IMPROVEMENTS IN ROOFING TILES
Year: 1885

page_text: I HENRY WILLIAM ROBINSON, of 25 Saint George's Terrace, Northampton, in
the County of Northampton, Dairy Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROOFING TILES" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in roofing tiles, the object of the
invention being to provide an efficient tile which can be used on roofs which are
too flat to allow of the employment of ordinary roofing tiles whereby rain or other
water falling thereon will be directed from the joints of the tiles and be caused to
run off the roof.
In carrying out my invention I manufacture the tiles of a suitable shape the
back edge being preferably made rectangular with the sides which, from about the
centre of their length, are inclined towards each other and come to a point in the
front of the tile; in the upper face of the tile I form a central channel extending
from near the back edge to the point or front of the tile the said channel deepening
towards the point; from the said central channel, branch channels extend towards
the back of the tile; these branch channels are each deeper at the outer side than
at the inner side; upon the said face of the tile I form a ledge or projection which
extends from the centre of the back edge in a slanting direction to near the middle
of the sides thereof; a corresponding groove is made in the underneath face of the
pointed part of each tile to receive one portion of the said projection and thereby
prevent snow or water from drifting towards the back of the tiles; at the back of
each tile I sometimes provide a pin or projection which enters corresponding semi-
circular holes formed in the side edges of the overlapping tiles; the said pin or
projection only extends about half way through the holes and the remaining part
of the holes is filled in with mortar or cement; or instead of the said pin or
projection a hole may be formed about half way through the tiles and the mortar
or cement be filled in the said hole and the semi-circular holes of the overlapping
tiles; these arrangements would however only be required for fixing the tiles in
position in order to close the joints against the rain where the roof is very flat; for
ordinary roofs the tiles could be made without the said projections and holes; the
underneath face of each tile is provided at the back with nibs for fixing and a
water-drop at the point.
By this construction rain water or the like falling upon the tiles will be collected
in the herein before described inclined channels and will flow from one tile to
another and finally run off the roof.

page_text: I HENRY WILLIAM ROBINSON, of 25 Saint George's Terrace, Northampton, in
the county of Northampton, Dairy Farmer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in roofing tiles, tho object of the invention
being to provide an efficient tile which can be used on roofs which are too flat to
allow of the employment of ordinary roofing tiles whereby rain or other water
falling thereon will be directed from the joints of the tiles and be caused to run off
the roof.
In carrying out my invention I manufacture the tiles of a suitable shape the
back edge or a portion thereof being preferably made rectangular with the sides
which from about the centre of their length, are inclined towards each other and
come to a point in the front of the tile; in the upper face of the tile I form
a central channel extending from near the back edge to the point or front of the
tile the said channel deepening towards the point; from the said central channel;
branch channels extend towards the back of the tile; these branch channels are
each deeper at the outer side than at the inner side; upon the said face of the tile
I form a ledge or projection which extends from beyond the centre of the back edge
in a slanting direction to near the middle of the sides thereof; corresponding
grooves are made in the underneath face of the pointed part of each tile each of
which grooves receives one portion of the said projections of the tiles which it
overlaps and thereby preventing snow or water from drifting towards the back of
the tiles. The underneath face of each tile is provided at the back with nibs or
projections for fixing and a water-drip or lip at the point.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1, sheet 1, is
a plan of a roofing tile constructed according to my invention; figure 2, sheet 2, is
a plan of the underside of the tile; figure 3, sheet 3, is a plan view drawn to a
smaller scale shewing several tiles fixed in position as when in use to form a roof;
figure 4, sheet 3, is a longitudinal section on line A, B, of figure 3; figure 5, sheet 3,
is a transverse section on line C, D, of figure 3, and figure 6, sheet 3, is a section on
line E, F, of figure 3. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, represents the back edge of the tile which is preferably made rectangular with
the parts b, b, of the sides and made with a projecting part a¹; c, c, are the inclined
portions of the sides the said inclined portions extending from about the centre of
the sides and coming to a point in the front of the tile as shewn; d is the central:
channel in the upper face e, of the tile and extending from near the back edge a,
to the point or front of the tile as shewn in the plan views, figures 1 and 3; the
channel d, is deepened towards the point of the tile as shewn in the longitudinal
section, figure 4; f. f, f, are the branch channels extending from the central
channel d, towards the back of the tile and formed deeper at their outer sides than
at their inner sides as shewn in figure 6; g, g, is the ledge or projection on the
upper face c, of the tile, the said ledge or projection extending from the back

page_text: projection a¹, in a slanting direction to near the middle of the sides b, c;
h, h, figures 2 and 5, are the grooves made in the underneath face 2, of each tile and
running parallel or nearly so with the inclined portion c, c of the tile each of which
grooves serves to receive a portion of the projections g, of the tiles overlapped at
each side as clearly shewn in figure 5; the ledges or projections g, and grooves h,
by fitting into each other as just described serve to prevent snow or water from
drifting towards the backs of the tiles and passing through the roof. If required
the ledge or projection g, can be formed with a groove, in which cement or the
like is run so as to form a more secure joint between the ledges g, and grooves h;
,, are the nibs or projections for fixing the tiles by catching against the horizontal
laths of the roof in the manner usual with tiles of ordinary construction; k, is the
water-drip or lip (shewn clearly in figure 4) with which each tile is provided at the
point thereof the said lip of one tile projecting downwards into the central
channel d, of the next tile below it. At the back of each tile I sometimes provide
a pin or projection which enters corresponding semi-circular holes formed in the
side edges of the overlapping tiles; the said pin or projection only extends about
half way through the holes and the remaining part of the holes is filled in with
mortar or cement; or instead of the said pin or projection a hole may be formed
about half way through the tiles and the mortar or cement be filled in the said
hole and the semi-circular holes of the overlapping tiles; these arrangements would
however only be required for fixing the tiles in position in order to close the joints
against the rain where the roof is very flat; for ordinary roofs the tiles could be
made without the said projections and holes.
By this construction of roofing tile a number of the tiles being placed or fixed in
position on the roof in the manner hereinbefore described and shewn in figures 3, 4
and 5 rain water or the like falling upon the tiles will be collected in the
channels f, and d, and by the latter channels d, being deepened towards the points
of the tiles the water will drop or run from the lip k, of one tile into the central
channel d, of the next tile and will finally run off the roof, and this will be the case
when the improved tiles are used for covering roofs which are too flat to allow of
the employment of ordinary roofing tiles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The manufacture and use of roofing-tiles formed with a central channel
deepening towards the front thereof and with a number of branch channels as
described running into the said central channel the said tiles being provided with
grooves and corresponding projections substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved roofing tiles herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawing.