Improvements in Pavement Lights.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug.. 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pavement Lights.
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 per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:--
My Invention relates to improvements in framing vault lights and has for its
object to provide a new and improved method for framing such lights, illustrated
in the accompanying drawings wherein,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a series of vault lights framed in accordance with my
invention.
Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.
Vault lights when in position are ordinarily exposed to the weather. It has
been customary heretofore to support such vault lights in iron frames, a consider-
able portion of the frames extending to the surface of the vault lights, or projecting
slightly thereabove so as to be exposed to the air.
I have found that this construction has several disadvantages, chief among
which is the condensation of moisture upon the inner surface of the iron frame.
As the vault lights are made of glass, the iron frame which is exposed to the air
gives up its heat much more rapidly than the glass, hence the moisture in the
apartment lighted by the vault lights condenses upon the iron frame and then falls
down into the apartment. This difficulty is of great moment especially in the
winter time and in many instances practically prevents that part of the apartment
under the vault lights from being used.
One of the objects of my invention is to so frame these vault lights as to prevent
this evil. The series of vault lights A are placed together so as to be supported by
the frame pieces B. These frame pieces are provided with the thin projecting
parts B¹ which extend upwardly between the vault lights as shown. The sides of
these vault lights are preferably slightly beveled as shown. The projecting parts
of ribs B are short so that they do not extend to the surface of the vault lights.
The vault lights are fastened or bound to the frame in any suitable manner, as by
electrically depositing metal upon the projecting ribs B¹. When metal is thus
deposited upon the ribs B₁ it will be seen that they cannot then be removed
from between the vault lights on account of the filling up of the wedgelike space
between such vault lights.
When this process is used the frame pieces B are preferably coated with some
material so as to prevent the metal from being deposited where it is not needed.
The spaces between the vault lights, if desired, may then be filled with cement or
other suitable material as shown at C so as to produce a substantially even surface,
and to prevent the projections B¹ from being in any manner exposed to the air.
These projecting ribs B₁ are so constructed that even if exposed to the air they are
not of sufficient size to conduct the heat from the cross pieces B so as to cause the
017

page_text: moisture in the room to be deposited thereon. The thin part which projects
upwardly between the vault lights may be of different material from the supporting
pieces, as shown at B², such substance being preferably a poor or non-conductor
of heat.
It is, of course, evident, that these vault lights may be connected together in
some other manner than that herein shown, and that the frame may be of a con-
struction different from that which I have illustrated, the condition being that
the iron frame will not be sufficiently exposed to the air so as to cause the moisture
in the apartment below to be deposited thereon, and to thus fall or drip down into
the apartment.
I have described my invention in connection with vaut lights, but it is of
course, evident, that it may be used in connection with tile sections of any
description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
A prism pavement comprising a series of prism blocks and a frame for the same
with the parts arranged substantially as shown and de cribed.
Dated this 13th day of July 1897.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.