IMPROVEMENTS IN TILES FOR COVERING ROOFS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Thorneloe, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Clerk of Works, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TILES FOR COVERING
ROOFS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES."
Sealed the 28th August 1877, and dated the 24th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said James Thorneloe at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1877.
JAMES THORNELOE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Clerk of Works.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TILES FOR COVERING ROOFS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES."
My Invention consists in constructing tiles in the manner herein-after described,
by which method of construction the tiles engage conveniently together, arc
reversible, that is, have the same configuration on each side, and when combined
form a lozenge or diaper pattern on the roof, wall, or surface.
I make the tiles of a lozenge shape, the proportion of the two diagonals being
varied as may be required to produce tiles having different proportions between
their lengths and breadths.
I will describe my Invention in reference to a tile of greater length than breadtlı.
On two of the adjacent sides of the tile, making with cach other an acute angle, I
make a rib, the said rib running along the whole length of the said two adjacent
sides, and forming, as it were, a turned-up edge, running along the said two sides at
right angles to the plane of the tile. On the same side of the tile, and near the
other acute angle, I form a small angular rib of the same depth and of the same
angle as the before-described ribs on the edge of the tile. Each side of the tile has
the ribs and small angular rib described, but the ribs on one side are not on the
same edges of the tile as the ribs on the other side, and the small angular ribs
are at the acute angle opposite to that at which the ribs on the edges join each
other. Thus one half of the tile is the reversed counterpart of the other half.
In applying the tile to a roof or surface, it is placed upon the said surface so that
the small angular rib on its under side shall engage with the lath, to which it is
fastened in the usual way. The ribs on the under side of the lower half of the
tile engage with the ribs on the upper halves of the next lower row of tiles, and so on
ID 471

page_text: throughout the whole of the roof or surface. In other words, in each row of tiles
the edge ribs are uppermost in the upper halves of the tiles, and consequently the
edge ribs are turned downwards in the lower halves of the tilos, the said turned-
down edge ribs of one row of tiles engaging with the turned-up edge ribs of the
row of tiles next below. The small angular ribs on the lower angles of the upper
surfaces of the tiles serve to deflect snow and rain from the junctions of the rows
of tiles below them.
By varying the outline of the tile, according to the pitch of the roof to which it
is to be applied, it does not require to be cut at the hips and valleys of the roofs. The
tiles are divided longitudinally to form a straight line at the edge of a roof or
surface, and are divided transversely to form a straight line at the ridge and eaves
of a roof. I make angle tiles for walls to correspond with the shape or outline of
the wall.
I make ridge or crest tiles having each side of the figure of one half of a tile
joined at the required angle, and terminated at their summit with any desired
ornament.
I manufacture and burn tiles of the kinds described by the machinery, kilns,
and appliances employed in manufacturing tiles of the ordinary description.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Thorneloe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th Sep-
tember 1877.
88
JAMES THORNELOE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Clerk of Works.
IMPROVEMENTS IN TILES FOR COVERING ROOFS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES."
My Invention consists in constructing tiles in the manner herein-after described,
by which method of construction the tiles engage conveniently together, arc
reversible, that is, have the same configuration on each side, and when combined
form a lozenge or diaper pattern on the roof, wall, or surface.
I make the tiles, of a lozenge shape, the proportion of the two diagonals being
varied as may be required to produce tiles having different proportions between
their lengths and breadths.
I will describe my Invention in reference to a tile of greater length than breadth.
On two of the adjacent sides of the tile, making with each other an acute angle, I
make a rib, the said rib running along the whole length of the said two adjacent
sides, and forming, as it were, a turned-up edge, running along the said two sides
at right angles to the plane of the tile. On the same side of the tile, and near the
other acute angle, I form a small angular rib of the same depth, and of the same
angle as the before-described ribs, on the edge of the tile. Each side of the tile
has the edge ribs and small angular rib described, but the ribs on one side are not
on the same edges of the tile as the ribs on the other side, and the small angular
ribs are at the acute angle opposite to that at which the ribs on the edges join
each other. Thus one half of the tile is the reversed counterpart of the other
half.
In applying the tile to a roof or surface, it is placed upon the said surface so
that the small angular rib on its under side shall engage with the lath, to which it
is to be fastened in the usual way. The ribs on the under side of the lower half
of the tile engage with the ribs on the upper halves of the next lower row of tiles,
and so on throughout the whole of the roof or surface. In other words, in each row
of tiles the edge ribs are uppermost in the upper halves of the tiles, and consequently
the edge ribs are turned downwards in the lower halves of the tiles, the said turned-
down edge ribs of one row of tiles engaging with the turned-up edge ribs of the
row of tiles next below. The small angular ribs on the lower angles of the upper

page_text: surfaces of the tiles serve to deflect snow and rain from the junctions of the rows of
tiles below them.
By varying the outline of the tile, according to the pitch of the roof to which it
is to be applied, it does not require to be cut at the hips and valleys of the roofs,
or to the pitch of the gables when applied to the walls, or to equal angles other
than right angles when applied to other surfaces. The tiles are divided longitudinally
to form a straight line at the edge of a roof or surface, and are divided transversely
to form a straight line at the eaves of a roof. I make angle tiles for walls to corre-
spond with the shape or outline of the wall.
I make ridge or crest tiles having each side of the figure of one half of a tile
joined at the required angle with a projecting rib on the under side, and terminated
at their summit with any desired ornament.
When my improved tiles are made of clay I make and burn them by the
machinery and kilns and appliances employed in manufacturing tiles of the ordinary
description.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which my Invention inay be performed.
Figure 1 represents one face of a lozenge-shaped tile constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is an edge view of the same, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section of the same.
a, b, are the edge ribs on the two adjacent edges of the upper half of the tile,
and c, d, are the edge ribs on the two adjacent edges of the lower half of the tile,
the odge ribs a, b, being situated on one side or face of the tile, and the edge ribs c, d,
on the opposite side or face of the tile, as will be understood by an examination of
Figure 3. It will also be understood by an examination of Figures 1, 2, and 3 that
the edge ribs a, b, and c, d, are situated at right angles to the plane of the tile, and
each pair of ribs a, b, and c, d, occupies the whole length of the two adjacent sides
of the tile at which they are respectively situated; e, f, are the small angular ribs
of the tile, one or other of which is engaged with the laths according to the faco
which is presented to the laths, the said angular ribs being situated at opposite
sides and at opposite angles of the tile; that is to say, the angular rib e is situated
on that half of the tile carrying the edge ribs a, b, but on the opposite face thereof,
while the angular rib f is situated on that half of the tile carrying the edge ribs
.c, d, but on the opposite face thereof, as will be understood by an examination of
Figure 3 and the other Figures of the Drawing. Thus it will be seen that one
half of the tile is the reversed counterpart of the other half. The manner in which
the edge ribs of the tiles thus made are engaged together is herein-after
described.
Figures 4 and 5 represent half tiles to be used in the construction of the roof, as
herein-after described. The half tile, Figure 4, is made by cutting a complete tile
(Figure 1) at the horizontal dotted lines h, h, and the half tile, Figuro 5, is made by
cutting a complete tile (Figure 1) at the vertical dotted lines g, g.
For the purpose of facilitating the formation of these half tiles the whole tiles
from which the half tiles are to bo made are formed with a depression or partial
division, either at the dotted lines or at the dotted lines /, prior to firing or
burning the said tiles.
Figures 6 and 7 represent opposite sides of a tile, constructed according to my
Invention, to be used at the summit or apex of the roof. These tiles consist, as
seen in the Drawing, of one half of the tile, Figures 1, 2, and 3, with a prolonged
plain part i having holes k, k, in it by which the tile is attached by nails or screws,
as herein-after described. The inner edge k² of the prolonged part k of this tile is
bevelled, so that the meeting edges of the two tiles fit very closely together, as seen
in the cross section drawn to a smaller scale in Figure 9.
Figure 8 is a diagram of portion of a roof showing the two sides meeting at the
summit of the roof, the said roof being provided with tiles constructed according
to my Invention, the ridge tiles being represented removed from a portion of the
roof; Figure 9 is a cross section of a portion of the roof taken through the ridge

page_text: tiles; and Figure 10 is a section taken on the dotted line 1, 1, Figure 8, and
illustrates the manner in which the tiles are locked or engaged together by their
edge ribs.
Figure 11 is a diagram of a portion of a roof contained in the triangle formed by
the hips m, m, and the eave p; and Figure 12 is a portion of a roof adjoining a
valley at q, q, and terminating in a gable at r, r.
Half tiles of the kind represented in Figure 4 are shown at y, y, Figures 8, 11,
and 12, applied at the eaves of the roofs, and half tiles of the kind represented in
Figure 5 are shown at 2, 2, Figure 12, the said half tiles z, z, being used for com-
pleting the gable end of the roof. The tiles, Figures 6 and 7, are shown at s in
Figures 8, 9, and 12.
I will describe the application of my improved tiles to the roof, Figure 8. The
lower half tiles y, y, are first fixed at the eave of the roof by engaging their angular
ribs on their under sides with the laths. The next row of tiles y are then fixed by
engaging their angular ribs with the laths, and by engaging the turn-down edge
ribs or their lower edges with the turned-up edge ribs on the upper edges of the
half tiles y, as shown in the section, Figure 10. In this way the whole of the roof
is covered, the upper edge ribs of one tile engaging with the lower edge ribs of the
tiles on each side of it. The roof is completed by means of the top tiles & being
fixed in their places by the nails or screws t, t, Figure 9, the lower edge ribs of
ench of the said top tiles having been previously engaged with the upper edge ribs
of the tiles on each side of it. The small angular ribs on the upper or outer
surfaces of the tiles serve to deflect snow and rain from the junctions of the rows of
tiles below them.
The tiles & are partly covered by the ridge tiles 2. The said ridge tiles 2 are
provided with projecting ribs 3, 3, which ribs press closely upon the tiles 8, and
thereby prevent the wind stripping the said tiles 2. By an examination of Figure 9
it will be seen that by the use of the projecting ribs 3, 3, of the ridge tiles 2 a
space is left between the under tiles s for receiving the heads of the nails or screws
by which the said under tiles s are secured in their places. The ridge tiles 2 may
also be used at the hips and other angular parts of roofs, walls, or other surfaces
for the purpose of forming a connection or finish to the tiles before described.
8
By constructing tiles in the manner described and illustrated they do not require
cutting to the hips, valleys, eaves, ridges, and gables, and the lap and bond are
effected in a very efficient manner. By making one half of the tile the reversed
counterpart of the other half the tiles, in case they are warped or bent in the
process of manufacture, can be reversed when using the saune, so as thereby to
ensure an accurate bed or fit, and hence a water-tight covering.
In order to suit different degrees of pitch or slope of the roof or surface to be
covered, and variations of pitch or slope in the same roof or surface, I vary the
shape or contour of the tiles by altering the relation between their shorter and
longer diagonals. I have found that eight different shapes of tiles will suffice for
all classes of roofs or surfaces at present in use, but I do not limit myself thereto.
Although generally I make the tiles described and represented of clay, yet the
said tiles may be made of glass, iron, concrete, or other material capable of being
cast or moulded. When the tiles are made of glass no putty or cement is required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of improvements in tiles for covering roofs, walls, and other surfaces,―
First. Making square or lozenge-shaped tiles capable of being reversed, readily
interlocked with another, and adapted to any variation of pitch or slope, or com-
binations of pitches or slopes, without cutting, as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings; that is to say, providing each side of
the tiles with edge ribs and a small angular rib, constructed and arranged as
described and illustrated, so that one half of the tile is the reversed counterpart of
the other half, the edge ribs constituting the interlocking or engaging parts of the
tiles, one of the small angular ribs serving to engage the tile with the laths, and

page_text: the other small angular outer rib when the tile is in use serving to deflect rain and
snow, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. Constructing ridge and angle tiles, with projecting flanges or ribs for
the purpose and substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 12
of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Thorneloe, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
o Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birminghanı.
JAMES THORNELOE. (L.S.)