US2123932A

US2123932A - Activated display device

Info

Publication number: US2123932A
Application number: US94317A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence J Carriveau
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-08-05
Filing date: 1936-08-05
Publication date: 1938-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 1955-07-19

Description

July 19, 1938; A Y L. J. CARRIVEAU 2,123,932

. ACTIVATED DISPLAY DEVICE I Filed Aug. 5, 1936 Wit/w f At may Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in advertising and display devices and more particularly to such devices as are adapted to simulate the effervescence of a gas-charged beverage or 5 of a medicinal preparation which releases a gas.

Advertising and display devices for present-day use are deficient in their action in attracting the attention of the general public unless activated to provide a moving exhibit by which the curiosity of any observer is aroused. Such activated device, to be fully effective, should be so constructed as to display the actual action which takes place in the article being advertised. When such article is a beverage or a medicinal preparation which releases gas bubbles prior to or during its use, it is however impossible to employ the beverage or other preparation itself even with continuous replenishment of the gases in the beverage or of the preparation for the reason that the appearance, and often the physical state itself, of the materials are changed by the gas release or formation.

Various means have been proposed heretofore by which air or other gases have been supplied to a beverage or medicinal preparation to be advertised by showing the release of gas bubbles therefrom. Such devices have however failed in their purpose for the reason that the means by which the gas bubbles were distributed in the beverage or medicinal preparation were seen to be clearly artificial, even upon a very casual inspection, in that such means did not provide for the apparently natural accumulation, formation, and release of bubbles of gas.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide an activated device for displaying and advertising a beverage or medicinal preparation from or in which gas bubbles are released prior to or during the use of such beverage or preparation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for advertising and displaying an effervescent beverage or medicinal preparation in which the gas bubbles to be released are so distributed throughout the beverage or preparation as to simulate the natural accumulation, formation, and release of gas bubbles therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for advertising and displaying an effervescent beverage or medicinal preparation in which the "gases to be released are supplied to a block, plate, or cylinder of an artificial or nat ural, and preferably inorganic and insoluble, material which is obtainable in or can be readily worked into any shape and which is porous but without continuous channels therethrough, in order that gas applied to one surface of such material may pass therethrough to accumulate in bubbles at irregular spacings and without appearing in any constant cycle on such material. 5

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will be apparent from the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a View, partially in elevation and 10 partially in section, of a mechanism for producing and supplying air under pressure to a container for advertising and displaying an efiervescent beverage or medicinal preparation;

Figure 2 is a partially elevational and partially cross-sectional view taken on the plane IIII, in the direction of the arrows, of Fig. 1, to illustrate the construction of the pump for producing the air pressure required, and of the means for driving the pump; and Figure 3 is a partially elevational and partially cross-sectional view taken on the plane IIIIII of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows, to further illustrate the construction of the pump for producing the air pressure and particularly to illustrate the connection of the pump with its driving means.

It will be understood that the container for the beverage or medicinal preparation to be displayed is located on or in a suitably designed and decorated cabinet or stand provided with an inclosed compartment for concealing and retaining the mechanism for supplying air under pressure to the displayed container.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference, the reference numeral 6 designates a suitable base on which is mounted a driving means herein shown as an electric motor I having a worm 8 formed or mounted on the shaft thereof. The worm engages a worm wheel 9 which is rotatably mounted in a bracket 1 l extending from the frame of the motor I. The bracket is formed with an aperture and a connecting passage l2 open to the atmosphere. A crank disk I3 is mounted on the spindle of worm wheel 9 for rotation therewith and is provided with a pin I4 eccentrically mounted on the disk, thus completing the driving means for the air pump.

The air pump comprises a block l6 pivotally mounted on a pin l'l extending through the bracket II and held closely against the side of such block by a spring [8 compressed between the block and an adjusting nut I9, thus retaining the bracket and pump block in close contact 55 regardless of the wear of the contacting surfaces. The pump block is bored to provide a cylinder 2| and is provided with a passageway 22 therethrough, extending from the cylinder and so located as to be in registry with the passageway l2 when the pump block I6 is in a predetermined position. A piston 23 is fitted into cylinder 2| and is pivotally connected with the crank pin M.

The bracket H is provided, in addition to the passageway I2, with a second passageway 26 therethrough, into which is connected a nipple 21. A piece of tubing 28, which is preferably flexible, is connected with the nipple and is led, in fluid-tight relation, through the bottom or side of a container 3| for the effervescent material to be displayed. The end of the tubing is provided with a socket 32 or other suitable means for receiving or for connection to a block or plate 33 of porous-material. The material 33 is preferably either a piece of porous mineral or a ceramic product which is porous. portant that the material be insoluble in order that passage of gas through the pores shall not be able to form a direct channel, thus retaining the ability of allowing only a diffused flow of gas therethrough, rather than a direct flow which would prevent the slow formation of bubbles at irregular spacing and without occurrence in a predetermined cycle over the surface of the material 33, and their release from such surface in the manner of the natural formation of gas bubbles from a solid going into solution with the release of gas bubbles into such solution. It is also important that the material 33 be readily procurable in or workable into the shape of plates, cylinders, etc., or into the shape of lozenges or tablets to simulate a medicinal preparation produced in such form. Suitable materials have been found to include unglazed ceramics, silicon carbide in the form known to the trade as carborundum, and a number of natural sandstones and soapstones.

In operation, energization of the motor 7 drives the worm wheel 9 which rotates disk I 3. The rotation of the disk l3 and pin l4 mounted therein causes reciprocation of the piston 23 in the cylinder 2!. The piston 23 being made of a single bar or rod and simply pivotally connected' with crank pin l4, reciprocation of the piston causes oscillation of cylinder block Hi It is imabout its pivot l1. Such oscillation causes registry of cylinder block passageway 22 with port and passageway [2 when the piston 23 is moving out of cylinder, thus causing a flow of air at atmospheric pressure into the cylinder. When the piston starts to move into the cylinder, the cylinder block I6 is oscillated to cause registry of cylinder block passageway 22 with the bracket passageway 26 whereby air is forced, under a slight pressure above atmospheric pressure, through tubing 28 and through the pores of block 33, from the upper surfaces of which such air escapes in the form of bubbles.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device comprising a container for a fluid, a source of a gas under pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into said container, and a solid block of porous material within said container and having one end of said tube connected with one surface thereof to diffuse gas through the pores of said block from all surfaces thereofinto the liquid in said container, said block being shaped and marked to simulate an effervescent object to be displayed.

2. A display device comprising a container for a fluid, a source of gas under pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into said container, and a block of sandstone shaped and;

marked to simulate a tablet of a solid material effervescent when dissolving, said block having one surface thereof connected with said tube to diffuse gas from the other surfaces of said block into the liquid in said container.

3. A display device comprising a container for a liquid, a source of gas under pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into said container, and a block of silicon carbide arranged in said container and shaped and marked to simulate a gas producing object to be displayed, one surface of said block being connected with said tube to provide gas for diffusion into the liquid from the other surfaces of said block.

LAWRENCE J. CARRIVE-AU.