A NEW OR IMPROVED STAIR TREAD AND PAVING BLOCK
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cotter, of Holloway, in the County of
Middlesex, Auctioneer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
STAIR TREAD AND PAVING BLOCK."
Scaled the 5th January 1875, and dated the 6th July 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cotter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th July 1874.
I, WILLIAM COTTER, of Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
5 Auctioneer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW OR IMPROVED STAIR TREAD AND PAVING BLOCK," to be as follows (that is
to say) :-
This Invention relates to a new or improved stair tread and paving
block applicable for footways, carriage roads, courts, yards, and generally
O for paving purposes.
According to my Invention the surface presented to the foot of the
pedestrian or to the traffic in the carriage way is formed of a series of

page_text: spheres of glass, stone, metal, india-rubber, or other suitable material,
projecting at their upper sides for about one-third (more or less) of their
vertical diameters through perforations in plates of metal, wood, or other
suitable material (placed over and upon them), and resting at their
under sides on plates of metal, wood, india-rubber, or other suitable
material. Thus, should the said spheres wear, it becomes necessary only
to raise the top perforated plates and replace the worn spheres by others,
so replacing the plates that the spheres will project partially through the
perforations therein, as described. It is anticipated however that the
friction of the traffic on the upper surfaces of the spheres will cause
them to turn sufficiently to bring constantly fresh portions of their
surfaces to be acted upon, and so preserve their spherical form even
during wear. At the same time the motion will be imperceptible to the
foot, and certainly not sufficient to cause any tendency to slipping.
This pavement may be constructed in blocks of any required size, to be
placed side by side, and when applied to form treads for stairs or steps
cach tread may be formed of one block, for which the following is a
convenient construction:-There will be a bottom plate of the size of
the tread of the stair. This will be surrounded by an uprising ledge,
regulated in height to suit the size of spheres used; this plate and ledge
forming a sort of shallow tray is covered in at the top by a perforated
plate. The spheres to be used rest on the bottom plate, and when
covered by the top plate project through the perforations therein, and so
present their upper surfaces to the foot.
When desired, a sheet of india-rubber, felt, or other suitable material
may be placed under the spheres to prevent any tendency to slipping
round, and a ledge of india-rubber may be placed along the front of
the box, uprising to about the height of the top of the spheres or a little
above.
Also the spheres may be composed, some of rigid material, such as
glass or stone, and some of india-rubber interspersed.
The upper perforated plate may be either attached to the lower frame

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Cotter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COTTER, of Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, Auctioneer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Cotter, Her special license that I,
the said William Cotter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Cotter, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED STAIR TREAD
AND PAVING BLOCK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Cotter, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Cotter, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a new or improved stair tread and paving
block applicable for footways, carriage roads, courts, yards, and generally
for paving purposes.
According to my Invention the surface presented to the foot of the

page_text: spheres of glass, stone, india-rubber, or other suitable material, projecting
at their upper sides for about one-third (more or less) of their vertical
diameters through plates of metal, wood, or other suitable material placed
over and upon them, and resting at their under sides on plates of metal,
wood, india-rubber, or other suitable material. Thus, should the said
spheres wear, it becomes necessary only to raise the top perforated plates,
and replace the worn spheres by others, so replacing the plates that the
spheres will project partially through the perforations therein, as
described. It is anticipated however that the friction of the traffic on
the upper surface of the spheres will cause them to turn sufficiently to
bring constantly fresh portions of their surfaces to be acted upon, and so
preserve their spherical form even during wear.. At the same time the
motion will be imperceptible to the foot, and certainly not sufficient to
cause any tendency to slipping. This pavement may be constructed in
blocks of any required size, to be placed side by side, and when applied
to form treads for stairs or steps each tread may be formed of one
block.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and
figures marked thereon, and in which Figure 1 is a plan of a block
constructed as a tread for stairs or steps; Figure 2, a longitudinal section
thereof; and Figure 3, a transverse section.
A is the bottom plate, which is made the size of the tread of the stair,
and is surrounded by an uprising ledge B of a height to suit the size of
the spheres used. The plate and ledge thus forming a sort of shallow
tray are covered in at the top by a perforated plate C. The spheres D
to be used rest upon the bottom plate A, and when covered by the top
plate C project through the perforations therein, and so present their
upper surfaces to the foot, as shewn.
When desired, a sheet of india-rubber, felt, or other suitable material E
may be placed under the spheres to prevent a too ready tendency to
slipping round, and a ledge of india-rubber G may be placed along the
front of the box, uprising to about the height of the top of the spheres
or a little above, and may be fixed in position by being jammed between
the edge of the top plate C and the rim B, as shewn,

page_text: The spheres D may be composed, some of rigid material, such as
glass or stone, and some of elastic material, such as india-rubber
interspersed. Thus, by making the front row of alternate rigid and
elastic spheres, the above-described ridge of india-rubber may be dispensed
with.
The upper perforated plate may be used either attached to the lower
frame as a lid to a box, or may be used detached and screwed or other-
wise fastened down.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to or may be
performed, I claim as my Invention to be secured by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, the new or improved stair tread and
paving block, substantially as herein-before set forth and described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cotter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.