US2232815A - Sign - Google Patents

Description

Feb- 25, 1941- J. s. VAN AusDALL 2,232,815

SIGN

.Filed Jan. 50, 1939 jy" 4m),

Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES SIGN John s. van Ausdau, oak Park, In., assigner@ Advertising Posters Company Application January 30, 1939,' Serial No. 253,535

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to siens, and particularly to illuminated display devices wherein a display panel is provided with a display pattern and a lamp behind the panel is utilized for illuminating certain parts of the pattern. In devices of this character it is customary to utilize opaque and more or less transparent coatings for the purpose f delineatine the display pattern. The `display pattern may. 0i eeurse. 'take n greet variety of forms. It may consist entirely of a legend, Q1? may be composed partially of a legend and partially of a pictorial representation, or may be entirely of a pictorial representation.

YIt is the principal purpose 0f this invention t0 provide a device of this character whereby novel illuminating effects maybe obtained. with the usual stationary or moving light Source. By moving light source I mean a light source which directs a moving band of light across the panel. A typical. device embodying the present invention may constitute a lamp. a easing for the lamp and a display panel mounted' said easing in spaced relation te the lamp. lA light screen may. in eertain Aforms of the invention, be placed between the lamp and the panel, and this light screen may contain various light obstructing portions whereby to cause moving bands of light to pass in certain directions across the rear of the dis play panel. The present invention is directed particularly to modioation of the panel structure, whereby to obtain a novel cooperation with the lamp and the light screen.

The features and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown. It is to be understood, however, that the drawing and description are illustrative only, and are not to be taken as lim- 40 iting the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front view of a display sign embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the front layer of the display panel; a

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the rear layer of the display panel shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View through a three layer display panel, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View showing the surface of the display panel illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring now to the drawing, thepresent in vention is embodied in a display advertising device, which, for purposes of illustration,.is shown as composing'a casing I0 which is made up ofv a 5, base I I, a housing member I2 and a front panel I3. Within the casing I0 I mount -a lamp I4. This lamp may be separated from the front panel I3 by a moving light s creensuch asshown at I5. In the, present invention, the light screen I5 is `10 illustrated as a cylinder having spaced spirally running lines I6 of substantial width, these lines I6 being covered with an opaque coating.v yThe spaces between the lines I6 arer desirably translucent, although they may be colored with a suit- 15 able translucent coloring matter such -as is wellknown in the lndustry.

The moving screen I5 is supported upon a standard I'I so that itfmay be caused to rotate by the ilow of air upwardly around the lamp I4. 20 For this purpose,I the top of thecylindricalscreen I5 is closed by a cover I8 that has vanes I9 formed thereon, the vanes I9 being cutout of the material of the cover and turned upward at an angle so that air flowing through the openings will strike the vanes and develop enough force to turn the screen I5.

It will be understood that the above mecha-v nism describes only one form of device for creating travelling streaks or pencilsof light. Any suitable power means other than thatdescribed maybe used. l y. ,.Y

Referring now to the construction of the front panel I3, this construction is illustratedbest in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. It will be noted that the panel is made up of two layers 20 and 2l, although I do not limit myself to two layers. A larger number may be used. The surfaces 22 and 23 of the layers 20 and 2l are roughened so that each is provided with a multiplicity of lenses in the form of dome-like projections. The layers 20 and 2l are made of glass and desirably the projections are formed in molding the glass. The projectionsor lenses on the layer 20 are indicated by the numeral 24, while those on the layer 2| are numbered 25. The surfaces of the layers 20 and 2l which are nearest the light source are smooth and flat. These surfaces are used for the purpose of applying pattern delineating coatings of the particular type desired. For example, in Fig. 3, I have shown such a coating at 26 in the form of an opaque paint, while at 21 I have indicated a colored translucent coating, and at 28 I have indicated an absence of coating between the two layers 20 and 2|. The coatings may be arranged 55 so that the pattern is formed by that part 28 which is devoid of coating. An' outline around the pattern or an addition to the pattern may be produced by the translucent colored coating 21 and the coating 26 may darken the balance of the surface to form a background.

It will be noted from an examination of Figs. 3, 4 and 5 that the projections 24 on the layer 20 are much larger than the projections 25 on the layer 2|. I nd this particularly advantageous in conjunction with the moving light screen I 5 to producev unusually attractive il-lusions of movement on the surface of the display panel. As the light bands pass across the panel, lthe light rays are, of course, directed through the rear layer 2l at a continuously changing angle. The diagonal arrangement of the lines I6 0n the cylinder l5 causes vertical and horizontal shifting of the light bands. The light in passing from the small lenses or projections 25 is deflected, and, in passing from the large lenses 24 on the front layer 2U, the light will be further deiiected. The resulting effect is that the relatively slow motion of the light band traveling across the display panel is translated into a very rapid apparent movement of light as seen from the front of the display panel. The direction of the light shifts continuously, owing to the difference in the angles at which the light rays from the small projections 25 strike the front panel and are directed from the large projections 24. The resulting effect is a shimmer, or dancing light, over the illuminated part of the display panel.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated here a three layer display panel, and I have further indicated the use of pattern delineating coatings in a particularly advantageous manner. A front panel 30 has a rouglhened front surface 3| and a smooth rear surface 32. The smooth rear surface is coated with a translucent coating 33 which may be, for example, blue in color. A pattern delineafting opening 34 is left in the blue coating. A second layer 35 also has a roughened surface indicated at 36 which faces forward. The rear surface 3l of the layer 35 has a blue translucent coating 38 thereon and a pattern delineating coating 39 which may be orange in color, for example. A red border coating 40 is provided vbetween the orange 39 and the blue 38. A rear layer 4I also has a roughened front surface 42 and it has a rear opaque coating 43 on its smooth rear surface. The opaque coating 43 is removed to provide a pattern at 44, The

roughening of the front faces of the layers 3U, 35 and 4l may be of any suitable type, such as that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but desirably it is of a random pattern, such as shown in Fig. 7, so that the projections and recesses do not match up in the several layers. When illuminated from the rear, this multiple panel arrangement spreads the light passing through the clear opening 44 so as to illuminate the entire front of the panel, the general illumination being, of course, through the blue coatings 38 and 33. The pattern opening 34, however, in the blue coating 33 will receive most of the direct light entering the clear opening 34 and will thus be much more brilliant than the rest of rthe panel. The color of the pattern will, of course, correspond to the coloring of the orange layer 39 and any border deiiection of light due to the roughening of the surfaces of the layers 3-5 and 4I will be shaded by the border coating 40.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as `new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. A display advertising device comprising in combination a casing, a lamp therein, a display panel, said display panel comprising a plurality of layers of glass, each layer having its surface remote from the lamp covered with hills and valleys of substantial magnitude, and its surface nearest thelamp smooth, the layer closest the lamp having an opaque coating on its smooth surface, said coating being absent over a portion of the surface to produce a display pattern, and each layer farther from the lamp than said rst named layer having a translucent coating on its smooth surface, said coating on at least one layer being arranged to produce said display pattern in alignment with the pattern on said first named layer.

2. A display advertising device of the character described comprising a front glass plate having its front falce formed with a multiplicity of hills and valleys of substantial magnitude, a second glass plate, in rear of said first fplate and having one face provided with a multiplicity of lenses, a light source in rear of said second plate and means for varying the angle of light to the individual lenses on said second plate whereby to produce a dancing light effect from the front plate, said front plate having a smooth rear face and a pattern delin'eating coating on said rear face, i

JOHN S. VAN AUSDALL.

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