US1745463A - Indicating device - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4, 1930. W.,H. WASCHER INDICATING DEVICE Filed on, 4, 192a UNITED STA Patented Feb. 4, 1930 I a WILLIAM H. WASCHER, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN INDICATING DEVICE Application filed October 4, 1928. Serial No. 310,250;

' Thisinvention relates to indicating devices and particularly to such devices as are suit- I able. for usein indicating the street number ject' being the provision of a device of this of residences, or like uses, the principal 0bkind which will be'visible either day or, night. "iknotherobject is to provide an illuminated a" indicating device in which the illuminating means, will be kept constantly burning.

Anotherobject is to provide a device of the type described that will be constantly illuminated, but in which the illuminating means will beineflective .asfar as illumination is concernedin daylight. Another object is to provide an illuminating device of the type described in which the illuminating means are supplied with power from a step-down transformer floatlng'on the ordinary house-lighting circuit. Anotherobject is to provide a device of the type described in which the illuminating means derives its power from the transformer employed in connection with the usual bell.- ringing circuit conventionally employed in residencesand the like.

, Anothe'r object isto provide a newan d novelconstruction for an illuminating 1I1d1' I y a pan-like container 10 open on one side only eating .device.

A; further obj 'nated indicating'device comprising a con-' tainer provided with a readily detachable face, the face, being formed by a pair of transparent plates overlying each other and enclosing between them a stencil plate and a light diffusing member. 7

The above being among the objects of thepresent "invention, the same consists in cer tain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and

then claimed, having jects in view.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable embodiment of the present the above and other obinvention, and in which like numerals refer to'like parts throughout the several difl'erent views,-

, Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic partially broken face view of my indicating dect is to provide an illumi- Vice illustrating the electrical circuit for the same. V

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partially broken face view of my indicating device.

Fig. 3 isa sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The idea of providing an illuminated indicating device for indicating street numbers and the like is in itself old, but so far as I am only provides a construction that is economical in its initial cost, which employs a negligible amount of power for its continued operation, but is equally efiicient either in daytime or at night.

Referring to the accompanying drawing it will be noted that the device itself comprises and having the margins of the open side turned over as at 11 around a wire such as 12 so as to form an outwardly extending flanged or beaded edge. Within the container is a base 13 which receives a suitable electric bulb 14. The open side of the container 10 is closed by two glass plates 15 and 16 which overlie the open faceof the container and Whichpare secured thereto by a frame provided with a relatively narrow flange 17 overlying the sides of the outer face of the plate 16 and extending around the margins of the plates 15 and 16 and engaging the same, and provided with in-turned flanges 18 along the sides which resiliently embrace the marginal side flanges 11 of the container and resiliently clamp the transparent plates 15 and 16 against the face of the flanges 11. Between the plates 15 and 16 are positioned a stencil plate 19 and a light diffusing plate 20. The plates 15 and 16 are preferably of clear glass. The stencil plate 19 may be of any opaque material or suitable translucent material which will not permit a too ready passage of the light therethrough, and the plate 20 may be made of any suitable material preferably of a translucent type such as colored crepe paper or any other like material which will cause suitable diffusion of the light from the bulb 14 before the light is transmitted through the openings in the stencil plate 19. The plates 19 and 20 are preferably separable from each other and from the glass plates 15 and 16 so that any color of the diffusing plate 20 and any suitable stencil design on the plate 19 or color thereof may be furnished with any device that maybe sold, although they may be cemented or otherwise secured in place when desired. The stencil plate 19 is preferably of a light color such as white and the plate 20 of a relatively dark color which will set out the markings in the stencil plate with cleairness and exactness in daylight but which, when viewed at night through the markings in the stencil plate, will clearly and easily disclose such markings. It will, of

course, be obvious that at night the stencil plate will appear black and the markings therein will appearas of the color of the plate 20, while in the daytime the stencil will appear white or any other color with which it may be finished and the markings therein of the color of the plate 20, the illuminating means, in the daytime being of insufficient brilliancy to cause the light to be apparent through the markings in the stencil plate.

The clamping frame which secures the plates 15, 16, 19 and 20 to the container 10. ordinarily clamps the plates to the container with sufficient firmness to prevent possible entrance of rain into the interior. of thecontainer, but should any rain find its way back of the lower face flange 17 the same may escape from the frame through openings such as 41 formed in the lower side face of the frame.

In order that this device require substantially no attention during its operation I keep the bulb 14 constantly burning so that there is no necessity of turning ofi the light in the daytime, and in order that this constant burning of the light will not entailan undue expense for its illumination, I employ a low voltage bulb preferably of the sixvolt type. The source of power for thebulb 14, in order to reduce the cost of the same to a minimum, is obtained in the following manner. As is generally known substantially every residence at the present time is provided with an electric light circuit of approximately 110 volts. These circuits are invaclaim.

22 and 23, such transformer stepping the current down to approximately six volts.

These transformers draw so little power 7 I from the lighting circuit that they may be said to substantially float on the same. The

the bell or buzzer 26 is caused to operate. In accordance with the present invention I employ. the, bell 7 ring transformer 24 as the source of power for the bulb 14 by'connecting it up to the same with leads such as some 31. and without the employment of a switch of any kind in such leads. The result is that the cost of constantly burning the bulb 14 is so small as to be substantially negligible From the above it will beapparent that by the employment of the present invention I so I have provided an illuminated indicating de= 1 l vice which is equally visible at day or night, that is economical to manufacture, whose mands a minimum of service and attention, and whlch is economical to maintain.

Formal changesmay be made in the spe-' V cific embodiment of the invention described Without departing from the spirit or substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended wh t claim s: V

color than that of the outer face of said stencil' plate, and a source of illumination within said container of sufficient intensity to visibly illuminate said stencil markings in darkness but ineifective to'visibly illuminate the same in daylight. I V V a V WILLIAMH. WVASGI-IER.

riably of the alternating current type, and

in Fig. 1 I denote the two sides of the circuit as 22 and 28 respectively. In residences so provided the door bell circuit includes a stepdown transformer such as 24 interposed between the two sides of the lighting circuit parts are readily interchangeable, which del I 1.00 An indicating device comprising a con--

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