US1814379A - Electric sign - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1931'. E. a. GODDARD 1,814,379

ELECTRIC sum Filed Feb. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 14, 1931. E. G. GODDARD ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Feb. 20, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 I I 01111111111111111111WMA 1111I111111111171A2111/111Z471/11/11Z1/1 ,11111111 7191/11 a M m. D A

Patented July 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWIN G. GODDARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FLASHTRIC SIGN WORKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, PARKER AND HARRY S. PARKER A OOPAR'INERSHIP COMPOSED OF FRED I ELECTRIC SIGN Application filed February 20, 1928. Serial No. 255,589.

Due to the fact that electric currents of very high voltage are required to illuminate neon and other gas filled tubes employed for sign characters in electric signs, the practice rheretofore has been to use heavily insulated wires or cables for the highvoltage current. These wires or cables have been mounted in the body of the sign on insulators relatively close to the metal framework and panels of 1 the sign structure. The insulation about these wires comprises a relatively thick casing of rubber or other insulating material which gives the cables a large outside diameter from one-half to one inch. This brings the outer surface of the cables close to the adjacent metal of the sign body as the cables extend from one insulatorto another. The

1 heavy insulation, due to the high tension current passing through the cables, in time doteriorates sufficiently to break down and allows for short-circuiting between the cables and the metal of the sign body producing'an arc and setting fire to the insulation.- The above is caused directly by the corona or 95 static discharges taking effect, which are known to defeat the purposes of any insulation used for this purpose. In the majority of signs there is sufiicient h1 h tension cable used to produce an intense re which would destroy. the entire sign and endanger the building on which the sign is mounted.

In the sign constructions heretofore made there are no positive means for cutting ofi the current to the signs when the are opened for inspection or repair. There ore it is possible that a workman repairing the sign is subject to a shock from the high tension cables or transformer on reaching inor entering the live sign. Although a shock may not be fatal in itself, it may cause the workman receiving it to fall from the sign andbe badly if not fatally hurt.

, In accordance with my invention, I. eliminate the shock hazard from the sign structure by providing at each of the inspection doors a switch mechanism which on the door being 0 enedwill immediately break the circuit in t e si and render it dead, thereby allowing awor an to reach in or enter the sign without any chance of receiving a shock. The primary circuit for the sign is in series with all of the door switches, so that when any door is opened the circuit is immediately broken and thus all current supply to the sign cut off and the sign rendered dead. On shutting the doors, the primary circuit is restoredso that the sign will be in condition to function. These door switches are used for the complete protection of those who repair and service these signs and should not be misconstrued as the service switches which control the ordinary operation of the signs.

In accordance with my invention, I. employ heavily glazed porcelain insulators for mounting the high tension wires in the sign, and by these insulators so space the wires from the metal frame and anels of the sign and other circuits therein t at the air spaces between the wires and the metal sign structure are amply sufficient to insulate the high voltage used in' these wires, and thus avoid the necessity of any insulating coverings about the wires as heretofore. Thus bare high tension wires may be employed in the sign body with the complete elimination of 75 fire hazard, heretofore mentioned, because of the complete avoidance of all combustible materials.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In'the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a front view ofan electric gas tube sign embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the sign;

Fig. 3 is a vertical'sectional view taken through the same on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4' is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, with the switch parts in elevation and the'door being shown partly open;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the indirect line 6-6 of Fig. 3; V

Fig. 7 is a sectional view. taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a, view'showin the split flexible disc through which one o the electrodes of no the tube exten ls.

In the drawings, I have shown a double face sign, in which 1, 1 are its front faces, and '2, 2 the several neon or other gas filled tubes which make the letters or characters of the sign. The front faces 1, 1 are usually of metal panels, spaced apart with an intervening wall structure which with the front panels make a hollow sign body or housing to contain the wiring and other mechanism necessary to operate the sign. The wall structure mentioned has top and bottom sections 3, 4 and end sections 5, 5.

In order that access maybe had into the sign body at any time, as for the purpose of inspection or repair, the end sections 5, 5 are each provided with an opening 6 normally closed by a door 7, which is located on the outside of the section and preferably hinged at its lower edge so that the door on being opened will swing outwardly and downwardly. A fastener 8 is turnably mounted on each wall 5 above the upper edge 3f its door for locking and unlocking the oor.

Secured to the inside of each door 7 is a porcelain plug 9, which carries a pair of electric contact prongs 10, 10. These enter suitable sockets in a porcelain receptacle 11 carried by a bracket 12 extending across the door opening 6 on the inner side of the wall 5 and bolted or otherwise secured to the wall on opposite sides of the opening, as shown Fig. 4;.

'The electrode assemblies 13 for each si 11 character 2 are at the opposite ends of t e glass tubing which forms the character.

ne of the assemblies is shown in Fig. 6, and there it will be seen that the end portion of the tubing is bent at right-angles to the body of the tubing and is enlarged in the form of a bulb. about which is a suitably formed and supported glass receptacle. This assembly extends into the interior of the sign body through the adjacent sign facing 1, the latter having a hole 14 cut therein of a size to permit the assembly to be readily inserted through the hole. The latter is made fairly large so that the assembly may be inserted through without chance of breakage and also, to take care of an assembly which may be off center or not at right-angles to the main portion of the tube. To close this opening so that it will not appear unsightly on the front face of the sign, I provide a flexible rubber disc-15, which is slit at one side from its outer edge to its center so that the disc may be applied about the tube and hug the same just beyond the bulb assembly, as shown in Fig. 6. The disc has a channel 15 in its outer edge to receive the edge of the opening 14 and thus support the disc in the opening without the use of bolts or other fasteners.- The disc 15 not only closes this opening so that rain, snow, sleet, etc., may not enter the sign body, but also proman from inserting a tool or rod into the sign through the opening to contact with the high tension wires which are in the sign bodyand connected with the bulbs.

In Fig. 3 will be seen the electrode ends 13 which extend into the sign body from the several tubes 2 on one face of the sign. Located inthe sign body and preferably supported on the bottom wall 4 thereof, is a transformer 16 of any preferred construction and having high tension terminals 17, 18. A high tension wire 19 leads from the terminal 17 to one of the electrodes of the first letter E of the sign. A high tension wire 20 connects the other electrode of said letter with.

the adjacent electrodev of the second letter A. A high tension wire 21 connects the other electrode of the letter A with the adjacent electrode of the third letter T, and a high tension wire 22 connects the other electrode of the. letter T. with the other high tension terminal 18 of the. transformer, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby completing the high tension or secondary circuit of the sign wiring. The high tension wires 19 to 22 are bare, in that they are not covered with any insulating material. Said wires are supported from-the adjacent walls of the sign structure by a number ofglazed high tension porcelain insulators 23, 23. These are secured to suitable brackets 24, which are bolted or otherwise tightly secured to a metal part of the sign structure, as shown in Fig. 6. The

bare or uncovered high tension wires extend through openings or apertures in the insulators 23 and are looped about them to hold the wires thereon.

In practice, the high tension wires are connected to the stiff terminals 25 of the electrodes at the bulb ends of the tube letters by flexible wire connections 26, as shown in Fig. 6. These wire connections are usually wrapped around and aresoldered to the high tension wires at one end and carry clips 27 at their other ends for connection with the terminals 25, as -shown.

Leading into the sign body adjacent the transformer 16 are two insulated wires 28, 29, as shown in Fig. 3. The wire 28 is on the live side of the circuit and leads to one of the sockets in the poreclain receptacle 11 at the adjacent door 7. The wire 29 is on the ground side of the circuit and leads to one of the terminals 30 of the transformer 16. An'insulated wire 31 connects the other socket of the receptacle 11 with one of the sockets in the receptacle 11 at the other door of the sign. An insulated wire 32 leads from the other socket of the last mentioned receptacle 11 to the terminal 33 of the transformer, as shown in Fig. 3. The wiring just described constitutes the primary circuit of the sign and supplies thereto an electric current from an voltage of this circuit is stepped up to that required for the tube letters 2 throu h the transformer 16, as in the operation 0 of the character described.

When both doors 7 of the sign are closed, the switches 9-11 at each door are closed, and current is supplied to the sign for illuminating it when the service switch in or on the building on which the sign is mounted or hung is turned on. When either door is opened, the primary circuit is broken, and, as a result no current flows to the sign through either circuit and both circuits are therefore dead; This takes effect automatically on the opening of either door, and, as the switch members 9-11 on each door are half way up the door, these switch members will be separated before the door is opened far enough to permit access to be had into the sign. Thus, when a workman opens the sign for repairs or for examining any of the parts within the sign, the current to the sign is immediately cut off and the workman can not receive a shock from even the bare or uncovered high tension wires in the sign, due to the fact that there is no current flowing through them. The workman may therefore 'freel work about the sign without any chance 0 receiving an electric shock. Moreover, as the high tension wires are bare or uncovered, there is no fire hazard because there is no insulating or other material about the wires to take fire, and moreover the wires are supported far enough away from the metal walls of the sign body so'that no opportunity is afforded for short-circuiting.

Large signs are usually made in sections with a multiplicity of letters in each section. The doors for each section would be provided with separable switches 9-11, and these would be wired together so that the circuits of the various sections would be immediately broken on the opening of a door of any section. In the drawings, I have shown a double face sign. My invention is also applicable to single face or othersigns.

The details of structure and arrangement of parts described and shown may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my inven-' tion.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric sign having a casing with a front wall, a gas filled tube mounted on the signs a hollow casing forming the body of the sign, one or more gas filled tube characters supported by the casing in position for display thereon, primary and secondary circuits for carrying the commercial lighting-and high tension currents, respectively, for the characters, a transformer connecting said circuits for stepping up the low voltage of the primary'circuit to the high voltage required for the secondary circuit to illuminate the tube characters in the operation of the sign, saidtransformer and circuits being located within the casing and exposed for access through either one of a number of openings in the outer wall of the casing, closures, one for each ofisaid openings, and switch means, one for each of said closures, said switch means being connected in series in the primary circuit for automatically breaking both circuits on opening either closure to render the sign inoperative and shock-proof when either closure is open, said switch means automatically re-establishing both circuits to condition the sign for operation on the closing of all closures.

3. An electric sign of the luminescent gas filled tube type, comprising in combination a hollow casing forming the body of the sign, one or more gasfilled tube characters supported by the casing in position for display thereon, primary and secondary circuits for the tube characters, a transformer through vwhich the circuits are connected for stepping up the low voltage of the primary circuit to the high voltage required for the secondary circuit to illuminate the characters, said transformer and circuits being located in the casing and exposed for access through a.

EDWIN G. GO DARD.

casing in front of said wall and having electrode assemblies in its ends, said wall having openings to permit the assemblies to be readily and easily inserted thercthrough, flexible covers for the openings, said covers being slitted-so as to be applied about the tubes adjacent said assemblies and hung about the tubes'just beyond the same, and means for holding the covers at the openings.

2. An electric sign of the luminescent gas filled tube type, comprising in combination

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