Mounting Window and Pavement Prism Lights and Tiles without Corner Soldering.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1897-Accepted, 4th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Mounting Window and Pavement Prism Lights and Tiles without
Corner Soldering.
I, JOHN MEIGGS EWEN, of No. 1129 The Rookery, Chicago, County of Cook,
State of Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to improvements in mounting tiles, and by the word
tile" I mean to include particularly prism lights and plates and also prism tiles
for vaults, ornamental glass, stained glass, and tiles proper.
It will be seen that my invention is particularly applicable however to all forms
of window glass.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a plan view of a prism plate composed of a series of prism lights
mounted by means of my improvement.
Figure 2 is a perspective of the corner piece of the grid or net which holds the
prism lights.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and
Figure 4 is a cross-section through one of the prism lights.
Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the Figures.
A A are the prism lights, B B the prisms projecting from the prism sides
thereof, C C are the angle ends of the corner pieces which have each four project-
ing arms D D. EE are the ribs or bead-like projections along the edges of the
arms D. The corner pieces which are used at the corners of the completed plate
have, of course, but two arms and those used along the margin of the plate have
but three arms. F is the solder whereby the opposed ends of the arms are secured
together to complete the net or grid. The corner pieces here shown have four
legs but this is incident to the fact that the tesserae are square. If these tesserae
were hexagonal for example, the corner pieces would be three legged, and there
might be other shapes of these pieces to accommodate other forms of tessera. By
the word tessera I mean to include not only prism lights but all other such
sections or eces as may be suitable for the employment of my invention.
Moreover, I do not wish to give the impression that the corner piece should be
of any particular size, shape or material. In some cases, corner pieces such as
shown might be used along with other short connecting pieces or ties to connect
the opposed or separated legs of said corner pieces and be interposed between the
edges of the tesserae.
$6
39
Some of the principal results obtained by my invention are: First, that the
corners of the tesserae are received into what are practically equivalent to socketз
where they may be securely and firmly seated and the danger of breakage be
obviated, and Second, the unions of the parts of the grid or net are made at a
distance from the corners and hence at places where the strain on the grid or
net is at a minimum, and Third, in soldering or otherwise attaching together
the various parts of the net or grid, the danger of breaking or injuring the
TD877

page_text: tesserae is obviated to a great extent because such operation takes place not at the
corner but midway of the tesserae. This is particularly important in the case of
mounting prism lights. The bead-like parts E may be greatly reduced or wholly
removed, except near the corner plate C, and the whole when put together, if
composed of proper material, can be subjected to my electro-glazing process to
stiffen the parts and make the plate wind and water proof.
If these net parts are arranged so as to come together and be joined at the
corners, there will necessarily be more or less irregularity in the opposed surfaces,
as in the case of ordinary lead mounting. If continuous warps or strips running
in one direction are used with transverse short pieces or ties, the difficulties
incident to the irregularities of the opposed parts will be readily seen.
In my device, these difficultes are obviated. The forms of the legs are such
that at every joint there are two and but two parallel surfaces opposed to each
other so that it is much easier to solder than in the case of such irregular
surfaces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A net or grid for holding together prism sections so as to make a complete
prism plate, comprising a series of corner pieces with radiating arms I-shaped in
cross-section, the ends of the arms on associated corner pieces meeting each other
at points along the edges of the prism lights, and means for connecting such pieces
together at such points.
2. A net or grid for holding prism sections together to make a complete prism
plate, consisting of corner pieces with socket-like formations to receive the
corners of the prism lights, anti radiating arms which project between the
sections and meet and are secured to similar arms from other corner pieces at
points along the sides and between the corners of such prism lights.
3. A frame for tile sections, specially prism sections, constructed, arranged and
formed substantially as shown and described.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.