US1188359A - Changeable controller for electric signs. - Google Patents

Description

View? S. HELDL CHANGEABLE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC SIGNS. .IPPLICATION FILED SEPT-25,. 1914.

1,188,359. Pameuunem 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I- "Hlnul "HIHIIH, 'M UHI HIIH I' "Ill HI, "Hi l I S. HE'LD. CHANGEABLE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC SIGNS.-

,HPLICATION FILED SEPT-25, 1914. r

1,188,359. Patented June 20,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Till ill

S. 'HELD CHAN GEABLE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC SIGNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25, I914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3- s. HELD. CHANGEABLE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC SIGNS.

I 9PPLICATION FILED SEPT-25.19M-

1,188,359. v I PatentedJuneZO, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

f' fifa 1 ED ST PATENT o v SIEGFRIED HELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB O F ONE-HALF T0 ADOLPH G. KAESTNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHANGEABLE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC SIGNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 25, 1914. Serial No. 863,448.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIE'GFRIED HELD, a subj ect of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Changeable Controllers for Electric Signs,-

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a changeable controlling mechanism or apparatus for electric signs, and while it is more particularly intended for use in connection with that type of electrically illuminated signs in which the lamps composing the sign in the form of letters or other figures or designs, are lighted and extinguished automatically, progressively or at predetermined periods, and are commonly known as flash signs or sign writers, yet it will be understood that it may be used in connection with any kind of sign or device to which it is applicable.

' In the above mentioned type of electric signs, to which the invention is more particularly applicable, as above stated, the sign or display board comprising a field studded with electric light bulbs or lamps is usually mounted in an elevated position, such as on an upright structure or the roof, or Wall of a building, and the contact board and control-' ling mechanism electrically connected to the display-board are located at a considerable distance therefrom and usually within the basement or room of a building. Besides, it has heretofore generally been necessary to have two wires leading from each lamp in order to include them in the circuit.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide a changeable controller for electric signs, which shall be simple in construction and operation, with its parts so made and arranged, that the display matter on the display or sign-board can be easily and quickly changed and the lighting effect regulated at the location of the contactboard, without the necessity of disconnecting or rearranging the wiring at the display-board: to economize in the use of lamp wires or conductors and the expense incident to attaching the same to the lamps; to provide means whereby the letters or other figures or signs may be built up or produced and displayed on the display-field, step by step, or progressively (by preference from right to left), until the complete sign is repeatedly showing the same sign or a plurality of signs on the display-boards at pre-,

determined intervals.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

The invention consists in certain peculiarities'of the construction, novel combination, arrangement and operation of the various parts thereof as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the invention, Figure l is aview in side elevation of the controller, embodying one form of the invention, illustrating a sufiicient number only of the yielding brushes mounted on the carrier therefor to enable a proper understanding of the operation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a face view thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan view of a portion of the carrier for the yielding brushes, illustrating a number of said brushes mounted thereon; Fig. 5 is a cross scctionalview and its supporting casing, showing the brush in its extended or operative position: Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating the brush in its retracted or inoperative position; Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of a modified form of the controller; Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring system common to the constructions shown in Figs. 1 and 8, but illustrating it in connection with the first named form.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive of the drawings, the reference numeral 15 .designates the side members of the main or supporting frame, which members are substantially rectangular in shape and. by preference made ofmetal. These side pieces are located in upright positions in parallelism with one another at suitable distances apart, and may be suitably secured at their '15 desired positions, in the upper portion of the I lower ends to the floor or a base of any de- 'contaet-board of the controller.

the upper surface of the board or' platform 19', so that their upper surfaces will be about flush with the insulating material 20, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. To firmly hold the contacts 19 in the board or insulation 20, said board or insulation' is provided with a series of transversely disposed dove-tailed grooves 21, to receive the correspondingly shaped contacts 19,

. which are spaced from one another and ar ranged in transverse rows as well as rows extending longitudinally with the upper Tao portion of the supporting frame. The trans verse rows may have as many of the contacts 19 as desired, and the longitudinal rows may be composed of any number of said con tacts. The openings 17 extended through the board or platform 16 are so located as to register with the lower surfaces of the contacts 19 to which surfaces are secured in any suitable manner wires or conductors 18, which are grouped or formed into a cable 22, which leads to the sign or display-board 23 (see Fig. 10), which sign or displayboard it has been deemed unnecessary to show in any of the other figures of the drawings.

Transversely and horizontally journaled on the sides 15 of the supporting frame and at each end thereof are a number of shafts 24, on each of which is mounted near each of its ends a sprocket wheel 25 for engagement with and for conveying an endless carrier, which is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 26, and consists of a pair of chains 27, located in parallelism with one another, one at the inner surface of one of the sides15, and the other at the inner surface of the otherside piece 15 of the main frame. The chains 27 are united transversely by means of metal bars 28, which form a part of the carrier and each of which has at each of its ends a stub shaft 29 (see Fig. 5), extendedv .-laterally into suitable openings in the adjacent ends of the links 30, which compose each of the chains.

As shown in Fig. 4, each of the links 30 is provided at one of its ends with prongs 31, between which the adjacent end of the other link is extended. Each of the prongs 31 adjacent to the bars 28 is provided with a. recess 32 to receive pins 33, one of which pro ects laterally and outwardly from the annular flange 34, with which each of the stub shafts 29 is provided near each of its ends. By this arrangement it is evident that the bars 28 will be held with their faces in substantial parallelism with the'chains of the carrier, and that as the chains of the carrier pass around the sprocket Wheels of the main frame the bars will be prevented from tilting, but slightly. Horizontally journaled on suitable brackets 35, at the lower portions of'the sides 15 of the main frame is a driving shaft 36, on which is mounted near each of its ends driving sprocket wheels 25 with which the carrier chains engage. The driving shaft 36 is geared to a motor 37 in any suitable manner, but in the present instance. by means of a belt 38 connecting the motor to a pulley 39 on said driving shaft. Extended upwardly from 1e upper horizontal portign of the sides 15 and near each end thereof is a bracket 40, each of which has an' inwardly extended arm 41 projected inwardly over the upper surface of the insulation 20. These arms are united in pairs on each side of the main frame by means of a metal guide rail 42, which rails are extended longitudinally with respect to the upper portion of the main frame and are for the purpose of supporting the bars 28 as they travel from one end of the main frame to the other and over the contact-board. Extended upwardly from each of the brackets 40 is a bolt 43 on each of which is loosely mounted an inwardly extended arm 44, which arms are united in pairs at one side of the main frame by means of a metal rail 45, which rail-s are located in parallelism with the rails 42 and above the same at a sulficient distance to permit the bars 28 of the carrier passing between the same with slight friction. Surrounding each of the rodsor bolts 43 is a coiled spring 46, each of which rests at one of its ends against one of the arms 44 and at its other end against a nut 47 with which each of the bolts 43 is provided, and by means of which the tension of the springs .46 may be regulated so as to give the desired pressure of the rails 45] against the bars 28, in order to prevent them vibrating or wabbling in their passage over about its middle with an inwardly extended annular head 50, and at its upper end witha pair of opposed bayonet jointed slots 51 for the operation of a retaining pin 52 extended transversely in opposite directions from the stem of a movable brush 54:, one of 'which is located in each of the casings 48,

and projects through the .screw threaded portion 49 thereof. Each of the brushes 54: has on its upper end a, head 55 against which the lower end of a spring 56 coiled around each of the stems 53 rests, the other end of said spring resting against the lower surface of the annular bead 50, with which each of the casings is provided. Each of the stems 53 is by preference screw threaded into the head 55 of the brush 54 and has on its upper end a milled knob 57, by means of which the stem 53 can be screwed into 01' out of its brush so as to increase or diminish the tension of the spring 56, and

also by means of which the brush may be retracted from the position shown in F ig;

6 to that shown in Fig. 7, and held in the latter position by turning the stem 53 so that the pin 52 will rest on the horizontal portions of the slot 51 in the brush casing, or, if desired, the stem 53 may be turned in the opposite direction, when it is obvious that the pin 52 will be permitted to pass into the vertical portions of the slot 51, and

thus allow the brush to assume the position the cable 22 composed of the wires 18,

which, as before stated. are connected at one of their ends to the contacts 19, and are extended in the form of a cable from the frame of the cont-roller to the sign-board 23, where they are connected to the electric light bulbs or lamps, which are indicated by the reference numeral 61, and are of the ordinary or well-known construction, but have their sockets screwed into suitable openings in the metallic sign-board 23, which board will act as one of the electric conductors of the circuit, and has leading therefrom a conductor 62'which is connected to one member 63 of a switch, which member has interposed between it and the battery or source of electric supply 64, a fuse 65. of the ordinary construction and in the well-known wa'y. Leading from the other member 66 of the switch, which is also similarly connected to the source of electric supply. by means of a fuse 65, is a-conductoi 67, which is connected by means of a binding post 68 to the supporting frame same general principle of making and breaking the contacts and of employing a station ary contact-board and a movable brush carrier disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and above described, is involved, but in the modification an endless carrier 26 in the form of metallic frame 70, which shaft has mounted thereon, near one of its ends, a gear 71, which meshes with a pinion 72, mounted on a shaft 73, which is journaled on the frame 70, near-or below the shaft 69. The shaft 73 has mounted thereon a worm gear 74, which is driven by a worm 75 operated by a motor 76, of any desired kind. While the above mentioned means for driving theshaft 69 and rotating the carrier 26 thereon will be found convenient and may be employed, yet it is obvious that other means for 7 driving said shaft may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention. Mounted on a bracket 77, which is sup ported by the frame 7 0 is a block 78, through which the shaft 69 is extended. Projected upwardly on each side of the block 78 is an arm 79, which support at their upper ends the ends of the segmental contact-board 20, which is -by preference constructed of bars I 16 and 20 of insulating material and substantially in the same manner as the bars 16 and 20 of the contact-board shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings and previously described. The insulation board -or strip 20 of the contact-board 20 is provided with contacts 19 of the same construction and arrangement as those in the first named construction, except that the latter contacts are arranged in a curved line corresponding with the curvature of the overhanging part 27 of the wheel or carrier. Leading from each of the contacts 19 is a strand of wire,

which strands are formed into a cable 18, and this same arrangement is carried out .in the wiring of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The cables 18 of the modified form like those of the first de y scribed construction are merged into acable 22. which leads to the sign or display-board 23 (see Fig. 10), and the strands of the wires 18 are connected to the electric light bulbs 61 of the display-field. The brushes 54'a-nd casings 48 therefor carried by the wheeler carrier are of the same construction and are manipulated in the same manner as those of the'first named construction.

From the foregoing it will be understood that in the modified construction, as well as in the first described one, the contactboa-rd is held stationary and may be of any desired size for the convenience of the operthereon, when, of course, the springs controlling the brushes will force the latter against said row of contacts, thus lighting all of the lamps composing the first or right hand row of the sign-board. This will form the first bar ofthe letter fl-I. All of the brushes of the next row, except the one at about the middle thereof are retracted to their inoperative positions, as shown in Fig. 7, when, of course, only one of the brushes and contacts of said second row will be in contact, and as the carrier travels in the di rection indicated by the arrows, the first transverse row of brushes will be moved to the second transverse row of contacts on the contact-board, thus lighting all of the lamps on said second row, and leaving all of the lamps in the first transverse row of the sign-board extinguished, with the exception of-the lamp at about the middle ofsaidrow, which single lamp will form the cross bar uniting two upright bars of the letter H the last bar of said letter being formed in the same manner as the first one and just above described. The letter E is produced in a similar manner to the foregoing, except that the two last rows of the lamps used for forming the letter IE will have a pair of the lamps illuminated at each end of said rows and a pair at the middle thereof.

It is believed that the above explanation is suflicient to enable any one skilled in the art to understand how to manipl llate the brushes in order to produce the desired let'- ters or other figures or designs on the signboard.

In Fig; 10 the diagrammatic view shows the sign-board 23 with-enough lamps thereon to display the word HELD, but, of course, it will be understood that a greater or less number of lamps may be employed, or, in other words, that the display field may be studded with as many lamps and in proper relation to one another as to display the desired sign or design. In said figureof the drawings, the lamps ('11, which are shown shaded are supposed to be illuminut-ed, while those unshadcd are supposed to be extinguished, and the wiring leading 1,1es,see

from the lamps\to the contacts of the contact-board, and from the latter to the carrier, are indicated as being in or out of contact by means of the arrow-heads displayed on the contact-board. That is, where the arrow-heads are shown as being in contact with the contacts 19 on said board, the lamps 61 are indicated as being illuminated, while the arrow-heads which are out of contact with said contacts indicate that the lamps to which they are connected are extinguished. i

It is evident that various details of the construction may be modified without departing from the principles of the invention, inasmuch as I have shown but the simplest of several embodiments of my invention. I, therefore, do not purpose limiting this application for patent otherwise than necessitated by the prior art. For instance, while sprocket and chain transmission for one form of the carrier is shown, and gear transmission for the other form of carrier is disclosed, it is obvious that any other form of transmission could be substituted.

llaving thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to seizure by Letters Patent iS- 1. In a changeable controller for electric signs, a multiple electric circuit system having lamps and a source of electric supply therein, the combination therewith of a plurality of contacts, a carriermounted for continuously traveling movement near said 'holdingsaid brushes out of contact position.

2. In a changeable controller for electric signs, the combination with an electric conducting sign-board having connection with a. source of current, of a plurality of lamps electrically connected thereto and having electric connections leading therefrom, a current conducting main frame electrically connected to a. source of current, a multiplicit y of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with lamp connections, an endless carrier adapted to travel near said contacts, means to continuously move the carrier, a multiplicity of brushes mounted on the carrier and adapted for electrical contact with said contacts and electrically connected with the main frame, and means for selectively placing and holding the brushes in or out of contact position.

3. In a changeable controller for electric signs, the combination with a signboard, of lamps thereon and electric connections leading thereto, a main frame electrically connected to a source of current, a multiplicity of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with I said lamp connections, an endless carrier leading thereto, a current conducting main frame electrically connected to a source of current, a multiplicity of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with the said lamp connections, a carrier adapted to travel near said contacts, means to move said carrier, a plurality of casings mounted on the carrier and each having in its upper portion a pair'of opposed bayonet jointed slots, justably mounted in each of said casings and each having-a 'stem provided with a transverse pin to operate in said slots, said brushes adapted for electrical contact with a said contacts and electrically connected with the main frame.

move said carrier, a plurality of casings 5. In a changeable controller for electric signs, the combination with an electric conducting sign-board having connectlon with a source of current, of a plurality of lamps electrically connected thereto and having electric connections leading therefrom, a current conducting main frameelectrically connected to a source of current, a plurality of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with said lamp connections, an endless carrier adapted to travel near said contacts, means to move-said carrier, a plurality of casings mounted on thecarrier and each having in its upper portion a pair of opposed bayonet jointed slots, a spring-actuated brush adj ustably mounted in each of said casings and each having a stem provided with a transverse pin to operate in said slots, said brushes adapted for electrical contact with said contacts and electrically connected through the carrier with the main frame.

6. In a changeable controller for electric signs, the combination with a sign-board, of

lamps thereon and electric connections leading thereto, a current conducting 'main frame electrically connected to a source ofcurrent, a plurality of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with the said lamp connections,

an endless electricconducting carrier adapts ed to travel near said contacts, means to mounted on the carrier and each having in its upper portion a pair of opposed bayonet slots, a brush adjustably mounted in each of said casings and each having a stem provided with a transverse pin to operate in said slots and each stem having thereon an indicator, each of said casings having in its upper portion an opening through which said indicator may be seen,

said brushes adapted for electrical contact with said contacts and electrically connec'ted through the carrier With the main frame.

7. In a changeable controller for electr1c signs, the' combination with a signboard, .of lamps thereon and electric connections leading thereto, a current conducting main frame electrically connected to a source of current, a plurality of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with the said lamp connectionsga carrier adapted to travel near nd a series of bars spaced apart chains uniting said chains transversely, a pluralty of' casings mounted on said bars and each having in its upper portion a pair of opsaid contacts. and hrfi1cluding a pair of v a brush adposed bayonet jointed slots, a brush adjustably mounted in each of said casings andeach having a stem,provided with a transverse pin to operate in'said slots, said brushes adapted for electrical contact with said contacts and electrically connected with the main frame through'the carrier.

8. In a changeable controller tric signs, the combination witha signfor elecboard, of lamps thereon and electric connections leading thereto, a current conducting main frame electrically connected to a source ofcurrent, a plurality of contacts mounted on said frame but insulated therefrom and in connection with the said lamp connections, a' carrier adapted to travel near saidfcontacts and including 'a pair of spaced apart chains and a series of bars uniting said chains transversely, a plurality of bars loosely connected at their ends to said chains and having means to restrict their rotary movement, means to move said carrier, a plurality ofcasings mounted on the carrier. and each having in its upper portion a pair of opposed bayonet jointed slots, a

brush adjustably mounted 'in each of said casings and each having a stem provided with a transverse pin to operate 1n said slots, said brushes adapted for electrical contact withsaid contacts and electrically connected with the mainframe through the carrier. SIEGFRIED HELD.

Witnesses: v a 4 Cine. 0. TILLMAN,\ A. S. Pmnniraa Y

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