US1485691A - Electric sign - Google Patents

Description

- FQB. MILLER ELECTRIC SIGN Filed July 15. 1921 March 4 1924.

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- INVENTOR.

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BY W Patented Mar. 4, i924.

FATNT FRANK B. IEILLEB, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

Application filed July 15, 1921. Serial No. 484,956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Terre l-laute, county of Vigo, and State of lndiana, have invented a certain new and usefu Electric Sign; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like arts.

This invention relates to an electric display sign wherein it is desired to make a sign at a relatively low cost which will be an imitation of, and appear at a'distance as, a sign wherein the letters are composed of a plurality of incandescent lamp bulbs.

The particular feature of this invention lies in producing a sign of substantial dimensions, wherein the letters are formed from a plurality of honeycomb openings which project laterally and are provided with a plurality of reflecting side walls, whereby each opening will at a distance give the general appearance of an incandescent lamp bulb, because of the reflection and deflection of the rays of light emanating from the interior of the sign. This is accomplished by providing a box-like sign body containing one or more incandescent lamp bulbs which is provided with a master reflector for reflecting the rays laterally through the openings in the casing which form the lettering. The rays reflected through the openings then strike the honeycombed laterally extending walls or projections whereby they are again reflected in all directions as emanating from a lam at that point. I

The full nature of this invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the sign. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line. 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a modified form showing a front elevation of the central panel of F 1 with the projections circular instead of square. Figs. f and 5 are modified forms showing the honeycomb openings of various shapes. Fig. 6 is a modified form showing the invention adapted for use in a design.

In the drawings there is shown a sign comprising a plurality of panels 10 secured together to form the front face of an electric display sign. The back of the sign 1S similarly formed by the panels 11, and is provided with the top and bottom panels 12 and 13. The front and back, top and bottom panels, form a box-like structure entirely enclosed, in which there is mounted a diagonally disposed master reflector 1 f ex tending longitudinally of the sign and from near the top rear corner to' near the lower front corner or vice versa, and having corner reflectors 15 positioned longitudinally of the sign and diagonally of each corner, as shown in Fig. 2. With this arrangement a source of illumination, comprising a lamp 16, is placed at the top of the sign and a lamp 17 at the bottom thereof, or as many lamps as may be necessary to extend from end to end of the sign. The lamp 16 projects its rays on the upper side of the reflector 14 from whence the rays are reflected substantially in a lateral direction through the sign openings 18, and the rays of light from the lamp 17 are similarly reflected from the under surface of the reflector 14 through the openings 18 in the opposite side of the sign. The openings 18 are cut in the panels 10 to outline the lettering or figures of the sign as shown in Fig. 1, and they are surrounded by honeycomb reflecting walls 19 which project laterally therefrom at a substantial distance. In Figs. 1 and 2 they are shown squared and four sided having four reflecting surfaces.

Some of the rays of light are reflected from the reflector 14 through the aperture 18 directly outwardly and appear to come directly from the lamp posltioned in said aperture, while other rays of light strike the honeycomb reflecting walls 19 and are reflected therefrom in varying directions so that the appearance is that they emanate from a point within or adjacent said walls. The reflection by the surrounding walls of each aperture causes a full and complete set of light rays to emanate therefrom which, at a distance, gives the appearance that they are emanating from a source of illumination from that point, i. e., within the embracing walls of that particular aperture. Wherein a plurality of such apertures and embracing honeycomb walls are positioned adjacent each other to form a letter, as shown in Fig. 1, the appearance at a distance from the sign is that there is a source of illumination or lamp bulb at each aperture. A similar eflect is given on the opposite side of the sign in the same manner.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 3 the apertures 18 are shown circular instead of square, and the walls thereof 19 are circular and produce substantially the same effect. In Fig. 4: the apertures 18 are hexagonal and are surrounded by six hexagonally disposed reflecting walls 19". In the modified form shown in Fig. 5 the apertures 18 are circular, whereas the surrounding reflecting walls 19 are corrugated so as to increase the reflecting surface and vary the direction ofthe reflected rays of light. In the modified form shown in Fig. 6 there is represented therein a figure in the form of a star, which figure is formed from a plurality of apertures 18, each surrounded by a reflecting wall 19 which is shaped to accommodate itself to the particular aperture which it surrounds. VVherein an unusually large sign is formed, the letters may be enlarged by substituting a plurality of apertures and their corresponding reflecting walls for the single aperture shown herein, which will produce substantially the same efiect. However, it is obvious that the effect will not be produced as well wherein the apertures and surrounding reflecting walls are too large or of too great an area.

What I claim is A sign structure comprising a housing having a representation of a design or let ter thereon, a source of illumination mounted within said housing, a plurality of apertures within the side of said housing so arranged as to outline said letter or design, a reflecting surface positioned within said housing extending at an angle to the plane through said apertures through which the rays of right are reflected thereby, and a plurality of outwardly extending honey-comb members positioned adjacent each other and secured to said housing so as to coincide with and surround said apertures, said members comprising reflecting walls extending outwardly at right angles thereto and perpen dicular to said housing at substantially a distance equal to the width of said apertures for reflecting the rays of light passing therethrough.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto at fixed my signature.

FRANK B. MILLER.

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