AN IMPROVED COVERING FOR FLOORS AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Con-
sulting Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED COVERING FOR
FLOORS AND OTHER SURFACES."-A communication from abroad by
Shradrach Houghton Pearce, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 30th July 1869, and dated the 10th June 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the same William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 10th June 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I ain in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
COVERING FOR FLOORS AND OTHER SURFACES," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Price 8d.]

page_text: Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad by
Shadrach Houghton Pearce, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing making
part of this Specification :-
A
Mosaic floors have heretofore been composed of sectional blocks or
tiles of clay, stone, glass, or wood, of various sizes, forms, and colors, laid
in hydraulic cement or otherwise to produce the pattern desired.
mosaic floor thus formed, especially when laid upon a wooden foundation
is objectionable for the following reasons, viz., it is inelastic and does
not yield to the expansion and contraction of the wooden foundation
caused by atmospheric dryness or moisture, considerable noise proceeds
therefrom when walked upon; and the materials of which it is composed
are cold to the feet, being poor conductors and retainers of heat, and
much skill is required in their construction, which is attended with
considerable expense.
Oilcloth or canvas carpetings upon which designs are painted are
also objectionable on account of their inelasticity and harshness which
cause much noise when walked upon, their incapacity for imparting
warmth to the feet, and chiefly because the painted designs are easily
defaced by wear, and the texture or cloth destroyed when the painted
enamel is worn off.
To remedy the above-mentioned objections and defects and to
furnish a mosaic covering warm to the feet and adapted to any and
especially to wooden floors in lieu of carpeting is the purpose of my
Invention, which consists in a series of elastic sections, blocks, or tiles
of various sizes, forms, and colors, composed of india-rubber, gutta
percha, felt, or compounds of these, or any other suitable elastic
materials; each block or section bearing its respective color or colors
throughout its entire substance in contradistinction to one having
its surface only colored, by which construction I am enabled with or
without the use of cement to furnish a warm, noiseless, elastic,
mosaic covering for floors and other surfaces, the design of which

page_text: formed by the various colors is comparatively imperishable, and will
remain permanently undefaced by use, and is easily repaired by
replacing with new any injured sections, its cost being less than that
of an ordinary mosaic floor, while from its elastic nature it is easily
adjusted to inequalities of surface which may exist or occur from the
expansion, contraction, or warping of the groundwork upon which it is
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mosaic covering applied
to a floor; Figure 2 is a section on the line x, x, of Figure 1; Figure 3
is a perspective view of one of the pieces or sections of which my
improved mosaic covering is composed.
In the said Drawing A represents a wooden flooring or foundation
over which is smoothly spread a thin layer of cement a, upon which
(snugly fitted together) are placed a series of small hexagonal blocks or
sections B composed of india-rubber, gutta percha, felt, or compounds of
these or any other suitable elastic materials, each block bearing its
respective color throughout its entire thickness or substance, so that
when worn from constant use the original design will remain uneffaced
upon the surface of the material covering the floor. I prefer to employ
for this purpose a material known as "kamptulicon" (which is composed
of rubber and cork ground and incorporated together) on account of its
elasticity, durability, and moderate cost. The blocks or sections B are
cut from strips of the elastic material employed, or they may be moulded
in the desired form, the color being incorporated with the material
during the process of manufacture. It is evident that the form, size,
and color of the block B may be varied to produce any configuration or
design required, and that my improved mosaic covering beside being
used for floors, may also be applied to tables and other articles where an
ornamental and elastic surface is required.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim, a

page_text: covering for floors, and other surfaces composed of a series of elastic
blocks, sections, or tiles, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said
the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)