IMPROVEMENTS IN INDIA-RUBBER TREADS AND MATS
Year: 1884

page_text: We RICHARD WILLIAM PALMER and RICHARD RANDELL both of Park Place
Cheetham Manchester in the County of Lancaster Coach-builders do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INDIA-RUBBER TREADS
AND MATS" to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the treads, mats or appliances made of vulcanized
caoutchouc and used as coverings for the stops of carriages for the treads of stairs
and for the footboards and floors of carriages for door and entrance hall mats and
for other similar purposes. Previously to our invention these appliances have in
nearly all cases been made entirely of caoutchouc moulded or pressed into form or
of sections of caoutchouc put together previous to the vulcanising process. When
thus made the appliances are costly and when a large mat has become worn in
the centre or damaged in any part there has been no method of repairing the
damage To remedy these and other defects is the object of our invention.
According to our Invention we secure strips or pieces of vulcanised caoutchouc in
alots, grooves, or recesses in plates or parts or in bars or sections which can be
hinged together or be riveted or secured to wood or to leather or other pliant material
or we form the grooves or recesses in carriage steps or in treads or other parts on
which an india-rubber tread surface is required. In the formation we prefer we
spring, insert, or fix the strips in dovetail or undercut recesses, in metal plates,
bars or parts. We may make the said plates bars or parts of sheet iron or steel
and we may galvanise, tin, nickel plate, or otherwise treat the parts to check
rusting. Cement may if desired be employed to increase the security of the hold
or the strips may be vulcanised after insertion. The said rubber strips or ribs
project above the plates or bars so as to present a firm and secure foothold
of the advantages of the herein before described construction of grid step tread or
mat is that any of the rubber strips or ribs or any damaged part of a strip can be
removed and replaced without disturbing the servicable strips. We do not confine
ourselves to any particular form of undercut groove or recess and in some
instances we may use a plain groove and secure the rubber therein by means of
cement rivets or other fastenings.
One
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
41, John Dalton Street, Manchester,
Agent.

page_text: We RICHARD WILLIAM PALMER and RICHARD RANDELL both of Park Place,
Cheetham, Manchester in the County of Lancaster Coach-builders do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INDIA-RUBBER TREADS
AND MATS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:-
Our Invention relates to the treads, mats or appliances made of vulcanized
'caoutchouc and used as coverings for the steps of carriages, for the treads of stairs
and for the footboards and floors of carriages, for door and entrance hall mats and
for other similar purposes. Previously to our Invention these appliances have in
nearly all cases been made entirely of caoutchouc moulded or pressed into form, or
When
of sections of caoutchouc put together previous to the vulcanising process.
thus made the appliances are costly and when a large mat has become worn in the
centre or damaged in any part there has been no method of repairing the damage.
To remedy these and other defects is the object of our invention. According to
our invention we secure strips or pieces of vulcanised caoutchouc in slots, grooves
or recesses in plates or parts or in bars or sections which can be hinged together or
be riveted or secured to wood or to leather or other pliant material or we form the
grooves or recesses in carriage steps or in treads or other parts on which an india-
rubber tread surface is required.
To render the description of our Invention capable of being fully understood we
have attached hereto a sheet of drawings to which we will refer in this place.
In the said drawings Fig. 1 represents a plan view and Fig. 2 a vertical section of
a carriage step made in accordance with our invention. In the said Figs. a. is the
body of the step which in the example is made in one piece which is adapted to be
screwed or secured to the end of the metal hanger b. which carries the step. The
step body a may be made of malleable cast metal or of cast steel or be stamped or
moulded or formed in wrought iron or be otherwise produced. The said part
consists of a number of bars connected together at the ends and at the point of
attachment to the part b. so as to form a grid. In each of the bars of this grid is
formed an undercut or dovetail groove as clearly seen in Fig. 2 and in each of these
grooves is inserted a strip c. of vulcanised caoutchouc which projects above the
general surface of the grid so that when the foot is placed upon the strip the
weight of the human body will be sustained by the strips without the foot coming
in contact with the metal of the step. The strips may be retained in the grooves
by the natural elasticity of the material or they may be cemented in the grooves
or be secured therein by means of rivets or by other suitable means, or the strips
may be vulcanised after insertion in the grooves. When using cement or fastenings
or when vulcanising in position we may dispense with the undercut or dovetail
formation of the grooves. We may make the part a. of sheet iron or steel or of
sheet metal either stamped or formed in one piece or made of parts riveted, brazed
or secured together or to a foundation. We may galvanise, tin, nickel plate or
otherwise treat the part a. to check oxidation. We do not confine ourselves to the

page_text: form or proportions of the step. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the application of our
Invention in the treatment of the hoop which is fixed upon the hub of a carriage
wheel. In this example the hoop is formed with projecting ribs d. d. which are
arranged in pairs the ribs in each pair being inclined toward each other so as to
form a dovetail groove or recess to receive the strip of vulcanised caoutchouc b.
We propose to apply the improved hoops in cases wherein the hoop has to be used
as a step the strips furnishing a better foot hold than the surface of the hoop.
Fig. 4 illustrates the application of our invention in the formation of a carriage
mat or of a door or passage mat or of a tread or of a similar article. In this
example the body of the mat is formed as a grating the bars being grooved or
formed with grooves to receive the elastic strips. As herein before mentioned the
bars of the grating may be cast or formed in one piece or be hinged or secured
together or be secured to a foundation of metal, wood, leather or other material.
One of the advantages of the herein before described construction of grid step tread
or mat is that any of the rubber strips or ribs or any damaged part of a strip can
be removed and replaced without disturbing the servicable strips.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The carriage step consisting of a metal grid or foundation formed with grooves
in which are inserted or fixed projecting strips of caoutchouc which are vulcanised
before or after insertion substantially as set forth and indicated.
2. The application to the parts upon which the foot is placed when entering
vehicles of strips of vulcanised caoutchouc inserted or fixed in grooves and pro-
jecting above the surfaces of such parts substantially as set forth and indicated.
3. The mat or tread having a surface to come into contact with the feet composed
of strips of vulcanised caoutchouc inserted or fixed in grooves formed in bars or in
a plate grid or foundation substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.