention are to provide arrangements
for defining and regulating the amount of movement of the gas cock or valve, for
ensuring such movement taking place, and for operating the whole apparatus with
sufficient power to render its action reliable.
The accompanying drawing which forms part of this Specification, represents in
front elevation, an apparatus of the aforesaid class, having my improvements
combined therewith.
In the said drawing, K is the end of the plug of the gas cock, valve, or similar
device, which is required to be operated and regulated by the apparatus. I is a
lever attached to the said cock; when such lever is in the position shewn by the
full lines, the cock is open, but when it is raised to the position shewn by the dotted
lines, it is closed, or nearly closed.
The extent of movement permitted to the lever is defined by the stop pins L L',
and one, or both of said pins may be provided with means for adjustment, if
desired..
B is a circular plate or disc on which the whole of the mechanism is
mounted.
The dotted circle B indicates a toothed wheel rotated by the clock which
operates the apparatus, such clock is not shown in the drawing, but it may be of
any, usual, or suitable construction.
The said wheel B' may be geared with any convenient part of the clock, but
according to my arrangement I gear it with the fuzee, or main wheel of the clock,
either directly or through intermediate gearing, in order to ensure ample driving
power. The disc B carrying the mechanism rotates with the wheel B
Journalled in bearings on the said disc is an arbor E', having a worm E formed
or fixed upon it, and carrying at its outer end a star wheel C. D is a fixed tappet,
or stud, which coming in contact with the teeth of the star wheel as it passes,
causes the said star wheel to rotate one tooth for each revolution of the disc B.
The worm E gears with the worm wheels F. F¹.
The wheel F is provided with a crankpin and the wheel F¹ with a similar
crankpin f¹.
H is a toothed sector turning on a stud / fixed in the disc B, and H' is a similar
sector turning on the stud h¹. G is a connecting-rod coupling the sector H to the
crankpin and G¹ is a similar connecting-rod coupling the sector H' to the
crankpin f. To provide means for adjustment the pins in the lower ends of
the connecting-rods, are fixed in slots in the sectors, as shewn by the dotted lines.
AA" are sectors with plain curved edges, rotating about the arbor of the disc B,
and each provided with a pinion on the said arbor gearing respectively with the
toothed sectors H and H. A is a fixed sector overlapping the lower ends of the
sectors AA", and thus bridging the gap between their said lower ends. J is a
roller provided on the end of the lever 1.
The action of the apparatus is as follows;
The disc Biis rotated by the clock in the direction shewn by the arrow and the
lever I, being in the gap between the upper ends of the sectors AA" falls to the
position shewu by the full lines, and the cock K is therefore open. When the end
of the sector A' comes in contact with the roller J the lever I is raised to the
dotted position, shutting off the gas supply, partly or wholly, as. desired, and the
lever is held in such position while the curved edges of A'A and A"
pass under
the roller, but as soon as A¹¹ has completely passed, the lever drops again and
turns on the full supply of gas, the cock remaining open till A' again raises the.
lever, as before described.
The lever I tends to fall by its own weight, but to render its action positive it is.
depressed by a spring which may be of the form shewn at S, or of any other
suitable construction.
Supposing the apparatus to be applied for example to a gas buoy, or other device>
where the gas is required to be turned on full at night and turned down during the

page_text: day, matters.would be so arranged that the disc B would rotate once in 24 hours,
the space between the upper ends of the sectors A' A", representing the number of
hours during which the gas would be turned on full, while the edges of the
sectors AAA" would represent the number of hours during which it would be
turned down.
The relation between the lengths of these two times will necessarily vary each.
day, and the space between the sector ends and the acting length of sector edge is
automatically adjusted each day to the required amount by the star wheel, worm
gearing, toothed sectors and pinions, before described.
It will be seen that one half revolution of the worm wheels F F¹ tends to
contract the aforesaid space, while the other half revolution tends to enlarge it;
the one controlling that part of the year during which the daylight lengthens and
the other that part during which it shortens.
It is obvious that the above application only represents one mode of using the
apparatus, and that by varying the speed of rotation of the disc B and the relative
proportion, gearing or adjustment of the several parts, a gas cock may be controlled
in any desired manner and for any desired periods of time.
If required, the full line position of the lever I may turn off the gas, while the
dotted position turns it on.
Where the weight only of the lever I is relied upon to cause it to fall, its
movement is liable to uncertainty, but the application of the spring S always forces
it down, and moreover keeps it in place when down.
The pins L L' prevent the lever being moved beyond the proper distance in
either direction, the pin L defining the distance to which it may rise, while the
pin L' defines the distance to which it may fall.
In the case of a gas buoy, or appliance subjected to movement from waves or
other causes, the lever I, unless controlled in the above manner, is affected by such
movement and liable to have its position continually altered, thereby rendering the
apparatus useless, but by means of my improvements such objection is overcome.
The fact of gearing with the fuzee, or main wheel of the clock, enables a small
clock to be used while at the same time ample driving power is obtained, a feature
of great convenience in the case of gas buoys, or similar apparatus. In such
instances, I prefer to employ a clock having no hour or minute wheel, or cannon
pinion, but in which the time is denoted by a dial fixed in front of the apparatus
and having 24 hours marked upon it.
The roller J obviates the friction which would otherwise be caused by the edges
of the sectors passing under the end of the lever I, and so enables the spring J to
be of considerable strength, while at the same time decreasing the power necessary
to drive the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an automatic gas regulating apparatus of the class described, the
combination with the gas cock lever I of stop pins L L' limiting the movement of
said lever, and a spring S to positively depress and prevent accidental movement
of said lever, substantially as described.
2. In an automatic gas regulating apparatus of the class described, the com-
bination with the gas cock lever I, of stop pins L L', limiting the movement of said
lever, a spring S to positively depress and prevent accidental movement of said
lever, and a roller J to obviate friction when passing over the sectors A A'A"
substantially as described.
3. In an automatic gas regulating apparatus of the class described, the com-
bination, consisting of a toothed wheel B1 gearing with the fuzee or main wheel of
the driving clock, a disc B, star wheel C, tappet D, worm E, worm wheels F F¹,
connecting rods G G³, toothed sectors H H³, plain sectors A A¹ A", lever I,

page_text: stop pins L L, spring S and roller J, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
Dated this 31st day of December 1892.
AMBROSE MYALL,
21, Cockspur Street, London, S. W., Agent for the Applicant.