IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MEANO BOD TRAIT EXA DEIL
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Harcourt Thompson of Manchester in the County
of Lancaster Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF AND MEANO BOD TRAIT EXA DEILDAG
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Harcourt Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th December 1882.
THOMAS HARCOURT THOMPSON of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR VENTILATING
BUILDINGS
"
--
My Invention relates to the ventilating of buildings and has for its principal object
to effect efficient ventilation by means which shall not be unsightly additions to the
building. To this end I employ ridge tiles made of cast iron, terrâ-cotta, earthen-
ware, glass or other suitable material and formed with passages opening upwards
to the atmosphere. The top of each opening is protected by a cover or shield to
prevent down draughts and the entrance of rain. Tiles so formed take the place
of ordinary ridge tiles and may be made as ornamental as may be desired or as is
usual or such tiles may be utilized to sustain letters or numbers. The passages in
the tiles communicate with the interior of the building or with the roof space and
in cases wherein several stories of a building are to be ventilated, each storey or
room in a storey is placed in communication with the roof space by means of a pipe
or conduit or of a shaft or passage in the wall. The wind blowing through beneath
the shield or cover over the air passage in the ridge tile has the effect of inducing
an upward current and thus exhausting the foul air from the ventilating passages
or roof space. To supply fresh air I may employ passages leading to grids in the
sides of the building and I may provide shunting valves which move into one
position or the other according to the direction in which the wind is blowing and
which deflect the currents of air into the room or building to be ventilated. The
opening in the room through which, the foul air passes to the roof space or ridge
tiles may be furnished with a mercurial regulator which opens or shuts a valve
according to the temperature required to be maintained.
En

page_text: Another part of my Invention relates more particularly to the ventilation of
roofing and consists mainly in a novel form of roofing tile made of zinc, galvanized
iron or other suitable metal or material so constructed as to be readily hooked or
attached to each other the parts in contact being so arranged that when the tiles
are put together air is admitted to the roof space through spaces or perforations
while the entrance of rain is prevented. The sides of the tiles have also a weather-
tight lap joint. Each tile is fastened to the purling of the roof and the absence of
any rigid attachment between the tiles allows the roof when made of metal to
expand and contract without injury. Roofs of this construction are preferably
provided with the ventilating ridge tile hereinbefore described to carry off the air
admitted through the roofing tiles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Harcourt Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th June 1883.
THOMAS HARCOURT THOMPSON of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR VENTILATING
BUILDINGS"
f
"
My Invention relates to the ventilating of buildings and has for its principal
object to effect efficient ventilation by means which shall not be unsightly additions
to the building. To this end I employ ridge tiles made of cast iron, terra-cotta,
earthenware, glass or other suitable material and formed with passages opening
upwards to the atmosphere. The top of each opening is protected by a cover or
shield to prevent down draughts and the entrance of rain. Tiles so formed take
the places of ordinary ridge tiles and may be made as ornamental as may be.
desired or as is usual or such tiles may be utilised to sustain letters or numbers.
The passages in the tiles communicate with the interior of the building or with the
roof space and in cases wherein several stories of a building are to be ventilated,
each storey or room in a storey is placed in communication with the roof space by
means of a pipe or conduit or of a shaft or passage in the wall. The wind blowing
through beneath the shield or cover over the air passage in the ridge tile has the
effect of inducing an upward current and thus withdrawing the fowl air from the
ventilating passages or roof space. To supply fresh air I may employ passages
leading to grids in the sides of the building and I may provide shunting valves
which move into one position or the other according to the direction in which the
wind is blowing and which deflect the currents of air into the room or building to-
be ventilated. The opening through which the foul air passes to the roof space or
ridge tiles may be furnished with a mercurial regulator which opens or shuts a valve
according to the temperature required to be maintained.
.
Another part of my invention relates more particularly to the ventilation of
roofing and consists mainly in a novel form of roofing tile made of zinc, galvanized.
iron or other suitable metal or material so constructed as to be readily hooked or
attached to each other the parts in contact being so arranged that when the tiles
are put together air is admitted to the roof space through spaces or perforations
while the entrance of rain is prevented. The sides of the tiles have also a weather-
tight lap joint Each tile is fastened to the purlin of the roof and the absence of
any rigid attachment between the tiles allows the roof when made of metal to
expand and contract without injury. Roofs of this construction are preferably
provided with the ventilating ridge tile herein before described.
.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I have attached hereunto a
sheet of drawings to which I will refer hereinafter when describing my invention.
In the said drawings Fig 1 represents a side view and Fig 2 a cross section of one.
of my ventilating ridge tiles drawn to a scale of about three inches to the foot. In
the tile is formed a vertical opening a which extends upwards between side walls
b, b and end walls c, c so as to form a short upcast shaft. The end walls c, c are
united by a shield d which covers the mouth of the opening the said walls and
cover extending beyond the opening on each side so that rain is prevented from
falling into the opening and downdraughts are prevented or checked. Air from the.
roof space flows upwards and through the opening as indicated by the arrows.
Wind blowing through the space below the shield d as indicated by the arrow
passes over the mouth of the ventilator opening and tends by induction to increase,
the upward flow of air. Figs 3 and 4, illustrate one of the modifications which

page_text: may be made in the form of the tile. In this example the tile is provided with
two openings which are formed with rounded lips and are covered by means of
arched shields. The tiles may be made ornamental in appearance as in the cases
of Figs 1 and 2 wherein the panels or walls b, b are ornamented and the shield is
surmounted by a finial e. In the example the tiles are supposed to be made of
clay as in the cases of ordinary tiles and for convenience the finial e is separately
moulded with a foot as indicated in Fig 5 the said foot being fixed in a hole in the
shield d. Such finials may be made in the forms of letters of the alphabet,
numerals or in other suitable forms. Fig 6 indicates a finial representing a
numeral. The improved tiles may also be made, of cast iron or other suitable
metal or material and each tile may be made in a single piece or in parts fastened
together. Fig 7 represents a building in vertical section and illustrates the appli-
cation of the improved tiles in the ventilating of rooms. In the said Figs three
rooms are represented as being ventilated by means of the improved ridge tiles.
The vitiated air from the two. lower rooms escapes through grids or openings f,f
into flues g, g, which are in communication with the roof space. The air from the
upper room passes through openings h in the ceiling directly into the roof space.
The vitiated air passes out from the roof space through the openings in the ridge
tiles. Inlet passages i, i for fresh air communicate with grids k, k in the floors or
fresh air is otherwise admitted by suitable means. In some cases I use a self-
acting air valve such for example as is illustrated by Figs 8 to 9 wherein is a
valve which turns upon pivots and is regulated by means of an adjustable weight m
so as to tend to open. The valve is kept closed by means of a cord n which is
connected with a weight which is supported by mercury which is within a tube or
cistern o. Connected with the said tube is a glass or metal vessel p which at the
lower end communicates with the bottom of the tube so that the mercury runs
from one part of the apparatus to the other. When the air in the room containing
this apparatus becomes unduly heated the air in the vessel p by its expansion
forces mercury into the tube o whereby the weight is raised and the air valve is
permitted to open. The weight is connected with the cord by means of a screw
spindle so that the apparatus can be readily regulated to open the valve when a
certain, temperature is attained. In some cases I enclose the cistern o within the
glass or metal vessel pas..indicated in Fig 94 which represents such an arrange-
ment in section. The ventilation of sewers may be effected by leading a passage
from the sewer to air shafts in the wall and through the roof as shewn by the
dotted lines in Fig 7. The second part of my invention is illustrated by Figs 10
to 13 Fig 10, being a perspective view of a portion of ventilating roofing constructed
in accordance with this part of my invention. Fig 11 represents one of the roofing
tiles I employ. This tile is by preference made of sheet zinc and has an edge r
turned up the other edge s being also turned up and bent over and downwards so
that when two tiles are placed together in position upon the roof timbers the edge's
encloses and covers the edger as indicated in the section Fig 13 whereby a weather
tight joint is obtained. To afford additional security and support tee iron w may
be applied to the joint as shewn at Fig 13. but this is not absolutely necessary:
The ends of the sheet forming the tile are made narrower than the main body of
the sheet by cutting out the corners before the turned up edges are formed and are
punched or perforated with air holes as seen in Fig 11. One of these ends t is
turned up and folded over the sheet the other end u being folded back below the
sheet: The ends of the tiles in one horizontal row interlock with the ends in
another row in the manner indicated in Fig 12 and the holes in the two ends
coming together form a passage for air. The ends of the tiles are nailed, screwed
or secured to the purlins.v. The arrows in Fig 10.indicate the manner in which
air flows through the openings into the roof space and escapes upwards through my
ventilating-ridge- tiles a. Roofs made on this principle require little timber are
light and weather proof and furnish means for effectually ventilating the building
to which they are applied: ...
Having now fully set forth the nature of, my said invention and the manner in
4

page_text: which I carry the same into practical effect I would have it to be understood that
I claim
First, the ventilating ridge tiles formed and acting substantially as set forth and
indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly a ridge tile formed with a ventilating opening or with two or more
such openings covered and sheltered to prevent the passage of rain and to cause the
wind to have an inductive action substantially as set forth and indicated.
Thirdly the arrangements in connection with such ridge tiles for ventilating.
buildings substantially as set forth and indicated with reference to Fig 7 of the
drawings.
Fourthly the self-acting mercurial air valve regulator substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and indicated.
Fifthly the roofing tile substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
And lastly the method of constructing ventilating roofs substantially as set forth
and indicated.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Harcourt Thompson have hereunto set
my hand and seal this thirtieth day of May in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty-three
THOMAS HARCOURT THOMPSON. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed and delivered
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON
41 John Dalton St, Manchester.
(Agent for the Patentee)