IMPROVEMENTS IN TILING FOR ROOFS, FLOORS, AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TILING FOR ROOFS, FLOORS, AND OTHER SURFACES." A communication
from abroad by John Jones Williams, of Fairhaven, in the County of Rutland,
State of Vermont, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TILING FOR ROOFS, FLOORS, AND
OTHER SURFACES." [A communication from abroad by John Jones Williams,
of Fairhaven, in the County of Rutland, State of Vermont, United States of
America.]
The object of this Invention is to apply tiling to roofs, floors, and other places
in such a manner that water cannot pass in through the joints between the tiles,
and that the expansion, contraction, springing, and sagging of the tiling or its
support will not open the joints and cause leakage.
The Invention consists in constructing a tiling of tiles having grooves or rebates
in their side and end edges, and connected by metallic feathers or dowel plates
inserted in the said grooves or rebates and bedded in with elastic cement, whereby
the tiles are kept in proper relative positions and the joints are made watertight as
hereafter described.
The
The grooves in the ends of the tiles are made either higher or lower than the
grooves in the sides by the thickness of the said grooves, and in such manner that
the side grooves in a row of tiles will be exactly in line with each other.
feathers or dowel plates are of thin sheet metal, and may have their side edges
turned over into ₫ form, so that when the body of the dowel plate rests upon one
side of a groove, the turned over edge of the said dowel plate will rest against the
other side of the said groove. The tiles are laid to break joints and may be laid
square or diagonally as desired. The dowel plates in the side grooves are

page_text: continuous, and those in the end grooves are each equal in length to the breadth of
a tile and their ends overlap the side plates. The dowel plates aro bedded in the
grooves in elastic cement, and the joints between the edges of the tiles above and
below the dowel plates are filled with elastic cement. In warm climates the
cavities of the dowel plates may be left open to serve as air channels, and to carry
off any water that may chance to find its way in through the joints between the
tiles; but in cold climates. the cavities of the dowel plates should be filled with
elastic cement to prevent any water finding its way in through the joints, freezing,
and cracking the cement or the tiles, and thus causing leakage.
The outside row of tiles all around should be secured to the boarding or other
support upon which the tiles are laid by nails or screws, but the other tiles should
be laid without any other fastening than the dowel plates, so that the body of
tiles can spring or settle without affecting the integrity of the joints between the
tiles.
In some cases the channel grooves in the edges of the tiles may be replaced by
rebates formed along the lower parts of the edges of the tiles, so that the dowel
plates will rest upon the boarding or support with the turned over edges resting
against the shoulders of the said rebates. In this case, each tile should be secured
to its support by a screw or nail.
In some cases the feather or dowel plate can be made plane and inserted in
grooves in the adjacent edges of the tiles. In some cases also the grooves in the
side and end edges of the tiles can be made in line with each other, the said
grooves being made wide enough to allow the dowel plates to overlap within the
grooves.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TILING FOR ROOFS, FLOORS, AND
OTHER SURFACES." A communication from abroad by John Jones Williams,
of Fairhaven, in the County of Rutland, State of Vermont, United States of
'America.
The object of this Invention is to apply tiling to roofs, floors, and other places in
such a manner that water cannot pass in through the joints between the tiles, and
that the expansion, contraction, springing, and sagging of the tiling or its support
will not open the joints and cause leakage.
The Invention consists in constructing a tiling of tiles having grooves or rebates
in their side and end edges, and connected by metallic dowel plates inserted in the
said grooves or rebates and bedded in elastic cement, whereby the tiles are kept in
proper relative positions and the joints are made watertight, as will be hereinafter
fully described.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the
improvement; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken through the
line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the same, taken through
the line y, y, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of a tile; Figure 5
is a sectional elevation of two adjacent tiles showing a modification; Figure 6 is a
sectional elevation of two adjacent tiles showing another modification. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the boarding or other support upon which the tiles B are to be laid
to form a roof, floor, or other surface. In the side and end edges of the tiles B are
formed grooves C in such a manner that the grooves C in the ends of the tiles B
will be higher or lower than the grooves C in the sides of the said tiles by the
thickness of the said groove, as shown in Figure 4, and in such a manner that the
side grooves in a row of tiles will be exactly in line with each other. D are dowel
plates of thin sheet metal, having their side edges turned over, as shown in
Figures 2, 3, and 5, so that when the body of the dowel plate D rests upon one side
of a groove C, the turned-over edge of the said dowel plate will rest against the
other side of the said groove. The tiles B are laid to breakjoint, as shown in
Figure 1, and may be laid square or diagonally as may be desired. The dowel
plates D in the side grooves C are continuous; but the dowel plates D in the end
grooves C are each equal in length to the breadth of a tile, and their ends overlap
the side plates. The dowel plates D are bedded in the grooves C in elastic cement,
and the joints between the edges of the tiles B above and below the dowel plates D
are filled with elastic cement. In warm climates the cavities of the dowel
plates D may be left open to serve as air chambers and to carry off any water that
may chance to find its way in through the joints between the tiles B; but in cold
climates the cavities of the dowel plates D should be filled with elastic cement to
prevent any water from finding its way through the joints of the tiles, freezing,
and cracking the cement or tiles and thus causing leakage. The outside row of
tiles B all around should be secured to the boarding or support A by nails or
screws, but the other tiles B should be laid without any other fastening than the
dowel plates D, so that the body of tiles can spring or sag as they expand, or as
the support A may spring or settle without affecting the integrity of the joints
between the tiles. In some cases the channel grooves C may be replaced by
rebates formed along the lower parts of the edges of the tiles, so that the dowel
•

page_text: plates D will rest upon the boarding or support A with their turned over edges
resting against the shoulders of the said rebates, as shown in Figure 5. In this
case each tile B should be secured to its support by a screw or nail.
In some cases the dowel plate D can be made plane, as shown in Figure 6, and
inserted in grooves in the adjacent edges of the tiles B, In some cases also the
grooves in the side and end edges of the tiles B can be made in line with each
other, the said grooves being made wide enough to allow the dowel plates to
overlap within the grooves.
"
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. A tiling constructed substantially as herein shown and described, consisting
of the tiles B, having grooves or rebates C in their side and end edges, and the
dowel plates D having their side edges bent over into U form, and fitted into the
grooves or rebates C, as set forth.
2nd. In tiling, the tiles B made with grooves C in their side and end edges, and
having the grooves in their end edges the thickness of the said grooves, higher or
lower than the grooves in their side edges, substantially as herein shown and
described, whereby the dowel plates in the side grooves can be continuous, and
can be ovelapped by the ends of the dowel plates in the end grooves, as set
forth.
3rd. In tiling; the dowel plates D made with their side edges turned over into
U form, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said turned over
edges will rest against the upper sides of the grooves in the tiles, in which the said
tnrned over edges are placed to prevent water from passing around the said edges,
as set forth:
4th. In tiling, the combination of metallic dowel plates D with the adjacent
grooved edges of the tiles B, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby
the tiles are kept in proper relative position, and the joints are made water-tight,
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Land One thousand sight hundred and night a