IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICKS BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING PAVING AND LIKE PURPOSES ALSO IN ATTACHMENTS OR APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foot, of Wellington in the County of Somerset
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICKS BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR
BUILDING PAVING AND LIKE PURPOSES ALSO IN ATTACHMENTS OR APPLIANCES
TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foot at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd December 1882.
WILLIAM FOOT, of Wellington in the County of Somerset,
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN BRICKS BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING PAVING AND LIKE PURPOSES ALSO
IN ATTACHMENTS OR APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
"
The object of this Invention is the manufacture and employment of bricks or
blocks also slabs for building paving and like purposes with certain appliances to
be used therewith in order to bind them in close or open connection for walls of
buildings or other structures.
For the purposes of my Invention I mould blocks in brick or slab form with
perforations at specially fixed distances apart so that any two can be set in position
for being interlocked with a neighbouring one by ties of metal or other material
having their ends bent to drop into the perforations or by Z shaped attachments
which fit the widest part of dovetailed slots in the edge or edges of the bricks or
slabs or by dovetailed pieces of glazed pottery or other material, or by forming
some of the bricks or slabs with dovetailed projections and others with corre
spondingly shaped recesses in order to form a perfect bond between the bricks or
slabs as they are laid and thus ensure solidity of the wall or structure.
In some cases I fit pegs in the perforations and use them alone or in combination
with any other of my attachments as desired.
For hollow walls to keep damp out of houses I use distance pieces of preferably
glazed pottery-ware of double or single angled ends or edges to fit the dovetails or
other recesses of the bricks or slabs the length or depth of the "web" between

page_text: the angled ends determining the distance the brick-work shall be apart the webbed
and angled pieces forming partitions in regular or irregular vertical lines or
otherwise.
My bricks are applicable for the erection of all kinds of walls and can be used
in combination with ordinary bricks or with stone according to the intended
design; and in the erection of say a dwelling house. The courses of my bricks
can be arranged to carry the joists or other timber or metal work as at present
and they can be set for gate and other piers, for copings and terminals, gathering
for string courses, for toothing and mitreing, and for fence and parapet walls, also
for foundations and footings, and for garden walls, in which case, I purpose
clamping the front at intervals with wooden dowels or keys for receiving nails for
supporting plants or wire or trellis work also for affixing skirting boards frames
and other timber or framings of internal fittings.
For building chimney stacks or flues my bricks are particularly adapted the
several bricks of each course being so locked to each other and also to the course
directly above and to the course beneath that no brick of the structure can become
loose.
For solid walls of great thickness and extra strength the chamber can be filled
in with concrete cement or other "stuff" to form a "bond" with the bricks
themselves and with the distancing or web pieces. This plan is specially suitable
for foundations on moist or clay soil, such a wall being practically impervious to
water when the concrete cement or other stuff is sett.
My bricks are of the same dimension as ordinary bricks and are laid in the usual
manner with mortar or in cement and they may be plain, fluted or of ornamental
shape according to the position they have to occupy in a building, or of any colour
glazed or otherwise, to suit design or taste. For paving slabs or floor tiles I dispense
with the perforations.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Foot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd June
1883.
WILLIAM FOOT of Wellington in the County of Somerset IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRICKS, BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING, PAVING AND LIKE PURPOSES ALSO IN
ATTACHMENTS OR APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
The object of this invention is the manufacture and employment of bricks or
blocks also slabs for building paving and like purposes with certain appliances to be
used therewith in order to bind them in close or open connection for walls of
buildings or other structures.
For the purposes of my invention I mould blocks in brick or slab form with
perforations at specially fixed distances apart so that any two can be set in position
for being interlocked with a neighbouring one by ties of metal or other material
having their ends bent to drop into the perforations or by Z shaped attachments
which fit the widest parts of dovetailed slots in the edge or edges of the bricks or
slabs or by dovetailed pieces of glazed pottery or other material or by forming
some of the bricks or slabs with dovetailed projections and others with corre-
spondingly shaped recesses in order to form a perfect bond between the bricks or
slabs as they are laid and thus ensure solidity of the wall or structure.
In some cases I fit pegs in the perforations and use them alone or in combination
with any other of my attachments as desired. For hollow walls-to keep the damp
out of houses, use distance pieces of preferably glazed, pottery ware, of double or
single angled ends or edges to fit the dovetails or other recesses of the bricks or
slabs the length or depth of the "web" between the angled ends determining
the distance the brick work shall be apart the webbed and angled pieces forming
partitions in regular or irregular vertical lines or otherwise.
For building chimney stacks or flues my bricks are particularly adapted the
several bricks of each course being so locked to each other and also to the
course directly above and to the course beneath that no brick of the structure can
become loose
For solid walls of great thickness and extra strength the chamber can be filled
in with concrete, cement or other "stuff" to form a "bond" with the bricks
themselves and with the distancing or web pieces. This plan is specially suitable
for foundations on moist or clay soil such a wall being practically impervious to
water when the concrete cement or other stuff is sett.
My bricks are of the same dimensions as ordinary bricks and are laid in the
usual manner with mortar or in cement and they may be plain, fluted or of
ornamental shape according to the position they have to occupy in a building or of
any colour, glazed or otherwise to suit design or taste.
For paving slabs or floor tiles I dispense with the perforations.
I make in the bricks slots of a dovetail shape as shown in Figures 1 to 6
inclusive in the annexed drawing into which slots I insert couplings made of
brick or pottery material or iron or any other suitable material. These couplings
may be of the form shown at Figures 7, 8 and 9 or of any other suitable form and
of any width. By means of these couplings being dropped into the slots I so
unite the whole course of bricks whether it be the top of a chimney or any other
brickwork that one brick cannot be moved without moving the whole course
thereby preserving the whole course from any damage.
I use the same kind of couplings for piers, copings, or other ordinary
hsial-ma

page_text: The couplings 10, 11, 12 I use for bonding damp proof walls and may be made
of iron or of any other suitable material and of any width fitted to drop into the
slots. Figures 10 and 11 I drop into the slots which are in the sides of the
bricks and Figure 12 into the slots at the ends of the bricks. The length of these
couplings I regulate according to the width of the cavity in the wall.
Figures 13:14 and 15 I make a damp proof wall with by a dovetail shape space
in one brick Figure 13. and dovetail bricks as Figures 14 and 15 made to fit the
space in Figure 13. By using Figures 13 and 14 together I obtain a 12 inch
wall with 3 inch cavity Figure 13 forming the stretcher outside and Figure 14
the beader inside. By using two of Figure 13 and one of Figure 15 together I
obtain a 15 inch wall, with a 6 inch cavity Figure 13 forming the stretchers
on both sides and Figure 15 the bond. I obtain also by these bricks more firm
bearings for joists and a more general distribution of the weight of the same over
the whole of the brickwork.
The bricks as shown by Figure 16 make with suitable slots at the ends and
sides across their width and which I build in at given distances in the coigns of
chimney breasts and at inside coigns of doors and windows to receive the plugs to
which the staff brads are fixed. I also build a suitable number of these bricks
into coigns where door frames have to be fixed and by filling the slots with
plugs obtain a more firm and quicker mode of fixing the frames,
I also build in at suitable distances a number of these same (Figure 16)
bricks at proper, height to receive skirtings whereby I provide for the better
and more dispatchful fixing of skirting or other frame work. In 4 brick
partitions by means of few of these bricks being built in I provide for both sides
being at one and the same time plugged to receive the skirting. Figures 17 and 18
represent three bricks two Figure 17 and one Figure 18 the dovetail ends of the
two Figure 17 being dropped into the dovetail shape space in Figure 18 form one
block which I use for copings of garden and other fence walls and parapets of
houses and terminals of fence walls. By specially arranged perforations which I
make in the bricks as at Figure 19 the courses few or many can be so united
vertically as to be equal in service to a solid block of stone. I also use any of
my slotted bricks inserted alternately or otherwise as may be preferred in garden
walls with a plug of wood driven into the slot or perforation previous to laying
the brick to which plug fruit trees, wire fencing and the like can be nailed instead
of to the joints of the brickwork.
By means of these slots and couplings I obtain greatly increased strength in
corbilling and cornices the outer or inner bricks being thereby all united to each
other also in toothing to receive future brickwork the old and new work are
thereby united as if both were built at same time.
I make fire bricks slotted as for other brickwork and couplings for the same
whereby resistance to heat is increased and damage to brickwork prevented.
Figures 20 21 and 22 represent slabs or squares for foot ways, garden and other
paths which I make with slots as the bricks and when laid unite them with
suitable couplings so as that they require no kerb to keep them firmly in their
places.
One feature of importance in this Invention is I have as few or many alota
and perforations and of any form or size and make them in any part of the
bricks. The slots or perforations may be of the length or width of the brick
block or slab or only for a distance in them to receive the couplings or the plugs
as the case may be.
My bricks are applicable for the erection of all kinds of walls and can be used
in combination with ordinary bricks or with stone according to the intended design
and in the erection of say a dwelling house the courses of my bricks can be
arranged to carry the joists or other timber or metal work as at present and they
can be sett for gate and other piers for copings and terminals, gathering for string
courses for toothing and mitreing and for fence and parapet walls also for
foundations and footings and for garden walls in which case I purpose clamping

page_text: the front at intervals with wooden dowels or keys for receiving nails for supporting
plants or wire or trellis work, also for affixing skirting boards frames and other
timber or framings of internal fittings.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim.
The improvements in bricks blocks and slabs for building paving and like
purposes also in attachments or appliances to be used in connection therewith as
hereinbefore described and substantially as shown in the annexed drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Foot have hereunto set my hand and
seal this twenty ninth day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
WILLIAM FOOT. (L.S.)