US1583507A

US1583507A - Elevator signal

Info

Publication number: US1583507A
Application number: US26435A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul Schuyler Van Bloem
Original assignee: VIKING PRODUCTS CORP
Current assignee: VIKING PRODUCTS Corp
Priority date: 1925-04-28
Filing date: 1925-04-28
Publication date: 1926-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 1943-05-04

Description

May 4 1926. 1,583,507

P, s. VAN BLOEM ELEVATOR SIGNAL File d April .28, 1925 gay bis 0 f 3 4 Q Z Pau/ Jc/hy/er Vcm Bloem ATTORNEYS INVENTOR v Patented May 4, 1926.

UNITED STATES 11,5 3,507 PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL SOHUYLER VAN BLOEM, OF HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO VIKING PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELEVATOR SIGNAL.

Application filed April 28, 1925. Serial N10. 26,435.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL SOHUYLER VAN- BLonM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hempstead, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto signals for indicating the approach of an elevator car and the direction of its travel.

An object of the invention is to provide an elevator signal of simple form which when unilluminate'd 'wi1l-be inconspicuous but which when illuminated, ,upon the approach of an elevator car, will be rendered very conspicuous and will distinctly indicate the direction of travel of the car.

A further object is the provision of a signal lens in the form of a cover adapted to substantially conceal a lamp. The lamp cover is placed over a signal lamp projecting from or mounted in the wall adjacent the elevator shaft and adapted to be illuminated when the elevator car approaches. The cover bears a direction indicating character which when unilluminated by the lamp is indistinct or entirely invisible but which when the lamp is illuminated by the approach of a car will become distinctly visible. The cover lens is also designed to reflect light rays received from the signal lamp and direct them outwardly and rear. wardly upon the wall back of the signal in a manner to cause the signal to be surrounded with a halo of light. This increases the conspicuousness of the signal and calls attention to the approach of the car.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the signal lens;

Fig. 2 a sectional view showing the lens mounted over the signal lamp; and

Fig. 3 a fragmentary sectional view of a slightly modified form of signal lens. v

Referring to the parts by numerals, 1 represents the signal lamp which is so mounted as to be located in a proper relation to the signal lens, either in or upon a wall 2 adjacent an elevator shaft. The lamp 1 is normally un'illuminated, but upon the approach of an elevator car it is adapted to be. illuminated by the closing of a circuit (not shown).

' .A dished or substantially cup-shape glasslens" 3 is placed over the lamp 1 and surrounds and encloses the outwardly projectend end of the lamp. The lens 3 is formed with a slightly convex, substantially vertical, front-signa'l-bearing portion or wall 4, preferably circular in outline. The front signal-bearing portion is supported by an integral, continuous, rearwardly extending, annular ortion or member 5. The forward end of t e supporting portion is connected to the front signal-bearing portion around its edges and the rear end of said supporting portion is "suitably flanged as at 6 and is adapted to fit against the supporting wall or other lens supporting medium and be secured thereto by screws 7 or otherwise. The enclosing wall or member is preferably conever, be formed with a different contour. The enclosing member preferably diverges or enlarges rearwardly and is of material tinuo'us and annular as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The saidsupporting portion may,-howdepth in order to off-set the signal-bearing member from the supporting wall and to completely enclose the projecting portion of the signal lamp 1. The lens 3 is preferably formed of translucent glass of a suitable color so that when the lens is dark or unilluminated the face of the signal-bearing front portion will have a uniform color and will give no evidence of bearing a signal or direction-indicating character. When, however, the lens is illuminated light rays will pass through the substantially vertical front signal-bearing portion and through the substantially horizontal continuous enclosing and supporting side member 5. The direction indicating signal or character will be more brilliantly illuminated than the surrounding portion of the signal bearing member owing to the fact that it is of considerably less thickness than the main body of the said member. The entire front portion of the lens is vformed'to direct the emerging light rays forwardly away from the supporting wall in order that said rays may not interfere with the production of a halo upon said wall by the lamp surrounding portion as will be presently described.

' The outer face of'the signal-bearing front wall of portion 4, of they lens is slightly roughened as at 8 to provide a light diffusing surface, and the inner face of the said wall is formed with a depression 9, in the form of a direction indicating character. Thls character 1s indistlnct or 1nv1s1b1e when the lamp is unilluminated. When the lamp is illuminated by the approach of a car the entire front face of the lens will become luminous and the direction indicating character will be distinctly visible owing to the reduced thickness of the wall 4 at .the depression and also to the reflecting and refracting effect of the side walls of the depression. The depression is. preferably of material depth in order to increase the contrast of the character with the surrounding face and cause the character to be clearly outlined when illuminated. The side walls 10 of the depression are preferably smooth and disposed substantially at right angles to the bottom of the depression whereby they will reflect light rays from the lamp and direct them outwardly through the bottom of the depression. This concentration of the light rays upon the character renders it more lummous.

The annular inner surface of the portion 5 of the lens is smooth and preferabl diverges slightly from the front to the ack. The annular outer surface of the portion 5 has aseries of light-reflecting ribs or ridges 12 formed thereon. These ridges extend circumferentially entirely around the portion 5, and are arranged side by side from front to back and extend in planes parallel to the wall 2 when the lens is mounted in position,

over the lamp, as shown in Fig. 2, of the drawings.

The cross sectional form of each light-reflecting ridge 12 is substantially prismatic, and it is formed with a continuous forwardly facing reflecting surface 13'and a continuous rearwardly facing reflecting surface 14. The reflecting surface 13 is disposed at such an angle that most of the light rays from the lamp passing through the thickness of the portion 5 and received by the surface 11 will. fall thereon at an angle of incidence greater than the critical angle, or the angle at which they would emerge through the surface 13. There is therefore a total reflection of these light rays within the ridge and they are directed outwardly and rearwardly through the ridge and emerge through the rear reflecting surface 14. The inclination of the surface 14 of each ridge is such as to properly direct the emerging reflected rays toward the room wall or lens support back of the lens. This causes the signal to be surrounded by a halo of light which greatly increases itsconspicuousness and calls attention to the approach of a'car; These rear reflecting surfaces 14 also serve to reflect the rays received from the lamp in a manner similar to the reflecting action of the forward faces 13. In the case of the faces 14, however, the rays are reflected outwardly and forwardly through the ridges. emerge through the faces 12 and are directed toward the observer.. This reflection will give the '5 are integrally formed. If desired, how

ever, in order to facilitate the molding of the lens, the front and the rearwardly extending portion may be separately formed and joined together and the ridges rounded at their inner and outer ends. This latter structure is indicated in Fig. 3.

While I have shown and described my invention as adaptedfor use as an elevator signal, it obviously has other adaptations, as for instance, it might be used as a sign or for illuminating purposes of a particular character. It is also obvious that certain features of the signal structure such as the precise shape, arrangement and location of the reflecting ridges may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A device of' the class set forth comprising a substantiallycup-shaped glass covering for a wall lamp formed with a front portion adapted to admit light through. 1t; an annular lamp-surrounding portion of material depth extending rearwardly from the front portion, close by said front portion and formed upon lts outer surface with a plurality of peripherally extending ribs arranged along the depth of the annular portion, each of said ribs being formed with a forwardly fac ng reflecting surface and a rearwardlyfacmg reflecting surface, the forwardly facing refleeting surfaces being disposed to receive rays from the enclosed lamp through the thickness of the annular portion, reflect them and direct them outwardly and rear-' wardly toward the room wall back of the covering and surround it with a. halo of light upon the wall, and the said rearwardly facing surfaces of the ribs being disposed to receive rays from the lamp, reflect them and direct them outwardly and forwardly to render the ribs luminous, the said'front tion admitting light rays through it an being formed to direct the admitted rays forwardly away from the said room wall irrespective of the longitudinal position of the lamp within the covering.

2. A device of the class set forth comprising a substantially cup-shaped glass covering for a wall lamp, formed with a front portion and a lamp-surrounding portion extending rearwardly from the front portion, closed at its front end by said front portion and formed upon one of its lamp-Surrounding surfaces with a plurality of lightreflecting surfaces disposed transversely with reference to the axis of the covering and arranged to receive light rays from the portion admitting light ra s throu h it and said rays forwardly away being formed to direct su stan tial y all of from the room wall irrespective of the ngitudinal position of the lamp within the covering.

3. A. device of the class set forth comprising a substantially cup-shaped covering for a wall lamp, formed with a front portion and a lamp-surrounding portion extending rearwardly from the front portion, closed at its'front end by said front portion and formedupon one of its lamp-surrounding surfaces with a plurality of lightreflecting surfaces disposed transversely with reference to the axis of the covering and arranged to receive light rays from the enclosed lamp, reflect them and direct them outwardly and rearwardly to-create a halo of light surrounding the lamp covering upon the room wall back of it, the said front portion admitting light ra s through it and being formed to direct su stantially all of said rays forwardly away from the room wall irrespective of the longitudinal position of the lamp Within the covering, one face of the front portion being formed to diffuse the light rays passing through it.

4JA device of the class set forth comprising a substantially cup-shaped covering or a wall lamp, formed with a front portion bearing a direction-indicating character and a lamp-surrounding portion extendin rearwardly from the front portion, close at its front end by said front portion and formed upon one of its lam -surrounding surfaces with a plurality of light-reflecting surfaces disposed transversely 'with reference to the axis of the covering and arranged to receive light rays from the enclosed lamp, reflect them and direct them outwardly and rearwardly to create a halo of 1i ht sur rounding the lamp covering upon t e room wall back of it, the said front portion ad-. mitting light rays through it and bein formed to direct substantially all of sai rays forwardly away from the room wall irrespective of the longitudinal position of the lamp Within the covering.

5. A device of the class set forth comprising a substantially cup-shaped glass covering for a wall lamp formed with a front portion adapted to admitlight' rays through it and to direct substantially all of said rays forwardly away from the room wall irrespective of the longitudinal position of the lamp within the covering, said front portion being formed in its rear face with a depression having the outline of a direction indicating character and adapted to admit a greater number of light rays through it than through the surrounding area of the front portion; and a lamp-surrounding portion extending rearwardly from the front portion, closed at its front end by said front portion and formed upon one of its lamp-surrounding surfaces with a plurality of light-reflecting surfaces disposed transversely with reference to the axis of the covering and arranged to receive light rays from the enclosed lamp, reflect them and direct them outwardly and rear-' wardly to create a halo of light surrounding the lamp covering upon the room wall back of it.

In testimony whereof 'I hereunto aflix my signature.

PAUL SGHUYLER VAN. BLOEM,