US1441525A - Signal - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 9,1923. I 1,441,525

C. C. PRESGRAVES ET AL.

SIGNAL. FILED MAY 22, 1920. 3 SHEETSSHEET 1 Elmo/whoa C. 6. B'esym Vas Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,525

C. C. PRESGRAVES ET AL,

SIGNAL. FILED MAY 22, 1920 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 6. P/vs rdres a W. L Ga l-en- Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,525

4 C. C. PRESGRAVES ET AL.

SIGNAL. FILED MAY 22, 1920. 3 SHEETS'SHEET 3 31+uaatoz5 Presyrares 14 L. Ga Zdefl- Patented Jan. 9, 1923.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES i CHARLES C). PRESGRAYES AND WILLIAM L. GOLDEN, OF HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND.

SIGEAL.

Application filed May 22, 1920. Serial No. 383,525.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. we, CHARLES C. PnEs- GRAVES and WILLIAM L. GOLDEN, citizensfof the United States, residing at Hagerstown, in the "county of Washington, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improven ants in signals and has relation more partiuilarly to a device of this general character which is electrically operated, and it is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved device of this general character adapted for use in connection with a vehicle and which device is under speed control.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device of this general character which operates to give both a visual and an audible signal, said visual and audible signals being independently operable at certain speeds.

An additional object of thednvention is to i provide a novel and improved device of this general characterwhichoperates upon an excessive speed to give an alarm and which alarm can only be caused to stop operation by an apthorized person such as a police officer orthelike, and which alarm also continues to operate eventhough the speed be reduced. v r

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of our improved signal whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel features of ourinvention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

in order that our invention may be the better understood, we will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view-partly in vertical section and partly in elevation illustrating a signal constructed in accordance with an embodiment of our invention and in applied position, the coacti'ng portion of an automobile body being diagrammatically indicated by dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation showing the door of the casing in closed position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partly in rear elevation and partly in section of the base member coacting with the pointerarbor, lllustrating certain details of the invention as herein embodied.

Figure l is a vlew in front elevation of the raised portion of the base illustrating in detail the contacts with which coacts the member-carried by the pointer arbor.

Figure 5 is a view in elevation of the ing the lamp, and

F igure 10 is a diagrammatic view of our improved signal.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, C denotes acasing adapted to be positioned within the cowl of an automobile body or the like with a face thereof comprised in the dash D. I

One end of the casing C is open and is adapted to close by the door A. The door A is maintained closed through the medium of a conventional key-operated latch mechanism L. In practice, a key for operating the latch mechanism L is kept in possession by the police department or other oilicials having supervision over vehicular traffic, so

had by unauthorized persons.

S denotes a speedometer of a conventional \type having its dial 1 exposed through the dash D for visual access and wherein the pointer 2 coacting with the dial 1 is mounted upon the arbor or shaft. 3. The arbor or shaft 3 extends within the casing C and adapted to be operatively connected in a conventional manner with a drive wheel or other desired moving part of the vehicle so that the rate. of speed of the vehicle may be readily ascertained by reading the speed-- ometer in the well known manner.

The speedometer. S includes a base portion havingits outer face provided with a circular raised portion 5 of a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the dial 1 with the periphery of said raised portion concentric to the arbor or shaft 3 which passes therethrough and also through the base 4c. The dial 1 is secured to the raised portion 5 through theinstrumentality ity as to the maximum speed. The rib or I ber. 11 leading across said pocket or @The marginal portion of the rear face of 'post a is in electrical connection with bead 8 is continued by an arcuate contact member 9 terminating. at the 35 indication or other indic ation of the maximum speed limit in open country. The contact member 9 is continued by a relatively short rib or bead 10 of insulating material as is also the rib or bead 8. The rib or bead 10 is continued by an arcuate contact memtrom the 38 indication or other indication slightly beyond the maximum speed indication for open country. The contact member 11 is continued by the arcuate rib or bead 12 of insulating material.

The arbor or shaft 3 is of metal and in electrical contact therewith between the raised portion 5 and the dial 1 is an elon; gated contact member 14: movable therewith and having its end portion engaging the ribs or beads 8, 10 and 12 or the contact members 9 and 11, dependent upon the speed of the vehicle as indicated by the pointer 2. The arm or contact member 14:

is also preferably in parallelism with the pointer 2.

The rear face of the base 1 is provided with a pocket or chamber 15 and disposed chamber 15 -and sethereof cured as at 16lto the inner wall .is a conductor plate 17 in electrical connection with the arbor or shaft3 and which contact is further facilitated by a disk 18 fixed to the. arbor or shaft 3 inwardly of the'contac't plate 17 and constantly in contact. with said plate.

the base 41; is provided with four outstanding binding posts a; b, 0 and d and the the plate 17 through the instrumentality of the conductor a. 1

The high end of the contact member 9 extends through the base4 into the pocket or chamber 15. and'is in electrical connection through the conductor d with the post d.

The high end of the contact member 11 an-ass also extends through the base 4: intoythe pocket or chamber 15 and said extended portion is in electrical. connection through the medium of the conductor 6 with the post I). The portion of the contact member 11 within the recess or chamber 15 is also formed into a contact 19 spaced from the inner face or base of the pocket or chamber 15. Coacting with the contact 19 is an angular extension 20 of a contact member 21 and which extension is positioned between said contact 19 and the inner face or base of the pocket or chamber 15. "The contact member 21 extends outwardly through the base 4 at a point inwardly of and in substantially radial alinement with the'contact 11 and the outer end portion of said contact 21 is secured to an arm 22. The opposite end portion'ot the arm 22 is engaged with the raised portion 5 and in a manner whereby the same may be forced inwardly by contact of the contact member or arm 14 as the same passes thereover. The member or arm 14: operates to force the contact 21 inwardly substantially at the time the contact arm or member passes from the contact 11 upon the adjacent end of the rib or bead 12. When the contact 21 is forced inwardly the extension 20 thereof is brought into electrical engagement with the contact 19 and such contact 19 is maintained until the contact 21 is manually moved outwardly to separate the extension 20 and contact 19'.

The contact 21 is in electrical connection with the arm and the end portion of said arm 22 secured to the raised portion 5 is in electrical connection through the medium of the conductor 0 of the binding post 0. 7

1E denotes a source of electrical energy which may comprise a series of dry cells arranged within the casing C or other source of electrical energy as may best meet with the requirements of practice.

Supported by the outer side face of the casing C and arranged within said casing is a motor M having the axis of its armature vertically disposed and rotating with said armature is a vertically disposed cylindrical'member 23. The upp'erend ot the member23 is' continued by a tubular cylindrical member 24: of transparent material and having disposed therearound on a spiral the bands 25 of desired color and transa pair of upstanding posts 32 and 33 in suit.

able electrical connection with the source E by the conductors f and g coacting respectively with the posts 32 and 33. The post 32 is in electrical connection through the conductor it with the post a and with the post 0 through the conductor 70. Leading from the post 5 is a conductor a in electrical, connectionwith a contact member 34 arranged on the bottom or floor of the casing C adjacent the open end thereof.

A post 35 or the motor M is in electrical connection through the conductor 0 with the post nection with the brush 31 through the conductor m. The second post 36 of the motor is in electrical connection through thecon- 'ductor o with the post 33 and said post 33 is also in electrical connection through the conductor p with the brush 3() hcreinbetore referred to. The post 36 is also in electrical connection through the conductor n with a second contact member 3 1 carried by the bottom of the casing C adjacent the open end thereof. a

Secured to the inner face of the door A is an electrically operatedbell B of a conventional type and which-embodies the contact points 37 and 37 and which posts engage respectively the contacts 3% and 34: when the door is closed. l

W hen the vehicle. isvrunning at a speed below twelve miles, our improved signal is inoperative, but when the arm or contact member 14 engages the contact 9, the motor circult is closed,'resulting in a rotation of the memher and at the same time the circuit "for the lamp or hulo 27 is closed, whereby the rotating member and the rays emitted from the lamp or nal that the vehicle is traveling at a speed in excess or the limit of speed within a municipality orthe like. Upon an increase oi speed oi: the vehicle, the contact member or arm ll will engage the contact 11, whereby the motor circuitand the lamp circuit will he broken and the circuit for the bell B closed,-

so that an audible signal will be given so that the driver of the'vehicle may know that he is exceeding the speed limit in. the open coun try or county.

Upon still yond this last limit of speed, say about two miles, the contact member or arm will end and said post 35 is in electrical con-' bulh 27 give a visual sigfurther increase in speed be-.

age the contact 11 and atcthe same time oirce the contact 21 inwardly to hause the extension 20 thereof to have electrical con nection with the contact 19. The bell circuit is closed and cannot be reopened until after access has been had within the casing C to manually separate the extension 20 from the contact 19.

The key for the locking mechanism L is not in the possession of the driver of the vehicle but is adapted to be in the possession of the police oiiicials or other partieshaving control of trailic, so that in the event the vehicle should travel beyond the extreme limit of speed as provided by the regulations, the same will be readily made known to the proper ofiicials by the ringing of the bell B even though the speed of the car be reduced because the bell circuit is closed and can only be reopened-fromwithin the casing C. In view of this fact, the continued ringing of the bell B clearly indicates that the driver of the car has broken the trafiic' laws or regulations and. is, therefore, subject to arrest.

Tn ord er to effect the requisite separation of the extension 20 of the contact 21 and the contact 19, we find it of advantage to arrange within the casing C an elongated member or I rod 39 supported for endwise movement and having one end terminating in close proximity to the inner end of the contact 21 or the extension 20 thereof. Coacting with the rod 39 is an expansible member or spring 40 which serves to constantly urge the rod 39 in a direction away from the contact 21 or the extension 20 thereof. Upon opening the door A, it is only necessary to move the rod 39 in a direction toward the hase 4 and which movement results in the rod 39 forcing the contact member 21 outwardly and disengaging theextension 20 thereof from the contact 19.

The member 23 extends exteriorly of the casing C through an opening er in the top thereof and the member 24; is housed within a cylindrical casing 42 of glass or other transparent material. The top of the casing i2is closed by a cap 413 or the like preferably of opaque material and theinner face of said cap is provided with a reflecting medium at preferably a mirror so that the eiiiciency of the lamp or hulb 27 and particularly after nightfall is materially increased.

The casing 42 is carried byand extends above a block 45. The block 45 is suitably secured to the top wall of the casing C and in a manner whereby said block 45, together with the casing 12, closes or seals the opening 41. I

v The casing 12 extends upwardly above the lower, portion of the windshield of an automobile or the like and interposed between said casing and the windshield is a plate 46 extending upwardly from the block 45, said plate terminating above the casing 42 and of a width greater than the width of said casing. The plate 46 is provided with a re stricted sight opening at? whereby the driver or other occupant of thecar may have visual access to the rotating member 2a and as tacilitated by the burning lamp or-bulb 27.

Our improved signal also provides means, and particularly through the instrumentality of the bell B, to notify the passengers within the rear portion of the vehicle that the speed limit is being exceeded and this is of especial importance in connection with private cars driven by a chaufieur.

It is also manifest that the device can be used to considerable advantage in delivering cars from the factory to the purchaser or to the local agent in a distant city. By the use of this device the manufacturer can keep tab on the road record. of the driver of the car from the factory to the city where the car is to be sold and the dealer or purchaser when he receives the car at his end of the line can immediately determine whether at any time along the route the driver of the car has exceeded the maximum-predetermined speed limit for which the device is set at the tactory. lln this way, the driver of the car will 'be prevented from speeding the car and from entailing the damage and wear that result from excessive speeding.

From the foregoing description it is thought/to be obvious that a signal con structed in accordance with our invention is of a speedometer, an electrically operated visual signal including a normally open circuit, an electrically operated audible signal including two operating circuits each normally open, one of said last named circuits including a circuit closer movable by pressure into either open or closed position, and a member movable with the pointer arbor, said member in one position closing the circuit for the visual signal, closing one of the circuits of the audible signal when in a second position, and closing the pressure-operated circuit closer when in a third position.

2. The combination with the pointer arbor of a speedometer, an electrically operated visual signal including a normally open circuit, an electrically operated audible signal including two operating circuits each normally open, one ot said last named circuits including a circuit closer movable by pressure into either open or closed position, a member movable with the pointer arbor, said member in one position closing the circuit for the visual signal, closing one of the circuits of the audible signal when in a second position, and closing the pressure-open ated circuit closer when in a third position, and means operable independently of said member-tor opening the pressure-operated circuit closer.

3. The combination with the pointer arbor ot a speedometer, an electrically operated visual signal including a normally open circuit, an electrically operated audible signal including two operating circuits each normally open, one of said last named circuits including a circuit closer movable by pressure into either open or closed position, a

member movable with the pointer arbor, said member in one position closing the 011'- "cuit for the visual signal, closing one of the circuits of the audible signal when in a second position, and closing the pressure-operated circuit closer when in a third position, means operable independently of said member for opening the pressure-operated circuit closer, and means for preventing access to said last named means.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

a GHARLES C. PRESGrlR-AVES. WlllLLllAM LGQLDEN.

Images