Untitled record

Application filed March 2T, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Walter M. Jackson, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented cer5 tain new and useful Improvements in GasRegulating Burners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains ic to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in gas-burners, the object being to provide simple, cheap, and convenient means for automatically regulating the pressure of gas be15 tween the point of combustion and the ordinary stop-cock by which the gas is turned on or off for lighting or extinguishing; and with these ends in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and com20 binations of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing, which represents a view in section of my improvement, B represents a shell made in two sections, ab, 25 adapted to be clamped, screwed, or otherwise securely held together gas-tight, the said shell presenting a globular appearance. Each section of the shell is provided with a shoulder, c, between which, when the sections are se30 cured together, is tightly held a diaphragm, A, made of any suitable material, but preferably of cloth rendered gas-tight by coating it with thin rubber and immersing it in a solution of glycerine and gelatine. This diaphragm 35 is centrally provided with a small hole or perforation adapted to receive a small pipe, g, which is closed at its lower end, provided at its upper end with the external screw-thread, below which thread is formed a shoulder or 40 flange, f. Upon the upper end of this pipe fits a nut, e, and when screwed down securely holds the diaphragm between itself and the shoulder/; or, if desired, the thread may be dispensed with and a sliding nut employed.

The pipe or tube g below the diaphragm is provided with a small hole, h, and to its lower end is secured the vertical rod i, adapted to pass freely through the opening 0 in the lower end of the section b of the shell. To the lower 50 end of this rod, I secure a valve, 7c, hanging below said opening 0, and preferably formed in the shape of a cone, the sides of the opening being inclined in accordance therewith, and forming a valve-seat. The lower end of the section b is provided with a male screw-thread 55 which meshes with a female screw-thread formed in the upper end of a suitable shank, C, which latter is adapted to secure the device to any ordinary fixture, the upper end of the section a being provided with a neck, a', for 60 the reception of any ordinary gas-tip, D. If desired, this neck may be threaded for the purpose of attaching an Argand or other burner.

Having set forth the construction and rela- 65 tive arrangement of the several parts of my improvement, I will now describe its operation. When the stop-cock is opened, the gas rushes up past the valve 7c into the space or. chamber below the diaphragm, through the 70 small hole 7i in the pipe g, out into the chamber above the diaphragm, to emerge at the burner, where it may be lighted. The outlet of said burner being of larger caliber than the hole h in the tube g a difference in pressure 75 on either side of the diaphragm is always assured. Again, the hole It in the tube g is of such size as to allow a sufficient quantity of gas to pass through it under the lowest pressure at which it is deemed advisable to burn 80 gas in order to obtain the greatest illuminating power from a given quantity. When thus constructed, the diaphragm is inactive and the burner emits its normal quantity of gas; but if the pressure be increased the diaphragm 85 will be forced upwardly, the tube g, nut e, spindle i, valve 7c, and the back-pressure of the gas in the chamber above the diaphragm counteracting a part of this upward pressure. Now, as the pressure below the diaphragm vi- 90 brates between the standard of low pressure and any degree of high pressure, the diaphragm, actuated by the difference between the pressures in the chambers above and below it, rises and falls, thus Closing or opening 95 the valve in the lower end of the section b and automatically checking or opening the supply of the gas to the section b, and automatically checking or opening the supply of the gas to the burner. Since the back-pressure above 100 the diaphragm is less than the pressure below when the main gas-pressure is higher than the lowest standard, it follows that the diaphragm must always be actuated to perform its func3 316,626 tion, and by making the hole h of a desired size to allow of the passage of a given quantity of gas under a certain pressure, and by forming the aperture in the burner of larger ca5 pacity than the hole in the tube, there is under higher pressure always a force to actuate the diaphragm and automatically supply a uniform quantity of gas to the burner.

It will be seen from the foregoing descripio tion that although the valve may constantly rise and fall, varying the flow of gas into the shell, said valve cannot come into actual contact with the seat, and therefore is not liable to adhere and close the hole entirely or to 15 fasten itself and refuse to operate when the gas is turned on.

My invention is exceedingly simple in construction, is durable and efficient in use, and can be applied to any ordinary gas-fixture at 20 a small initial cost.

I am aware that it has been proposed in a prior patent to construct a gas-regulator with a shell divided , into tw.o compartments by a flexible diaphragm having a regulating-valve 25 connected therewith, a gas-opening being provided through: the valve-stem for the flow of gas from one chamber or compartment to the other; and hence I make no broad claim to such construction ami arrangement of parts.

In my improvement the opening'in the valvestem for the passage of gas from the lower chamber to the upper chamber is of less capacity than the gas-opening in the burner-tip, and yet of the proper capacity to allow the 35 gas at its normal pressure to flow freely from the lower chamber, into the upper chamber and out through the burner- tip without actuating the regulating-valve. By providing the valvestem with a gas passage or conduit of less capacity than that through the burner-tip the 40 pressure on the under side of the diaphragm will exceed that exerted on its upper side aud thus force the diaphragm upwardly and retain it under a tension sufficient to prevent the regulating-valve being actuated by slight 45 variations in the pressure of the gas, which would result in a flickering flame of the burner, and insure a constant and practically uniform flow of gas at the. burner-tip.