Improvements in Treads for Stairs.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Treads for Stairs.
I, DRUITT HALPIN, of No. 17 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of treads for stairs whereby
the wearing surfaces thereof are rendered of a gritty nature so as to afford
effectual frictional contact with the feet and thus prevent slipping.
For this purpose I make such treads of slabs or blocks of wood, mill board,
papier mache or other similar material, in which are formed holes, recesses or
grooves, which I fill in with a compound consisting of sand, emery, ground pumice
or other similar pulverulent gritty material, mixed with a more or less adhesive
material such as resin, pitch &c. By the action of the feet this compound is
continually conveyed to a greater or less extent from the holes on to the surface of
the tread as this wears away, and thus maintains this in a permanently gritty
condition. Such slabs may either form the permanent treads of the stairs, or they
may be fixed on the permanent treads, whether these be of wood metal or stone,
so as to be readily renewed when worn away.
Dated this 18th day of February 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Treads for Stairs.
I, DRUITT HALPIN of No. 17 Victoria Street Westminster in the County of
London, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of treads for stairs whereby
the wearing surfaces thereof are rendered of a gritty nature so as to afford
effectual frictional contact with the feet and thus prevent slipping.
For this purpose I make such treads of slabs, plates or blocks of wood, mill
board, papier maché or other similar material, in which are formed holes, recesses
or grooves, which I fill in with a compound consisting of sand, emery, ground
pumice, or other similar pulverulent gritty material mixed with a more or less
adhesive material such as resin, pitch, &c. By the action of the feet this
compound is continually conveyed to a greater or less extent from the holes on to
the surface of the tread as this wears away, and thus maintains this in a
permanently gritty condition. Such slabs may either form the permanent treads
of the stairs, or they may be fixed on the permanent treads, whether these be of
wood, metal, or stone, so as to be readily renewed when worn away.
On the accompanying drawing are shewn some of the various modes in which
my above described invention can be carried into effect.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew a plan and section of a stair tread having fixed thereon a
plate a having a number of holes 6 formed through it that are filled with the before
described composition of a gritty substance mixed with an adhesive material which
by the action of the feet will be conveyed from the holes to the surface of the
tread.
The plate a may, when worn, be detached and fixed in a reversed position on

page_text: the tread. Figs. 3 and 4 shew an arrangement in which the recesses or holes b
are formed partly through the tread itself, while at Figs. 5 and 6 strips of
wood or other material ce are fixed in slanting positions upon the tread so as
to leave spaces d between them which are filled with the said compound. In
Figs. 7 and 8 grooves e filled with the material are formed in the treads so as to
produce a diamond surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
Constructing treads for stairs, or plates to be fixed upon such treads, with holes
recesses or grooves which are filled with a gritty substance mixed with a suitable
adhesive material, so that by the action of the feet this compound shall be
conveyed from the holes or recesses on to the surface of the treads and thus
prevent slipping, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of November 1892
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.