Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21V37/00—Details of lighting devices employing combustion as light source, not otherwise provided for
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S13/00—Non-electric lighting devices or systems employing a point-like light source; Non-electric lighting devices or systems employing a light source of unspecified shape
  • F21S13/12—Devices intended to be free-standing, e.g. table lamp, floor lamp
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
  • F23D—BURNERS
  • F23D3/00—Burners using capillary action
  • F23D3/02—Wick burners

Definitions

• the invention relates to a lamp comprising a transparent fuel reservoir for receiving a burnable liquid, which fuel reservoir extends at least partially around a burning area provided at a lower end of the fuel reservoir, wherein a wick device is provided in the burning area, and wherein an opening to the surroundings is provided at an upper end of the lamp above the burning area.
• the invention also relates to a lamp system comprising a lamp with a valve device in the fuel reservoir and a filling device therefor.
• a lamp as described above is known from SU-Al-1 749 611 that teaches a transparent lamp with a fuel reservoir between an external tubular member and an internal tubular member, wherein the two tubular members are connected at the bottom by an annular wick of a porous, ceramic material that can be soaked by the fuel
• a reflector can be provided to orient the light of the flame in a given direction.
• the lamp shown and described in the above-mentioned disclosure is a so-called top/bottom-hole lamp as it is provided with an opening below as well as above the burning area.
• a very unsteady flame is obtained, since the movement of the ambient air heavily influences the flame and, likewise, movement of the lamp will influence the flame considerably.
• Another lamp wherein the fuel reservoir is situated above the burning area as such is known from eg German patent No 8804 that teaches a lamp with a fuel reservoir that is in communication with two open burning areas.
• the fuel reservoir Prior to use, the fuel reservoir is charged with oil through a supply opening that is subsequently sealingly closed.
• a tap at the bottom of the reservoir is opened, some of the oil leaves the reservoir and is distributed in the two burning areas, while simultaneously air penetrates and takes the place of the oil thus left, within the reservoir through a tubular member that extends upwards to the upper end of the reservoir.
• the oil level reaches the lower end of the tubular member, no more air is able to penetrate into the reservoir, and it follows that no more oil is able to leave either.
• That lamp comprises a central fuel reservoir and two burners with open burning areas and pipes that convey the oil from the central fuel reservoir to the two burners.
• the two burners being arranged at a long distance from the fuel reservoir, it is not possible with that lamp to make use of the fuel for achieving special optical effects .
• the lamp according to the invention can be designated a top-hole lamp; the lamp obtaining oxygen exclusively from the air that is drawn down through the opening in the upper end of the lamp or the top hole, as opposed to the lamps according to the prior art wherein the oxygen is primarily supplied from below or laterally of the flame. In this manner it is obtained that it is primarily the heat from the flame itself that is determining for the pressure conditions that prevail in the burning area; and that the flame is influenced only to an insignificant degree by the movements of the ambient air.
• the lamp is made essentially of transparent glass, such as borosilicate glass that exhibits very suitable properties with regard to deformability and heat resistance.
• the fuel reservoir extends 360° around the open burning area such that optical effects can be generated at all sides.
• an external tubular member that is sealingly connected to a bottom and a top, and an internal tubular member that is sealingly connected only to the top delimit the fuel reservoir.
• the wick device is provided at the bottom and extends upwards within the internal tubular member, while the opening is arranged at the top within the inner wall of the interior pipe.
• the external tubular member as well as the internal tubular member is configured with circular cross sections, but in order to obtain special optical effects the lamp can be provided with a non- circular, internal tubular member.
• the wick device comprises a tubular wick holder with an opening at the lower end and a wick tube with a wick, said wick tube being arranged inside the wick holder.
• the wick tube can be removed for adjustment of the wick's position within the wick tube.
• the wick tube can be mounted in the wick holder in various ways.
• the wick tube can be provided with an outwardly oriented collar such that it can be suspended on the upper edge of the wick holder, or there can be provided an internal thread in the wick holder, which thread is able to cooperate with a thread provided on the outside of the wick tube.
• This latter solution using a thread means that the wick tube cannot drop out, if for instance the lamp overturns. Thus the risk of a fire breaking out is minimised.
• this solution presents certain advantages from a cleaning point of view, as it can be emptied of oil and optionally arranged upside down in a dishwasher without the wick tube falling out.
• this device In order to facilitate filling of the lamp it can be provided with a device that will, during charging with fuels, allow air to exit at the top of the fuel reservoir, but that will, during operation, prevent air from entering at the top of the fuel reservoir.
• this device consists of an oil lock that comprises an internal tubular member that is open at both ends and that is in open communication with a ventilation opening at the top of the fuel reservoir, and an external tubular member that surrounds the internal tubular member in a non-sealing manner and that is closed at the bottom and is in open communication with the upper, internal area of the fuel reservoir.
• Such device effectively prevents, during operation, air from entering the reservoir for fuel, while simultaneously it allows air to leave the fuel reservoir during renewed charging with oil .
• a filling device For use in the filling operation for a lamp that is configured in this manner, a filling device has been developed that comprises a plug that is able to shut off an area above the open burning area, and a filling pipe that will, during charging with fuel, extend through the plug from a level above the top of the fuel reservoir to a point below the level of liquid in the open burning area.
• the filling pipe is provided with a funnel at its upper end.
• Figure 1 shows a lamp according to the invention in its most simple, fundamental configuration
• Figures 2a-2f show lamps featuring a number of alternative embodiments of the internal tubular member
• Figure 3 shows a detail of an embodiment wherein the wick tube and wick holder of the lamp are threaded
• Figure 4 shows a lamp provided with an 'oil lock' whereby charging of oil is facilitated.
• Figure 1 shows a lamp according to the invention in its most simple fundamental configuration.
• the lamp is made of transparent glass, and in a preferred embodiment of so-called borosilicate glass that has, on the one hand, a very high melting point and is hence refractive and, on the other hand, it is comparatively easy to mould to a desired shape.
• the lamp comprises an external tubular member 1, an internal tubular member 2, a bottom 3, a top 4, a wick holder 5 and a wick tube 6 with a wick 7.
• the external tubular member 1 as well as the internal tubular member 2 is configured with circular cross sections.
• the external tubular member is configured integrally with the bottom 3 that is configured as a circular disc, and with the top 4 that is also configured as a circular disc, albeit provided with a circular, centrally situated opening 8.
• the internal tubular member 2 is sealingly connected to the top 4 around the central opening 8, but is freely suspended a distance above the bottom 3.
• wick holder 5 Centrally on the bottom 3 a wick holder 5 is mounted that extends upwards within the internal tubular member 2.
• the wick holder 5 is not sealingly connected to the bottom 3, but it is provided with an opening that allows oil to flow into the wick holder 5.
• wick tube 6 Inside the wick holder 5 a wick tube 6 is arranged that is, at the upper end, provided with an outwardly protruding collar such that the wick tube 6 is able to hang on the upper end of the wick holder 5 without sealingly connecting to the bottom 3.
• a wick of a woven material is arranged in a manner known per se within the wick tube 6.
• Figure 1 shows the lamp in its in-use position, ie the space between the external tubular member 1 and the internal tubular member 2 - the fuel reservoir - are partially filled with a burnable liquid, such as lamp oil .
• the fuel reservoir is preferably filled completely with oil, and since it is impossible for air to enter at the top of the fuel reservoir, it is possible to establish an oil level in level with the lower end of the internal tubular member 2.
• the wick 7 draws oil from the fuel reservoir below the internal tubular member 2, whereby the oil level at the lower end of the internal tubular member 2 is slowly decreased.
• the oil level has sunk so far that an air bubble will find its way around the lower edge of the internal tubular member 2 and disappear upwards into the fuel reservoir whereby a corresponding amount of oil will flow from the fuel reservoir to the burning area.
• This process repeats itself for as long as the wick 7 is lit, and in this manner a constant oil level is maintained in the burning area in level with the lower end of the internal tubular member 2.
• the oil level may rise slightly within the internal tubular member 2, immediately after the wick 7 has been lit, since the oil in the fuel reservoir is heated by flame and therefore expands.
• the lamp shown in Figure 1 has a very simple construction and due to the configuration of the fuel reservoir around the wick 7 and the flame, it presents some interesting optical properties. Of course, they are particularly pronounced when the fuel reservoir is filled completely, but interesting optical effects are also obtained when the fuel reservoir is filled to a smaller extent.
• the external tubular member 1 as well as the internal tubular member 2 may have other configurations than that of a circular tube.
• Figures 2a-2f show a number of examples of different embodiments of the internal tubular member 2a- 2f that each imparts to the lamp some interesting optical properties .
• the internal tubular member 2a is configured as a square tube with rounded corners.
• the internal tubular member 2b is configured as a triangular tube with rounded corners .
• the internal tubular member 2c is configured as a tube with a hexagonal cross section.
• the internal tubular member 2d is configured as an approximately square tube with inwardly curved sides.
• the internal tubular member 2e is configured as an approximately triangular tube with inwardly curved sides .
• the internal tubular member 2f is configured as an approximately triangular tube with dent formations on the sides.
• Many other configurations of the internal tubular member are possible, albeit practice has shown that the smallest distance from the wick to the inside of the internal tubular member should not be less than about 20 mm if a controlled heat formation without turbulence is to be achieved in the tube in order for the flame to remain steady.
• the external tubular member 1 can be modified in a similar manner for obtaining special optical effects .
• FIG. 3 shows a detail from an alternative embodiment of a lamp according to the invention.
• the wick holder 15 and the wick tube 16 is provided with cooperating threads such that the wick tube 16 does not fall out of the wick holder 15 in case the lamp accidentally overturns or in case it is positioned in its inversed position in a dish washer for cleaning purposes.
• a solution to this filling problem could be to provide the top 4 of the fuel reservoir with an opening that is, in the in-use situation, closed by means of e.g. a plug.
• the plug is removed following which the oil can be poured directly down into the fuel reservoir.
• the central opening 8 in the top 4 is to be closed such that the trapped air keeps the oil level within the internal tubular member 2 down. This can be accomplished by means of a plug.
• the opening can be provided with a one-way valve that allows air to flow out of the fuel reservoir, but not into same.
• the filling could be accomplished through a filling pipe that extends through the plug in the central opening 8 and debouches in the burning area around the wick holder. When the oil is poured through the filling pipe it will rise in the fuel reservoir and press the repressed air out through the one-way valve.
• Figure 4 shows a lamp with a device that facilitates the charging of oil.
• the device comprises an 'oil lock' 20 that is integral with the lamp and a filling device that is, in the preferred embodiment, a separate element that is used only during charging of oil.
• the lamp is constructed in the same manner as the lamp shown in Figure 1, ie with an external tubular member 1, an internal tubular member 2, a bottom 3, a top 4, a wick holder 5 and a wick tube 6 with a wick 7.
• the external tubular member 1 and the internal tubular member 2 delimit the fuel reservoir.
• an 'oil lock 1 20 is configured that is constituted by two tubes, an internal tube 21 and an external tube 22, wherein the internal tube 21 is arranged within the external tube 22.
• the internal tube 21 is sealingly connected to a ventilation opening 23 at the top 4 and is thus in open communication with the ambient air.
• the external tube 22 that is downwardly closed encloses the internal tube 21, albeit it opens towards the fuel reservoir at the top.
• the external tube 22 will be connected to the top and merely be provided with an opening towards the fuel reservoir, but for the sake of overview it is shown as being completely open at the upper end.
• a filling device comprising a plug 24, a funnel 25 and a filling pipe 26 is shown in its almost mounted position and its functioning will be described in the following.
• the lamp Before the lamp is used for the first time it must be charged with oil. This is accomplished by positioning the filling device as shown in Figure 4 in the central opening 8 of the lamp, the plug 24 being pressed downwards and sealingly closing the central opening 8. When the oil is subsequently charged to the funnel 25, it will run downwards to the bottom of the lamp and start to rise in both the internal tubular member 2 and the fuel reservoir, whereas the repressed air will disappear through the oil lock 20.
• the wick 7 draws oil from the burning area below the internal tubular member 2.
• the oil level in the burning area will be at an approximately constant level at the lower end of the internal tubular member 2, the consumed amount of oil being replaced by a corresponding amount of oil from the fuel reservoir while simultaneously air enters the fuel reservoir at the lower end of the internal tubular member 2 and replaces the oil thus discharged.
• the filling device is once again used.
• the plug 24 is sealingly positioned in the central opening 8 of the lamp, and the filling pipe 26 is positioned as shown in Figure 4.
• the oil lock 20 will continue to contain oil that forms an oil plug that prevents air from entering the lamp.
• the funnel 25 of the filling device being located at a higher point than the oil plug in the oil lock 20, the oil plug will, however, be pressed out of the oil lock when oil is charged thereto. This will happen until the "rear" end of the oil plug reaches the bottom of the oil plug 20 since the air that pushes the oil plug will subsequently start to rise up through the oil plug due to the difference in densities of oil and air.
• the oil lock 20 consists of an internal tube 21 and an external tube 22.
• it may also consist of a single U-shaped tube wherein the one end of the tube is in open communication with the ventilation opening 23 whereas the other end of the tube is in open communication with the upper area of the fuel reservoir.
• the oil lock 20 can thus be positioned such that the optical effects are enhanced, or it can be arranged such that it disturbs the optical effects as little as possible.
• the entire lamp is made of glass, in particular borosilicate glass exhibiting, as mentioned above, adequate material properties, but parts of the lamp could also be made of some other material, eg in case the lamp is provided with a ventilation valve of metal, rubber, plastics or the like.
• the oil used is colourless, but in order to provide further optical and aesthetic effects the oil can be coloured.
• the fuel reservoir of the lamp is formed of two concentric tubes. However, nothing hinders that the fuel reservoir does not extend 360° around the burning area and thus around the flame, but merely extends partially around the burning area.
• the lamp could for instance be configured with a plane rear and a fuel reservoir that extends in front of the flame only with a cross section as a semi-disc. Such lamp could be positioned against a wall.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=8105193

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

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• 1999
  • 1999-10-14 DK DK199901472A patent/DK174482B1/da not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2000
  • 2000-10-11 AU AU76467/00A patent/AU7646700A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-10-11 EP EP00965870A patent/EP1221010A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-10-11 JP JP2001529628A patent/JP2003511825A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-10-11 WO PCT/DK2000/000573 patent/WO2001027525A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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