US2021236A - Adjustable price indicator - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1935.

GAOS GA3 PRICES a s I C. GREATTINGER ET AL ADJUSTABLE PRICE INDICATOR Filed Feb. 28, 1934 y TTOR/VEY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles Greattinger and Richard T. Cox, Glasnevin, Saskatchewan, Canada Application February 28, 1934, Serial'No. 713,368

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in an adjustable price indicator and appertains particularly to an apparatus that will show at a glance the cost of one or any number ofunits of a. commodity at a given price.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a price indicator of this kind for gas stations and the like where the cost. of one, or ten o-r any intermediate number of gallons of gasoline is displayed for use of both the station operator and customer, saving time and eliminating uncertainty.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indicator of the character described wherein the cost of any desired number of units is displayed clearly opposite the number and so constructed that the cost gures can be adjusted to a fraction of `a cent.

.A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable price indicator displaying a column of progressive gures that are individually adjustable but normally inaccessible to eliminate tampering by unauthorized persons.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an adjustable price indicator of the nature and for the purposes described that is characterized by structural simplicity, durability, convenience and low cost of production being thereby rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, ile lustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawing forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the indicator, with a portion oi the face panel broken away;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section as taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figures 3 and 4 are detail vertical sections as taken on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of Figure 1, looking in the direction indica-ted by the arrows.

A vertically elongated casing 5 comprises a back 6 and a front or face panel 1, a. Vertical wall 8 on the left side and a box door 9 on the: right that swings upwards on a. transverse hinge I0 on the top I I and locks closed b-y the engagement of knob 32.

(C1. io-es) the hasp I2 on the catch I3 on the casing bottom I4.

A vertical wall I 5 with side flanges` bent to the right closes oii the interior of the casing 5 from the door S, the flanges projecting outwardly beyond the edge of the back 6 and front panel 1 to be covered by the free edges of the door when the same is closed to serve as sealing strips. Between this wall I5 and the left side wall 8 the casing 5 is divided into ve vertical pockets IB, I1, I8, I9 and 20 by four intermediate vertical partitions 2l, 22, 23 and 24.

Down the left side of the face panel 6 is a column of numbers 25 in progression designating the desired number of units and opposite each is a horizontal row of four openings or Windows 26 one of which opens into each of the pockets I1, I8, I9 and 20; the column of numbers 25 occurring on that part of the panel 1 in front of the pocket I6 that remains unoccupied.

Within the casing are a number of adjustable price designating assemblies corresponding in number with the gures in the column 25 and their horizontally aligned rows of openings 26. These assemblies are all identical and comprise 2 four disks 21, 28, 29 and 30 horizontally aligned on a common axis and located respectively in the pockets I1, I8, I9 and 20, the first three bearing on their circumference the numerals from I to 9 and the fourth one fractions and appearing 3 through the openings 26 when brought into registry therewith are intended to designate from left to right, dollars, tens, units and fractions of a cent'. The disk 21 is carried on a shaft 3| whose inner end is supported by the partition 2| 3 and on whose outer end, enclosed by the box door 9, is a knurled knob 32. The. disk 28 is carried by a sleeve 33 that turns on the shaft 3l: The disk 29 on a sleeve 34 surrounding the sleeve 33 and the disk 30 on a sleeve 35 around the 4 sleeve 34. These three concentric sleeves 33, 34 and 35 successively shorter and of greater diameter each extend into the box cover 9 and terminate at successive leftwardly receding points in increasingly larger annular flanges 36, 31 and 38 whereby the respective disks are individually rotatable as is the first disk 21 by the knurled Each of the four disks fastens to its shaft or sleeve by a radial set screw 39 and so that they may be individually heldin any desired 5 rotative setting each disk has on its inner face a pocket 40 housing a spring urged ball 4I and each of the partitions is provided with an annular row of seats 42 corresponding in number with the indicia on the engaging disk. 55

To facilitate the setting of these assemblies of juxtaposed axially aligned disks so that the required price is displayed through the horizontal row of openings in the face panel, the knurled knob on the end of the shaft and the flanged ends of the concentric sleeves may have corresponding indicia with that carried on the disks and the exposed face of the wall I5 may be marked with a pointer.

Each disk in the assembly must be set individually and once set is held securely against accidental displacement and each assembly of disks opposite each unit number in the vertical column on the face panel is to be adjusted after which the Idoor is closed and secured until a change in the unit price occurs when all the disk assemblies must be corrected accordingly. By this adjustable ready set device, both customer and operator can tell the exact cost of the purchase by a glance at the chart.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be manifest that an adjustable price indicator is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of our invention may be constructed Within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specication and drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a. limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is.:-

l. A price indicator comprising a casing, spaced vertical partitions across said casing, a vertically arranged plurality of horizontal rows of axially alinged disks individually separated by said partitions, an individual adjustment for each of said disks extending concentrically from an end of the row and means to retain said disks in individual adjustment.

2. A price indicator comprising al casing, a plurality of vertical partitions therein extending between the sides of said casing, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks individually separated by said partitions, an axle for the iirst of said disks and successively concentric hubs for the remainder of said disks, disk adjusting means at one end of the concentric shaft and hubs at a door normally enclosing said disk adjusting means.

3. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of vertical partitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separated by said partitions, an axle for the nrst of said disks and successively concentric hubs for the remainder of said disks supported by said partitions, successively larger and longitudinally progressing ends on said shaft and hubs exterior of said casing and a door normally enclosing the same.

4. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of vertical partitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separated by said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successively enlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means for adjusting said disks and means carried by said disks for engaging said partitions to hold the same in any desired adjusted position.

5. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of vertical partitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separated by said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successively enlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means for adjusting said disks and longitudinally movable means carried in the face of each of said disks to engage the confronting face of the adjacent partition to hold said ldisks in any desired adjusted position.

6. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of vertical partitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separated by said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successively enlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means for adjusting said disks and spring urged balls carried by said disks for engaging said partitions to hold the same in any desired adjusted position.

CHARLES GREATTINGER. [L s.l RICHARD T. COX. EL. s.]

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