US1296246A - Interchangeable-letter sign. - Google Patents

Description

F. M. WHIITEIVIORE.

INTERCHANGE'ABLE-LEHER SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I4, 1911.

1 ,296,261.62 Patented Mar. 4,1919.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

m RI) Ib n m N m @fox illlllllllllllllllllll'lllllll/I F. M. WHITTENIORE.

NTERCHANGEABLE LETTER SIGN.

APPLICATION man Aua.14,|sx1.

Patented Mar.

SHEETS-SHE Elm Ei Y@ ZI!!! FREDEBICK'MONTILIOUS WHITTEMORE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

INTERCHANGEABLE-LETTER SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application led August 14, 1917. Serial No. 186,138.

T 0 all 'whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I. FREDERICK M. WHIT- TEMORE. a citizen of the United States, re

siding at New York. in the county of New York and State of New York7 have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Interchangeable-Letter Signs; and I do declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itl appertains to make and use the same. y

This invention relates generally to advertising devices. but more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in signs.

T he primary object of the invention yis to provide an interchangeable letter sign. .the interchangeable.letters of which `are so constructed and arranged that they may be easily seen and distinguished in the daytime. and which can be effectively illuminated so as. to be distinguished at night.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sign of this character which is so constructed that the cost of illuminating it at night will be considerably less than those now in common use. i

. A further object of thev invention is to provide a sign of this description which will be of extremely simple. strong. durable and inexpensive construction. one which will be eliicient and reliable in operation. and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With these and numerous otheuobjects in view. the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combination and varrangement of parts as will bey hereinafter fully described and claimed.

I'n the accompanying drawings forming. a part of the application. and in which similar reference characters lare used to designate like "parts throughout the vseveral A views:

Figure l is a` 'front view of a sign madeup ot four interchangeable letters constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig :2 is a front view of one of the interchangeable letter signs o n an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane indi Vlated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. el is a vertical sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line 4--4 of F ig. S:

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the plane of the line 5 5 of Figs. 2 and et; and.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a portion of the apron carrying the letters and figures.

Referring more particularly to the' drawings. the numeral l designates a casing which is preferably made of metal and which is comparatively shallow and of substantially' rectangular shape in front view. The back of the casing l. is provided with suitable apertured ears 2 by which it may be secured to a. support. The front or open side of the casing is provided with a removf able'plate 3 which has arranged therein a substantially square-shaped opening 4.-.- The opening l occupies the greater portion of theplate 3 and is approximately the size of the letters and figures of the sign. The plate 3 is flared inwardly at 5 at the edges of the opening -l as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings.

Fixedly secured within the casing l and extending transversely of the same is a stationaryniember or plate 6. This plate 6 is disposed directly behind the opening 4 and near the inner edges of the flared portions 5 of said opening. Arranged in the plate 6 is a set. of perfo ations 7. vvihese perforations T occupy a space slightly smaller than the opening '-l in the plate 3. and are capable of being selectively displayed in a plurality of combinations to form'one at a time the individual letters of the alphabet and the ten numerical digits. Whenever the word letter is used hereinafter. its broadest detinition intended. viz.. a mark or character used to represent a sound or articulation of human speech. thus including numerals. Arranged in the openings T are lenses 8. These. lenses S are constructed somewhat similar to that shown in Patent No, 1.190.-

",lQSfto Harry S. Williams. and havev 'their rear faces formed with a number of parallel.I

steps 9 which are designed to bend the rays of light and to project them through the lenses. The source of light consists of a single electric bulb l0 which is `fixed to the back of the casing l near the lower end of the same in any convenient manner. By thc use of the style. of lenses above described andl by having` the interior of the casing l. especially the inner side of theback of the same brightly painted, the rays of light will be so reflected-that approximately an equal amount will pass through each of the lenses.

Revolubly mounted between the side walls 5f the casing 1 is a pair of rollers 11 and 12, the roller 11 beingl disposed at the upper end of the casing while the roller 12 is disposed at the lower end. The shafts of the rollers 11 and 12 have ends projected through one of the side Walls -of the casingand' suitably shaped to receive a lcrank arm 13 whereby said rollers may be revolved. It is to be understood, however, that other means for turning the rollers may be employed.

Disposed 'upon the rollers 11 and 12 and stretched between the same is an apron 14;. This apron 14 may be made of any suitable material but is preferably made of very thin sheet or strip aluminum. The portion,

of the apron 14' which is disposed between the rollers passes around the ends of the plate 6 over the same. To maintain the apron at all times in superposed Irelation with respect tothe plates 6, the latter 1s provided with suitable guides 15 which hook Varound the edges of the apron and" prevent it vfrom bulging outwardly.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the apron 14: is provided with a plurality of sets of perforations forming all of the let-ters of the alphabet and all of the numerical digits. The apron 14 covers the perforations in the plate 6 with the exception of those which register with the perforations 16, and obviously when the Sign isilluminated only a single character can be seen. The exterior side or face-of the apron 1i is painted or otherwise provided with means for indicating the characters formed by the different sets of perforations, This is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings where the letters formed by the perforations 16 are outlined by heavy lines.

In Fig. l of the drawings av four letter sign is shown. In this case four of the casings 1 are secured to a pair of upright posts a and the aprons 14 of the various casings are turned or wound from one roller to the other until the proper letters appear opposite the openings et. In the night when the lamps of the various casings are lit, the says of light from the same will pass through the registering openings in the ,relatively movable members of the casing 4and the letters can be plainly distinguished. In the daytime the letters can be just as readily distinguished by the heavy lines which outline theml It is obvious that at any time the aprons may be shifted so that any other word may be spelled.

From the foregoing description, taken in i connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, use and operation of the device will be readily understood without a more extended explanation.

As various changes in form, proportion, and in the minor details of construction may 'be resorted to without departing from the spirit of this invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish vto be limited to the construction herein shown and described other than as claimed.

I claim: v 1. In an interchangeable letter sign, a

casing having an opening in its front, a

letter formed by other of said sets of ope`nv ings, the openings of -each of said sets being adapted to register with and thereby select corresponding set of the openings of said plate, said apron hiding the openings of said plate which are not in registry with a set of its own openings.

2. In an interchangeable letter sign, a casing havingan opening in its front, a lamp in said casing, a plate in said casing between said lamp and said opening and provided with a series of row r, of openings. said series registering with said opening. of the casing, and an apron extending between the' opening of said casing and the openings of said plate and being movable relative to said casing and plate and provided with different opaque letters and with light openings within the confines of said letters and themselves combining to form such letters, the onen/ings of each of said sets being adapted to register with and thereby select a corresponding set ofthe openings of said plate, said, apron hiding the openings of said plate which are not in registry with a set of its own openings.

Intestimony whereof I havev hereunto set my hand in the .presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK MONTILIOUS WHITTEMORE.

Images