US2120106A - Sign - Google Patents

Description

R. L. MARTEN June 7, 1938.

SIGN

Filed Feb. 27, 1937 Z/VVENTOE Hazy/Wand A. Mpzrfe/v, 5% 3/674 flTTOEA/EY Patented June 7, 1938 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to display apparatus, and more particularly to an improved sign or attraction board especially applicable for use in connection with theatres for advertising feature presentations which are periodically changed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved sign of the character described which furnishes a highly attractive display of advertising or other informative media when illuminated by natural light during the day, or electrically, by luminous discharge tubes at night.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sign of this character which is designed and constructed to permit the letters or other indicia to be readily removed and replaced when it is desired to change the display.

The sign or display device embodying the invention, essentially comprises a louvered background structure constituted by a series of parallel, inclined plates. The plates, disposed one above another in spaced relation, are adapted to reflect day-light, or light from luminous discharge tubes mounted between the plates, to ward an observer. Opaque sign characters, mounted immediately forwardly of the background structure in a novel manner so as to be easily removed or interchanged, appear in silhouette against the highly illuminated and contrasting background. The reflecting plates tend to reduce the glare normally accompanying direct illumination by discharge tubes and provide a brilliant, yet softly lighted background for the display characters which does not discomfort the observer.

Signs of the character described as heretofore designed and constructed have certain disadvantages, overcome by the present invention, which detract from the general usefulness and attractiveness thereof. For example, in the signs of former construction the angular arrangement of the reflector plates is such as to provide little or no protection to the luminous discharge tubes, the tubes being readily susceptible of injury as by hail and sleet. When such signs are mounted overhead, as on a theatre canopy over a side-walk, a highly desirable location for the signs, light from the sun gives a'dull or grayish cast to the plates which detracts from the ef fectiveness of the sign, since the contrast between the background and sign characters is not pronounced. Moreover, when such signs are illuminated by the discharge tubes, all of the light rays are deflected upwardly or intercepted by the reflector plates, being lost for any useful purpose except to illuminate the sign background structure, whereas with my improved sign construction light directly from the tubes serves to illuminate the side-walk or the like immediately below the sign, this being very desirable where the sign is used in connection with theatres.

Another disadvantageous feature inherent in former signs of louvered type is that the louvers tend to collect dirt, ice and rain water which impair their light-reflecting quality. In my improved sign the louvers are arranged to shed all ice, moisture and foreign matter.

A further object of my invention is to increase the range of readability of an overhead sign of the character described, or to provide a sign of this type which can be easily read by an observer at a distance from the sign or directly below the same.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description setting forth a preferred embodiment of my invention, and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved sign. I

Fig. 2 is a sectional. elevational view of the sign illustrated in Fig. 1; i i

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan viewtaken at line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. '4 is a side elevational view showing a sign of modified form with a part of the sign wall broken away to illustrate more clearly the drawing, my improved sign includes a sheet a metal housing structure comprising horizontal top and bottom walls 5 and 6 respectively, Vertical rear wall 7, and end walls 8 having inclined forward margins S, the top, bottom and end Walls defining the forward, substantially open face of the housing structure. The plane of the open front face is inclined, sloping downwardly toward the vertical rear wall I. Inturn'ed flanges llland H at the front margins of the top and end walls respectively border theface of the housing structure and give the same a finished, trim appearance.

Spaced inwardly from the open front face of the housing is a panel I2 on which the reflector plates l4, hereinafter described, are mounted. The panel l2 maybe of stepped surface configuration as appears from Fig. 2, the riser portions [3 receding progressively from the top to the bottom of such panel, or the panel may be substantially planar and inclined, to parallel the plane of the inclined front faceof thehousing,

' as appears from Fig. 4.

I 'Mounted on the forward surface of panel l2 are the reflectors l4, each thereof comprising an elongated plate which extends horizontally across the front opening of the sign. The plates M are disposed in parallel, uniformly spaced 7 relation I and where the stepped mounting panel l2 of Fig.

2 is employed, each plate is associated with and zontal edges [6 of the reflector plates l4 lie approximately in the inclined plane of the front face of the sign, orin an inclined plane which is parallel to, and spaced a small distance inwardly from the frontface of the sign. The front face I! .of panel I2, and both front and rearfaces 'I8'and [9, respectively, of the plates 1 4 are provided with [suitable light-reflecting surfaces, preferably by a coating these surfaces reous enamel. V

The removable and interchangeable letters or sign characters are formed 'of sheetmetal, fibrous or-composition;material, and have a surwith layers of white vitface coating of black paint to enhance their con trast with the'white background by day, and with the highly illuminated colored background by night. The character elements 20 are provided, 1

near their upper rear-edges, with shook-like brackets'2l which are adapted to engage any of theinwardly turned flanges 22 atthe lower extremities of the reflector plates M, or an inwardly turned flange 23 at the lower'extre'mity of the horizontal: trim portion, ID. The mounting flanges 22. and 23 are preferably turned angularly upwardly and rearwardly as shown in Fig.2.

, Near the, lower inner margin of each'cha'racter element is provided a mounting hook 24 which is i. adapted to engage any one of a series" of cords or wires 25, The wires 25Iare secured at opposite ends to theend'walls 8 of the housing, and stretch horizontally'in the space between each pair of adtheir mounting hooks 2| to engage and; seat overf the flanges 22, and their lower hooks 24 'to' engage jacent reflector plates.

7 One or :more springs 26 or other'suitable tensioning means are provided for each of the wires 25,, which tensioning, means 1 may be located so as to be substantiallyconcealed by the sidetrim flanges-"l I. 'It will now appear ,that the character elements may be readily and quickly attached to'the sign'structure by causing the appropriate wire 25."; The tensioned ,wire

7 serves to draw the lower ends of the characters inwardly-against the lower extremity of an adjacent reflector plate, securing the character in an angular; slightly downwardly facing position 7 asshown. 1

The-sign isadapted'tobe illuminated at night by lighting tubes, preferably of the luminous dis- ;charge or neon gas variety." One or more of the said tubes are provided for lighting, each reflector plate. The tubes extend horizontally across the face of the signand are preferably located in the space between the upper margin of one reflector plate and the lower margin of the next'higher reflector plate. 'In the present example a pair, of

lighting tubes 21 and28, are associatedwith each greflectorrplate and both tubes areshielded from natural elements; such'as snow, hail and water,-

by the overhanging reflector plate I8, theuppermostpair oftubesbeirig protected bythe trim l0.

' pleasing effect.

The tube 21 may be filled with neon gas to produce the characteristic red colored light, and tube 28 may be filled with argon to produce blue colored light. The tubes 21 and 28 are supported in any suitable manner from the panel I3 or plates [8 by means of conventional insulating mounting brackets, not shown, and the tubes are connected electrically in any suitable manner to a transformer 29, mounted in the enclosure between panel l3 and rear wall'l. A suitable switch or motor-driven commutator may be employed in the electric circuit for causing joint or independent energization of the tubes 21 and 28 'whereby to obtain a variety of changing color It may be noted'that'when the sign thus de-- I effects.

scribed is mounted overhead, a part of the light from. the tubes is transmitted downwardly without interruption or reflection by the'plates 13' and provides direct illumination for the, ground area below the sign. Thus the tubes are revealed to an observer within a certain limited distance from the sign, and the combination of direct and reflected illumination, in .such instances, en-' hances the attractiveness- 0f the sign. Where;

both red'and'b lue light-producingatubes are pro? vided; as in the present example, the red tube is preferably positioned outwardly of the blue tube.

or in such position as to be more concealed by V plates 13 and their flanges 22, from direct view by an observer. The softer,'glare-free light from the blue tube 28, when viewed directly does. not

discomfort the eyes of an observer.

When illuminated by the tubes.21 and 28 the;

characters are silhouetted against the'colored, highly'illuminated background having the appearance of horizontal bands of light, which merge, one into another, and produce a highly The color of the individual light bands may be varied and numerous colorcomtiveness of the sign.

The forward reflecting surfaces'l8 of the plates 'binations obtained, increasing furtherthe effec- 3 l4 face angularly upwardly, and accordingly are 7 in an ideal angular position to catchand'reflect light from the sky or sun. Thus, during the day the louvered structure provides a white, highly .lighted back-ground which contrasts markedly" with the black characters, which do not so readily reflect the light becauseof the described na-' ture'of-their color, surface, and angular. position.

'I have described and illustrated my invention asembodied in signs having bothsteppedand inclined planarpanel members IZLan'd means of' presently preferred type for-detachably securing the sign characters to the background structure,

features;

and other, preferred constructional However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular means herein shown and described, as various changes maybe I made withoutdeparting from the spirit and full intendment of theinvention asdefined by the following claims. a

I claim as my invention: w r 1. A-sign comprising a substantially upright member, a series of horizontally elongated re-.

flector plates secured, one above another, at the upper edges thereof, to said member, said plates being inclined downwardly toward their lower edges which are spaced forwardly of said memher, the lower edges of said plates beingldisposed inan inclined'plane sloping downwardly and rearwardly, rearwardly directed flanges formed' on said platesadjacent the lower edges thereof,

sign characters, and imeansdetachably connect:

ing the characters to said flanges with the characters disposed in the sloping plane defined by the lower edges of said plates.

2. A sign comprising a substantially upright panel of inclined trend having a light-reflecting forward surface, the inclination of said panel being downwardly and rearwardly from its upper edge, a series of horizontally elongated reflector plates secured in spaced relation, one above another, to the forward surface of said panel, said reflector plates being inclined downwardly and forwardly away from said panel; luminous discharge tubes extending horizontally between the reflector plates, and opaque sign characters detachably mounted adjacent the forward edges of said reflector plates. 7

3. A sign comprising a substantially upright panel of inclined trend having a light-reflecting forward surface, the inclination of said panel being downwardly and rearwardly from its upper edge, a series of horizontally elongated reflector plates secured in parallel, spaced relation, one above another, to the forward surface of said panel, said reflector plates sloping downwardly and forwardly away from said panel and having their forward edges disposed in an inclined plane corresponding to the trend of said panel; illuminating means disposed between the reflector plates, and sign characters detachably mounted on the reflector plates substantially in the plane of the forward edges thereof.

4. A sign of the character described comprising a substantially upright panel having vertical, stepped surfaces receding downwardly from the upper, forward margin of the panel, a series of horizontally elongated reflector plates, each thereof being secured along its upper edge to the upper edge of one of said panel surfaces, said plates being inclined downwardly and forwardly from its secured edge; horizontally extending luminous discharge tubes disposed between adjacent reflector plates, and sign characters detachably secured to the forward edges of said reflector plates.

5. A sign of the character described including a substantially rectangular housing structure having an open front face, a series of elongated, horizontally extending reflector plates mounted in parallel spaced relation, one above another, within said housing structure, said reflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of the housing structure and having their forward margins disposed substantially in the plane thereof; luminous discharge tubes extending horizontally within said housing structure, each of said tubes being mounted between the upper and lower marginal portions of relatively adjacent reflector plates, inwardly turned flanges formed on the lower, forward edges of said reflector plates, substantially flat, opaque sign characters, and hook-like elements projecting from the rear faces of said sign characters adapted for detachable engagement with said reflector plate flanges.

6. A sign of the character described comprising a substantially rectangular housing structure having an open front face, a series of elongated, horizontally extending reflector plates, mounted one above another in parallel, spaced relation within said housing structure, said reflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of the housing structure and having their forward margins disposed substantially in the plane thereof; luminous discharge tubes extending horizontally between said reflector plates, substantially flat, opaque sign characters, and means for detachably mounting said sign characters adjacent the forward margins of the reflector plates, said means including hook-like members projecting from the rear face of said sign characters, and flexible, spring tensioned elements extending horizontally along the reflector plates, adapted for releasable engagement by said members on the sign characters.

7. A sign of the character described comprising a substantially rectangular casing having an open front face, an inclined panel disposed within said housing structure facing the open front face thereof, said panel sloping downwardly and rearwardly, a series of elongated horizontally extending reflector plates disposed, one above another, between said panel and the front face of said housing structure, said reflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of the housing structure, the forward margins of said plates being disposed in an inclined plane substantially parallel with the plane of said panel, and having inwardly turned flanges thereon; luminous discharge tubes extending horizontally within said housing structure between upper and lower marginal portions of adjacent reflector plates, flexible, spring-tensioned members extending along said reflector plates, and flat, opaque sign character elements each having vertically spaced mounting brackets projecting from the rear faces thereof adapted detachably to ensioned member.

RAYMOND L. MARTEN.

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