US1031169A - Street-car advertising-sign. - Google Patents

Description

WITNESSES /J W. T. GHILDS.

STREET GAR ADVERTISING SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1911.

1,031,169. Patented July 2,1912.

ERAS BALL 3 2 m) MY 2 AT PARK 7 TAKE g0 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

4 INVENTOR- W. T. OHILDS.

STREET UAR ADVERTISING SIGN.

APPLIOATION IILED NOV.2, 1911.

1,031,169, Patented July 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l/VVENTOR JV. SIM-Q ing readily changed asmay be desired.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD T. CHILDS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-CAR ADVERTISING-SIGN.

Application filed November 2,

To allwho'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD T. Gimme, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street- Car Advertising-Signs, of which the following is a. specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of illuminated signs such as are adapted to be applied to street cars for the use of indicating the designation thereof, or to motor vehicles to indicate the number of the license or any other desired matter.

The object of the invention is to provide a sign of this character which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be readily mounted upon a street car or the like, and which is peculiarly constructed to admit of the display words or characters be- A further object of the invention is to provide an illuminated sign in which the characters or words will be very distinctly displayed either during the day or after dark, which is compact in its construction, and which can be easily and quickly mounted in position or removed therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts: as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel; features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, ref rence is to be had to the following descripton and accompanylng drawmgs, in which Figure It is a front elevation of an illuminated sign constructed in. accordance with the invention. Fig.2 is a perspective view of the mainframe of the illuminated sign, the electric light bulbs and display plates beingremoved. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the device on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig; 4 is a front elevation of the sign with the display plates removed, portions of the frame being broken away and shown in section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the forward corners of the main frame and a port-ion of. one of the advertising or display plates, the said View bringing out certain details of the fastening means utilized for holdmg the d1splay plates in position. Fig. 6 1s a front Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 2, 1912. 1911. Serial 1:... 658,239.

elevation of an advertising or display plate, the said view showing a modification in which various individual letters are adapted further modification of the invention. Fig.

8 is a horizontal sectional view through the same on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of one'end of one of the dis play or advertising plates, and Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view on the line 1010 of Fi 7.

act-responding and like parts are referred to in the following K description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The supporting frame upon which the sign plates are mounted may be conveniently formed from a single piece of sheet material, as indicated upon the drawings, and comprises a back 1 provided at the upper end thereof with apair of hook memers 2 adapted to be'placed in enga ement with some suitable support such as that indicated at 3. A side member 4 extends forwardly from each side'of the base 1, the outer edge of each of the side members being formed with. an inwardly extending 4 is provided upon the inner face thereof with a series of electric light sockets 6.

- flange 5. Each of the side members or walls Suitable wires 8 are utilized for supplying current to the electric lights, and these W'H'QS- Would be connected to some suitable plug adapted to be applied to a convenient socket upon the street car so as to provide for the lighting of the lamps when the sign is in use.

The front of the frame is formed by a series. of removable plates 9 which have suitable characters 10 punched therethrough. These plates are provided at opposite ends thereof with inverted key hole slots 1]; adapted to be engaged by headed studs 12 projecting from the respective flanges 5. The heads of the studs pass readily through the enlarged ends of the key hole openings, and the plates are then moved downwardly to bring the shanks of the studs within the contracted upper ends of the key hole openings; The plate is thereby held securely agamst outmm m: l

1 ing any desired information, ormay form at night the lamps 7 would be lit so as to designs or figures suitable for advertising or display purposes. The back 1 would be painted white so that the characters 10 would be Very distinct during the day, and

illuminate the perforations. 10 and render the same easily visible at comparatively great distances.

' A modification is shown in Fig. 6 in which a sign plate 9 is provided with a series of openings 14, adapted to have smaller plates 15applied thereto, the said smaller plates having individual letters or characters 16 punched therein. Each" of these smaller plates 15' is provided with a pair of upwardly-and downwardly project-- ing cars 17 having inverted key hole slots I .18 therein, the said key holes adapted to en gage the headed studs 19 to retain the individual plates removably in position. Each of the individual plates 15 is provided with an individual letter or character 16, and the 'said. individual plates can be assembled in any desired manner so as to spell certain Words. The different sign plates 9 would beapplied to the headed studs 12 in the same manner as the plates 9, the inverted key hole slots 11 being. provided the plates for.

that purpose; 4

A further modification is shown inFigs.

' 7, 8, 9 and 10, in which positive means is *ends thereof. The display plates 9 are cidental displacement.

provided for locking the plates against ac- The construction of the supportlng frame is the same as that previously described, and the headed studs 12 project from the flanges 5 in' the'same manner. The display plates 9 are provided with suitable perforate characters 20 adapted to be brought out and rendered dis tinct either by the illuminated lights 12 or' the white background formed by the rear plate 1. Opposite ends ofthe plates 9 are provided with the inverted key hole slots 21' having lateral extensions 22 at the upper applied to the headed studs as'previously described, and then shifted laterally to bring the shanks of the headed studs into the lateral extensions 22 of the inverted key ."hole'slots 2 1. Aspring catch 23 upon one end of the plate-91 then springs into engagement with the edge of one of the flanges 5 movement.

The plate is thereby held securely against displacement, and it is impossible to remove the plate until after the spring catch 23 has been disengaged from the flange 5 to admit of the plate being shifted longitudinally. to bring the shank ofthe headed stud into the vertical portion of the key hole slot. The noseof the catch 23 is provided'with an arm projecting forwardly through an opening in the plate and terminating in afinger piece 24. WVhen it is desired to move the plate, it is merely necessary to'pull outwardly upon the finger piece 24 so as to disengage the catch 23 from the flange 5, and then to shift the plate first longitudinally and then upwardly, as 'previously described.

From the foregoing descriptiomit will be obvious that I have provided an illuminated sign which is simple and inexpensive in its construction and which admits o'f' thedisplay matter being easily and quickly changed as may be found necessary. 2 Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An illuminated sign including a casing having an open side, a lamp 'within the casing, headed studs projecting from the easing on opposite sides of the open side thereof, rubber washers upon the headed studs, .and display plates applied to the open side of the casing and having'characters punched therein, the said display plates being formedwith key hole slots adapted to interlock with I the headed studs and'the rubber washers serving to prevent rattling of the display plates. i 7 i An illuminated signincluding a casing formed of a single .piece of sheet material and comprising a back having opposite edges thereof extended outwardly vto provide sides and the said sides being provided with inwardly extending flanges, .electric light sockets applied to the sides, electric lights fitted to the sockets, headed studs projecting from the inwardly projecting I flanges of the sides, and a series of plates connecting the flangesof the sides and forming the front of the casing, the said plates having characters punched therein and being formed with key hole slots adapted to interlock with the headed studs. v In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in'presence of two witnesses.

' WILLARD T. CHILDS.

Witnesses:

HARLAN P. SMALL, BERTHA L. Batman.

Images