US1389707A - Electrical display-sign - Google Patents

Description

H. E. SMITH. .QELECTRICAL DISPLAY SIGN.

APPLICATION FlLED FEB. 14y1921.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

ZIiiE/IV/ INVENTOR. HERMH/v 4-. 544/777,

A TTORNEY ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN E. SMITH, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIG-NOR T SMITH-HEGHT COM- PANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A. COPARITNEBSHIP.

ELEC'FRICAL DISPLAY-SIGN.

wearer.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6. 1921.

Application filed February 14, 1921. se'riaim. eraser.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HERMAN E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident .of Indianapolis, county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a. certain new and useful Electrical Display-Sign; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdraw-- ings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.-

'This in'vention relates to that type of sign wherein the sign front is of tI'ZI-HSPELI: e'nt material and is illuminated from the rear by an'arrangement for causing a plurality of colored lights to pass across its face in various configurations.

One feature of the invention consists in the construction of the corrugated reflector which reflects the colored light from the illuminator on the face of the sign in varying forms.

Another feature of the-invention pertains to the bearing support for the revolving colored drum, andmore particularly to the -manner of mounting a supporting projec tion on the illuminator, and the thimblelike bearing for supporting the drum on the bearing point of said projection.

Anotherfeature of the invention lies in the arrangement of the inclosing housing wherein it is formed with a semi-circular rear portion and is provided with ventilators in'the top and bottom so as to cause a current of air to be set up therethrough so as to engage and cause the drum to revolve upon its bearing.

Still another feature of the invention consists of the small stamped out reflecting surfaces formedin the reflector so as to reflect at a different angle, which gives a curious effect to the reflection on the sign.

The full nature of this inventionwill be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view'of the sign. Fig. 2 is a cross section taken through the center thereof on the line 22 of Fig.

1. Fig. 3 is a section'takenon'the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is anenlarged'side elevation of the illuminator with the bearing support mountedthereon. Fig. 5 is a cross section through the tip ofthe illuminating B6 bulb and a portion of the bearing support.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the corrugated reflector showing the perforations therein. Fig. 7 is a' cross section through that portion of the reflector shown in Fig. 6.

In the drawings there is shown a sign comprising a frame 10 with a translucent face 11 consisting preferably of a ground glass upon which the sign is painted, there being mounted in the rear of the glass and frame, and forming a. part thereof, a semicircular housin 12 preferably formed of sheet metal. 1 ounted in the housing, upon the bottom thereof andapproximately at 'i the center, there is a lamp socket 13 to which are connected the circuit wires 14,

which may be attached to any suitable source of current. Supported, and electrically connected, in the socket 13 there is provided an incandescent lamp bulb 15 so mounted as to extend vertically to approximately the center of the housing.

Mounted upon the lamp bulb, and adapted to clamp thereon, there is a bearing support 16 comprising a. vertically extending wire having a pointed end provided with a loop or ring 17 adapted to encircle the projecting tip 18 of the lamp-bulb and having secured thereto a plurality of downwardly extending embracing arms 19 adapted to yieldingly engage the curved surface of the bulb and embrace the enlarged portion thereof. By means of this arrangement the bearing support can bereadily mounted and removed from the lamp and will be held in proper position thereon when placed in use.

Supported upon thebearing support there is a revolving drum 20 provided with a frame upon which is secured a transparent wall, such as mica, having a plurality of stripes or designs of varying colors through which the light will pass from the bulb,

transmitting the colors to the reflector and the sign. The drum is provided with a fan- ,like top having radial blades 21 arranged to be driven by the air current passing upwardly through the drum, which is caused friction to be overcome, there is provided a thimble li-ke bearing member 22 formed of any suitable smooth substance, such as glass,

\ over which the fan-like top .is suspended.

' The inner top surface of the thimble bearing will rest upon the pin point of the bearing support which will be revolved about it, This arrangement enables a very sensitive bearing to be formed in a simple manner and permit the drum to be mounted and removed without any adjustment of the bearing surface.

A plurality of ventilating openings 23 are formed in the bottom of the housing immediately below the drum, and a ventilator cap 24L, 0f the protecting type, is arovided in the top of the housing immediate y above the drum, andis spaced therefrom to shield a central ventilating hole 24* in the top thereof whereby an air current will be set in motion through the drum and fan, for .revolving the same, by the heat of the lamp drawing the cool air through the bottom and up through the fan and out through the ventilators at the top.

For giving a curious play of moving colored configurations upon the face of the sign, there is provided an angular corrugated reflector 25 upon the inner side of the rear semi circular wall. The corrugated reflecting surfaces of the reflector 25 are obliquely formed, as illustrated in Fig. 2 and provided with a plurality of perforated sections 26 cut therein witli the reflecting portion of-said sections bent back, as shown in Fig. 7. This arrangement causes a distorsign having an incandescent lamp bulb mounted therein, a translucent face'and a revolving drum adapted to be revolved by the heat rising from said illuminatonof a translucent face and a revolving drum adapted to be revolved-by the heat rising from said illuminator, of means for'refleeting the light rays-generated from said illumin'ator, comprising asheet metal refleeting surface made so as to reflect the rays from said illuminator on to the face of said sign, and a plurality of comparatively small reflecting surfaces formed in said reflector out of the normal plane thereof for changing the direction of thereflected rays when reflected from their surfaces.

3. In combination W1l3h--1111 illuminating sign having an illuminator mounted therein,

a translucent face and a revolving drum adapted to be revolved by the heat rising from said illuminator, of means for reflecting the light rays generated from said illuminator, comprising corrugated sheet metal reflecting surfaces mounted in position to reflect the light from said illuminator, whereby the direction of the reflected .colored rays will be suddenly changed-during their travel across the face of said sign as said drum revolves, and a plurality of refleeting sections formed in the corrugated portion thereof by cutting said metal and bending it soas to cause the light rays tobe reflected therefrom at a varying angle.

In witness whereof Ihave hereunto afiixed my signature.

HERMAN E. SMITH.

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