US2229877A

US2229877A - Window and escutcheon

Info

Publication number: US2229877A
Application number: US264261A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward P Walley
Original assignee: Crowe Name Plate & Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Crowe Name Plate & Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1939-03-25
Filing date: 1939-03-25
Publication date: 1941-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1958-01-28

Description

Jan. llii 14%. E. P. WALLEY WINDOW AND ES CUTCHEON Filed March 25, 1959 IN VENTOR.

Patented Jan. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE WINDOW AND ESCUTCHEON Application March 25,1939, Serial No. 264,261

1 Claims.

The present invention relates to windows and escutcheons, such as employed for the tuning dials of radio receivers.

In the past it has been the practice to use glass, Celluloid, transparent plastic and the like for window materials and to hold this in place in a metal frame or escutcheon.

Objects of the present invention are to enable the making of the escutcheon and window all in one single piece and without sacrificing any desirable features as to appearance and ornamental characteristics and to obtain such an integral window and escutcheon in a strong, durable form, which will be relatively inexpensive, light in weight, practical for commercial manufacture and so constructed that securing it in place by screws or other fastenings will not twist or warp it out of shape.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of the invention by which all objects are attained are set forth in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and broadly covered in the claim.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrates one simple practical embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards this particular illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Figure l is a face view of a combined window and escutcheon as designed for a radio receiver or like instrument.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional View as on substantially the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

The structure illustrated consists of a single piece of sheet plastic having a transparent central window portion 3 and a frame or escutcheon portion 4.

The window portion is shown as offset inwardly of the surrounding flange portion by a connecting beveled flange 5, in the nature of a bezel.

Figure 2 shows how in the mounting of the window in the opening 6 provided in the wall 1 of a radio cabinet or the like, the escutcheon will rest against the outer face of the instrument casing and the bezel 5 project inwardly through the opening, thus to support the window 3 in an inset relation.

The escutcheon frame is shown as having a marginal rearwardly projecting flange 3 to engage the face of the instrument case. This flange gives the frame a hollow formation and offsets the face of the frame away from the face of the instrument casing.

Screws, nails or other individual fastenings such as indicated at 9, Fig. 2, are usually employed for securing the escutcheon over the instrument opening. To avoid collapse of the hon low escutcheon, with accompanying distortion and malformation of the frame and the window portion as well, seats I l) for the fastenings are pressed in the hollow frame and carried back substantially to the plane of the marginal flange 8, substantially as indicated at the left in Fig. 2. These pads or seats in substantially the same plane as the extreme rim of the escutcheon, bear directly on the supporting surface, so the pressure of the securing fastenings can have no disto-rting effect on either the escutcheon or the window which forms a part of it.

Portions of the hollow frame are shown embossed outwardly at H to add to the ornamental appearance of the escutcheon.

To give the frame and the bezel the appearance of a metallic escutcheon, these parts preferably are covered with a metallic paint as indicated at It and to render the escutcheon portion fully opaque and prevent emission of light from within the instrument through any part but the window, the back of the escutcheon may be coated with black or other paint as indicated generally at l3.

To provide a clear line of demarcation between the opaque metallic appearing frame and the window which is part of it, a definite bead M is pressed into the marginal portion of the window. This bead has a further, mechanical function in that it provides a seat for receiving and holding a hollow stencil i5 which is used to shield the window when the metallic paint is sprayed on over the back of the escutcheon. This, or a similar mask, can be engaged over the bead at the front face of the window when the face of the escutcheon is being sprayed with the metallic paint [2 or other coating material.

The embossments l I may be sprayed or painted in other colors than the frame, as with the aid of suitable stencils which will cover the face of the escutcheon while the coloring is being applied to the embossments.

The integral escutcheon and window can be formed from sheet plastic material, pressed to shapes such as shown in hot dies. The marginal flange gives the escutcheon a desired degree of stiffness and the bead provides the effect of a somewhat flexible connection between the window and surrounding frame portion, aiding in avoiding breakage. The painting of the frame portion is readily effected by the locating of the masking stencil over the marginal head of the window. The escutcheon may be painted in bronze, gold, silver, chromium, aluminum or other metallic colors, or in fact, in any desired colors and highly desirable ornamental effects can be obtained by pressing the escutcheon with raised or depressed portions and painting or coloring them differently from the balance of the frame portion. While of particular value for radio instruments it will be realized that the invention may be employed for all kinds of instruments.

What is claimedis:

As a new article of manufacture, a unitary escutcheon and window, comprising a single piece of thin transparent pressed sheet plastic of substantially uniform thickness, permanently conformed into a hollow marginal frame portion and an integrally connected central window portion, said hollow frame portion including a marginal flange about the rim of the article extending back from the face of the sheet for engagement at its edge with a supporting surface and sections of said hollow marginal frame portion being depressed below the surface of said hollow marginal frame portion back to a level at the inner surface of the sheet substantially in line with said edge of said marginal flange to thereby provide seats for fastenings which will engage the same surface engaged by said edge, substantially without distorting said hollow marginal frame of thin pressed plastic sheet.

E. P. WALLEY.