IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."-A communication from
abroad by John Jacob Miller and Ernst Prussing, both of Chicago, State
of Illinois, United States of America.
Sealed the 28th January 1868, and dated the 5th September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th September 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct a lamp adapted to convert
hydrocarbon oil, camphine, or other liquid lighting material into gas, and to
burn the gaseous product in a separate illuminating flame apart from the
wick without the use of a chimney.
The Invention particularly consists, 1st, in an improved manner of forming

page_text: and applying tho deflector, by which air is furnished to the flamo in the most
advantageous quantity, direction, and condition.
2nd, in an improved device for supporting the said defloctor adjustably upon
the wick tube.
3rd, in a device for supporting a reflector or other article to be used in
connection with the lamp or a nursing cup or vessel to contain water or liquid
that may be heated by the flame of the lamp.
In carrying out this Invention, tho wick tube and wick may be of flat,
round, cylindrical, or any other convenient form. The deflector is attached to
the wick holder (or to a ring placed thereon) by horizontal arms, and is
formed with a base corresponding to the form of the wick tube, so that as the
deflector converges upward equally in all directions, its periphery will be in
every horizontal plane exactly parallel with the periphery of the wick tube.
The deflector converges inward in all directions at angles of forty-five degrees,
or thereabouts, from the perpendicular, that is to say, the opposite sides are
inclined at about ninety degrees from each other, and carries two or more
rods or wires, which extend or cross over the wick, and are heated by the
flame. The aperture in the top of the deflector is largo enough to pass a
sufficiency of air to saturate with oxygen the richest description of oil. In
practice it has been found that the aperture should exceed the dimensions of
the wick tube in every direction to an extent equal to the thickness of the
substance of the wick itself. The cross wires or rods which are attached to
tho deflector operate as conductors to heat the liquid bydrocarbon, and thereby
generate the combustible gases. The air which supports the combustion is
also partially heated thereby. These wires may be applied and secured in any
suitable way. If preferred, two or more wires in each direction may be used,
or thin plates or coarse wire gauze attached to the deflector may be used.
Tho vertical adjustment of the sliding tube and deflector may be effected by
means of a rack and pinion or other suitable device. The reflector, shade, or
other article or cup or vessel to be heated is attached to a jointed rod, which
may be set at any angle or height by means of the joints therein, and may be
secured by means of clamp screws with sufficient rigidity to support any
required weight.
In some cases it may be found preferable to make the top of the wick tubo
convex instead of horizontal. In this case the aperture in the top of the
deflector will be curved to correspond therewith, so that the sides of the said
aperture shall still be equidistant at all points from the top of the wick tube.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):―
The object of this Invention is to construct a lamp adapted to convert
hydrocarbon oil, camphine; or other liquid lighting material into gas and to
burn the gaseous product in a separate illuminating flame apart from the
wick without the use of a chimney.
The Invention particularly consists, first, in an improved manner of forming
and applying the deflector, by which air is furnished to the flame in the most
advantageous quantity, direction, and condition.
The Invention consists, secondly, in an improved device for supporting the
deflector adiustable upon the wick tube.

page_text: Thirdly, in a device for supporting a reflector or other article to be used in
connection with the lamp, or a nursery cup or vessel to contain water or liquid
that may be heated by the flame of the lamp.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a vertical section of one of the
improved lamps; Fig. 2 is a similar view in a plane at right angles to the
former; Fig. 3 is a plan of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A represents the body of the lamp; B is a wick tube, secured in a screw
cap C; D represents the wick, which may be raised and lowered by ratchet
wheels e, upon a shaft E journalled in the wick tube, and provided with a
milled head e. The above-described parts may be of common construction.
F is a flanged tube, fitting the wick tube, and slotted or notched at its upper
ends, so that it may press upon the wick tube with sufficient force to retain
the flanged tube at any height at which it may be set; G is a conical deflector.
with sides converging upward in every direction at an angle of forty-five
degrees, or thereabouts, from the axis of the wick tube. The deflector G is
supported by borizontal or inclined rods 9 (Fig. 2) projecting from the flange
of the sliding tube F. The aperture in its top is in a horizontal plane, and is
of such form corresponding with that of the wick tube as to be equidistant
at all points from the top of the wick tube or wick; H, H', are wires depending
from the top of the deflector G, the lower wire being parallel with the top of
the wick, and nearly or quite in contact therewith, and the other in a transverse
position immediately above it; I is a collar fitting around the neck of the
lamp, and carrying a rod J, which is provided with a number of joints j, which
may be tightened as needful by means of clamp screws j. The upper
member of the jointed rod is provided with a screw, or other convenient
means of attaching a reflector K, or a nursing cup or shade, or any other
object, as may be desired, the collar I is adapted to turn around the neck of
the lamp, so that the reflector, shade, or other article attached to the jointed
rod may be placed in any position.
In carrying out this Invention, the wick tube and wick may be of flat,
round, cylindrical, or any other convenient form. The deflector is attached to
the wick holder (or to a ring placed thereon) by horizontal arms, and is formed
with a base corresponding to the form of the wick tube, so that as the deflector
G converges upward equally in all directions its periphery will be in every
horizontal plane exactly parallel with the periphery of the wick tube. The
deflector converges inward in all directions at angles of forty-five degrees, or
thereabouts, from the perpendicular (that is to say) the opposite sides are
inclined at about ninety degrees from cach other. Experience shews that

page_text: straight sides converging at about this angle are best adapted to furnish the
flame with the required supply of air in a heated state duly-mingled with the
gaseous products of combustion without sudden or unequal draft, and in
the most advantageons direction to maintain an uniform, strong, and brilliant
flame. If the angle of the sides of the deflector be much greater than ninety
degrees, the gases generated will not receive a sufficient supply of oxygen to
ensure their complete combustion. If it be smaller, a superfluous quantity of
air will be supplied, the draft created being too strong to allow a satisfactory
mixing of the oxygen with the gases generated by the heat of the wick flame.
The aperture in the top of the deflector is large enough to pass a sufficiency
of air to saturate with oxygen the richest description of oil. In practice it
has been found that the aperture should exceed the dimensions of the wick
tube in every direction to an extent equal to the thickness of the substance of
the wick itself. The cross wires H, H', operate as conductors to heat the
vapours or gases evolved from the bydrocarbon, and also the air which supports
the combustion. Those wires may be applied and secured in any suitable way.
If preferred, two or more wires in each direction may be used, or thin plates
or coarse wire gauze may be attached to the deflector to effect the desired
object.
The vertical adjustment of the sliding tube F, and deflector G may be
effected by means of a rack and pinion or other suitable device. The reflector,
shade, or other article, and cup or vessel to be heated is attached to the jointed
rod J, which may be set at any angle or height by means of the joints therein,
and may be secured by means of the clamp screws j with a sufficient rigidity to
support any required weight.
In some cases it may be found preferable to make the top of the wick tube
convex instead of horizontal. In this case the aperture in the top of the
deflector will be curved to correspond therewith, so that the sides of the
aperture shall still be equidistant at all points from the top of the wick tube.
Having now describe this Invention of "Improvements in Lamps," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent, as aforesaid,-
First, the combination with a wick tube of any suitable form of a conical
deflector with straight sides of equal vertical length, converging at an angle of
about forty-five degrees to the perpendicular, and an aperture at top formed
with sides parallel with the top of the wick tube, as herein set forth.
Second, supporting the deflector adjustably upon the wick tubo by means of

page_text: rods 9 projecting from a flanged and slotted tube F, mounted upon the wick
tube with a yielding pressure, as herein set forth.
Third, the collar I, jointed rod J,j, and clamp screws 7, employed in the
manner described to support a reflector, shade, or other article in any desired
position.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of March, in the year of our
Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)