US1655891A - Combination day and night reflector signal or sign - Google Patents

Description

Jam 10, 1928.

E. R. BOOTS ET AL COMBINATION DAY AND NIGHT REFLECTOR SIGNAL OR SIGN 2 S eats-Sheet 1 Filed March 8. 1924.

/NVENTO/?$ EJZHYunJ/B, E 0 07%;

W/T/VE55 E, R. BOOTS ET AL.

COMBINATION DAY AND NIGHT REFLECTOR SIGNAL OR SIGN Filed March 8. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 WITNESS atentedl Jan. 10, 1928.

NITED STATES,

1,655,891 PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND R. BOOTS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AND SVEN AUGUST ESKILSON, OF

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, ASSIGNORS T AMERICAN GASACGUMULATOR COMPANY, OF

ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COMBINATION DAY AND NIGHT REFLECTOR SIGNAL OR SIGN.

Application'filed March 8, 1924. Serial No. 697,730.

Our invention relates to day and night signals or signs comprising light reflectors and information giving or imparting means associated therewith.

The general object of our invention 1s to combine light reflecting means and information imparting means in a manner to provide a novel device of the. character indicated.

It is also an object of our invention to provide a device of the character indicated com prising light reflecting means and information imparting means which latter is located in a plane in front of the said light reflecting means.

Another object of our invention is to pro vide a device of the character indicated comprising light reflectors and information imparting means'located in front of said reflectors and rendered visible by the light rays reflected from said reflectors.

To these and other ends our invention comprehends the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described in detail, particularly pointed out in the claims,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which We have illustrated certain convenient forms of embodiment of the inven- 3e .tion. However it will be understood that changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from our invention.

In the drawings: I

as; Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation, a portion of the structure beingbroken away to more clearly disclose other portions thereof, of a cross arm structure adapted for use at railway crossings;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; 7

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of a modified construction of railway crossing signal embodying our invention;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of a construction embodying our invention adapted for use as a highway signal;

Fig. 5 is a View in front elevation of a portion of a reflector signal, a portion of a te front light diffusing plate being removed to expose the reflectors, combined with means for advertising or other purposes;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation of a letter formed of reflectors;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the letter shown in Fig. 7 with a portion of a front light diffusing plate broken away to expose the reflectors; and Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2 in a plane parallel with the surface 65.

Devices embodying our invention are particularly well adapted for use upon highways, streets and elsewhere for signaling motor vehicular tratfic to apprise the same of some condition which such trafiic should know and thereby contribute tothe safety of the same. Such devices are also adapted for use for the purpose of imparting information of different character. They may be employed, for example, for displaying advertising information, catch words which it may be desired to popularize, or to disseminate information of any character to persons in the vicinity thereof, but more particularly to automobile trafic wherein headlights are employed,-the rays of light from such headlights being reflected from the reflectors of the devices and the said reflected light operating to signal or indicate the presence of the device and the information desired to be imparted thereby.

Referring to the drawings: 1 designates the cross arms of a railway crossing signal which arms are supported upon the upper end portion of a vertical column or post 3 in the usual and well known manner.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that the central portions of the arms 1 are provided with forwardly extending flanges 4 and also with rearwardly extending triangular pyramidal shaped depressions 5. The inner surfaces 6,7 and 8 of the depressions 5 are light reflecting and are located at right angles to each other that is, they are located in the same relation to each other as are the surfaces of a corner of a figure of cube shape. In consequence, the reflected rays of light are parallel to the inoident rays. If desired the inner sides of the depressions may be lined with mirrors of glass. The flanges 4 are provided with grooves 9 upon their inner sides adjacent their outer edges within which the outer edges of a plate 11 are seated, which plate may be transparent or light dilfusing and may be clear or colored as may be desired.

The said plate is of'the shape of the cross arms 1. The said plate may consist of any suitable material but usually consists of glass. The plate 11 is held or retained in place by a cross-arm frame 15 having outwardly extending ears or lugs 16 which are located in opposed relation to cars or lugs 17 which project outwardly from the flange v4. The said frame 15 is held in place by screws 20 which pass through openings through the ears or lugs 16 and engage with screw-threaded openings in the ears or lugs 17 The said reflector covering plate may be omitted if desired.

In Fig. 3 we have shown a modification of the construction in which reflectors are arranged in groups of three as in the previous structure. llhe mirrors of the respective groups are designated 25, 26 and 27 As in the construction shown in Fig. 1 the arrangement of the mirrors 25, 26 and 27 of the respective groups of mirrors is such that the reflecting surface of each mirror is at right angles to the reflecting surfaces of the other mirrors. The respectlve groups of reflectors are arranged in adjacent relation to the upper edges of the opposite end portions of the cross-arms 1 of the railway crossing signal.

In the construction as shown in this Fig. 3 the plate is omitted although it is preferred in actual practice that a diffusing plate be employed because by its use the field in front of the reflector within or 'from which the operator of an approaching automobile or other vehicle or structure having head-lights may see the li ht resulting from the reflection of the lig t rays of the lamp from the reflecting surfaces is increased. However,

in many cases a device or structure in which signal or sign in which the mirrors or re- . flectors 30, 31 and 32 are arranged in groups the reflectorsare employed apart from and independently of any diffusing sheet or sheet of other character may be employed with entire satisfaction.

It will be observed that in the forms of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and 3 the mirrors are arranged in the form of a cross. In the first structure as illustrated the mirrors may be said to constitute the body of the cross whereas in the second structure as illustrated the mirrors orreflectors outline one edge, the upper edge, of the opposite end portions of the cross-arms.

Reflector signals of the character illustrated in these figures are particularly adapted for use at points where highways or streets cross steam or electric railway tracks for the purpose of cautioning approaching automobilists or traflic of any kind upon the f highway.

In Fig. 4 we have shown a construction of of three. The reflecting surfaces of these reflectors are arranged at right angles to each other as in the case of the three sides of a corner of a cube. The said groups of mirrors are arranged within and to form a hexagonal shaped figure and may be combined with a light diffusing sheet or sheet of other character. When combined with such a sheet the rays of light from a light source, such as an automobile lamp or the like, are reflected or returned in directions parallel with the incident rays. Such reflected rays, when a light diffusing sheet is employed, are manifested in spots of light of hexagonal shape which correspond in position to the positions of the respective groups of reflectors 30, 31 and 32.

A reflector structure of this character is adapted to be mounted within a head 35 supported upon a column or pedestal 36. The face of the said head surrounding the groups of reflectors may be provided with letters formin words indicating the character of the big iway adjacent the said signal or with words or symbols furnishing any other desired information.

For instance, as illustrated, the reflector structure is associated with the words Cross roads. It will be observed that by the employment of a signal of this character the character of the dangerous condition which is being approached by the operator of an automobile or other vehicle having headlights is indicated.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings we have shown a construction comprising a relatively large number of groups of reflectors arranged to form a structure of flattened bandlike form which may be of any width and length desired within reasonable limits. The reflecting surfaces 37, 38 and 39 of the respective groups of reflectors are arranged at right angles to each other so that the rays of light which are reflected therefrom are parallel to the incident rays. Preferably the front of the structure formed by the groups of reflectors is covered by a light diffusing plate 39 of suitable material, such as glass with roughened surfaces. Any other kind of plate of transparent or translucent material may be employed. If preferred, the structure may be employed without a covering plateof any kind.

Associated with the reflectors are letters 40 which may be combined in a way to spell such words as may be necessary to impart certain desired information,-such as advertising information. These letters consist; of opaque material such as paint, varnish, metal or any other suitable material, and being located over the reflectors cover certain of them or portions thereof so that the light rays are not reflected back to their source. In consequence of the presence of letters of opaque material dark lines or shadows of letters or other symbols within the region of the reflectors are visible in the night-time to approaching automobilists or operators of loo other vehicles having head-lights. They are of course visible in the day-time-indepenol.- ent of the presence of the reflectors or other means which might be employed for the purpose of directing attention thereto. Instead of employing letters of opaque mate- 'rial we may employ sheets of colored glass tors.

The letters indicated upon Figs. 5 and 6 ofthe drawings are G and U which might be the two first letters of the word- Gulf. It will be apparent that the letters to form any word or words desired may be employed.

In Figs. 7 and 8 we have indicated constructions in which the groups of reflectors 41, which respectively comprise the three reflecting surfaces 42, 43 and 44 at right angles to each other, arearranged to form letters. The letter ,U is shown, but it will be understood that the said groups may be arranged in the form of any. letter desired. The reflectors forming these letters may or may not be covered by sheets of light diffusing material 45 or other suitable material.

The white areas 46 shown in Fi s. 1, 5 and 8 represent spots of li ht formed by the rays of light which are reflected from the reflecting surfaces of the respective groups of re flectors, while the dark areas 47 represent regions through which no rays of light are reflected from the said reflectors.

In the several forms of construction shown the information imparting means is such as may be seen in the day-time, at which time the reflectors cannot be said to perform any useful function as such, but in the nighttime, that is, in darkness, the presence of the reflectors is made evident to the operator of a vehicle having head-lights thereon by reason of the fact that the light from the head-lights of automobiles or other vehicles which strikes the surfaces of the re flectors is reflected back. In constructions in which the mirrors are covered over with Such illumined spots may be discerned from a long distance by the operator of an automobile or other vehicle having head-lights which may be approaching the signal. The same is true'of the construction shown in Fig. 3 in which the light rays from the lamp of an approaching vehicle are reflected from the reflectors directly back toward the approaching vehicle or other structure carrying a headlight so that a person in the vehicle or other structure becomes cognizant of the presence of the cautionary signal. In other words, reflector covering plates of the characterindicated may be employed if desired andin some cases are .preferablebut are not essential to our invention.

It will be understood that the reflecting surfaces arranged in groups and in such relation to each other as to cause the reflected rays to return in parallel relation to the incident rays may be provided in any suitable manner, as, for instance, is shown in the application of Sven AugustEskilson, Serial No. 660,674, and need not be limited to the construction shown.

It will be seen that by our invention we have provided signals or signs which are efficient for the purpose for which they are designed not onlyin the day-time but also in the'nighttime. Devices'of the character involving our invention may be employed at a minimum of expense because the cost of construction and installation is low and because also practically no expense of upkeep is involved.

The term highways employed in the specification and claim, is intended to inthe incident rays, means whereby the re flected rays are manifested by illuminated spots adjacent the said reflectors, and means associated with and in a plane in front of the said reflectors for imparting desired information.

In testimony whereof the said EDMUND R. BooTs has hereunto signed his name the 4th day of March, 1924. and the said SvnN AUGUST ESKILSON has hereunto signed. his name the fifth day of February, 1924.

EDMUND R. BOOTS. SVEN AUGUST ESKILSON.

Images