US1363573A

US1363573A - Automobile signal device

Info

Publication number: US1363573A
Application number: US346698A
Authority: US
Inventors: Darling Arthur Corson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-12-22
Filing date: 1919-12-22
Publication date: 1920-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1937-12-28

Description

A. C. DARLING.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 05c. 22, 1919.

1,363,573, Patented Dec. 28,1920...

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AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL DEVICE.

resents.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 192d.

Application filed December 22, 1919. Serial No. 346,698.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. DARLING, of Petrolea, in the county of Lambton, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auto mobile Signal Devices, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices by means of which the driver of a vehicle may signal his intention to turn either to the right or left or to stop, and thus warn the driver of a following vehicle or instruct atraffic policeman ahead, and my object is to devise a signal which will be very simple and yet effective, and which, when not in use to give warning, will be very inconspicuous and therefore no detriment to the appearance of the car.

I attain my object by means of the com structions hereinafter described and 1llu strated in the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure l is a perspective view of part of a motor car provided with my improved signal device;

Fig. 2 a side elevation, partlybroken away and partly in section, of the signal device;

Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the same; and

Fig. 4. a side elevation, partly broken away, of part of the inside of the door of the vehicle provided with my lmprovements.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the differcnt figures.

l is part of the side of a vehicle, preferably a door. On the outer surface of the door is hinged, preferably by its forward edge, a signal board 2. The outer surface of the door is preferably recessed so that when the signal board is folded fiat, the outer surface of the door will be substantially flush. This recess will preferably be of sufficient depth to accommodate any parts of the operating mechanism of the signal board which require to be located outside the door.

The signal board is operable from a rock shaft 3 journaled on the door and extending through into the hollow space usually found between the outer and inner surfaces of a motor car door. On this rock shaft is secured the crank arm 4, to which is loosely connected one end of a connecting rod 5,

the other end of which is loosely connected -with the signal board intermediate its front and rear edges.

6 is a coil spring coiled on the rod 7 of the hinge of the signal board, engaging the signal board and the door surface and tending to fold the signal board against the outer side of the door.

Any suitable means may be provided for rocking the rock arm 3 from within the car to throw the signal board to its extended position substantially at right angles to the side of the car. I show for this purpose a rock arm 8 secured to the inner end of the rock shaft 3 and provided with a laterally extending operating handle 9 movable in an arc-shaped slot 10.

To hold the signal board extended I provide a spring catch 11 with which the handlc is adapted to engage as shown particularly in Fig. 2. To release the catch when the signal board is to be restored to its normal position, I provide a sleeve 12 journaled on the handle 9 and provided with an arm 13 adapted to engage the spring, and with an arm 14 at its outer end which may be pressed to move back the spring catch 11 and thus release the rock arm 8 and permit the spring 6 to fold the signal board.

It will be noted that the catch 11 is so designed that though it will hold the signal board extended against the tension of'the spring 6, yet a heavy pull on the handle will disengage it from the catch; so that, as the signal board is hinged at its forward end, contact of the board with any obstruction it meets will fold back the board without injuring the board or the operating parts.

It will be understood, of course that a device of the kind described may be provided at each side of the car, and that these devices may be operated to throw out the signal boards to indicate an intention to turn to one side or the other or to stop. It will be observed that the device is readily set by a single movement of the hand in a very brief space of time and that but an instant of time is required to trip the device and allow it to assume its normal inoperative position.

What I claim as my invention is '1. The combination with a vehicle of a signal board hinged at its forward edge to lie fiat against the side of the vehicle; and means operable from within the vehicle for extenaihg Sad agn'al aim Mar a folding it against the side of the vehicle.

side of the vehicle, a crank arm'securred' to said shaft, and a connecting rod loosely connected to said crank arm and the signal,

board. 7

2. The combination ivith the device set forth in claim 1 of means for operating the rock shaft from within the Vehicle comprising a rock armsecured to the-rock shaft, a laterally extending operating handle thereon, and a spring catch engageableby the rock arm to retain the signal board extended. 3. .The combination With a car door having a recess formed in its outer surface of a slgnalboard hinged at the front of'th'e surface; a spring tending to fold the said board back overthe recess; a rock shaft journaled in the door; a crank arm secured to its outer e1'1d-;and a. connecting rod loosely connected to the crank arm and the board, the arm and connecting rod being both contained in said recess when the board is-folded ARTHUR CORSON DARLING.