US1660194A - Signal lantern - Google Patents

Description

w. s. HAM M SIGNAL LANTERN Filed July 16. 1926 n" n I Z WQnZ J6 J9 if Elam? Z/jlcwv 3 mum Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES- PATENT orFIc 1 WILLIAM S. HAMM, OF'HUBBARD WOODS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO THE ADLAKIE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. i I

, SIGNAL LANTERN.

Application filed July 16,

The invention relates to lanterns used in the railway service and especially by train and yard-men. While such lanterns are re-, quired in the railway service for general illu mination, their especial use is in the giving of signals for. controlling the movement of trains. In the handling of the lantern in signaling, it is swungin various ways, is frequently brought to a horizontal posit-ion and is sometimes actually inverted. It is subjected to winds of very high velocity especially when carried on top of a freight train which is running against a head wind, and among the most trying conditions are those due to themovem'ents of the user, when jumping down from a car and running alongside of the track. It is, of course,es sential that the light be-dependable and its failures must be reduced to thelowest pos" sible number. The diiiiculties. in organizing a lantern for this service have been increased by the. recent adoption of a light fuel such as kerosene instead of the heavier so-called signal oil which had been employed for many years. In the burning of kerosene, a copious supply of air is required yet the flame is very sensitive and must be protected against too violent air currents and from a reversal of the currents, which may be set up from a variety of causes and which tends to smother the flame not only by cutting oif the supply of oxygen but preventing the vapors of combustion from, being carried away from the burner. v

7 It is further important that the structure be simple, forthe purpose of keeping its cost as low as possible and for the further purpose of convenience in its care.

The objects of the present invention are to improve the bottom ventilation of such lanterns with view to provide an adequate supply of air to the burner while preventing its delivery in violent and flame disturbing currents, and furthermore to counteract the tendency to a reversal of current especially when the lantern is subjected to violent j arring as when the user jumps from the car to the ground, and to counteract what seems to be a pumping action produced by the up and down motion of the lantern as the user runs with it on the ground or on top of the train.

A further object is to simplify the lower portion of the lantern structure, reducing 1926. Serial No. 122,882.

the number of partsof whichitis composed and conducing tosimplicity of assembly.

These objects are obtained by, and themvention consists in the structure hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Y 1 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lantern, partly in section and with some parts broken away, and v I V m Fig. 2 is a detail section on line 22,of Fig. 1 some of the parts being omitted.

The lantern comprises the usual guard frame lopreferably of wire, a so-calledbase ring 11, and oil font 12, seated within the base ring, and globe 13, seated uponthe base ring, and dome 14:, and aglobe holder .15 carried within the dome and spring-pressed downwardly against the top of the globe.

The globe holder is of any desirable form such as that shown in the Hamm &, Schuetz Patent, No. 1,415,633 of May 9, 1922. The upper part of the lantern will, of course be provided-with suitable ventilating ports and n with a bale by-which it may be carried, but as the present invention is not concerned with these features of the lantern, they have been omitted fromthe drawings. i 1

The lower 'porton of the-base ring 11, is, as usual,iofsuch'diameter as to receive the font '12. Its upper portion 16 is offset outwardly to provide a passage 17 for air en- 'te'ring induction ports 18 and 19.f The side wall of the font 12 is continued upwardly beyond the top 20 of the font as shown at 21, and is flanged outwardly as shown at 22 to provide a seat for the globe 13.) Beyond the seat 22, the ring is flanged upwardly, as shown at 23, toenclose the lower portion of-the globe and at the uppermargin of this latter flange, to rest upon and enclose the upper margin of the section 16 of the base ring.

, Thetop plate 20' of the font is permanently secured within its side wall, as by crimping the latter as shown and'the joint may be sealedwith solder. The burner 25 is preferably seated within the top plate of the font by a slip joint and there is present the usual wick raising spindle 26 extending to the exterior of the base ring.

The upstanding flange 21 of the side wall of the font is provided with ports 27, preferably arranged as an annular series and it is overturned as vshown at 24c are disposed entirely above the top 20 of the font to provide for the uninterrupted admission of air currents and direct them toward the burner.

The font 20 is seated suspended within the lower or contracted portion of the base ring 11 and is stayed at its upper end by engagement of the flanges 23 and 24, with the upper margin of this ring, with which it isheld in engagement by the downward.

pressure of-a spring within the dome, ex-

erted thru the globe 13. The parts are easily assembled by swinging backwardly the dome guished by the jumping and runnin of the user, above mentioned. This trou le has been overcome inthe present invention by giving the shoulder 28, which unites the upper and lower sections of the base ring, the form of undercut, the upper section 16 of the base ring extending slightly below the top of the lower section thereof. 'While the shoulder 28 is shown as straightin cross section, this configuration is not essential. The induction ports 19 in the shoulder 28 may be as numerous and of such capacity as will be best suitable to the admission of an adequate air supply while guarding against violent wind currents. It is believed, though the theory of the action which takes place may be a mistaken one, that the rapid vertical movement of the lantern when the user is runnin induces a reversal of currents within the body of thelantern by the rapid movement of air currents across the ports 18 and past the lower marginof the upper'section 16 of the base ring. It is further thought that a similar inductive action'is set up by strong wind currents across the ports 19 when the shoulder 28 is flat. It is thought that the undercut'form of shoulder herein shown results in an eddying action whether the external air currents be vertical or 1101-1;

zontal, causing an inflow'of air thru the ports 19 under all circumstances. By supporting the font upon the upper margin of the base ring and holding it to this seat by base ring, and a font within the ring and having an outstanding flange forming a globe seat and loosely seated upon the upper portionof the base ring. 7

2. In a signal lantern, in combination, a base ring, and a font within the ring and having an outstanding flange forming a globe seat and spring seated upon the upper margin of the base ring. V

3. In a. signal lantern, a font, a ported base ring, inclosing, extending above and spaced from the font tofform therewith an air chamber, the side wall of the fon'tbeing extended upwardly and ported and having at the upper end of such extension an outstanding flange forming a globe seat and resting upon the upper margin of the ring.

4. In a signal lantern, a base ring the upper portion of which is of greater diameter. than its lower portion, the 'adjacent margins of the two portions overlapping and a ported web connecting such two portions and being 7 connected with the lower portion above the lower margin of the upper portion.

5. 'In a signal lantern, in combination, a base ring, a font seating within the ring, the upper portion of the ring being ofl'set outwardly to inclose with t he font wall, an air chamber, the web connecting. the lower and upper portions of the ring being ported and upwardly offset,- the side wall of the font being prolonged beyond its top and ported and at its upper margin flanged outwardly to form a globe seat and to engage the upper margin of the ring. v

6. In a signal lantern, having a base ring, a font housed within the base ring, a globe and a dome, a globe seat carrying the font and resting upon the base ring and a spring within the dome urging the globe'down wardly upon its seat.

I. In a signal lantern, in combination, a

base ring, and afont suspended within the ring by a flange seated upon an upwardly facing portion thereof, andmeans pressing the flange to such seat. In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature;

WILLIAM s. HAMM.

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