US663199A - Vault-light construction. - Google Patents

Description

No. 663,l99. Patented Dec. 4, I900.

' W. H. SHEPARD.

VAULT LIGHT CONSTRUCTION.

I (Application filed Nov. 22, 1899.)

(No Model;)

a CL

NiTEED STATES PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM H. SHEPARD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO 'I. H. BROOKS CO., OF SAME PLACE.

VAU LT-LIG HT CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 663,199, dated December 4, 1900. Application filed November 22, 1899- Serial No. 737,945. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vault-Light Construction,of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a sidewalk vault-light which, while being very cheap in construction and efficient in service, shall be so arranged that it may be conveniently kept in stock and built up to accom modate any required size of opening. To this end I have devised a frame built up of units, each consisting of a structural channel member having openings in its base and vertical sides, and I place these units with their sides abutting and bolt or rivet them together, covering the openings in the base with lights suit-ably held in place.

The invention consists of a vault-light so constructed.

The invention may also be defined as consisting of the combinations of parts hereinafter described, and specified in the claims.

The drawings clearly disclose my invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of the construction complete, the front edge being a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan of one of the channel members, showing some of the lights in place. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical longitudinal and transverse sections, respectively, of one of the lights shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a perspective view of such light, and Fig. 6 a perspective View of a modified form of light.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents a channel-iron which is preferably made of steel rolled into the channel shape shown, consisting of the base a and the walls or sides a. Through the base are punched a series of holes a of such size as to leave considerable of the base all around them. These channel members are placed side by side across the space to be bridged. For example, each channel member extends transversely across such portion of the sidewalk as is to be made translucent, or, where the sidewalk is very wide, from one longitudinal beam thereunder to another. These channel-irons are secured together by screws, bolts, or rivets 13, extending from the wall of one channel member into the next.

The lights, which may be transparent or translucent glass, are designated C. Their horizontal surface may be rectangular, as shown in Fig. 5, or circular, as in Fig. 6. In each case their sides depend from the edge of the top surface at right angles thereto for a distance at least as great as the distance from the upper surface of the base a of the channel to the top of the walls a thereof. At a distance above the bottom of the light equal to the thickness of the channel-bottom the light has an abrupt shoulder, which is caused by a rabbet being formed at the lower corners, there being thus left an annular surface 0 parallel with the top, while below this shoulder is the integral boss 0, which is substantially the same in dimension as the hole (t The bottom surface of the light is parallel with the top surface, and thus when the lights are placed in the holes a inthe channelirons their bosses c entirely fill those holes,whereby they are held securely in place, while the top surface of the light is above or level with the top of the walls a and the bottom surface of the light is level with the bottom of the channel-irons. After the lights are thus placed in the channel-irons the intervening space is filled with cement, (designated D,) whereupon the complete construction has substantially the appearance shown in Fig. 1.

The ad vantages of this construction are that the channel-irons being of rolled steel are cheap to construct and strong, and the construction is adaptable for all sizes of openings. Channel-irons may be simply kept in stock and cut off the right length and the right number of them used. In case of subsequent breakage only the part damaged need be replaced. The lights are securely held in place and the filling-cement is relieved from all strain. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the construction are easily cleaned, as they are absolutely smooth throughout.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A frame for a vault-cover consisting of a plurality of comparatively long and narrow channel members facing upward, each chanl nel member having a perforated bottom plate and vertical sides, the sides of consecutive members abutting, and bolts or rivets passing through suoh abutting sides and se sealed their outer sides, there being light-openings through the base and bolt or rivet openings through the flanges, and a row of lights Within the channel member over the lightopenings, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses;

WM. H. SHEPARD.

Witnessesi I ALBERT H. BATES, JAMES-A. FORD.

Images