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583,580 · Pennycuick · "Device for Illuminating Basements and Dark Rooms" · Page 2 Home  > Prism Glass  > Patent Index  > Page 2

583,580: 2 of 4

varying systematically from the building toward the street, and of course this variation may be either by increasing the angles inwardly or outwardly, the object being to produce uniformity of light on the prism-plate, and this may be done, of course, by throwing the light as indicated in the figures, or by throwing the light from the prism-tiles near the building onto the bottom of the prism-plate and the light from near the street onto the top of the prism-plate. In the ordinary construction of buildings there is an outer vault under the pavement, and there is a considerable downward projection of the supporting-framework of the building at the front of the pavement. The pavement is in many instances from one to two feet higher than the bottom of the girder which forms the top of the basement-openings, and my invention presents a practical means for getting the light around this girder, so to speak, and of leading it from the vault into the dark basement.     Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is--     I. A device for lighting basements and dark rooms, consisting of a body of transparent prism-tiles projecting substantially horizontally from the building-front, in combination with a transparent prism-plate arranged at the front of the basement or room to be lighted and between such room and the prism-tiles, the arrangements of the angles of the prisms and the inclination of the prism-plate and prism-tiles being such that the light received upon the prism-tiles is then transmitted to and passes through the prism-plates and is thence led back into the basement or room to be lighted.     2. A device for lighting basements and dark rooms, consisting of transparent prism-tiles arranged to form a pavement, in combination with a transparent prism-plate at the front of the basement and between the basement and the vault, the prismatic tiles of the pavement

and the prism-plate arranged with reference to each other and the angles of their prisms being such that the light received upon the pavement is transmitted to and through the plate and thence is directed along in substantially parallel lines into the basement.     3. A device for lighting basements and dark rooms consisting of a series of transparent prism-tiles and a supporting-frame therefor, the whole constituting a substantially flat and plane surfaced pavement, such tiles having systematically varying reflecting-surfaces in combination with a prism-plate at the front of the basement to received the light from the prism-tiles in the pavement and lead it back into the dark basement.     4. A device for lighting basements and dark rooms consisting of a series of transparent prism-tiles and a supporting-frame therefor, the whole constituting a substantially flat and plane surfaced pavement, such tiles having systematically-varying reflecting-surfaces and lengths in combination with a prism-plate at the front of the basement to receive the light from the prism-tiles in the pavement and lead it back into the dark basement.     5. A device for lighting basements and dark rooms consisting of a body of transparent prism-tiles projecting substantially horizontally from the building-front, in combination with a transparent prism-plate arranged at the front of the basement or room to be lighted and between such room and the prism-tiles, movably supported so that its inclination with reference to the prism-tiles may be varied, the arrangements of the angles of the prisms and the position of the prism-tiles being such that the light received is transmitted to and through the prism-plate and thence led back into the part desired to be lighted of the basement or room in question.     March 25, 1897. JAMES G. PENNYCUICK. Witnesses:     FRANCIS W. PARKER,     HENRY WATERMAN.