US2252347A - Apparatus for producing displays by rotating luminous bodies - Google Patents

Description

Aug; 12, 1941. o, LUTHY 2,252,347

EPPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DISPLAYS BY ROTATING LUMINOUS BODIES Filed Dec. 23, 1940 A l 37 E r \38 v INVENTOR. l8

v s k m 1 .3 Sq W Patented Aug. 12, 1941 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DISPLAYS BY ROTATING LUMINOUS BODIES Joseph Otto Luthy, San Antonio, Tex. Application December 23, 1940, Serial No. 371,324

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus in which displays are producedby rotating luminous bodies so as to result in various patterns or designs. The purpose of this invention is to provide such an apparatus that will automatically change the pattern of a display at fixed periods, with the apparatusarranging its own patterns so no one knows What the next display may be. This feature tends to hold the interest of the spectator, making the apparatus ideal for use in connection with advertising, as well as for the playing of games.

The following is a description of my invention. Figure l is a front elevation of the invention, partly in section. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 in Figure 1, showing the mechanical part of the apparatus with a wiring diagram. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the spring contact member 3| and its mount- I in Figure 1 shows a' front view of the housing or cabinet of the apparatus. I4 and I5 are the display plates,.on which display tubes 3 and I9 are securely fastened with holddowns 24. 44, 45, 46, and 41 are the terminals of a fluorescent tubular lamp, shown as 48. In front of this lamp is mounted a transparent or partly transparent panel 49, on which a message or advertisement can be written, and which is hereafter called the advertising panel.

While one of the display tubes as shown in Figure 1 has the outline of a triangle and the other of a square, much greater changes in displays can be obtained with tubes bent along more irregular lines. The beauty of a display may also be enhanced by mounting two or more display tubes of different colors on a display plate, and this is especially true in larger sized apparatus; however, a tube or tubes should never overcrowd a display plate as this would cause too much fusion of colors while in motion.

To obtain more colors with the least number of tubes, difierent grades and colors of glass tubing can be used in making the individual tubes. For example, a tube to be filled with neon gas could be made partly from clear and partly from dark red or ruby glass tubing, which will result in two distinct shades of red. A tube filled with argon gas, made of clear and various shades of yellow glass tubing, will result in lighting effects of, blue and different. shades of green. A Variation of colors can also be obtained from one tube by painting parts of it with different .colors .of

transparentpaint. i 1

1 If partor parts of the display tubes are painted with opaque paint Very distinct changes of displays can be obtained from the same set of tubes.

As the beauty of these displays is based largely on stroboscopicaction or efiect, gaseous tubular lamps without any fluorescent coating give the best results. The reason the fluorescent coating is less satisfactory is that it retains part of its glow for a short period after the current has been cut off, thereby reducing, or in fact, almost annulling the stroboscopic effect obtained by the rapid interruption of light.

I in Figure 2 shows the housing or cabinet of the apparatus; 2 the base or support for the rotating mechanism; 3 a bearing for the main driving shaft 4. This shaft is hollow and is provided on one end with pulley 5, and on its opposite end'with flange 6 and threads I. 8 shows the rotatable supporting member,carrying two display plates. In smaller units such as shown in the accompanying drawing this rotatable supporting member can be made of insulating material in the form of a strip of suflicient length and width to permit the mounting of the display plates, while for larger units it may be advisable to make it from metal, preferably aluminum for lightness; and it can be of various forms, such as a strip, disc, crossarm, or any other shape found most suitable.

The rotatable supporting member is provided at its center with a flange-type threaded bushing 9 which permits screwing it on to the threaded end of shaft 4. l0 shows a lock screw or bolt that can be tightened against shaft flange 6, thereby locking rotatable supporting member securely to shaft. II and I2 are hollow shafts, each provided on one end with a flange and on theother end with threads, nuts, and washers by which they can be securely fastened to the rotatable supporting member 8. On the inside of each of shafts 4, II, and I2 is fastened a heavy-walled tube made of insulating material, shown as l3 l3 I3. The walls of these tubes must be of a thickness and quality of material that will assure dependable insulation between the shafts and the conducting parts placed therein.

I4 and. I5 are the display plates, which in smaller units can be made of an insulating material, while for larger units metal may be preferable. To reduce the weight of a display plate it could'be perforated, or builtin the form of a' lattice, or if preferred, of wire netting stretched over a suitable frame.v If the rotatable supporting member or. the display plates aremade of metaLall conducting partsleading to. and from spring contacts 3|, Ma, and 3119 are insulated from the metal.

These display plates are provided with flange bushing l6 and I1, which have bores to fit easily on their respective shafts II and I2, and are slightly longer than the thickness of the display plates to prevent the backs of these plates from rubbing against the nuts or washers of the shafts. As it is important that the display plates rotate as freely as possible on the shafts of the rotatable supporting member, the best results are obtained when the friction of these bearings is reduced as much as practicable. Various modifications of such bearings can be used without,

deviating from the spirit of this invention.

Another very important point is the balancing development work I have found that if the display does not exceed inches in diameter, satisfactory results could be obtained with the rotatable supporting member whirling at a speed of approximately 250 revolutions per minute, while for a display of about 3 feet in diameter a speed of around 90 revolutions per minute was satisfactory. The speed at which the display plates should rotate is dependent upon the form of display'desired, the type and form of display tubes, as well as the voltage and frequency of the tube current.

37 and 38 show leads from the electric supply line; 39 an adjustable resistance provided with an extra tap 39a. 49 is the step-up transformer to increase the line voltage to that required for of a display plate so its weight is equally.dis-" tributed, as otherwise a heavier part in such plate would have a tendency to control its position" whenin motion, thereby preventing change of patterns; If it1is found that any part of V a display plate is heavier than others, weight should be added where needed to obtain equal balance.

, To reduce vibrationin the apparatus, if two ormore display plates are used they should be as nearly as possible of equal weight and placed uniformly on the rotatable supporting member, On the other hand, .if only one display plate is used, suflicient weight should be added to the lighter end of the rotatable supporting member to give the whole a true balance. I

I8 is a display tube mounted on displayplate l4, while I8 is a display tube mounted on display plate [5,20 shows the connection from one terminal-of tube It to bushing I6, while 2| shows the nnee i n r m, h h r t r i el f Said tube to spring contact 3!. 22 connects, one terminalof tube lil to bushing H, while 23 connects the; other terminal of said tube to spring contact 3lq 24 shows the hold-downs forthe display tubes.- 25 shows an opening in display plate I4 to:enableloosening or tightening of the lock screw or bolt IQ.

. 26 shows an automatic'flasher such as is used in connection with animated electric signs of the. gaseous tube type. 21 is the electric motor-for the operation of the automatic flasher, while 28, 29 and 30 are theswitche's controlled by'the automatic flasher. ,The purpose of the automatic flasher is to close andop'en some of the electric circuits in the apparatus at fixed intervals. 'In spite of thecontin'ual' duplicated action of the flasher it will result in continual changes of the display. This is made possible by taking advantage of the'forces'that are'created by the'whirling of the display plates and the rotatable supportingmembe'r at various speeds.

3|", 3la,' and 31b are spring contacts conducting the current from the rotating conducting plates on the inside of insulated shaft bushings l3 l3 I3. 32 and 32 are contact plates held under tension by spring 33' so as to form a solid electrical connection between contact spring 3lb speeds itis preferable to operate it at the lowest speed required to give the desired results. In my the lighting of the display tubes. 4| is a high tension condenser connected in parallel with the secondary outlets of the transformer. To obtain the most satisfactory results from this condenser it should be of such capacity as to effect a noticeable change of frequency of the high tension current even at normal voltage, and a still further change of frequency with voltages below normal, which action generally results in a more pleasing appearance of the display.

7 42 is a choke or balancing coil inserted in the fluorescent tubular lamp circuit; 43 a low tension .condenser also forming part of said circuit.

44, .5, 46, and 41 are the leads connecting to the fluorescent tubular lamp terminals of corresponding numbers as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of spring contact 3| and its mounting, which is a similar arrangement tov that of the spring contact 3| a. 3lb is also a similar type of contact, forming connectionibetween the insulated conductor in the driving shaft to one of the high tension terminals of the step-up transformer.

The electrical connection of the apparatus as shown in Figure 2 is such that when the current is turned on and with all three of the automatic flasher switches open it will result in the starting of the flasher motor 21, as well as the lightso the switches thereon will open and close at different periods and the adjustable resistance can be regulated to obtain the desired illumination of the display tubes during determined periods; I select for an example thefollowing adjustment.

If the cycle of operation of the automatic flasher is to cover a period of 45 seconds the regulation of theresistance in the primary transformer circuit with flasher switch 29 open should be such'as to reduce the current sufficiently to result in a noticeable reduction of luminosity in the display tubes, and with flasher switch 29 closed it should result in the increase of current to almostits normal strength. Too bright an illumination of the display tubes should be avoided, as it would only cause fusion instead of blending of colors when display plates are being whirled. The adjustment of th- 'opening and closing of flasher switch 29 should be timed so that the period of reduced current in the display tube circuit is 25 seconds and that ofv in creasedlcurrent 20 Seconds. The opening and closing of flasher switch 30, which controlsthe operation of motor'34, should be timed so that the flow of currentin the motor circuit is interrupted for 4 seconds'during every cycle of the flasher. In other Words, if the length of a cycle of the flashers operation is 45 seconds, the current to the motor 34 should be on 41 seconds and oil 4 seconds. The timing of flasher switch 28 should be such that it is closed during the period of 4 seconds when flasher switch 30 is open. i

After the adjustment of the resistance and automatic flasher has been made as above outlined, if the current is turned on at a period when flasher switches 28 and 29 are open and flasher switch 30 is closed, it will result in the starting of the flasher motor 21 and the main motor 34, as well as the lighting of the display tubes .with

reduced current. v

While at the start of the whirling movement the display plates will have some tendency to rotate on their own axles this movement is rapidly checked with. the: increase of speed of the rotatable supporting member. When this speed has become uniform it will hold the display plates in alignment toward each other, thereby controlling the-pattern of the display.

The reduced current in the display tube cir-. cult with the action of the condenser will pro-- duce a pattern with somewhat sharp outline and much activity. If the speed of the whirling movement is kept uniformthe pattern of the display will be retained with little or no change until, after 21 seconds, flasher switch 29 closes, thereby increasing the flowlof current to the display tubes so as to cause a soft blending of colors. This effect also is retained with little or no change until, after 20 seconds, flasher switches 29 and 30 open and 28 closes. The closing of flasher switch 28 will start the lighting of fluorescent lamp 48, thereby illuminating the advertising panel 49. The opening of flasher switch 29 will again lower the current supply to the display tubes, while the opening of flasher switch 30 will cut off the current from main motor 34.

After the motor current has been cut oil the momentum or force resulting from the whirling movement of the display plates and the rotatable supporting member will cause the whole to continue rotating, but with an immediate slackening of speed. As soon as this whirling movement diminishes nearly to its stopping point the display plates again will have a tendency to move around their own axles, which breaks up the pattern of the display. In the apparatus I have built the speed of the whirling movement of the display plates is such that it requires about seconds for the rotatable supporting member to reach a dead stop after the current to the motor 34 has been cut off. Therefore, since flasher switch 30 closes within a period of 4 seconds, thereby again starting motor 34, the whirling movement of the display plates is resumed before it has actually reached its stopping point. The acceleration of the whirling movement of the display plates causes some movement of them around their own axles, until the speed of the whirling movement has become uniform and suflicient to again hold them in alignment toward each other, which action results in the forming of a new pattern of display that in practically every case is different from the one preceding.

The moment flasher switch 30 closes, flasher switch 28 opens, thereby cutting ofi the current in the fluorescent lamp circuit. This completes a cycle of the automatic flashers action, and while its succeeding cycles will consist of the same action, even a slight movement of the. dis-. play plates during each period of reduction and acceleration of speed of the whirlingmovement will result in a change of pattern. From the above" explanation it can be seen that it would be practically impossible to foretell what the next pattern will be', which feature holds the interest of spectators.

While the momentary reduction of speed in the whirling movement of the display plates and the acceleration of it is suflicient to 'effectfla change of display, in some cases it may be preferable to stop the whirling movement entirely and start it again; This wouldbe especially true if the apparatus be used for the playing of gamesin which theidisplay plates could be provided with characters or symbols that would form patterns While in motion but would be legible when stopped, their position indicating winning or losing. r

On the other hand, if the apparatus is used as an attraction or for advertising purposes, I believe the momentary reduction of speed in whirling the display plates to change the pat tern thereon would be preferable; The reason for this is that the change of display takes place so quicklythatit is practically impossible to dis cern thereal movements of the display plates before a new pattern is created, which makes the action of theapparatus more mystifying and interesting; p Q

If it is desired to bring the whirling movement. of the display plates to astandstill during each cycle of the flasher all thattis necessary isto prolong the stopping period of the motor 34.;If, it is desired to change the dispay pattern more often, all that is required is either to increase the speed of the control disc shaft of the flasher, or use flasher control discs having provisions for more changes. This also holds good as to the time period for lighting the fluorescent lamp, so that if the apparatus is used for advertising purposes it can be adjusted to illuminate the advertising panel as often and for as long as desired. If a lower priced apparatus should be desired it could be built without the automatic flasher. In such case each time the apparatus is stopped and started again it would result in a change of the display pattern.

While the accompanying drawing and foregoing speciflcation show and describe an apparatus in whichtwo display plates are used, an apparatus could be built with one, three, four, or more display plates. If only one display plate is used its axlef'should be mounted a distance from the axle of the rotatable supporting member sothestopping and starting of its whirling movement will result in a change of display.

While "the accompanying drawing and foregoing specification show the use of gaseous tubes as the luminous bodies of display, incandescent or glow lamps of various types, colors, and forms could be used instead. As incandescent or glow lamps operate on a much lower current voltage but an increased ampere rate it would require an increase in size of the current conducting parts in the lighting circuit; however, as in such the rotatable supporting. member. to ,the. bearing of the display plate or plates and-from there to one terminal of. each display tube.

While in the description of. this invention the advertising. panelis partv of the apparatus, if preferred, this panel could be some distance away, yet controlled by the automatic flasher in they apparatus. The flasher switches controlling the illumination of suchpanel could also be made to control two or morepanels located at different places. The automatic flasher could also..be provided with two or more switches for the controlling of panel lamps, so it would result, during each cycle of the flasher, in the illumination of different panels, either multiple or alternate,; each. for a determined period of time. In such arrangement the use of different colored lamps in the various panels would add to its attractiveness, e

All of the foregoingsuggestions for modification of the apparatuscould be carried out without departing in the least from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim as new. and patentable is:

1. A display apparatus including a rotary main member, display means, means to movably mount the display means onthe mainmember for free and uncontrolled rotary movements .independently of. the main member,.me ans to drive the main": member only thereby to rotate same and throughiitsirotation to rotate the displaymeans solelyby; the: force derived by and from the starting Tand. stopping of. the main member, means for: efiecting said starting and stopping of the :main member whereby the rotation of the display; means is .uncontrolled save by such force as :it de'rives-fromithe. starting and stopping of themainmember, and said display means havingjitsrweig'ht. equally distributed to provide equal balance thereof, whereby the pattern of the displaywmeans. issuccessively changed. during said starting and stopping of the main member.

2. At display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of display means.'. 1 i

::'3.1A displayapparatus in accordance wtih claim 1, wherein the display means is of circular-outline and hasthe axis of rotation at the center thereof.

4. A display apparatus including a rotary main member, display means, means to movably mount the display means on the main member for free and uncontrolled rotary movements independently of the main member, means to drive the main. member only thereby to rotate same and; through its rotation to rotate the display means solely by the force derived by and duringtheacceleration and deceleration of the mainmember, means for effecting said acceleration. and deceleration of the main member whereby the rotation of the display means is uncontrolled save by such force. as it derives from the acceleration and deceleration of the main member, and said display means having its weight .equallydistributed to provide equal balance thereof,. whereby the pattern of the display. .means; is; successively changed, during ing .said accelerationand deceleration of the main member.

' JOSEPH OTTO LUTHY.

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