US1159484A - Street and station indicator. - Google Patents

Description

H. A. FLECK & C. H. FLECK, Inf

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I6. 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

INVENTORS.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH (20., WASHINGTON, u. c.

H. A. FLECK & C. H. FLECK, In.

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 19:4.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HENRY'A. FLECK AND CHARLES H. FLECK,

.1. arena entice.

JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

To all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that we, HENRY A. FLnoK and CHARLES H. FLECK, Jr., both citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Street apron may be unwound, a spring serving as a power to cause the proper motion of said apron, a dog or pawl, and a ratchet device for controlling said motion intermittently, and means for operating said dog embodying a solenoid and an electric connectionfor the same and the feed wire along the car tracks or railroad, whereby the indicator may be operated automatically on approaching or arriving at the next street or station.

It consists of novel means for ire-winding the apron after it has been unwound, to sufiicient extent from its roller, reel or drum.

The invention is satisfactorily illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but the im portant instrumentalities thereof may be varied, and so it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described. a

t Figure 1 represents a front elevationof a '1 street or station indicator embodying our j invention. Fig. 2 represents a rear view thereof. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation;

thereof on an enlarged scale takenfrom the right hand of Fig. 1. Fig. at represents a vertical section on an enlarged scale on line w -m Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on line fl/-fl/ Fig. 1. Fi 6 represents a partial section and partial side elevation of a portion of the apron-r'ewinding mechanism.

Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of the feed wire of a trolley line and the means employed therefrom for energizing the sole noid hereinafter referred-to. Fig. 8 represents a verticalsection of the solenoid," j}

Specification of Letters Patent.

Connected with one of the axles of the Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Application filed October 16, 1914. Serial No. 866,930.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an apron on which the names of streets and stations are printed, painted or otherwise placed (one being shown at 2), the same being adapted to be unwound from and wound 'upon the rollers, reels or drums 3 and 4 which are mounted one below the other on the side plates 5 of the frame of the. device. Connected with one of said plates is the spring 6 whose barrel or casing 7 has the gear wheel 8 connected therewith. or journals roller at is the pinion 9 which by means of intermediate pinions 10 on said side plate is geared over to the wheel 8 whereby the unwinding of the spring 6 imparts rotary motion to the roller 4, so as to cause the apron 1 to be wound on said roller, while the latter is drawn down so as to be unwound from the roller 8, so that 'the name of a street or station will be presented to the front at the place on the apron intermediate of the rollers 3 and 4, it being noticed that the mechanism of the device is inclosed in a suitable casing shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and having an opening in front through which the name of the street or station on the apron is visible, these features per '36 being known in the art.

In order to control the unwinding of the spring so that unwinding and winding of the apron will be at intervals to cause the names of the streets or stations to be presented successively to view there is connected with one of the journals or axles of the roller 3, the ratchet 11 with whose teeth engages the nose of the dog or pawl 12 which is connected with the adjacent side j which extends from the car to the electric feed wire therefor and is adapted to engage with intermediate circuit-forming and closing devices as hereinafter described located adjacent to the approaching street or sta: tion sothat the solenoid will be operated in advance of said street or station, whereby the magnet will be energized and the core 17 raised, and with it the cam member 16, the lower diagonal limb of the slot 15 of the latter riding over the crank pin 14: so as to raise the latter, and with it the connected end of the dog 12, whereby the nose of the dog will be withdrawn from the tooth of the ratchet with which it had been engaged to control said ratchet thus releasing the ratchet so that the spring 6 unwinds and becomes operative to exert its power on the lower roller 4, and rotate it whereby the apron 1 is wound on said drum, and it draws itself from the upper roller 3 so as to be unwound from the latter, the distance required to present the name of the next or coming street or station on the front visible part of said apron the teeth of the ratchet 11 being timed or spaced to accomplish the proper movement of the apron, the extent of rotation of the rollers being equal to the distance between adjacent teeth of the ratchet. Then the circuit of the conductors is broken, whereby the solenoid drops and the cam 16 operates the dog, so that its nose rises and is placed in the path of the advancing tooth of the ratchet engaging with the shoulder thereof, thus locking the ratchet and preventing movement of the apron and rollers and holding the spring in check until the magnet is again energized, when the core is raised again and the other operations stated are repeated,

, When the apron has been unwound fully or suficiently from the roller 3, it requiresto be re-wound upon the same. and for this purpose there is connected with the axis of said rol er the pullev 20, around which is passed the endless belt 21 which passesalso around the wheel 22, the latter being mounted on the lever 23 which is pivotally connected with the lower portion of the adiacentside plate 5 of the frame of the device,

' said wheel 21 being provided with the crank *handle 24 wherebv it may be rotated. 'lVhen said lever is in horizontal position orapproximately so, the belt 21 is loose on the wheel 22 so does not impart motion to the latter, whereby said wheel and the crank handle thereof remain at rest during the shifting of the apron, but when said lever is lowered, the wheel 22 follows the. same, and so contacts with the lower portion of the belt 21 so as to tighten the belt thereon. Now the wheel may be rotated bv the'crank handle whereby the belt rotates the wheel 20 "and with it the roller 3, thus drawing up the apron and rewinding the latter upon said roller.

As the ratchet ll'now rotates inth'e direction opposite to that shown by the arrow Fig. 5, its teeth ride freely over the nose of the dog 12, the crank pin oscillating freely in the upper diagonal limb of the slot 15 until the winding of the spring is ceased when the nose of the dog drops into engagement w'iththe adjacent tooth of the ratchet and so controls the latter, whereby the apron is held at rest until the solenoid is again.

lated therefrom. On the support 26 of the feed wire 27 in the contact piece 28. which is suspended from the insulating member 29 on said support.

The'conta'ct piece 28. is inelectrical com- -munication with the feed-wire 27 by the connecting wire 80, consequent-1y whenthe piece 24 reaches the piece 28 and contacts Attention is directed to the factthat the T IOPYPEIWI 2 has a plurality ofnoses 81,

so that when one of the same is withdrawn from the shoulclerof the t'oothwith which it therewith'the electric. circuit is formedbe-Q. tween the feed wire 27 and the conductor 19,

is engaged, and it lowers therefrom'where by the ratchet 11 is permitted to rotate, the other nose is raised and'contacts with the curved outer surface of said tooth and bears against the same somewhat tangentially,

Xvhereby it assists the ratchet1to revolve, a

feature of importance should said ratchet stick on its bearings orbe otherwise'stopped by its gearing working improperly, or the "spring- Gshould fail to unwind or lose its full power to perform its operation.

Having-thus described our invention what cam' rigid with and upwardly continuous of the core of said solenoid and movable in allnement therewith, a 'slidable -'COI1Il6Ct10Il between said cam and'dog, and-means for energizing the magnet of said solenoid.

.2. In an indicator, a revoluble member, a ratchet thereon, a pivotally mounted pawl having noses of different lengths adapted for cooperationwith said ratchet, andelectrio means controlling and actuating said -paWl,jsa1d means embodying a solenoid, a

having an angular shaped slot and a crank vice, a Wheel having its bearings on said 10 pin movable With said pawl and adapted to lever, and an endless belt adapted to pass oscillate in both limbs of said slot. f around said Wheels.

3. In a street and station indicator or a car, an apron, a roller on Which and from g fii g JR Which said apron may be rewound, and a rer Winding device for said apron on said roller Witnesses: consisting of a Wheel on sald roller, a swlng- J OHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, mg lever mounted on the frame of the de- N. BUSSINGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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