IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC COVERINGS FOR ROOFS AND WALLS OF BUILDINGS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Spence, of 8, Quality Court, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC COVERINGS FOR ROOFS AND WALLS
OF BUILDINGS."-A communication from abroad by Edmond Jules
Victor Coutelier of Paris, France. Manufacturer.
Scaled the 8th October 1872, and dated the 13th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Spence at
the Office of the 'Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th April 1872.
I, WILLIAM SPENCE, of 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent 'Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS) IN METALLIC COVERINGS FOR ROOFS AND
WALLS OF BUILDINGS," being a communication to me from abroad by
Edmond Jules Victor Coutelier, of Paris, France, Manufacturer," to be
as follows:-
.
.This Invention relates to a mode of applying a metallic covering
which, admits of' easy and rapid fixing, and in case of repairs can be.
easily removed, for none of the parts is. permanently fixed, which is

page_text: nevertheless by no means detrimental to the solidity or security of the
covering. The expansion and contraction of every element composing
the covering are free to take place in every direction. This covering
consists in putting together pieces of zinc, copper, thin iron plate, or
lead, which are ordinarily of a square form, and are each pierced with t
a rectangular hole and furnished with a small sheath or staple in the
same axis. At the upper part of the roof to be covered nails or spikes
of a hooked form are driven in, care being taken to arrange them in
lozenge form, then each piece of metal (or element of the covering) is
clasped by means of its rectangular hole and its sheath or staple, the 1
latter being always placed above the hole of the piece of metal placed
below so as to make a perfect covering. The said pieces of metal are
stamped or formed in such a manner as to present two sloping edges
forming a plain moulding, and the angular junction of which aids the
rapid escape of water exactly above and below the point at which the ]
said pieces are clasped. The covering of the pieces for an inclination
of forty-five degrees is not equal to a fifth part of the surface thereof,
so that the uncovered surface is more than four-fifths of the zinc or
copper employed, thereby ensuring economy of material used. For an
angle of 'inclination less than forty-five degrees the covered part of the
pieces should be increased, and they should be hexagonal in form. The
said pieces may be easily stamped or formed in various ornamental
shapes, so as to admit of an ornamental covering for a roof or clothing
for walls to suit particular designs of buildings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said William Spence in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SPENCE, of 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
8
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Spence, Her special licence that 3

page_text: .
I, the said William Spence, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Spence, my executors, admini-
strators, or 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 METALLIC
·COVERINGS FOR ROOPS AND WALLS OF BUILDINGS," being a communication. to
me from abroad by Edmond Jules Victor Coutelier, of Paris, Francę,
Manufacturer,. upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Spence, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 William Spence, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
:be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here.
unto annexeɖ and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This. Invention of "Improvements in Metallic Coverings for Roofs
and Walls of Buildings," relates to a mode of applying a metallic
covering which admits of easy and rapid fixing, and in case of repairs
.can be easily removed, for none of the parts is permanently fixed, which
is nevertheless by no means detrimental to the solidity or security of the
covering. The expansion and .contraction of every element composing
the covering are free to take place in every direction.. This covering
consists in putting together metallic tiles, pieces of zinc, copper, thin
iron plate, or lead, which are ordinarily of a square form, and are each
pierced with a rectangular hole and furnished with a small sheath or
staple in the same axis. At the upper part of the roof to be covered
nails or spikes of a hooked, form are driven in, care being taken to
arrange them in lozenge form, then cach piece of metal (or clement
of the covering) is clasped by means of its rectangular hole and its
sheath or staple, the latter being always placed above the hole of the
picce of metal placed below so as to make a perfect covering. The said
•

page_text: pieces of metal are stamped or formed in such a manner as to present
two sloping edges forming a plain moulding, and the angular junction
of which aids the rapid escape of water exactly above and below the
point at which the said pieces are clasped. The covering of the pieces
for an inclination of forty-five degrees is not equal to a fifth part of 5
the surface thereof, so that the uncovered surface is more than four-
fifths of the zinc or copper employed, thereby ensuring economy of
material used. For an angle of inclination less than forty-five degrees
the covered part of the pieces should be increased, and they should be
hexagonal in form. The said pieces may be easily stamped or formed 10
in various ornamental shapes, so as to admit of an ornamental covering
for a roof or clothing for walls to suit particular designs of buildings.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed
by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented 16
metallic tiles and the mode of fixing them above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents, half size, an underneath plan of a tile of zinc; Fig. 2
is a vertical section of the same on the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section shewing tiles fixed in position.
Fig. 4 represents on a smaller scale a portion of a roof shewing the
mode of arranging the tiles so as to form a covering for the same.
"
20
Each tile or picce of metal A is stamped in such manner as to form
two sloping or bevilled edges, which when put together form at their
junction a plain moulding preventing capillary action and causing water 25
to pass off which would otherwise lodge and produce damp. The tile
or piece of metal is at 6 pierced with a rectangular hole, and a small
sheath or staple c is soldered in the axis of the said hole. This sheath
or staple is enlarged towards the base c³ in such a manner as to avoid
uncertainty in placing, and facilitate at the same time the entry and the 30
required clasping or fixing on the hooked nail. The hooked nails d are
formed so as to limit the sinking of the staple c when placed thereon,
which renders it immaterial what may be the space between the wood-
work of the roof and the hooked nail. It will be seen on reference to
Fig. 3 that each tile or piece of metal A is held by means of the 35
opening 6 and the sheath or staple c, and that the fixture is entirely
covered by the tile or piece of the row next above. Fig. 4 shows that

page_text: the tiles may be made ornamental. For an inclination of less than
forty-five degrees the covered part of the tile may be modified in form
so as to be hexagonal, as shewn in Fig. 5, and which varies in the inverse
ratio of the sine of the angle; thus the flatter the roof the less will the
proportion of the uncovered surface to the whole surface of the roof.
In any case repairs may be made with facility, for it is only necessary
to move a few tiles from below upwards in order to remove one which
is defective and replace it by another.
The above described system of roofing and covering of walls consists
as will be understood in the arrangement of metallic tiles or pieces of
zinc, sheet iron, copper, or lead, stamped and fitted as described, and
has the following advantages, viz., first, easy and rapid fitting with
facility of removal for repairs; secondly, freedom for expansion in every
direction; thirdly, complete exclusion of damp; and, lastly, economy
owing to the comparatively small amount of surface covered in the
fitting.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention communicated
to me from abroad as aforesaid, I would remark that the precise forms,
dimensions, and modes of ornamenting the metallic tiles described may
be varied; but I claim as of the said Invention the mode described of
covering roofs and walls of buildings with metallic tiles of the kind
described.
"
In witness whereof, I, the said William Spence, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
W. A. JACKSON,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Lane,
London.
WILLIAM SPENCE. (L.s.)