US208166A - Improvement in office-indicators - Google Patents

Description

Improvements in Office-'Door Indicators, of

jamb or casing against which the door closes.

fastenings s passing through perforations in EDVARD H. GLIDDEN, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN 0 Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20

FIFICIE-INDICATORS.

8,166, dated September-17, 1878; application filed July 31, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARDH. GLIDDEN, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to indicators to be left on the outside of the door of an apartment to give information in regard to the proprietor when he is absent; and it has for its object to provide means whereby an indicator may be conveniently applied to a door, and at the same time be secured so that it cannot be readily removed without opening the door, thus obviating in a great measure the liability of the indicator being stolen, and so enabling a more comprehensive and convenient, and therefore'expensive, indicator to be exposed on a door without fear of loss by theft.

.The invention consists in the construction of an indicator-holder, and in the combination of the same 'with an indicator, a door, and its jamb or casing, whereby the indicator is ena' bled to be readily inserted in and removed from the holder when the door is opened, but is prevented from being removed when the door is closed, as I will now proceed to describe. 3

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the indicator-holder. Fig. 2 represents a similar view, showing the indicator inclosed in the holder. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section, showing the holder and indicator applied to the outer edge of a closed door; and Fig.4 represents a vertical section of the door, indicator, and holder.

Similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, D represents a portion of the outer edge of a door, and J represents the A represents the indicator-holder, which is made, preferably, of cast metal, and is in the general form of a rectangular box, provided at oneend with an opening, 0, and in its front side with an opening, 0, and is adapted to be attached to the door by'screws or other its inner side. The end opening, 0, is of sufficient size to receive the indicator to be held and permit the insertion thereof in to the holder; but the side opening, 0, is only for the purpose of displaying the indicator, and isnot large enough to permit the removal of the lat ter. The holder is secured to the outside of a door, D, and is arranged in such relation to the outer edge of the door that when the latter is closed the jamb or casingJ will obstruct or close the opening 0, as shown in Fig. 3, thus preventing the removal of the indicator from the holder so long as the door .is closed. I represents the indicator, which may be of any desired construction. The form and size of the indicator are such that it will pass through the opening 0 but not through the opening '0.

I prefer to construct the indicator with a casing, c, of sheet metal, containing a series of rotary drums, d, on which are mounted strips of paper containing suitable words and characters.

The casing c is provided with slots 8 s in its front side to expose portions of the strips,

.and the drums are mounted on arbors a,w.hich

project from one end of the casing c, and are provided with thumb-knobs, whereby said arbors and drums may be rotated -to expose different portions of the strips to View through the slots .9.

When the indicator is inserted in the holder A the slotted side of the former is visible through the opening 0 of the latter, and the arbors a project toward the open end of the holder.

I prefer to construct the holder with a comparatively wide strip, S, on its front side, between the openings 0 and 0, said strip covering the space S between the end of the indicator and the jamb or casing J, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus preventing any one from tampering with or rotating the arbors a.

I prefer to employ three drums, d, in the indicator, and on the two uppermost mount a long strip of cloth or paper, having upon it any desired aggregation of words, numerals, &c., the strip being adapted to be transferred from one drum to the other by the rotation of the drums, the movement thus impart-ed cans in g the strip to pass across one of the slots 8,

exposing different portions of its surface to View. To the other drum 1 aifix a strip con taining the names of the days of the week,

visible through the lower slot, s.

When the occupant of an office or other apartment wishes to vacate his room and leave notice on his door, he opens the door, inserts the indicator into the holder, and then closes the door, thereby securing the indicator so that it cannot be removed excepting by forcibly wrenching the holder off or by opening the door.

It will be seen that as the screws 8, which attach the holder to the door, pass through the back side of the holder they are covered by the indicator, so that they cannot be removed while the indicator is in place. Hence the holder and indicator mutually protect each other.

I do not limit myself to the precise form and construction of the holder shown, as the form and details of construction can be readily yaried, according to the taste or fancy of the maker, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The open end of the holder may be adjacent to the inner edge of the door instead of the outer, if desired, and in case the jainb or casing is not adapted to obstruct the end of the holder, as described, a suitable projection or bracket may be aftixed in any convenient manner to form an obstruction.

I claim as my invention In combination with a door, 1), and jamb J, or

its specified-equivalent, the holder A, attached to the outside of the door close to its edge,

and provided in its outer side with an indi- EDWARD H. GLIDDEN.

YVitnesses:

GEO. NV. PIERCE, G. F. BROWN.

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