US2503255A - Mileage and route indicator - Google Patents

Description

A ril 11, 1950 w@ c. GEORGE 2,503,255

MILEAGE AND ROUTE INDICATOR Filed Feb. 15, 1946- Patented Apr. 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MILEAGE AND ROUTE INDICATOR Willard 0. George, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Application February 15, 1946, Serial No. 647,898

2 Claims.

This invention relates to mileage and route indicators, and more particularly to a device of this character which may be placed conveniently for use on a counter, table, stand, shelf or other suitable support in a public place such as a hotel lobby, office of a chamber of commerce or tourist camp or lodge, information booths and like places, gasoline filling stations, etc., frequented or patronized by a traveler seeking such information.

, An object of the invention is to produce a conveniently usable device which is easily manipulated and gives the mileage and route numbers from a given place to any one of many other places distant therefrom and covering a range of the more noted or prominent places throughout the entire country or at least throughout a large section or division thereof.

Another object is to produce a device of this character contained within a suitable casing or housing and having exposed panels or surface portions on which may be applied advertising and other attractive matter.

A further object is to manufacture the device at a minimum cost and to facilitate interchange of will hereinafter be more fully described in the 1? following specification.

A practical but non-limiting exemplification of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on or about the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the removable top frame of the device detached.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 designates, generally, the casing or housing of the device. As shown, the casing or housing 5 is of generally rectangular horizontal section, having parallel opposite side walls 6 Whose upper edge portions are inclined upwardly, as at 1, from a lower front wall 8 to its higher rear end wall portion 9. This formation of the casing or housing produces an inclined top face the fea- .i

tures of which will be presently described more fully in detail.

' The casing or housing 5 is provided with a removable, generally rectangular, top frame ID.

This frame, as shown, has a rabbeted outer mariii ginal portion l I extending entirely therearound so that the frame is fittable tightly within the upper edge portions of the side and front and rear walls of the device. In some cases, this top frame I0 may be fitted tightly and held by a frictional engagement within the upper edge portions of the device, but, preferably, as shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4, the opposite side marginal portions of the top frame are provided with apertured ears I2 which are screw-threaded to receive fastening screws l3 which are inserted through aligned apertures provided therefor in the adjacent side wall portions of the device.

The removable top frame I0 is provided at its middle with an integral cross-plate portion I 4, said plate portion l4 having a sight opening l5 of substantial width and two relatively narrow additional sight openings i6 and 11, respectively.

The two sight openings l6 and H, in practice, are usually of a Width to expose therethrough only a single line of indicia, the opening l6 being shorter than the opening I! and provided primarily to display a mileage indication, while the other and longer opening I! is of a length to display a route number or a multiplicity of such numbers in sequential arrangement. However, as to the sight opening [5, it is pointed out that this particular opening is for displaying the name of a place remote from the place from which the mileage and route number, or numbers, are to be indicated. This opening [5 may be of the same narrow width as the openings l6 and H, but, as shown, said opening I5 is considerably wider so as to expose therethrough a plurality of destinations, the middle one of which is to be the one particu larly designated and the opposite ends of the opening I5 are provided with indicator points [8 disposed midway of the opposite end portions of the opening and in registered alignment with which the selected place of destination is brought in the operation of the device. This is the preferred provision and arrangement of the sight opening I5 in that the same facilitates the more readily and accurately positioning of the selected 7 place in position with relation to the indicator pointers l8.

Mounted rotatably within the casing or housing 5, transversely thereof, is a hollow drum with end heads [9 which are shouldered internally and annularly, as at 20, and have fixed tightly thereon a cylindrical barrel portion 21. Obviously, however, this drum may be of any other suitable construction and arrangement. It may be also suitably mounted in any desirable or approved manner. As shown, its pivotal mounting comprises trunnions or stub shafts 22 havin reduced inner end portions 23 which are fitted tightly in axial bores in said end heads [9. The members 22 are fitted rotatably in bearing apertures provided therefor in the adjacent portions of the side walls 6 of the device and said members 22 have rounded or semi-spherical outer ends which are received in counterpart socket portions 24 of bearing plates or brackets 25 which are detachably secured, as at 26, to the adjacent outer face portions of the side walls 6.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the drum element, but, as shown, the end head members of the drum element are provided with annular flanges 21 which are extended outwardly beyond the circumference of the barrel portion 2I of the drum and said annular flange portions of the heads l9 are knurled or otherwise roughened peripherally to facilitate the engaging contact with the end of'a finger in effecting rotation of the drum element. As shown, these end flanges 21 of the drum element are protruded a slight distance outwardli through elongated slots 28 provided therefor in the adjacent middle portions at opposite sides of the top frame [8.

It is here" pointed out that, in practice, the respective devices of the present invention are made to indicate mileage and route numbers from one certain place, that is tosay, the place from which the reckoning is to bemade and indicated.

For example, as shown in the drawings, the place of use is Washington, D. 0., and this name is marked on the crossplate member M of the top frame It. Associated with this name is the word From and marked indicatively with the mileage opening is the word Miles and the word Routes is also marked'in indicating relation to the slot i7. These two markings Miles and Routes will be the same in all adaptations of the invention, but the name of the place from which the information is tc'be given must be changed accordingly.

The particular indicia used is to be printed, typed or otherwise marked on a sheet of paper or other suitable material and this sheet is applied to'the' circumference of the barrel portion of the drum by glue, other adhesive or some suitable and approved attaching medium. Thus, there is disposed annularly of the drum, adjacent one end thereof so as to be moved into view through the sight opening 15, the names of a multiplicity of places or destinations. Aligned with the names of the respective destinations, lonigtudinally of the drum, and closely adjacent thereto so as to be moved into view through the sight opening l6, are the calculated mileage numbers corresponding to the distance between the one starting place and the particular destination, While in alignment with the respective mileage numbers are the number or numbers of the route or routes to be taken in traveling-from the place of origination to the destination.

Any suitable provision may be made for releasably holding the drum in any of its rotated positions, such as, for example, a suitable kind of ratchet provision or releasable holding device may be employed. As shown, a spring tongue element 29 is attached, as at 30, adjacent one of its ends to the-adjacent side wall portion 6 and its free end portion is normally in contact with the outer face of the adjacent end member I!) of the drum. This spring element 29 functions as a friction brake with sufficient force to normally hold the drum in the position to which it is moved, but readily yields to permit forcible rotation of the drum by the application of a finger to the periphery of one of the flanges 21.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a practical device of its character is provided which is structurally the same for use at any given place, the only part to be varied being the sheeted covering, designated generally by the numeral 3|, which latter, of course, has to be specially calculated. and marked for use at a given place. The device is also attractive as well as handy for use. So, too, panels 32 and 33 may be provided to cover rectangular openings 32 and 33' in the top frame [0 at opposite sides of the central cross-plate [4, said openings 32' and 33' being respectively rabbeted, as at 32" and 33", to afford seats for the margins of said panels 32 and 33. These panels 32 and 33 may be left plain and unmarked, but for such as advertising purposes, the same may be accordingly pictured or contain advertising matter or indicia. It is also here noted that the panels 32 and 33 may be either opaque or transparent or translucent, in which latter cases the same may be illuminated by placing a suitable lighting device or element therebelow within the casing or housing 5.

The herein illustrated and described deviceis but one practical exemplificationof the invention and the same admits of considerable modification within the purview of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is'not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

What is claimed'is:

1. In a mileage and route indicator from one geographic location to a plurality of geographic locations, the combination with a hollow casing having front, rear and side walls, a rotatable drum, means rotatably mounting said drum within said casing between said side walls, said drum being formed on its periphery with a plurality of lines of indicia parallel to the axis of said drum, each line including indicia designating a geographic location, the mileage thereto and a route thereto, and means for rotating said drum; of a top for said casing, means detachably connecting said'top to said casing across said front, rear and side walls, said top being formed with at least one sight opening therethrough, said sight opening being positioned to overlie a line of indicia on said drum, said top being formed to provide a pair of panel openings therethrough, there being a panel opening above and spaced from said sight opening and a panel opening below and spaced from said sight opening, a panel for each panel opening, and means detacha'bly mounting each panel in its respective panel opening.

2. In a mileage and route indicator from one geographic location to a plurality of geographic locations, the combination with a hollow casing having front, rear and side walls, a rotatable drum, means rotatably mounting said drum within said casing between said side walls, said drum being formed on its periphery with a plurality of lines of indicia parallel to the axis of said drum, each line including indicia designating a geographic location, the mileage thereto and a route thereto, and means for rotating said drum; of a top for said casing, means detachably connecting said top to said casing across said front, rear and side walls, said top being formed with at least one sight opening therethrough, saidsight opening being positioned to overlie a line of indicia on said drum, said top being formed to provide a pair of panel openings therethrough, there being a panel opening above and spaced from said sight opening and a panel opening below and REFERENCES CITED spaced from said sight opening, a, panel for each The follow f panel opening, and said panels and said panel file of this a erences are of record m the openings being formed to provide complementary Y rabbeted marginal portions whereby said panels 5' UNITED STATES RA are seated in said panel openings flush with the Number Name Date surface of said top. 509,891 Gore Dec. 5, 1893 627,402 Einbigler June 20, 1899 WILLARD C. GEORGE. 1,371,022 Ecaubert Mar. 8, 1921 1,546,928 Graham July 21, 192!

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