CERTAIN IMPROVE MENTS IN PAVING STREETS, ROADS, AND WAYS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
JOHN PHIPPS, of the Blackfriars Road, in the Couty of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the First day of August, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred
John Phipps, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Alfred John Phipps, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others, as I, the said Alfred John Phipps, my executors, admini-
strators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE
MENTS IN PAVING STREETS, ROADS, AND WAYS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Alfred John Phipps, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred John Phipps, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of improvements in paving streets, roads, and ways consists,
firstly, in the employment of blocks of wood of peculiar shapes or forms; and
secondly, in a peculiar method of connecting these or other blocks together; so
as to preserve them in their relative positions to one another.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed I have shewn the methods I adopt to
carry these objects into execution. Fig. 1 is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a side
view of part of a roadway formed by blocks of wood made by cutting blocks of
any convenient size from a length of wood, as seen in Fig. 3. These blocks
must be cut in an angular manner, as shewn in the Figure, and one of them
placed on the top of another, with their angles subtending in opposite
directions, and fastened together by cramps or other fastenings, as shewn in
Fig. 2, or in any other convenient manner. By this arrangement one end
of each of the compound blocks thus formed is made convex, and the other
end concave, so that the convex end of one block enters the concave end of the
next, thereby preventing it from either rising or sinking. In laying down a
pavement to be composed of these blocks, each line of blocks must be dove-.
tailed into the two adjoining ones, so as to form a "break joint," as seen in the
plan view, Fig. 1, and if thought desirable a key block may be placed in the
centre of the roadway. This key block is made by forming both ends. or sides
thereof either concave or convex, as may be preferred. Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and
8 represent another form of block, which may be either constructed of one
piece, or made in two parts, and connected together so as to form a compound
block. I prefer, however, that this block should be made of one piece.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of several of these blocks combined together to form
part of a pavement. Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 an end view of the
same. This pavement is constructed of pairs of blocks, shewn in plan at
Fig. 7, and elevation at Fig. 8. The profile of this block represents two
equilateral triangles, with the apex of one pointing upwards and the apex of
the other pointing downwards, and the apex of each touches one of the ends of
the base of the other. Upon inspecting the plan view, Fig. 7, it will be seen
that the part a of the block does not totally cover the side of the part b, but is
shifted laterally in a slight degree, and consequently leaves a shoulder c to
support the next block. At the same time, by thus shifting the part a of the

page_text: block, this part is made to overhang the part b, as seen at d, and it is this
overhanging part that lies upon and is supported by the shoulder c of the next
block, as will be easily understood by a careful inspection of Fig. 7, which
represents the pair of blocks slightly removed from each other to prevent con-
fusion, but in the same relative positions. Although I have described the angle
of sixty degrees, or that formed by an equilateral triangle, as the angle I have
used and shewn in the Drawings, yet I do not intend to confine myself thereto,
as any other angle might be employed, the object of this block being not only
merely to support its own particular line of blocks, but also all those blocks
with which it is in connection, thus combining the whole into one compact and
self-supporting mass.
The next part of the Invention consists in combining or connecting blocks
together by means of wooden or other dowels; tongues, or fillets, placed in an
upright position, or nearly so. Figures 9 and 10 represent plan and side
views of part of a pavement laid down upon this principle. The peculiar shape
of block shewn in the Figures I do not claim as new. It is formed by cutting
up a length of wood at any convenient angle, and placing two single blocks
side by side, but with their angles subtending in opposite directions: Fig. 11
is an end view of two blocks combined in this manner; Fig. 12 is a side eleva-
tion, Fig. 13 a plan view of the same; and Fig. 14 represents one of the
blocks detached, with the dowell, tongue, or fillet e connected thereto. In
order to connect the blocks together, upright grooves f, f, are made in both
sides of all the blocks, so that when the blocks are placed side by side, a
square hole is formed by two grooves coming in conjunction, and into this hole.
a pin, dowel, tongue, or fillet e is driven; by this means neither block can move,
and the more pressure is applied to the upper part of the blocks the tigher the
tongue or dowel is held, as the blocks press in different directions, as shewn by
the arrows. One great advantage attending the use of this part of the Inven-
tion is the great facility with which any number of blocks may be removed and
replaced without at all injuring the solidity of the pavement. In order to take
up any part of the pavement it will only be necessary to withdraw the dowels
or tongues on each side of the blocks, and the pavement may be removed with
ease. This manner of connecting blocks together may also be employed with
the blocks shewn in Figures 1 and 2, instead of the connecting cramps or irons
therein shewn. These tongues, dowels, or fillets, may be made of wood, iron,
or any other suitable material, and although I have described them as being
used only in conjunction with the blocks shewn at Figures 1, 2, 9, and 10, yet
I do not intend to confine myself thereto, as they may be employed with any

page_text: other blocks that may require similar fastenings to retain them in their proper
positions.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be performed and carried out, I wish it to be understood that I claim, as
the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, first, the manner of forming or constructing and combining blocks, as
shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3; secondly, the peculiar form of block shewn in
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8; and, thirdly, connecting or combining together.
blocks of any suitable form by means of a pin or pins, dowels, fillets, or
tongues, placed in an upright position, or nearly so, as shewn in Figures
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, and which pins, dowels, fillets, or tongues may
be withdrawn, in order to remove any part of the pavement, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred John Phipps, have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand night hundial