US1416027A

US1416027A - Direction signal for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: US1416027A
Application number: US483655A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jacob G Hieb
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-07-11
Filing date: 1921-07-11
Publication date: 1922-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1939-05-16

Description

I. G. HIEB.

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES` APPLICATION HLED 1ULY11, 1921.

1,416,027. Patented May' 16,1922,

ff JNVENTOR 'rlwlf 61. HL'Q? BYQ mi .ATToRNEY the three possible i e i. i u, f

Afa rc JACOB G. HIEB, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORTLA.

DIRECTON SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, JACOB G. Hirn, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Direction Signals for Motor Vehicles; and I doVdec-lare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe characters of reference marked thereon, which form` a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in direction signals for motor vehicles, to be used for giving signals in place of the hand as ordinarily employed.

The principal object lof this invention is to provide a device of this character which may be extended to any one of three positions-at an upward angle,` horizontally, or at a downward angle, and which when neutral or not in use will fold up or contract to occupy but a very little space.

A further object is to provide a hand actuating means for the signal with but asingle hand#moved.y member for both extending the signal and for moving it to any one of lected at will.

further object of the invention is to proy duce a simple and inexpensive device and yet o-newhich will be exceedingly effective 'for' the purposes which 'it is designed. hese objects I accomplis by means of such lstructure and relative arrangement of parts 'as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specifica-tion and claims.

In the drawings similar' characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views. v

1y is a perspective outline of the driving compartment of an automobile, showing my improvedy signalinstalled thereon, the signal being in a horizontally extended position.

Fig. 2 is a detached elevation of the signal and its operating mechanism,"placed in alinement for the sake of convenience' of showing the operation, the signal being extended horizontally'in full lines, and con` erronea in dotted lines.

` 3 'is a similar view,'the signal being extended and positioned at a. downward angle to a horizontal plane.

' lReferring now more particularly vto the positions, as may be se- -Specicationkof Letters Patent. Pajgnted May 15, 1922o 19,21. serial No. 483,655.

This casing is an enclosure throughout,

except at its outervertical end, where 'it is open, as at 1a. y

Pivotally mounted in the casing is the signal memberv 3, made of a plurality of short metal strips 4, all pivotally connected together to form a structure commonly known as a. lazy tongs, which isl such that apressure on the ends will contract the same so that all the bands lie substantially against and parallel to each other, and a pulling force on said ends will expand or causeV an ext`ension of the structure. The same effect is gained by making the bands 5 at the inner end of the structure free 'at their outer ends, when ay force-tending to cause such ends to move apart will contract the structure, and a f driving together of such lends will extend the same. The pivotal connection of the signal structure with the casing is preferably had where the bands or arms 5 cross casing is pivotally a short lazy tongs structure 9, consisting of apair of crossed arms 10, pivoted to the casing at their intersec* tiony as at 11. The ends of the arms 10 nearest the arms 5 are connected to the latter in crossed relation by flexible wires 12, enclosed in flexible tubing 13, in order that said wires may be pushed on and impart movement to the arms 5 without buckling.

i The opposite yends of the arms 10 are connected to each other by short links 14: which intersect and are pivoted together at that point,.sucli pivotal connection being formed with a handle projecting Athrough a three? way slotv 16 in the casing 7. This slot has threeportions A, and C, converging at the end thereof farthest' from the pivotal mounting 11 of the structure 9. The portion A extends in 'the plane of n a line passing through the axial points 11 and 15; the portion B branchesto one side of the portion A, and at an acute angle thereto,`tlie portion C yan equal distance and angle on the other vside i of the portion A. The portions B and C are preferably curved somewhat and all the said portions terminate in substantially a common plane at right angles to the axial plane aforementioned.

Fixed in the casing 7 intermediate the points 11 and 15 is ay pin 17, projecting into the path of movement of the arms 111.

In order that the signal may be visible at night, an electric light 18 may be mounted at the outer end of the structure 3, which may be wired in a circuit in any suitable manner, and which with the signal 3, will be concealed within the casing 1 when the signal is contracted. `When in the latter position, the signal may be further protected against dust etc. by means of a springhinged door 19 on the casing and normally closing the opening 1a.

rlhis door is automatically opened by the extending movement of the signal 3, and closes of itself when the signal is withdrawn into the casing.

rl"he operation of the device is as follows -lVhen the handle 15 is moved outwardly to the point of convergence of the horizontal plane.

slot-portions, the arms 1() will be symmetrically positioned with respect to the axial line between the points 11 and 15, and will then be moved close together and away from the handle.

A pushing pressure is thus imparted to the wires 12 causing the arms 5 to be spread apart, which in turn causes the signal 3 to be fully contracted and lie concealed in the casing 1. lNhen the handle 15 is then pushed the length of the slot A, the signal 3 will be extended horizontally since as the slot A lies in the plane of a line drawn through the points 11 and 15, the movement imparted to the arms 10 will be equal. l/Vhen the handle is retracted however to the lpoint of convergence of the slots and then moved into one of the branches, as for instance the portion C, as shown in Fig. 3, the arm 10 then opposite to said slot C is prevented from but slight movement by reason of its striking against the pin 17. The expanding or extending movement to and the corresponding arm 5 on the signal is likewise held against movement. The majority of the ex} ianding or extending movement of the signal 53 is therefore had with the movement of the other arm 1() and the corresponding signal-arm 5 alone, causing the signal to be not .only fully extended to lie at a considerable downward angle with respect to a lith the movement of the handle 15 through the slot B, the reverse conditions obtain, and the signal is extended to lie at an upward angle.

On account of the flexibility of thewires 12.V it makes no difference in the operation ofthe device as to the relative positions of the members 3 and 9, as long as the wires 12 comprising a lazy tongs cross at some point in their extent, so as to connect relatively opposed ones of the

arms

5 and 10. l

rlhe arms

5 and 10 can be connected direct without crossing the wires, but with such a lay-out the signal is turned down when the handle is moved into the right vhand slot B, which is not desired, since a movement of the handle to the right should also indicate a turn of the vehicle to the right, which would not be the case with such an arrangement of the wires. Also, for a given amount of extension of the' signal, the angle of setting obtained would be too great for convenience.

From the foregoing description 1t will be readily seen that 1 have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

llVhile this specification sets forth 1n detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A direction signal for motor vehicles signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle, and a hand actuated means for contracting and extending said structure and for giving the same any one of a number of predetermined angular settings in a common vertical plane while so extending said structure.

2. A direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy-tongs structure pivoted to f y nal has been so extended the angular position cannot be altered until the signal is again contracted. y

3. A direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy tongs signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle and a common hand actuated means operatively connected to said structure for both extending and contracting the latter, and for causing the same to assume any one of a number of predetermined angular positions in a conilnon vertical plane simultaneous with the extending thereof.

1. A direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy tongs signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle, anotherl lazy tongs structure independent of the first named structure and adaptedto be manually contracted and extended and being y. operatively connected to said signal structure and means whereby said manually actuated structure may be manipulated to impart contracting and extending movement to the signal structure and at the same time cause the latter to lie in any predetermined angular setting coincident with such extension thereof.

5. A direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy tongs signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle, another lazy tongs structure independent of the first named structure and adapted to be manually contracted and extended and being operatively connected to said signal strueture, a handle on said independent structure whereby to contract and extend the same, and a fixed casing in which said latter structure is moimted, said casing being provided with converging and communicating slots positioned at predetermined angles relative to each other and in which the handle rides.

6. A direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy tongs signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle, a fixed casing, a lazy tongs structure independent of the signal structure, said independent structure compris-ing a pair ofintersecting arms pivoted in the casing at their point of intersection, and a pair of links pivoted to certain ends of, the arms and pivotally connected to each other, operative connections between the opposite ends of the arms and the signal structure, a handle at the pivotal connection of the links With each other, the casing being provided with a slot extending in the plane of a line drawn through the arm and handle pivots and kthrough which the latter passes, branch slots communicating With the first named slot at one end thereof and at an angle thereto, and means whereby when the handle is moved through one of the last named slots the signal structure will be extended and positioned at a predetermined angle. c

7. A ldirection signal for motor vehicles comprising a lazy tongs signal structure pivoted to a fixed member of the vehicle, a fixed casing, a lazy tongs structure independent of the signal structure, said independent structure comprising a pair of intersecting arms pivoted in the casing at their point of intersection, and a pair of links pivoted to certain ends of the arms and pivotally connected to each other, operative connections between the opposite ends of the arms and the signal structure, a handle at the. pivotal connections of the links with each other, the casing being provided with a slot extending in the plane of a line drawn through the arm and handle pivots and through whichl the latter passes, branch slots communicating with the first named slot at one end thereof and at an angle thereto and a pin fixed in the casing intermediate the arm and handle pivots and projecting into the plane of the arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JACUB G. HIEB.