IMPROVEMENTS IN TREAT- ING CLAY, ARTIFICIAL STONE, METAL, OR OTHER PLASTIC OR MALLEABLE MATERIAL TO RENDER IT MORE SUITABLE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PURPOSES"
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hudson Smithett, of the Inner Temple, and
John Davidson, of No. 1, Temple Street, Blackfriars, both in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREAT-
ING CLAY, ARTIFICIAL STONE, METAL, OR OTHER PLASTIC OR MALLEABLE
MATERIAL TO RENDER IT MORE SUITABLE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PURPOSES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hudson Smithett
and John Davidson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 29th April 1864.
We, RICHARD HUDSON SMITHETT, of the Inner Temple, and JOHN DAVIDSON,
of No. 1, Temple Street, Blackfriars, both in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREAT-
ING CLAY, ARTIFICIAL STONE, METAL, OR OTHER PLASTIC OR MALLEABLE MATERIAL
TO RENDER IT MORE SUITABLE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-"
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture of bricks, tiles, or blocks
from clay or artificial stone for ordinary building purposes, armour plates of
iron for the protection of vessels of war, or batteries, or blocks of iron or other
material for the construction of batteries or fortifications, or for any other
similar purposes where bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates are required to be
fastened or bonded together in a stronger manner than ordinarily.
The Invention consists in rolling, casting, moulding, or pressing such clay,
artificial stone, metal, or other plastic or malleable material. between or in

page_text: such rollers, moulds, or dies as will produce bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates
having on one side projections of a conical, pyramidal, hemispherical, or other
analogous form (the cones or pyramids being either truncated or otherwise, as
may be preferred), and on the other side holes or depressions of a similar form.
These projections and depressions are so arranged and situated that they
shall interlock when the bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates are used for con-
structive purposes, thus giving great strength and durability to any building
or construction thereof.
In the case of bricks or blocks for building purposes the projections or
depressions may also be made on the face of the same, so as to give an
ornamental character to the building.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Hudson Smithett and John Davidson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HUDSON SMITHETT, of the Inner Temple, and JOHN DAVIDSON, of No. 1,
Temple Street, Blackfriars, both in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the 27th year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Richard Hudson Smithett and John Davidson, Her special license that
we, the said Richard Hudson Smithett and John Davidson, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard Hudson
Smithett and John Davidson, our 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING CLAY, ARTIFICIAL STONE, METAL, OR OTHER PLASTIC OR
MALLEABLE MATERIAL TO RENDER IT MORE SUITABLE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PURPOSES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Richard Hudson
Smithett and John Davidson, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or one of our, 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

page_text: in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next. and imme
diately after the date of the said Letters. Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Hudson Smithett and John
Davidson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
5 manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement in writing, and on reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture of bricks, tiles, or blocks
from clay or artificial stone for ordinary building purposes, armour plates of
iron for the protection of vessels of war or batteries, or blocks of iron or other
material for the construction of batteries or fortifications, or for any other
similar purposes where bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates are required to be
fastened or bonded together in a stronger manner than ordinarily.
The Invention consists in rolling, casting, moulding, or pressing such clay,
artificial stone, metal, or other plastic or malleable material between or in
such rollers, moulds, or dies as will produce bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates
having on one side projections of a conical, pyramidal, hemispherical, octagonal,
or other analogous form (the cones or pyramids being either truncated or
otherwise, as may be preferred) and on the other side corresponding holes or
depressions of a similar form. These projections and depressions are so
arranged and situated that they shall interlock when the bricks, tiles, blocks,
or plates are used for constructive purposes, thus giving great strength and
durability to any building or construction thereof.
In the case of bricks or blocks for building purposes the projections or
depressions may also be made on the face of the same, so as to give an
ornamental character to the building.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improvements
in Treating Clay, Artificial Stone, Metal, or other Plastic or Malleable:
Material to render it more suitable for Constructive Purposes," we will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same
may be distinctly understood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that
is to say:-
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 is a plan view (drawn about one-third the
actual size), and Figure 2 an edge view of a brick for building purposes,
constructed according to my Invention, with projections of a truncated pyramidal:
form a, a, a, a, ‘on the upper side, and with corresponding holes or recesses.

page_text: b, b, b, b, of a similar form on the under side. Figures 3 and 4 are similar
views of a brick with projections and recesses of a truncated conical shape;
and Figures 5 and 6 are similar views of a brick made, with projections and
recesses of a hemispherical or nearly hemispherical form. It will be evident
that bricks might be made with projections and recesses (similarly arranged)
of various other forms, but those shewn are the shapes which we consider best
adapted for the purpose.
On referring to these several Figures, and also to Figure 7 (which repre-
sents on a smaller scale a few courses of brick work "bonded together in
various ways) it will be seen that bricks thus constructed, when used for
building purposes, may be "bonded" together in any of the ordinary ways, and
that the projections and recesses will always interlock, thereby giving great
strength and durability to the building.
Figure 8 represents a plan view, and Figure 9 an edge view of a pantile,
constructed according to my Invention. This tile is made with a series of
angular ridges a, a, a, a, and truncated pyramidal projections b, b, b, b. The
under side of each tile is exactly the counterpart of the upper side, so that if
one were placed over the other they would fit each other and interlock at
all parts.
Figures 10 and 11 are similar views of two of these tiles, shewing how
their upper and lower edges overlap; and Figure 12 shows the way in which
they overlap in the other direction, and as each section formed by the angular
ridges a, a, a, a, is exactly similar, it will be seen that they may be overlapped
one, two, three, or more sections, and that they will always be firmly inter-
locked in whatever position they are placed.
It will be evident that this same principle of construction with interlocking
projections and recesses may be extended in a variety of ways to larger blocks
of artificial stone or other materials for ordinary building purposes, and to
arinour plates or blocks of iron for warlike or defensive purposes, as above
mentioned, and to a variety of other useful constructive purposes.
Having now particularly described the nature and object of our said Inven-
tion for "Improvements in Treating Clay, Artificial Stone, Metal, or other
Plastic or Malleable Material to render it more suitable for Constructive
Purposes," together with the manner in which the same is to be. or may be.
performed or carried into practical effect, we would remark, in conclusion,
that we claim as our Invention rolling, casting, moulding, or pressing such
material or materials between or in such rollers, moulds, or dies, as will
produce bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates, having on one side projections of a
pyramidal, conical, hemispherical, octagonal, or other analogous form, and on

page_text: the other side corresponding holes or depressions of a similar form, the said
projections and depressions being so arranged that they shall interlock when
the bricks, tiles, blocks, or plates are used for constructive purposes.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Hudson Smithett and John
Davidson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
R. H. SMITHETT. (L.S.)
JOHN DAVIDSON. (L.S.)
R. H. SMITHETT. (L.S.)
JOHN DAVIDSON. (L.S.)