IMPROVE THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR FIRING SHEET META Fon RecPING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James William Tyler, of No: 12, Abingdon Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
....
LETTERS PATENT to James William Tyler, of No: 12, Abingdon Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR FIRING SHEET META Fon RecPING AND
OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 29th March 1866, and dated the 2nd October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James William Tyler,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd October 1865.
I, JAMES WILLIAM TYLER, of No. 12, Abingdon Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention.
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR FIXING SHEET METAL FOR
ROOFING AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention 'has for its object an improved' mode of fixing together, and
to the purlins, rafters, rolls, or boarding of roofs, the sheets of zinc or other
metal employed for roofing purposes, whereby the necessity of making holes
in the top or outer sheets.for the admission of screws or nails is obviated, and
a more secure and simple means of fastening than heretofore obtained, whilst
at the same time the sheets of metal have perfect freedom to move through
expansion and contraction, For this purpose I fix upon the purlins, rafters,

page_text: rolls, or boarding, a key plate having a narrow slot, widened out considerably
at one end, and in a corresponding position of the under sheet of metal to be
fixed I form a slot, which, at the end covering the enlarged part of the slot in
the key plate, is made of equal dimensions therewith. Upon the under
surface of the top or outer sheet is fixed a stud or button with a large head
and a thin neck, which stud, on the sheet of metal being put in its place,
drops through the enlarged part of the slots in the under sheet and key plate,
whereupon the top sheet is slid-in-such-a-direction that the-stud-upon-it-
passes into the narrow portion of the slot in the key plate, by which means
both the top sheet and the under one are held perfectly secure, and are at the
same time quite free to move backwards and forwards in the direction of the
slot in the key plate when expanding or contracting. When the ends of the
sheets of metal are bent round so as to fit over rafters or rolls, as in Italian or
corrugated roofing, I prefer not to make the top of.the rafters or rolls rounded
as heretofore, but to leave them flat on the top with rounded or chamfered
arris and to fix upon them at the points required a key plate bent to the
rounded form of the sheets of metal, so that these are made to fit upon the
key plate, whilst room is left for the head of the stud upon the top sheet in
the
space between the curved key plate and the top of the rafter or roll. In
such cases, also, the arrangement may be reversed and a straight key plate be
fixed across in the hollow of the curved portion of the top sheet, whilst the stud
is fixed to the rafter or roll. The above described means of fastening may also
be employed for fixing together the two sheets of metal, irrespective of any
fixing to the rafters or purlins, the stud fixed upon the top sheet passing
simply through a slot with widened end in the under sheet. Although I
have described my improved mode of fixing sheet metal as applied to roofing
only, yet it is also applicable in like manner to the covering, of walls and
other enclosures with sheet metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James William Tyler, in the Great Seal Patent Office on 3
the 2nd April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WILLIAM TYLER, of No. 12, Abingdon Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS-Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Second day of: October, in the year of our Lord One'

page_text: thousand 'eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto; me;
the said Jaimes William Tyler, Her special licence that I, the said James
William Tyler, my executors, administrators, and assigns,, or sucli others as
I, the said James William Tyler, 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
I for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR FIXING SHEET METAL FOR
ROOFING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I;
the said James William Tyler, my executors or administrators, by an instru
ment 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 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 James William Tyler, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement. thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
My Invention has for its object an improved mode of fixing together, and
to the purlins, rafters, rolls, or boarding of roofs, the sheets of zinc or other
metal employed for roofing purposes; whereby the necessity of making' holes
in the top or outer sheets for the admission of screws or nails is obviated, and
a more secure and simple means of fastening than heretofore obtained, whilst
at the same time the sheets of metal have perfect freedom to move through
expansion and contraction. For this purpose I fix upon the purlins, rafters;
rolls, or boarding a key-plate having a narrow slot widened out considerably
at one end, and in a corresponding position of the under sheet of metal to bo'
fixed 1 form a slot which at the end covering the enlarged part of the slut in*
the key plate is made of equal dimensions therewith. Upon the under surface">
of the top or outer sheet is fixed a stud or button with a large head and a thin'
neck, which stud, on the sheet of metal being put in its place;. drops through
the enlarged part of the slots in the under sheet and key plate, whereupon
the top sheet is slid. in such a direction that the stud upon it passes into the
narrow portion of the slot in the key plate, by which means both the top
sheet and the under one are held perfectly secure, and are at. the same time

page_text: quite free to move backwards and forwards in the direction of the slot in the
key. plate when expanding or contracting. When the ends of the sheets of-
metal are bent round so as to fit over rafters or rolls, as in Italian or cor-
rugated roofing, I prefer not to make the top of the rafters or rolls rounded
as heretofore, but to leave them flat on the top, with rounded or chamfered
arris, and to fix upon them at the points required a key pláte bent to the
rounded form of the sheets of metal, so that these are made to fit upon the
key plate, whilst room is. left for the head of the stud upon the top sheet in
the space between the curved key plate and the top-of-the-rafter or roll. In
such cases also the arrangement may be reversed, and a straight key plate be
fixed across in the hollow of the curved portion of the top sheet, whilst the
stud is fixed to the rafter or roll. The above-described means of fastening
may also be employed for fixing together the two sheets of metal irrespective
of any fixing to the rafters or purlins, the stud fixed upon the top sheet
passing simply through a slot with widened end in the under sheet.
Although I have described my improved mode of fixing sheet metal as
applied to roofing only, yet it is also applicable in like manner to the covering
of.walls and other enclosures with sheet metal.
Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying Drawing show one mode of carrying
my Invention into practice. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the roll or
rafter A with key plate B, the under sheet C, and outer sheet D separate
from each other; Figure 2 shows a sectional perspective view of the same.
when fixed together.
:
The roll or rafter A is not rounded, as is usually done, but is left flat,
having merely the edges chamfered off as shown; upon it is fixed the key
plate B by means of nails or screws a, a, driven in at the side. The key
plate is curved, as shown, to suit the curvature of the sheet roofing, acting as
a saddle for the same when fixed together; it has a slot 6 formed in it, one
end of which is enlarged sufficiently for the head of the stud or button d fixed
to the under side of the outer sheet D to pass through, while the narrow part
of the slot is only of sufficient width to allow the neck of the stud a.to. pass
readily into it. The under sheet C has a precisely similar slot 'c with enlarged
end formed in it, which fits over the slot in the key plate B, so that in fixing
on the plate D the stud d first passes through the enlarged parts of the slots.c
and b, and the plate D is then slid forward so that the neck of the stud d passes
into the narrow part of the slots, the head of the stud being situated in the
space between the top of the rafter A and the key plate B.-
i
Figure 3. shows the same arrangement applied to cases where the purlins
or boarding A run in the reverse direction to the joints of the sheets C, D, the

page_text: only difference being that: the key plate is fixed to, the top of the purlin or
boarding instead of to the sides thereof:
:
Figure 8 shows the above described arrangement, as applied to fixing a
ridge cap E; d, stud; B;.key. plate; C, D, sheet roofing; A, ridge piece.
Figures 4to.6 show another arrangement of my Invention. Figure 4.
shows a transverse section of the several parts fixed-together; Figure 5 shows
a plan of the under side of the outer sheet. D; and; Figure 6 shows. a plan of,
thie under sheet.C and rafter. A... In this arrangement the key plate B, which
is formed straight, is fixed across the hollow part of the outer, sheet D, and,
the stud dis screwed into or otherwise fixed to the rafter A, the under.sheet
C being cut out to the extent shown in order to allow the head of the studd,
to pass through the enlarged part of the slot b, in the key plate-B, when the
sheet D is put in its place: as indicated in Figure 4, after which the sheet D
is slid forward, so that the stud a passes into the narrow part of the slot b
Figure 7 shows.a: sectional perspective view of an arrangement in which.
the sheet D is fixed to the sheet C only, by means of a stud d fixed to the
former passing into a slot c, with enlarged end formed in the latter.,. This
arrangement is more. particularly applicable to the covering of walls and other
enclosures with sheet metal.
Having now, described the nature of.my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that it is
not new to fix sheet metal roofing to the rolls, purlins, or rafters, by causing
a hook, fixed to the under side of such sheet metal roofing, either to catch.
underneath the flange of a T-iron purlin or rafter, or to pass into a pocket,
loop, or staple fixed to the rolls, purlins, or rafters; and I therefore in no way
claim such mode of fixing generally, nor do I limit myself to the precise
modes of carrying my Invention into practice, as herein-before described with
reference to the accompanying Drawing, as these may be variously modified
without departing from the nature of my Invention, but what I claim is,-
First, fixing sheet metal roofing to the rolls, purlins, rafters, or boarding,
by means of a stud or button fixed to the under side of the outer sheet
passing first through a slot in the under sheet, and then through a slot in a
curved key plate fixed to the roll, purlin, or rafter; such slots being formed
with an enlarged hole, at one end to admit of the head of the stud or-button
passing through, which stud or button is then slid by means of the outer plate
into the narrow portion of the slots so as to be held thereby, substantially as
herein-before described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, on the
accompanying Drawing.
Second, the employment of curved key plates, acting as saddles for the

page_text: sheet roofing to rest upon, as herein-before described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, and 3 on the accompanying Drawing, whereby the expense of
rounding the top of the rolls or rafters is avoided..
Third, fixing sheet metal roofing to the rolls, purlins, rafters, or boarding,
by means of a stud or button, screwed into or otherwise fixed to the rolls,
purlins, rafters, or boarding, passing through a slot with an enlargement at
one end formed in a key plate:fixed across the curved part of the outer sheet,
substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figures 4, 5, and 6,
on the accompanying Drawing.:
Fourth, fixing together two pieces of sheet metal roofing by means of a stud.
or button fixed to the under side of the top sheet, passing through a slot with
an enlargement at:ono-end formed in the under sheet, substantially as herein.
before described with reference to Figure 7 on the accompanying Drawing.
Fifth, the application of the herein-before described: modes of fixing sheet i
metal plates to the covering of walls and enclosures, other than roofing, with
sheet metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said James William Tyler, have hereunto-
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES WILLIAM TILER. (L.S.)