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Patents: 235 of 530	UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODORE SHARTS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. CONCRETE ILLUMINATING-TILE.	Theodore Sharts 5 of 5
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,249, dated July 15, 1890. Application filed February 21, 1890. Serial No. 341,356. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:     Be it known that I, THEODORE SHARTS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete Illuminating-Tiles for Sidewalks, Areas, Stoops, Floor-Lights, Roof-Lights, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which--     Figure 1 is a plan view of my illuminating-tile. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan or bottom view of a tile, showing the difference in the size of the light-openings. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line X X of Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail sectional views of modifications of glass lenses. Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the lenses detached.     A designates the bed-plate or grating.     B designates the glass lenses; C, the concrete filling; D, the light-openings in bed-plate.     b b designate the supporting-rim of the lenses.     c in Fig. 5 designates in dotted lines a concave lens.     d in Fig. 5 designates in dotted lines a convex lens.     The construction of my concrete illuminating-tile consists of a cast-iron grating or bed-plate, through which are light-openings for the reception of glass lenses, the glass lenses being set in position over the light-openings. The plastic cement or concrete is placed upon the bed-plate and surrounds the glass lenses flush with their top surfaces, this cement filling with the glass lenses forming the stepping-surface of the tile.     My invention relates to concrete illuminating-tiles which have their light-openings through the grating or bed-plate equal in area and diameter to the area and diameter of the top surface of the glass lenses, the glass lenses being equal in diameter at top and bottom and flush with the surface of the bed-plate or protruding into the light-openings of the same. These lenses are made with irregular sides, so that the concrete or cement filling when in a plastic state will conform to these irregular sides of the lenses, so that when the

plastic cement filling becomes hardened it forms an ample and sufficient bearing for the glass lenses, obviating the necessity of any part of the lenses resting directly upon the grating. The glass lenses being equal in diameter and area at both top and bottom surfaces, the bottom protruding through the light-openings of the grating allows the same quantity of light to pass through the light-openings of the gratings as enters the top surface of the lenses, there being no obstruction whatever to the passage of light through the leases from top to bottom.     The universal method heretofore in use by all manufacturers of vault-lights was the employment of an annular-ledge or bearing around the light-openings of the grating from one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch wide, upon which the glass lenses have their bearing, consequently reducing the area of light-openings at the bottom of the lenses to a greater or less extent and greatly obstructing the passage of the light through the gratings, the top surfaces of the lenses being greater in diameter than the light-openings through the gratings.     By my device of making the light-openings through the gratings equal in diameter and area to the top surface of the lenses and allowing the lenses to protrude through the grating or bed-plate I gain about twenty-five per cent. more light through a two-inch lens than can be obtained through the old style of tiles, where the lenses rest upon an annular bearing on the grating, as above described.     The lenses of my improved tile may have an annular collar running around them to form a bearing on the bed-plate, if desired, or they may be made with the sides beveling outward from the bottom, the iron grating made with a corresponding bevel to fit the glass lenses, thus forming a bearing for the lenses in connection with-the concrete filling on the bed-plate conforming to the same bevel sides of the lenses; but I prefer either to have a collar around the lenses, about midway between the top surface of the lenses and the bed-plate, as shown in Fig. 3, letter b, or a lens with bevel sides, as shown in Fig. 4, letter b, protruding out into the concrete filling, so that when the plastic filling becomes hardened