US1898379A

US1898379A - Automobile license plate or sign

Info

Publication number: US1898379A
Application number: US620869A
Authority: US
Inventors: John P Meehan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1932-07-05
Filing date: 1932-07-05
Publication date: 1933-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1950-02-21

Description

Feb. 21, 1933. J. P. MEEHAN 1,898,379

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE OR SI GN Filed July 5, 1952 Patented F eb. 21, 1933 JOHN P. MEEHAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE OR SIGN Application filed July 5, 1932. Serial No. 620,869.

This invention relates to signs and particularly signs formed of metal plates, for example, automobile license plates.

The general object of the invention is to produce a sign or license plate, the legends or characters on which can be read with ease, but so constructed as toenable contrast in colors on the plate to be attained by a single color application.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a plate in which a considerable area of the plate is uncoated, and to provide a con- L struction for the plate which will produce a proving the legibility of the sign when contrast effect for the name of the state and also for the license number, the general purpose being to produce a striking effect imusing a metal plate having a shiny surface.

A further object of the invention is to produce a sign of this kind in which a single painting or coating operation for the plate will simultaneously produce a contrast on the surface of the plate for raised and sunk characters, thereby producing a highly efficient sign without necessitating the use of more than one colored pigment or paint in producing the sign.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists of novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contributeto produce an efficient automobile license plate or sign.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automobile license plate embodying my invention; v

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken throughthe plate on the line 2-2 of Figure l; a portion of this view is broken away;

' Figure 3 is a vertical section through the plate taken about on the line 33 of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view indicating the means that can be employed for effecting Referring more particularly to the parts,

1 indicates the body of the license plate, formed of an uncoated shiny metal plate such as copper. On a portion of this plate, for example the upper portion, a legend 2 is formed of elevated characters formed by embossing the plate from its under side, thereby dicating the name of the state and the date, for example Arizona 1933.

In addition to this, the plate is formed with an elevated field 3, the elevation of which is of the characters that form the legend 2 on the plate. The license number,,for example -F47V as indicated, is formed by sinking or depressing areas 4 which produce these letters and numbers. After the body has been treated in this way, the field 3 and the legend 2 are coated with paint or pigment contrasting with the shiny face of the plate. This is preferably accomplished by placing the plates face uppermost on a continuously driven belt 5 which carries the plates under a painting roller 6 coated with the paint or pigment. The pigment applies itself uniformly to the legend and to the field 3 because the metal forming the legend and 80 the field have the same elevation with respect to the plane of the body of'the plate.

A license plate or sign constructed in this way has many advantages over a plate formed with contrasting paints because even if the paint becomes dulled a very high contrast can be maintained by simply rubbing or polishing the exposed surface of the body of the plate. will have good legibility throughout the life of the plate. At night, the characters that form the license number reflect the light and make the license plate quite easily read.

It is understood that the embodiment of 95 the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention, nor in my claims to the particular embodimentset forth.

producing elevated characters inpreferably the same as the elevation plate In this Way, the characters What I claim is:

1. An automobile license plate having a body of uncoated metal, said body having elevated characters forming a legend indi- 5 cating the name of the state and the year of the license plate, said plate further having an elevated field with depressed characters indicating the license number, the elevated characters and the said field being substantially in the same plane to enable the same to contact simultaneously With a color applying roller, to apply a colored coating contrasting with the body of the plate.

2. A sign formed of a plate having a body of uncoated shiny metal, said body having elevated relatively small characters embossed in the plate from below and forming a legend, said plate further having a field elevated to the same level as the relatively small characters, said field having relatively large depressed characters forming a second legend; the elevated characters and the said field having a coating contrasting With the color of the metal.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 27 day of June, 1932.

JOHN P. MEEHAN.