US1836905A - Sign - Google Patents

Description

R. M. ,CRAIG Dec. 1 5, '1931.

SIGN.

5 sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. e, 1929 R. M. .CRAIG Dec. 15, 1931.

SIGN

Fi'led Aug. 6, 1929 5, sheets-sheet "5 Dec. 15, 1931. f

R1. M. CRAIG 1,836,905

' SIGN l Filed Aug. e. 1929 s sheetssheet 4 ,raf 96 Z. M Crea l atten/Ms INSULTWN a Snom/kob Dec. 15, 1931. R. M. CRAIG 1,836,905

SIGN

Filed Aug. 6, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 15, 193i UNITED. STATES RICHARD M. CRAIG, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS SIGN Application filed August 6, 1929. Serial No. 383,908.

The present invention relates to advertising apparatus and more particularly to a novel method and apparatus for producing attractive and mystifying design effects by the employment or" luminescent tubes.

Neon tubes are now employed to a, large extent in stationary signs but so far as l am aware practical difculties connected with the making, handling and mounting of neon ltubes has prevented their use in signs having motion, and the present invention has for its primary object the provision of a sign in which neon tubes will be mounted so as to be capable of motion without destruction and by the use of which a great variety of novel, attractive and mystifying effects will be attained. ln the psychology of advertising,

it is conceded that the elements of light, color,

motion and mystery are each of great Weight `in attracting the attention of observers and a combinationof all the elements is the strongest possible agent compelling passers-by to note the display. Essentially, thev apparatus comprises a rotating support upon which are mounted luminescent tubes which mayy be shaped to form words, trade-marks or other insignia and which, when illuminated and rotating with the support, Will form beautillt) `ful symmetrical patterns in which the several spectral colors will be distinct and will not blend. Neon tubes are activated only by the use of alternating current andthey possess the property of being extinguished instantly when the current' is shut 0H and likewise lighting up the instant the `current is turn'ed on so that there will be no afterglow and when the current through a neon tube has been cut off, the illumination immediately ceases and at once the tube is dark. When the 4support in the apparatus of the present invention is rotating at the proper speed, the current may be supplied to the word formed bv the neon tube at such intervals that the tube Will'be illuminated when it is in properreading position which, of course,l occurs only once in each revolution but owing to the persistency of vision the eye sees the word as though it were stationary and continuously lit. Likewiseyifthe word be continuously illuminated while the support is rotating, the

eye will see the word at various positions successively around the support but will seem to see the positions as a network of crossing lines of color, the word being actually seen 'many tunes a second in different successive pos1t1ons but seeming to. be a symmetrical pattern or" the sign board in which a Word 1s not recognized. By changing the letters or wording of the sign the artistic and ornamental patterns may be changed or varied at 80 will so that no two signs will loe the same, unless, of course, the wording is absolutely identical. This feature imparts an individuality to the display surface of each sign and, consequently, renders the signs more attractive, animated and mystiying than if the general edect of each sign were the saine.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter first, fully described and then more particularly defined in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view or one embodiment of the invention showing the same as it appears when at rest,s 'f5v Fig. 2 is -an enlarged view, partly in elevation and partly in section, in the vertical plane of the main shaft,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with parts in transverse section, I

Fig. 4 is a diagram'showing the operating and controlling means,

Fig. 5v is a similar view showing a modification, l

Fig. 6 is a front elevation on a smaller scale and more clearly showing the sign proper Figs. 7 and8 are views in the nature o diagrams to illustrate the eiect produced by theoperation of the sign, Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail longitudinal 90 section through a portion of the mam shaft,

Figs.v 10 and 11 are detail views illustrative of modifications, and v Figs. 12 and 13 are transverse sectional views through the rotary shaft showing the 95. construction of the contacts. For the purpose of illustration, there is shown in the accompanying drafws a. small portable sign which may be u indoors and may be shifted from plane to place as 1 may be desired. In carryingout the invention as embodied in 'this portable device, there is provided a base 1 which is preferably in the form of a casing or box and upon this base are-secured standards 2 which may be of any convenient form and are shown as being substantially A-shape and provided with bearings 3 at their upper ends in which the main shaft 4 is journaled. As shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, cover plates 5 are secured to a handle member 6 and depend therefrom and bear against the sides of the standards so as to house and protect the operating and controlling mechanism. The handle member 6 is in the form of a bail having end members 7 secured upon the bearings 3 by set screws 8as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The bridging portion of this member is formed with side flanges 9 which extend upwardly, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, so that they form a convenient and comfortable member to be grasped, by the hand of the user. f

Secured to one end of the hollow shaft 4 in any convenient manner is a supporting plate 10 which may be of any convenient form but will preferably be a circular disk and is provided at its edge with a rim 11 of suflicient depth to protect the luminescent tubes mounted on the disk from breakage by possible chance blows. While the supporting plate is preferably in the form of a circular disk, it must be understood that it may be of any desired form, and in Fig. 11 there is shown a supporting plate 12 having the outline of a five-pointed star. While, as stated, the supporting plate or disk may be secured to the shaft in any approved manner, the drawings show a junction box or bracket 13 secured upon the back of the plate and furnishing a chamber to accommodate the several conductors conveyed to and from the several tubes. This junction box 13 is formedr with a central hub 14 which is threaded onto the end of the shaft. At the opposite end of the shaft, a pulley 15 is secured thereon and a belt 16 is trained around said pulley and a pulley 17 on the drive shaft of a motor 18 which is secured upon the base 1 and housed bythe standards 2 and the 'cover plates 5. The motor has its shaft extended at that side of the `motor casing more remote from the pulley 17 and operatively connected with speed-reducing gearing, at 19, within the motor casing, the speed-reducing gearing including a shaft 20 which extends vertically from the motor casing and is equipped at its upper end with a worm 21, the purpose of which will presently appear. Within the Abase 1 are a s'eries of transformers 22 and through one side of the box a supply cable 23 enters to supply current to the motor and to the several working parts, one branch of the cable,

whereby the current is as shown at 24, passing directly to and being l connected to the motor.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, four neon tubes are mounted upon the display surface of the rotary plate or disk. One of these tubes, 25, is in the form of an approximately elliptical element having arcuate top and bottom portions connected at one end by a straight normally vertical end member 26 and having its terminals at the opposite end, one terminal 27 extending parallel with the portion 26 while the other terminal 28 is a continuation of the arc defined by that member of the tube which will, for convenience, be referred to as the bottom. Within the area set off by the tube 25 is located a second tube 29 which is formed to spell a word, the word Lite being shown in the drawings as an illustration. It will be noted that the terminal electrodes of this tube, shown at 30, are

disposed'in a plane parallel with the planel of the supporting plate and it is not necessary to extend the terminals through the plate in order to secure the tube in place and this is true of all the tubes employed in my sign. As previously stated, the words, letters, characters or symbols constituting the display surface of the sign are preferably formed of neon tubing but if desired other kindred gaseous tubes now in common use, such as argon, helium, xenon, crypton, etc. may be employed. The display colors of the sign depend on the color of the glass of the tubing and the particular kind of gas used lin said tubing. By

'actual experiment, I have found that the most efficient display of colors is produced by making the word Flash appear red, the elliptiv cal central tubingblue, the Word Lite green and the Word Gas yellow. It will, ofcourse, be understood, however, that this arrangement of colors may be changed or varied if desired without departing from thespirit of the invention. The tubes are secured in/,place by resting upon wooden blocks, indica/ted at 31, which have their outer surfaces made concave or dished so as to provide seats for the tubes which are to belcaried by them. These blocks aresecured to the supporting plate and also to the tube by a cement having a cellulose base and having approximately the same coefficient of expansion as the tubes so that the necessity for mounting thetubes in springs, as has been ad general practice previously, is overcome, and I have found by actual use that the tubes will be firmly held on the supporting plate or disk by this method and Will not be shattered by rotation of the disk, whereas previously any attempt to rotate the tubes at any appreciable speed caused destruction of the tube through4 centrifugal force. Above the tube 25 is a tube 32 which is also formed to produce a word and below the tube 25 is a fourth tube 33 which also is made to form a word, the words Flash and Gas being shown for illustratiomf The words which are to be shown by the tubes will, of course, be varied to meet the desires of an owner or operator and, of course, there is no limit to the words which may be used. Inasmuch as the design shown by the moving sign is formed by the several tubes, it follows that no two signs will produce the same figures unless the words of the signs are exact duplicates.

Immediately adjacent the hub 14, a collar 34 of insulation is secured upon the main shaft 4 and embedded in the periphery of this collar is a brass or copper ring 35, the several tubes each having one end connected electrically to the ring 35, it being noted upon reference to Figs. 1 and 6 that the terminals at the right side of the figures are connected by wires 36 to posts 37 in common so that wires extending from the posts may pass into the hollow main shaft 4, as indicated in Fig.

2, and then pass outwardly, as indicated at 38, to the ring 35. A brush 39 is secured upon a bar 40 of insulation which is secured to the standards 2, and this brush bears upon the ring 35, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and a wire 41 extends from the brush 39 into the base 1 where it is connected to the secondary side of all the transformers 22, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the ring 3 5, brush 39 and wire 41 constitute a common return for all the tubes. As will be understood upon reference to Fig. 4, there is a transformer 22 for each tube carried by the supporting plate or disk 10, which disk or plate is, of course, of any approved insulating material. Secured upon the main shaft 4 is a body of insulation 42 and this body may be a single integral sleeve fitted closely onto the shaft or it may be formed of separate disks placed upon the shaft with their ends in contact, as indicated in Fig. 9. At the ends of the insulating body 42,'stop collars 43 are rigidly secured upon the shaft so as to hold the body in place and also guard against the chipping of the ends thereof through possible chance blows. Spaced conductor rings 44 are seated in the insulated body 42 through thatportion of the same nearer the disk-carrying end of the main shaft, and-wires 45 are soldered or otherwise connected to the respective rings and extend'therefrom through passages 46 in the body 42 and a slot 47 in the shaft and then outward through the end of the shaft to be attached to the intake terminals of the respective tubes. Brushes 48 are secured upon the bar 40 and bear upon-the respective rings 44 and from said brushes wires 49 extend to the secondary side of the transformers and each wire is connected t-o the transformer rvgoverning the respective tube.

These transformers 22 may be of well known form and are obtained in the open market. In Fig. 4, I have indicated open# cre transformers or spark coils as being employed, and when this type of coil is employed, a step-down transformer, indicated at 50, is employed between the coils 22 and the in-put .cable 23. If closed-core transformers are used, the step-down transformer 50 may be omitted. It is `intended that the tube 25 be operated constantly when the sign is in use and, therefore, the transformer 50 is connected at one side by a wire 51 directly with the primary side of the coil 22 whichtis connected to the tube 25, a wire 52 also connecting the transformer 50 with the primary side of the last-mentioned transformer. From the wire 52, however, a branch wire 53 extends up to a bar 54 of insulation secured upon the standards 2 below the b ar 40 where it is connected to a brush 55 secured onsaid bar. Below the bar 54 a flasher shaft 56 is journaled in suitable bearings on .the standards and carried by said shaft are a plurality of cams or segments 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62,63 and 64, and arranged to cooperate with each end of lthese segments or cams are brushes 65 corresponding in all respects to the brush 55. From the wire 53 and the brush 55 a wire 66 extends upwardly to a brush 67 which is secured upon the bar 40 and bears upon a conductor ring 68 upon thev insulating body 42 which is secured upon the main hollow shaft 4.A A conductor 69 extends inwardly from the ring 68 to be housed within the shaft and connects with blocks 70v set in the circumference of said body 42,as indicated most clearly in Fig. 12. Bearing upon each block 70 is a brush 71 which is secured upon the bar 40 and has a wire 72 leading therefrom in common to the brush 65, as shown best in F ig. 4. A single Contact will meet the needs of the case, but I prefer to employ three contacts so as to make certain of the operation and three con- .tacts4 should be provided when the trans- '.fformer 50 is used and only a six voltage is passing into the low tension side of the apparatus. The ring 68 and the contacts 70 with their coopera-ting parts constitute the primary or low tension side of the appa.- ratuswhile the brushes 48 and rings 44 and their cooperating connections constitute the secondary or high tension side of the apparatus, and it will be noted at once without further description that the apparatus is controlled on the low tension side thereby meeting the requirements of fire underwriters 63 and 64 are connected, respectively, by wires 73 with the brushes bearlng upon the segments 61, 60 and 59, as shown in Fig. 4, and the brushes arranged to cooperate with the last-mentioned segments are connected by wires 74, 75 and 76 with the primary side of transformers governing the respective tubes 29, 32 and 33.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, current passes over 52 to the transformer governing the tube 25 and current also passes from the wire 52 over the wire 53 to the brush 55 thence passing to the segment 57 and shaft 56 and along the shaft to the segments 62, 63 and 64. From f said segments'the current flows through the cooperating brushes to theI wires 74, 75 and 76 so that the tubes 29, 32 and 33 will be :operated continuously. It it be desired to have the words on the tubes 29, 32 and 33 brought into the design successively, the several segments 62, 63 and 64 may be arranged 'A slightly out of alinement so that the segment 63 may engage 64 will engage its brush before the segment- 63 engages its brush and likewise the segment its brush before the segment 62 makes contact with a brush so that the tubes forming the words of the sign will be illuminated successively and not simultaneously. When Vthe rotation of the shaft 56 breaks the contact between the. segment 57 and the brush 55, contact is immediately made between ther segment 58 and the brush 65, whereupon the current will flow from the wire 53 through the wire 66 and brush 67 to the ring 68 and thence to the several contact blocks 70 and through the brushes 71 and wire 72 to the brush 65. Inasmuch as the segments 59, 60 and 61 are arranged in the same manner as the segment 58, the current will iow along the shaft to the, segments 59,

and 61 which are at this time in contact with the respectively alined brushes, the contact between the segments 62, 63 and 64 and their respective brushes being now broken. The current will now iow from the ' segments 59, 60 and 61 into the wires 74, 75 and 76, as before, but the circuit through the tubes willbe broken once in every revolution of the main shaft inasmuch as the current now passes through the contact blocks 70 instead of directly through the brush 55 and the segment 57.

It will be noted that the main shaft 4 is driven through the pulleys 15 and 17 and the belt-16 directly from the motor shaft so that it is rotated at a relatively highspeed, being ordinarily driven at from seven hundred and fty to one thousand and two hundred revo-l lutions per minute, and I have found that the most pleasing results are attained at a A speed of seven hundred and fifty revolutions the wires 51 and 56 a worm gear 77 is secured thereon and meshes with the worm 21, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a similar controlling mechanism in which a two-way thermo, mercury or other suitable flasher is employed. In this figure, the several tubes 78, 7 9 and 80 are connected in series so that they will all be extinguished or lighted simultaneously while the tube 81 which corresponds to the tube 25 in the previously described arrangement is separately illuminated but has a return in common with the other tubes. The transformer 82 receives the intake wires 83 and controls the tube 81, the current passing from the secondary side of the transformer over a wire 84 to a brush 85 bearing upon a ring 86 on the main shaft, indicated at 87,`

and thence through the shaft over a wire 88 into the tube, the return being over the common wire 89 through the shaft to the ring 90, thence through the brush 91 and wire 92 back to the transformer. The transformer 93 has its return in common with the wire 92 while a wire 94 leads from said transformer to a brush 95 and thence to a ring 96 on the main shaft, passing from said 'ring through the shaft over a wire 9 7 to the several tubes 78, 79 and 80. The primary side of the transformer 93 is connected to one of the wires 83 by a common wire 98 and also connected by'a wire 99 with'a brush 100 which bears upon a conductor ring 101 on the shaft 87. From said ring the current passes through the shaft over aiwire 102 to a contact block 103 on an insulating collar 104 on the shaft. A brush 105 ,makes contact with the block 103 anda wire 106 leads from said brush toI a contact 107 forming one side of the tWo-way-thermo iiasher. The contact 108 of the flasher is connected With the transformer 93 by a wire 109 and one wire 83 is connected with the flasher arm 110 byfa wire 111. Now when the flasher arm is on the contact 108, the transformer 93 is working steadily and making steady patterns in the display, the circuit being directly through the wire 94 and the brush 95 back through the wire 92, as

llO

on the contact 107, the current goes through the 'wire 106 to the brush 105 and contact block 103 and thence through the wire 102 to the brush 100 and through the wire 99 whence it reaches the transformer 93 and then flows to and through the tubes,'as before described.

In the small portable sign, the disk 10 and the parts mounted thereon may be driven at a high speed easily and in safety, but in the large outdoor signs, it is desirable to operate at a lower speed so as to avoid the disastrous effects which result from centrifugal action. To this end it is expedient to duplicate the tubes forming words, as indicated in Fig. 10,

the words being arranged in corresponding positions upon the disk, and, instead of a 7 single contact block 70 being provided to illuminate the tubes once each revolution, diametrically opposite blocks 112 are employed to successively engage the coacting brush 113. rlhis arrangement will permit the speed of the main shaft to be reduced onehalf without destroying the effectiveness of the sign inasmuch as the words will be lighted as they successively reach the wording posimost position which is the wording position,

the eye will see the word formed by this tube once in each revolution but the persistency of vision will produce an optical illusion and the successive illuminations of the word will come so rapidly that the word will appear to be still and continuously illuminated; lf the word be continuously illuminated, it will be actually seen in a number of positions at different points around the circumference of the disk or the area of revolution, somewhat as it appears in Fig. 8. Owing to the persistency of vision, however, the word will not be readable in each of these positions which will overlap and the impression upon the eye will be that of a number of lines intersecting each other over the entire surface'of the sign. As an alternating current is used and the tubes have the property of becoming dark in about one ten-thousandth of a' second and likewise being illuminated in the same small period of time the lines will be distinct and will n ot blend or blur so that the impression upon the eye is of a multiplicity of sharply defined lines, the rotation of the disk and the flashing of the tubes due to the alternating current being more rapid than the eye can distinguish. 4

Owing to the shape'or configuration of the letters or words constituting the display sur'- face of the sign and the different distinctive spectral colors ofthe neontubes, when the disk or support is rotating rapidly, said letters or words will form highly ornamental, artistic, animated and intricate patterns or designs in which the different spectral colors of the neon tubes will stand out prominently Withvno diffusion or blending of colors whatever apparent. As the particular design or pattern produced by the rotation of the disk is dependent upon the configuration of the words or characters on the sign, it necessarily follows that no two signs will be the same unless, ofcourse, the wording is absolutely identical. When the words are illuminated once each revolution and the tubel 25 is constantly illuminated, the effect is somewhat as indicated in Fig. 7, the tubes forming words being readable, as indicated, and the tube 25 apparently forming a plurality of lines resembling the wire spokes of a bicycle or automobile wheel serving as a background for th-e Words and these spokes will at times seem to drift in one direction then hesitate and drift in the opposite direction.

By varying the spark gap in the trans? formers, the frequency of illumination of the tubes may be varied and, consequently, the letters or patterns displayed with greater or lesser frequency so as to produce amyriad V of pleasing and artistic effects.

Having thus described the invention, l claim:

l. A sign comprising a plate mounted to rotate in a vertical plane, luminescent tubes secured on one side of said plate fashioned to form characters, means supplying current to the tubes whereby they will be constantly alternately illuminated and darkened at rapid intervals, vmeans for rotating the plate at a relatively high speed, and means operating at relatively ,low speed for intermittently 'illuminating the tubes thereby to render the reading of certain of the characters legible. 2. A sign comprising a plate, a rotatable shaft carrying said plate, luminescent tubes.,

secured on the side of the plate, high tension circuits controlled by one end portion of the shaft to illumine the tubes, low tension circuits passing through the opposite'end portion of the shaft, means for rotating said `shaft at relatively high speed, and means operating at relatively low speed for making and breaking the low tension circuits whereby to control the illumination of the tubes.

3. A sign comprising a rotatable plate, a plurality of luminescent tubes secured on said plate, a plurality of transformers each having its secondary side in circuit with the intake end of one of the tubes, there being a common return for all of the tubes to the transformers, in-put circuits connecting the in-put with the primary sides of the transformers, means for rotating the plate at 'a relatively high speed, and means interposed in the primary circuits and operating at relatively low speed whereby to control the illumination of the tubes.

4. A sign comprising a disk, supporting .blocks placed against a side of the disk, lumilegible.

A sign comprising a rotatable display member having ai peripheral protecting flange, neon tubes secured to the display face of said member and disposed entirely within the lines of the protecting flange, said n ters and having aspectral color different tubes being formed into the .letters to be displayed, means for rotating the member, and means for illuminating and extinguishing the tubes during the rotation of said member.

.8, A sign comprising a rotatable member, luminescent tubes secured to the display face of said member and fashioned to form characters, a motor including a source of energy for rotating the display member, a transformer included in the source of energy, means connected with the primary side of the transformer for illuminating the tubes during the rotation of the member, and causo said tubes to produce a composite illuminated design, means for intermittently illuminating certain of the tubes at predetermined intervals to render the reading of the characters legible andmeans for varying the intensity of luminosity of the tubes.

9. A sign comprising a supporting frame, a housing for the frame and having a carrying handle at its upper end, a shaft journaled in the frame and extending throughsaid housing, a display disk secured to and mounted for rotation with the shaft, luminescent tubes secured to the display surface of the disk, a motor for' rotating the shaft, and means for illuminating and extinguishing the tubes during rotation of the disk.

10. A sign-comprising a rotatable display member, luminescent tubes secured to the display surface of the member and fashioned to form separate characters each having a distinctive spectral color, an auxiliary luminescent tube surrounding one of the characfrom said' characters, means for rotating the display member, means 4for simultaneously flashing all of said characters to produce a composite design, and means for intermit.

tently displaying certain of said characters and simultaneously'illuminating ythe auxiliary tube 'to cause the spectral -color of said tube to appear to drift backward and forward over the surface of the characters intermittently displayed. L

11. A sign of the class described comprising a rotatable member, a plurality of luminescent tubes carried by said member, a body of insulation on the rotatable member, a plurality of conductor rings set in said body, connections between the respective rings and the luminescent tubes, high tension circuits including said rings, brushes bearing upon the respective rings, transformers having their high tension sides connected with said brushes, low tension circuits including a single conductor ringset in said body of insulation, a plurality of contact points set in the body of insulation and connected with said ring, brushes bearing upon the ring and the said contact points respectively, and connections between said brushes and the transformers, one of the transformers being also directly connected to a source of electric energy whereby said' transformer will maintain one of the luminescent tubes constantly illuminated, and make and break devices interposed in the low tension circuits Whereby the other luminescent-tubes will be intermittently illuminated.

l2. A sign of the class set forth comprising a rotatable hollow shaft, a display member mounted to rotate with the shaft, a plurality of luminescent tubes carried by the display face of said member, a junction box secured to the other face of said member, a body of insulation on said shaft, a plurality of collector rings set in said' body of insulation, electric conductors extending from the several rings through the shaft and junction box to the respective luminescent tubes, a plurality of transformers, brushes bearing upon the respective rings, conductors between the respective brushes and the high tension side of the transformers, a common return from the luminescent tubes to the transformers, a single collector ring set in.

said body of insulation and spaced from the first-mentioned series of collector rings, a brushjbearing on said ring, a plurality of contact points set in said body of insulation and electrically connected' with the last-mentioned ring, brushes arranged to'bear on said contact points, feed wires extending directly from a source of `supply to the low' tension side of one of the transformers, a connection from 'one of the feed Wires to the brush bearing on the last-mentioned conductor ring, electric connections between the low tension side of the several transformers Vand the last-mentioned conductor and' the said contact points, and make and break devices interposed in said connections.

13. Asign comprismg a rotatable member,

a plurality of luminescent tubes mounted on said member, a plurality of transformers, electric connections between the high tension side of the several transformers and the luminescent tubes, feed wires connected directly with the low tension side of one of the transformers whereby the tube electrically connected with said transformer will be constantly illuminated, low tension circuits including the other transformers and the feed wires, a rotatable shaft, a pluralit ofl brushes disposed adjacent said shaft an interposed in said low tension circuits, a plurality of segments on the shaft arranged to bear against the respective brushes, the segments bein arranged in two sets with the segments-o? each set arranged diametrically opposite the segments of the other set and some of the segments in each set being arranged slightly out of alinement whereby to successively engage the respective brushes and cause the tubes controlled thereby to be successively illuminated.

14. A. sign comprising a rotatable member, a plurality of luminescent tubes mounted on said member, high tension circuits includin a plurality oftrans'formers, and connections Abetween the transformers and the respective composite iridescent illuminated` design, and

tubes, low tension circuits connected to said transformers, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of brushes arranged adjacent said shaft, two of said brushes having feed wires connected therewith and oneof said feed wires includ-v ing means whereby the circuit therethrough may be intermittently closed, a plurality of segments secured on the shaft and each arranged to engage one of said brushes, two of said segments being disposed in opposition whereby they will alternately engage their respective brushes, some of the segments being arranged to correspond with one of said opposed segments, and other segments being arranged to correspond with other of the opposed segments, direct connections between some of the brushes and the transformers,

and connections between said brushes and.

the remaining brushes whereby when somey of the brushes are in engagement with segments the corresponding luminescent tubes will be constantly dilluminated and when other of the brushes are in engagement with their respective segments the tubes will be intermittently illuminated.

l5. The herein 'described method of producing illuminated design eects which consists in mounting upon a movable body a luminescent tube fashioned to form characters, illuminating the tube, continuously rotating said body for one period whereby the characters will intermingle and produce a composite illuminated design, and intermittently illuminating the tube for another period to render the reading `of said characters legible at predetermined intervals. i

16. The herein described method' of producing illuminated design effects which consists in mounting upon a movable body ak 'plurality of luminescent tubes of different co1- ors and fashioned to form a legend, illumin nating the tubes, rapidly and continuously rotatin said body while the tubes are illumi-` nate for one period to cause the characters of said legend to intermingle and produce a

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