US1382231A - Animated sign - Google Patents

Description

P-YPE'H, ANIMATED SIGN. APPLICATION FILED 10, I920.

Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- G. R. PYPER v ANIMATED sms.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I0, @920- ,3 3 v PmteaJunm wm.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. PYPER, or SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR ro PYLPER ANIMATED SIGN COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,

A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

ANIMATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. PY'PER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animated Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to signs or display devices, and is concerned with a novel structure and method by which I secure the effect of animation without the necessity of switching separate lights on and ofi' as has been the general practice heretofore.

To this end, I employ a series of shutters pivotally mounted between a light or lights and a generally opaque screen plate having light transmitting portions outlining the design or display, and I provide mechanism whereby these shutters may be moved in a desired Way to shut off the illumination from adjacent light transmitting portions successively to darken them for an instant, and thus produce the appearance of motion.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts of which Figure 1 is a front elevation ploying my-invention;

. Fig. 2 is a substantially horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail showing the action of the rotary cam mechanism in moving the shutters.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ a casing 10, which is preferably constructed of sheet metal and will have the design and dimensions necessary to contain the proper parts for the particular sign to be animated. As I have shown my invention as applied to an automobile tire, I have employed a square casing, as seen in elevation, and rectangular in horizontal crosssection. The screen plate 11 forms the front of the casing, and has depicted thereon with as much elaborationas may be desired the particular article being advertised or illus trated, such for instance as the automobile tire 12 shown, and the general shape of the article is outlined by a series of light transmitting portions 13, 14 and 15, which preferably take the form of a series of aperof a sign em- .a circle, and preferably tures through the screen rendered translucent by securingon the back of the screen plate behind the apertures a sheet or sheets 16 of thin paper, which may be colored in any manner desired to produce any desired color eflect. The illumination of these light transmitting portions is preferably effected by a single incandescent lamp 17 of a high candle power that is located at the center of the casing, or more specifically at the center of the tire, and which may be supported on the back of the casing as shown, and is supplied with current in any desired manner. Located between the screen plate 11 and the light 17 are a plurality of shutters 18, which are preferably segmental in outline and are arranged radially as shown, so that each shutter can be made to cover one each of the three series of light transmitting portions 13, 1 1 and 15. These shutters have the bearings 19 at their ends, which are preferably formed of light metal rods extending the length of the shutter and beyond the ends thereof and mounted in the" bearings 20 and 21 formed on the rings 22 plate 11. Each rod 19 is rigidly secured to its shutter and has an upturned end2 1,'in

the path of the cam teeth 25 formed onwthe" periphery of the cup-shaped wheel 26 which is journaled on a hollow bearing 27 secured in the short sleeve 28 which is conveniently supported by four rods 29 having their operates the belt 32 which is driven from the small pulley 33 on the armature shaft plate arranged in I and 23 secured to the back of the screen I of the small electric motor 34 supported on the bottom of the casing. Each of the shutters is provided with a helicallycoiled torsional spring 35 having one end engaging the end of the shutter, while its other end engages the rear surface of the screen plate 11 so that the torsion of the spring tends to hold the shuttersintheir substantially vertical position in which they do not interfere with the passage of the light from the lamp 1? through the light transmitting portions 13, 14 and 15. The cam teeth 25 have the straight edge 36 which engages the upturned end 24 of the rod 19 and quickly r of the teeth 25 retains the shutter in the light obstructing position for the desired length of time, after which the end 24k of the rod engages the curved releasing surface 38 which is shaped so that the spring 35 cannot throw the shutter back too violently. As many of these teeth 25 are provided as it is desired to have shadows on each tire, and it will of course be understood that the principle will be employed if only a single tooth 25 were used, although I preferably employ a plurality, as shown.

As I may desire to employ a constantly illuminated central portion, such as apertures 39 outlining the letters forming the name of the tire, I have made the wheel 26 of the shape shown so that the illumination from the bulb 40 which is mounted in the end of the bearing stud 27 does not reach the light transmitting portions'13, 14: and 15, but only the central ones 89. These apertures 39 are preferably covered by a thin sheet of paper 41 which is employed for the same purpose as the paper 16.

- While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form and as carried out by the apparatus which I consider best adapted for its purposes, it will be understood it is capable of modifications and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

'1. In a display apparatus, the combination with a screen plate having light transmitting portions to outline a design, of a source of light back of the screen plate, a

plurality of shutters mounted between the screen plate and the light and capable of standing at an angle that does not interfere with the passage of the light through the light transmitting portions and also at an angle that does, and automatic means for moving the shutters at determined intervals from one angle to the other and back am. 2. In a display apparatus, the combination with a screen plate having light transmitting portions to outline a generally circular design, of a centrally located source of light back of the screen plate, a plurality of radially extending shutters between the light and the screen plate capable of standing substantially at right angles to the sur I face of the screen plate and likewise parallel thereto, and automatic means for swinging the shutters at determined intervals from one position to the other and back again.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination'with a screen plate having light transmitting portions to outline a generally circular design, of a centrally located source of light back of the screen plate, a plurality of radially extending shutters between the light and the screen plate capable of standing substantially at right angles to the surface of the screen plate and likewise parallel thereto, springs to hold the shutters normally in one position, and a rotating member having a cam surface to engage and move the shutters one after another to the other positon.

i. In a display apparatus, the combination with a casing having a screen plate with light transmitting portions to outline a design forming the front thereof, of a centrally located source of light within the casing, a plurality of pivoted shutters mounted between the light and the screen plate capable of standing at an angle that does not interfere with the passage of the light through the light transmitting portions and also at an angle that does, a'concave disk mounted to rotate within'the casing having an annular cam surface at its periphery, projections from the shutters adapted to be engaged by the cam surface, and means for rotating the disk.

5. In a display apparatus, the combination with a casing having a screen plate with light transmitting portions to outline a design forming the front thereof, of a centrally located source of-lig'ht within the casing, a plurality of pivoted shutters mounted between the light and the screen plate capable of standing at an angle that does not interfere with the passage of the light through the light transmitting portions and also at an angle that does, a concave disk mounted to rotate within the casing having an annular cam surface at its periphery, projections from the shutters adapted to be engaged by the cam surface, and means for rotating the disk, consisting of a motor connected by. a belt with the belt groove in the periphery of the disk.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal, this 2 lth day of August, A. D. 1920. I

GEORGE E. PYPER. at

Witnesses: K. W. YEATES,

H. E. WALLACE.

Images