IMPROVE- MENTS IN SKYLIGHTS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Laurie, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SKYLIGHTS."
Sealed the 16th August 1872, and dated the 21st February 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Laurie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st February 1872.
I, ALEXANDER LAURIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SKYLIGHTS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its objects to simplify and improve the con-
struction of skylights and to increase their security.
Both the fixed frame and the movable one, in which last the glass is
fitted, are of cast iron. The movable frame is cast with two pins or
journals at its two upper corners, and bearings are provided for these
journals on the fixed frame. Two bearing caps are cast separately, and
when the fixed frame is being cast one of these caps is set in its place

page_text: in the mould and having pins projecting down is fixed by the casting
operation. Afterwards one of the journals of the movable frame is
easily entered into the bearing with the fixed cap, and then the loose cap
is put over the other journal and secured by screws. In casting the
movable frame a broad staple or holdfast is set in the mould so as to
be fixed on the under side of the frame, and the sword for holding the
frame in a closed or more or less open position is afterwards jointed on
the staple. The sword and particularly its joint are made comparatively
broad, whereby increased steadiness and security are obtained, as when
the sword is fixed the movable frame cannot be opened from the outside
without breaking or removing the glass. The sword is bent near its
jointed end so.as when the movable frame is closed to lie parallel thereto
instead of projecting inconveniently at right angles as hitherto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Laurie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
LAURIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Mechanic,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Laurie, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Laurie, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Laurie, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SKYLIGHTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alexander Laurie, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Laurie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say: -
My said Invention has for its objects to simplify and improve the
construction of skylights, and to increase their security.
And in order that my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing
an improved skylight frame as made according to my Invention.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a plan showing the movable frame 1, in which the glass is
to be fitted, as closed down upon the fixed frame 2; Figure 2 is a
vertical section, also showing the movable frame 1 as closed; Figure 3
is a sectional side elevation showing the movable frame 1 as opened.
Both the fixed and the movable frames 2, 1, are of cast iron. The
movable frame 1 is cast with two pins or journals 3, 4, at its two
upper corners, and bearings 5, 6, are provided for these journals on the
fixed frame 2. Two bearing caps 7, 8, are cast separately, and when the
fixed frame 2 is being cast one, 8, of these caps is set in its place in
the mould, and being formed with pins projecting down, as indicated by
dotted lines in Figure 3, is fixed to the bearing block 6 by the casting
operation. Afterwards one, 4, of the journals of the movable frame 1
is easily entered into the bearing 6, with the fixed cap 8, and then the
loose cap 7 (shown separately in plan and side elevation in Figure 4)
is put over the other journal 3, and secured in the ordinary way, that is
to say, either by headed screws, or by screw nuts screwed on pins fixed
in the bearing block 5. The fixed bearing cap 8 is moulded with
dummy screw heads or nuts, so as to appear symmetrical with the
movable cap 7. In casting the movable frame 1 a broad staple or
holdfast 9 is set in the mould, so as to be fixed on the under side
of the frame by the casting operation, and the sword 10 for holding
the frame 1 in a more or less open position is afterwards jointed on

page_text: the staple 9. The sword 10, and particularly its joint, are made com-
paratively broad whereby increased steadiness and security are obtained,
as when the sword is fixed the movable frame 1 cannot be opened from
the outside without breaking or removing the glass. The sword 10 is
bent at point 11, near its joint end, so as when the movable frame 1
is closed to lie parallel thereto, as shown in Figure 2, instead of project-
ing inconveniently at right angles as hitherto.
In some cases when preferred for convenience of handling the part of
the sword shown straight in full lines in Figure 2 may be curved as
indicated by dotted lines in the same Figure.
Having thus particularly described my said and Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do
not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters]
Patent is, the constructing and combining together of the parts of
skylight frames in the improved manner substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Lauric, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in the year 2
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
ALEXANDER LAURIE. (L.S.)