US835946A - Electric gas-lighter. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 13

G. GIORGI. ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTERl- APPLIOATION FILED SBP'L 1e, 1.905.

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

GIORGIO GIORGI, OF FLORENCE, ITALY.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.,

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern;

Beit known that I, GIORGIO GIORGI, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident oi` Florence, Italy, have invented a new and Improved Electric Gas-Lighter, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

My invention has for its obj ect the opening and closing of gas-taps and the lighting and extinguishing of the gas by means of an electric current 5 and it comprises an electromagnetic gas-tap, an automatic electrochemical lighter, and an arrangement of cut-out in the electric circuit.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters oil reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the electrical lighting and extinguishing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lower part of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2 with the top or cover removed. Fig. 4 is a plan of the under side of part of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a section and a plan of the lighter proper. Fig. 6 is an elevation illustrating the automatic cut-out at the gas-meter. Fig. '7 is an elevation of the cut-out and meter-tap drawn to a larger scale, and Fig. 8 is a detached elevation oi the tube of the cutout and its support drawn to a still larger scale.

According to my invention I employ an electromagnet having a central hole or passage u and provided with an armature t, on which are two striking-pins o A platform c of Ahorseshoe shape is xed iirmly on the top polar surface of the electromagnet by Ineans of a screw g and has two holes d e passing through it to slots or gas-passages underneath the platform, one of the holes, d, communicating, by means of thegas-passage f,

lwith the gas-supply, and the other hole, e, by

means of the gas-passage g and the small tube g, communicating with a chamber o of an intermittent-pilot-light tube i. The outside edge of the platform is provided with a guide-rail p, and in the center it has a hole through which passes the screw q. Between this screw and the small guide-rail there is an annular space r sufficient for a ball h to pass from one hole to the other. The iioor of this ,annular space is not flat, but rises gradually Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led September 16, 1905.

l Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Serial No. 278,796.

The intermittent-pilot-light tube i is made of thin brass, is screw-threaded at the ends, and receives an ebonite nut t and an insulating ebonite ring z.

`The electrochemical automatic lighter Z screws onto the top of the pilot-light tube t" and is composed of two small concentric metal tubes a b', connected by a fine platinum wire f, protected by a metal hood h, soldered to the tube a. The hood h has on one side a small bent spring l', and the tube b is internally screw-threaded in order to screw onto the intermittent-pilot-light tube. The steel ball h rests on one or the other of the holes in the platform, so as to close it hermetically.

The electromagnet, the platform, and the ball are inclosed in a glass cylinder m, making a gas-'tight joint with a base 'n and cover m o. The cover is made in the form of a cage and screws onto the base, which has a nipple p to screw it Onto the gas-fitting, and a terminal for a wire g insulated from it and communicating with the wire of the magnetcoil. On the cover there is also a projecting screw r for the burner, and a hole 8,I`rom which the pilot-light tube L rises. The nut t has a projecting neck which fits into the hole s and by screwing close up against the cover prevents any escape of gas and at the same time insulates the intermittent-pilotli'ght tube fi. The central hole u of the electromagnet communicates at the bottom with the nipple p, and thus with the gas-supply, and at the top with the slot or gas-passage f, which terminates in the hole d. If this hole be open the gas will fill the top part'of the glass chamber and i'low through the gas-passage in the screw r to the burner. The hole .e is in communication, as already stated, by

means of the slot or passage g and the small tube g, with the chamber o, which consists of a small brass tube y, hermetically fixed to the tube g. In the brass tube there is iiXed another thinner ebonite tube rr, which in its IOO turn embraces another small internally.

screw-threaded brass tube z, in which the pilot-light tube 'i is screwed. With this arrangement the gas which issues from the hole d when open will not only have a free passage to the burner, but will also be able to pass by the hole e if it be open.

I will now describe the electric circuit of` the apparatus. To the terminal g is iixed one of the ends of the magnet-coil, and the other end is soldered to the small brass tube z, in-

sulated from the coil, as before explained, by means of the ebonite tube fc. The electric current coming through a wire to the terminal g passes into the coils, round the magnet, through the metal tube z, the metal pilot-light tube fi, and the tube b to the terminal e, passes through the platinum wirefl to the terminal rl, and thence to the cage 7L by means of the external tube a of the pilotburner. The spring Z/ of the cage serves to make metallic contact with the gallery of an Auer or other burner, (in this case with the necessary modificationa) which. is suitably connected with the screw r. Thus when the current reaches the spring Z it will pass through the burner to the cover o m and thence through the upright bars to the base a and to the nipple p. From this point it follows the gas-piping to earth. The ebonite ring z, which is about half-way up the pilot-light tube i, serves to insulate it from the small metal disk (firing-back disk) between the Bunsen burner and the gallery in the Auer burner. The current required to actuate the apparatus is very small, an intensity of one ampere with a potential of four volts y being suliicient.

The operation is as follows: Cn closing the circuit by means of an ordinary push-button. or switch the armature b is attracted by the electromagnet, and the ball h, which is over the hole d, (tap closed,) is knocked over the hole e, (the ball must of necessity rest over one of the holes, because the ball-race is inclined to them both, as already described,) and the gas will then have free passage to the burner. Thilo the current is passing, the armature remains attracted and the ball cannot rest over the hole e to close it, as it is prevented from doing so by the striking-pin on the armature 0.- Thus as long as the electrical circuit is closed the gas can pass through the hole e, slot g, tube g, chamber o, and intermittent-pilot-light tube i, and it willthus pass up and surround the platinum wire of the lighter. The length and diameter of this wire are such as to cause a strong resistance to the electric current, and the passage of this current heats the wire to about 300O centigrade. In this condition the metallic platinum (or a metal of the platinum group) condenses the hydrogen of the gas and the oxygen of the air on its surface, (phenomenon of occlusion.) The two gases thus condensed combine, and the temperature produced by the reaction is sufficient to make the wire white-hot, and thus ignite the gas issuing from the pilot-tube t. This takes place so rapidly that on closing the circuit the lighting of the gas issuing from the burner is insured in a quarter to half a second of time. lVhen the current ceases, the armature l) returns by gravity to its position, and the ball rests completely over the hole e and closes the gas-passage, immediately extinguishing the pilot-light, while the burner remains open. I/Vhen the ball h is over the hole e, (tap-open,) a closing of the circuit will cause the armature to knock it round to the other hole d, and immediately on the cessation of the current the ball will seat itself over the hole, and thus cut off the gas from the burner. (Of course during the extinguishing the pilotlight will be lighted for an instant.) Thus by closing a switch in an electrical circuit I obtain an almost instantaneous alternate opening of the tap and lighting of the burner and a closing of the tap and extinguishing of the burner. I do not limit myself to the exact arrangement shown for the pilot-lamp or for other parts.

It is necessary to prevent the diilerent switches or push-pieces from acting when the gas-meter is shut off; otherwise the following objection might arise. On pressing one of the buttons or push-knobs that is to say, on completing the electric circuit-the tap would. open,but the gas would notbe lighted, being sluit o'l'l at the meter'. By a careless person the tap might be left in the above condition, and on subsequently opening the meter-cock there would be an escape of gas at the burner of which the push-knob had been tampered with. An arrangement is provided at the gas-meter which will with certainty avoid this danger by permitting the working of the different push-knobs only when the gas-meter is turned on. In this way the different lamps furnished with electromagnetic taps become safety-lamps, as it is impossible to leave the gas escaping even involuntarily provided there are no defects in the piping. This arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and S. On the cock B of the meter A the metal support Q of the automatic cut-out C is screwed. This consists of a short ebonite tube closed at the ends. At the base it has a terminal G, the screw P of which passes through the bottom of the ebonite tube and enters into the hollow interior, thus forming a rheophore. A metal pin L in contact with the metallic ring of the support Q also passes through and terminates in the hollow of the ebonite tube near the other rheophore P. In the tube C there is a small quantity of mercury which when the cut-out is vertical, or nearly so, joins the two points P L, making a single conductor of the terminal G and the support Q. )When the automatic cut-out is inclined and brought to a position below the horizontal, the mercury will fall to the other end of the tube and the metallic contact between the two rheophores PL will be broken. The supportQis slightly bent, so that when it is fixed to the metercock it places the cut-out C in the position X X, Fig. 7, if the gas is on-that is, if the cock be open-and in the position. Y Y, Fig. 7, if the gas is ofl".

The electric circuit is as follows: The nega- IOO IOS

IIO

tive pole M, Fig.v 6, for instance, is brought to the terminal G and the positive pole N to the push knob or button E and thence to the terminal of the electromagnetic tap H onthe lyre F. If the meter-cock is open, the automatic cut-out G takes the -position XX, Fig. 7, and then if the button E, Fig. 6, be pressed the electric circuit will be completed and the lamp IFI will act. The current will pass from the positive pole N to the terminal of the electromagnetic tap H. It will then low through the iitting, and passing thence through the gas-piping `will return to the gas-meter and pass through the cock B and support Q, which in the position X X of the cut-out is in contact with the terminal G, whence it will return to the cells. If the gasmeter cock be closed and the key B horizontal, the automatic cut-out G will take the position Y Y, and then in the circuit there will be two breaks, one at E and the other at P, and therefore when pressing the buttonEthe electromagnetic tap will not act. It will be obvious that with such a circuit any number of lamps can be employed.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of an electromagnettap, a burner coacting therewith, and a cut- `out for preventing the action of said tap when the supply of gas is shut off 2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supporting member provided with separate openings for admitting gas to the burner and for admitting gas to the pilot-lamp, a rolling ball adapted to fit into each of said openings so as to close the same gas-tight, an electromagnet,

and a movable armature for said magnet, said movable armature being so positioned that in moving under the impulse of said magnet it rolls said ball from one of said openings to the other.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supporting member provided with an opening for admitting gas to the burner and with an opening for admitting gas to the pilot-lamp, said member being further provided with a raised portion intermediate of said openings, a loose ball adapted to fit each of said openings gas-tight, said ball being further adapted to roll over said raised portion when given an impetus for that purpose, an electromagnet, and a movable armature for said electromagnet, said movable armature bein so positioned as to strike said ball when t e same is resting within one of said openings.

4. In an apparatus of the character described,- the combination of a supporting member provided with an opening for admitting gas to the burner and a separate opening for admitting gas to the pilot-lamp, a ball adapted to close each of said openings air-tight, an electromagnet, a movable armature for said magnet, said armature being adapted to roll said ball from one of said openings to the other, and means operable while said electromagnet is energized for preventing said ball from completely closing the l opening into which it rolls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two. subscribing witnesses.

GIORGIO GIORGI.

Witnesses: y

GALTAvro MARRAEU GENORA, GIACOMO BOERA PEUVIA.

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