US1625964A - To milwaukee gas - Google Patents

Description

April 26 1927.

O- SPAHR FLASH IGNITER FOR GAS BURNERS Filed Jan. 23, 1924 INVENTOR OTTo SPHHR W)? NM ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,625,964 PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO SPAHR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO MILWAUKEE GAS SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF MILXVAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

A. CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

FLASH IGNITER FOR GAS BURNERS.

Application filed January 23, 1924.

My invention relates to lighters for gas stoves and more particularly to that type thereof which are commonly termed flash igniters and which either occupy a fixed position in the gas stove for igniting any one or more of a series of burners therein or are adjustably mounted in said gas stove for selectively igniting any one of said series of burners. The object of the present invention is to provide a novel arrangement whereby the fiow of gas through the igniter is elliciently controlled in a simple and positive manner. A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified construction whereby the pilot light, customarily found in igniters of the type referred to, is economically maintained and efiiciently controlled. Other objects of the invention will appear from the description hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing, which i1- lustrates an example of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of the lighter; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line l4: of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the controlling valve.

For the purpose of describing the invention I have chosen an igniter of the type which is generally arranged to swing in circular arcs to bring the firing head into cooperative relation with the gas burner which it is desired to ignite; it will be understood that this is only an example which is not intended to nor does it define the limits of the invention.

As shown in the drawing, the lighter comprises a supply tube 10 provided at its free end with a burner or nozzle 11 located in a firing head 12 of any suitable construction, said tube 10 having its other end in screwthreaded connection with the boss 13 of a hollow valve plug 14. The latter is rotatably mounted in a valve casing 15 in the well known way and is provided with a spring 16 which bears against the valve casing 15 with one end and against a head 17 carried by the valve plug 14 with its other end. In the preferred arrangement the head 17 is screwed upon a screw-threaded extension of a plug 14, so as to be capable of adjusting the tension of the spring 16; a stop 17* is fixed upon said extension to limit the move- Serial No. 687,887.

ment of said head thereon and to prevent a binding of the parts. The valve casing 15 is connected by means of a branch pipe 18 with the header or main supply pipe 19 of the gas stove in the well known way. As

shown in the illustrated example, the valve plug 14: is formed with an axial passage 20 communicating with a transverse channel 21 which at its outer end communicates with an annular groove 22 formed on the valve plug in registry with the axial passage 23 of the branch pipe 18 whereby the valve casing is connected with the supply pipe 19. The axial passage 20 at one end is formed with a valve seat 24 and connected with the interior chamber 25 of the valve plug, said chamber being of relatively larger diameter and open at its outer end and being also in communication with the boss 13 and consequently with the tube 10. The open end of the interior chamber 25 is closed by means of a screw-threaded bushing 26 in which the valve stem 27 is slidably mounted, said valve stem at its inner end being formed with a needle valve 28 adapted to co-operate with the valve seat 24 to control the flow of gas to the burner or nozzle 11. For the purpose of centering the stem 27 in the chamber 25 and to guide it in its movements in said chamber, a rectangular nut 29 is adjustably mounted upon said stem which is screwthreaded at its inner end to receive said nut, as shown in Fig. 4: the nut 29 is so dimensioned that its corners are in engagement with the wall of the chamber 25 and its sides spaced therefrom to form spaces for the passage of the gas when the valve is open. The valve 28 is maintained in and returned to its closed position by means of a spring 30 which surrounds the stem 27 and bears with its one end against said nut 29 and has its other end in engagement with a washer 31 loosely mounted upon said stem preferably within the bushing 26 as shown in Fig. 2. The washer 31 in turn abuts against a felt or corresponding packing 32 which surrounds the stem 27 within an interior recess with which the bushing 26 is provided, the inner surface of the aforesaid recess is bevelled at its outer end as shown at 26 for the purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

At its outer end, exteriorly of the valve plug 14;, the stem 27 is provided with a head y is pivoted at 33 which may comprise an integral part of said stem or be rigidly secured thereto as desired. On its under surface this head is provided with parallel grooves or recesses 33 extending completely across the head as shown in Fig. 5. These recesses 33 are located upon opposite sides of the stem 27 and are adapted to receive the forked end 34: of an operating handle 35, it being understood that each recess 33 accommodates one member of said forked end. The handle 35 36 upon a suitable lug 37 ex tendingoutwardly from the valve plug l t as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The outer surface of the head 33 is tint and is adapted to en gage the head 38 oi" a stop screw 39 adjustably mounted upon the. valve plug i l and projecting thereform between the forked end as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In order to maintain a pilot flame at the burner 11, the valve stem 27 is provided with an axial channel lO which extends inwardly from the apex of the valve 28 and terminates at aseat 4-1 extending in a plane at right angles to the axis or the stem at an intermediate point therco'l. Exit apertures ll are located at diametrically oppositepoints of the stem 27 in close proximity to the seat 41 and establish communication between the channel 40 and the tube 10. li -ith this arrangement a restricted amount ot gas passes at all times, even when the valve is closed, through the channel d to the apertures ll and thence to the chamber from the latter the restricted amount ot gas passes to the pipe and the burner 11 and serves to sustain a pilot flame thereat. For the purpose of regulating this restricted flow of gas and to control. the size of the pilot light a valve 42 projects from the inner end of a screw d2 which is axliustably mounted in the stem 27 and eateriorly thereof is provided with a head as for manipulating said valve; the free end of the latte is flat and in the one extreme position of said screw, is adapted to engage the seat 411 and thereby close the inner end 01 the channel to completely cutoff the supply of through the same. By adjusting said end ot the screw valve away lIOIU sa' d inner end oi 'the channel to a greater or lesser extent, the flow of gas through the same regul'z. ed to increase or diminish the size of the pilot flame at will and to adjust it in a manner to conserve the consumption of gas in an economical.

manner and to provide a pilot light of maximum and uniform etiicreney.

The lighter operated in. the customary manner; that is to say, it may be swung in an are having the plug 14: as a center, to bring; the firing head '12 and with it the nozzle or burner 11 1nto co-operative relation with the burner which it is desired to ignite. After this adjustment has been had the handle 35 is pivotally actuated in the masses well known way to more the needle valve 28 in a direction away from the seat Whereby the amount o't gas which re ches the nozzle or burner 11 and the pilot iiame thereat is temporarily increased so that a correspondingly cnlar ed flame temporarily produced whereby the gas at the selected burner is ignited. As soon as the handle 35 is released the valve will be re turned to its normal position by the action of the spring 30, in which position said valve is closed and the flow oi? to the burner is again reduced to that which passes throughthe axialchannel ll) for staining the pilot ligl'it. Asthe handle 35 is manipic lated to open the valve 28. the will be moved lengthwise relatively to the bush ing 26 and accordingly will compress the spring 30; the latter in turn will press against the washer 31 and cause it to lorce the feltor other packing against the inclined interior surface 26 ct said bushing 26. 'lhis causes the packing to be compressed against the inner wall of the hush ing and against the stemQT, this compression against the elements referred to, being increased by the action the inclined surface 26 on said packing. In this way an absolutely gastight sliding tit oi the stem 2'? in the bushing 26 secured at the time when it is most needed, thatis when the valve 8 is open and the full supply of is is pas. 11;: to the burner 11. That is to say the further the handle is manipulated to open the valve 8 and consequently the further the latter is opened the more gas-tight will the packing become.

The described arrangen'lent of combined needle valve and pilot light valve permits the needle valve ZS'to be firmly seated upon the seat 2% in the closed position and consequent-1y avoids the :tormation of objectionable spaces in which dirt and foreign matter may become lodged and thus interfere with the proper operation of the device. At the same time by reason of the tact that the needle valve positivelyiengages the seat with. a wcdging efiect the latter .is maintained free from foreignmatter. The described arrangement also avoids all necessity for the provision of special passages for maintaining a pilot light in operation and reduces the construction to the utmost simplicityand at the sameti ne, makes the regulation of the pilotlight a positive andsimple matter. The

latter is due to the fact that the outer end of the head l3 of the pilot valve 42 is, generally speaking, in a readily accessible location.

It will be noted that the guide nut 29 at all points within its range of adjustment, is located near the end of the stem 27 in close proximity to the needle valve 28 thereof. The stem 27 is thus positively guided by the bushing 26 and the nut 29 at two points retill spectively near its opposite ends whereby said stem is efficiently held in its intended axial alinement and is uniformly guided with a minimum of friction.

The recesses 33 of the head in which the members of the forked end 3st of the handle 35 are located serve to protect said members and at the same time, in co-operation therewith, prevent unintentional rotation of the stem 27 and its associated parts, whereby the adjustment of the device might be disturbed. By extending the recesses 33 completely across the head 33 the latter may be connected with the forked end 3% with special. regard to the position of said head.

By adjusting the stop screw 39 to position its head 38 with respect to the head 33, the opening movement of the valve 28 may be automatically arrested at a predetermined point; the extent of opening of said valve may thus be positively predetermined and an adjustment efi'ected whereby waste of gas is prevented and a most economical opera tion of the burner consistent with etficient results is automatically obtained.

In many cases, the construction of the gas stove and the arrangement of the parts thereof, makes it desirable to install the lighter therein in a reversed position or, in other words, upside down with respect to the position illustrated in the drawing. It will be understood that the arrangement shown and described is capable of being utilized in such reversed position without in any way reducing its efficiency and that the illustrated position is only an example which in no sense defines the limits of the invention.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A gas lighter comprising a valve casing connected with a source of gas, a valve plug rotatably mounted therein, a supply tube carried by and communicating with said plug, a burner carried by said tube, a valve seat in said plug, a valve stem slidably mounted therein and projecting outwardly beyond the same, a valve at the inner end of said stem co-operating with said seat to control the supply of gas to said burner, said valve stem having a restricted axial passage and communicating apertures for supplying a restricted amount of gas to said burner to maintain a pilot flame thereat, a head on said stem exteriorly of said valve plug, said head having parallel spaced recesses extending across the same in diametric directions, a handle pivoted on said plug and having a forked end projecting beneath said head into the recesses thereof for actuating said valve and for pivotally adjusting said valve plug and its associated elements relatively to said casing, and a stop adjustably mounted upon said valve plug and adapted to be engaged by said head to arrest the opening of said valve at a predetermined point.

2. A gas lighter comprising a valve casing connected with a source of gas, a valve plug rotatably mounted therein, a supply tube carried by and communicating with said plug, a burner carried by said tube, a valve seat in said plug, a valve slidably mounted therein to control the flow of gas to said burner, a recessed head connected with said valve stem and located exteriorly of said plug, a handle pivoted on said plug and having a forked end projecting beneath said head into the recesses thereof for actuating said valve and for pivotally swinging said valve plug and its associated elements relatively to said casing and a. stop screw mounted upon said plug and having its head in the path of the recessed head of said valve for arresting the opening of said valve at a predetermined point.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

OTTO SPAHR.

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