US2814894A - Display and like devices - Google Patents

Description

w. e. HORTON DISPLAY AND LIKE DEVICES Filed June 22, 1954 HORTONS INDICATING SYSTEM.

LT T T T TQ DISPLAY AND LIKE DEVICES.

William Gray Horton, Northampton, England Application June 22, 1954, Serial No. 438,560.

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 25, 1953 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-63) This invention relates to board, panel. and like display devices and is concerned withv indicating means to be carried thereby and refers particularly to such. indicating means having integral lugs or the like for engaging in slots in the board, panel or the like (for example horizontally and/ or vertically arranged slots), by which they are sustained in position.

In general, in accordance with the invention, for the production of such lugged indicating means, a sheet, strip or the like of paper, card or other thin sheet material adapted to have typewritten or other records made on a surface thereof or to have punched holes therethrough, is provided, which has shaped areas, which include the projecting lugs, bounded by scorings, interrupted scorings' or slots, spaced perforations or any desired combination thereof, whereby indications may bewritten, typed, punched, impressed, printed (including printed colour designs) or otherwise made on the surface bounded by said areas whilst they remain in sheet or strip form,. prior to being removed from the sheet, strip or the like by push-out pressure or tearing acting on the bounding weakened outline whereby such areas as removed portions can be used as indicating means for locating on the said board, panel or the like.

If desired, each strip or the like of paper, card' or other thin sheet material having a plurality of potential indicators in its structure, may have a series or other marking to indicate a machine or operators number or otherwise.

Obviously, the lug spacing or spacings of an indicator should be in accordance with the spacing of the slots in any carrying board, panel or the like: on which the indicator is to be disposed.

A sheet, strip or the like containing a plurality of potential indicators can have scored thereon such indicators of any suitable shape, for example rectangular, circular, or otherwise, and be of such size in relation to the indicating panel or the like on which they are to belocated that they cover a unit area or any desired multiple of unit area extending vertically or horizontally as may be required.

In all cases there are provided at least two lugs on different edges but preferably in the case of rectangles on two parallel edges, or on the two which may be considered as opposite edges where the indicators are of circular or other shape than rectangular. In preferred cases and especially when the indicators are of multiple unit area, there can be two or more lugs on one edge and one or more lugs on the parallel edge.

In order that the invention may be better understood, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying somewhat diagrammatic drawings which are given by way of example only and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a strip of thick paper, light card or the like having a plurality of similar lugged rectangular potential indicators.

Fig. 2 is a similar view but inwhich the potential lugged tates Patent 6 i 2,814,894 Patented Dec. 3, 1957 indicators are arranged in a different manner from those shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows to a larger scale an indicator removed from the strip such as shown in Fig. l and having typed thereon an indication prior to its removal.

Fig. 4 shows a. similar view to Fig. 3' of an indicator removed from the strip shown in Fig. 2; In this case no indication is shown on the indicator. but obviously it willhave any suitable indication typed, printed or otherwise thereon prior to its'removal from the main strip.

Fig. 5 shows a fragmentary section on the line 55, Fig. l, to a very large scale toindicate the scoring.

Fig. 6 shows a portion of a panel display surface having horizontal and vertical perforations therethrough arranged so that they define imaginary squares of unit area to receive co-ordinating lugged indicators such as, shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 7 shows another example of an indicator removed from the sheet or strip having a plurality of such potential indicators.

Fig. 8 shows another example of an indicator removed from its main strip or sheet, inthis case designed for oblique mounting on the slot-ted panel.

Fig. 9 shows a circular, Fig; 10 a diamond-shaped, and Fig. 11 a triangular indicator with suitably disposed lugs and in each case the indicator is one removed from a sheet or strip having a plurality ofpotential indicators in accordance with the invention.

In reference to Figs. 1', 3 and 5 7 is a strip of thick paper, light card or similar sheet material of desired width and" length, having a plurality of potential indicators in. its substance and defined by areas bounded byscorings. As will be seen, such anarea comprises in each case a rectangle. 8' having an integral upper central lug 9 and two lower lugs 10 of greater length than the lug 9 on the lower edge and symmetrically arranged.

As hereafter will be explained, the size of the rectangle 8' and the dispositions of the lugs 9 and 10, have dimensional relationship with the slotted board, panel or the like on which the indicator, when detached from the strip, can be mounted.

Lt will be appreciated that the strip 7 as shown in Fig. 1 can be written upon as a strip or can be passed through a printing machine in its strip form so that the various potential indicators receive: markings, or can be placed in an ordinary typewriter so that the surface of the up permost rectangle 8' can be typed upon and the surfaces of the other similar rectangles also can have typed indications made thereon. Thereafter, by finger or like pressure the potential indicator can be broken along the lines of the scoring and removed ready for mounting on the panel or the like. Such a typed-upon and removed in dicator is: shown in Fig. 3 and similarly Fig. 4 shows one such removed from the strip shown in Fig. 2.

If desired the indication typed upon the potential indicator can also be typed upon the portion of the main stripv remaining and may also. begiven a serial number so that it can be identified with the removed indicator. Further, if desired between the similar potential indicators the strip or sheet can be perforated with lines of perforations. Onev of these, 18, is shown in Fig. l but of course similar lines of perforations can be between succeeding potential indicators. This will enable each framework of a potential indicator to have a record made thereon of the indication made upon the potential indicator together with an identifying number or the like so that the. said frameworks, when the indicators have been removed; therefrom, can be divided at the lines of the. perforations and, stored for record purposes.

Generally to illustrate the weakening or scoring of the strip 7, the section on the line 55Fig; 1 shown in: Fig. 5 is drawn to an extremely enlarged scale. From this figure it will be seen how the main body of the strip 7 is almost completely cut through by the scoring 11 which, however, leaves a hump-like unsevered but weak portion 12 on the rear so that although the weak connecting portions 12 following the outline of the lugged area are adequate to hold the parts in place for the typing operation, yet when taken from the typewriter they permit the potential indicator readily to be removed by finger pressure to form the indicator proper such as shown in Fig. 3 or 4.

Potential indicators such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and indicators such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are suitable for mounting upon panels or the like in accordance with my prior patents and particularly British Patent No. 465,800, in which there is provided a panel 13 or the like (a portion only of which is shown in Fig. 6) which has vertical slots 14 and horizontal slots 15 so relatively arranged that they define imaginary squares of unit area.

The indicators shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in one dimension are suitable to cover three unit areas and in the other dimension two unit areas so that the indicator itself covers six unit areas and from what may be regarded as the upper edge 16 the integral lug 9 projects and from what may be regarded as the lower edge 17 the integral lugs project, these latter being longer than the lug 9. In any case, and as will be seen from Fig. 6, whilst the lug 9 readily can be engaged in one of the horizontal slots 15, the lugs 10 similarly are engaged in two horizontal slots so that the information displayed on the surface of the indicator can be located in the required position on the panel or the like 13.

Figs. 7 to 11 show five further examples of indicators produced by the method according to the invention. That is to say, in each case the indicator was one of a number of potential indicators carried by a strip, sheet or the like with a weakened bounding edge. All the examples have lug spacings at unit distances suitable for being mounted upon a slotted panel or the like as shown in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 7 the vertical dimension is unity and the horizontal dimension a multiple of unity, to form a strip 19. This has two lugs 20 on the upper edge and four lugs 21 on the lower edge. The figure also illustrates the result of a method of forming the weakened boundary of the potential indicator. The scoring in this case can be practically complete, that is to say, through the material of the strip or card but to leave unscored or uncut portions at the central part of the extremities of the lugs 20 and 21. Thus, when the indicator is pushed out from the card the uncut and unscored portions are broken, leaving pips such as 22 as illustrated in the figure.

The indicator shown in Fig. 8 is an example of one to have an oblique position on the slotted panel or the like, and a plurality of potential indicators of this shape are carried by the main strip or sheet to be marked upon and then removed for mounting on the panel or the like. When removed it comprises a strip 23 which is oblique or slopes when mounted in position, the upper edge having a lug 24 and the lower edge a lug 25, the vertical and horizontal spacings of the lug positions being in accordance with the spacings of the slots in the panel or board.

Fig. 9 shows a circular indicator 26 with lugs 27 spaced at 90 apart around the circumference, two for engaging vertical slots and two for engaging horizontal slots.

Fig. 10 shows a diamond-shaped indicator 28 having two lugs 29 at opposite angular points and Fig. 11 shows a triangular indicator 30 with two lugs 31 on its lower edge and a lug 32 at its apex.

In all cases it will be understood that the shaped indicators, whether in accordance with the shapes illustrated or other shapes, for example hexagonal, elliptical, starshape, or square shape of unit area, originally are potential indicators and one of a plurality on a strip or card bounded by a weakened outline including the lugs ready for removal when desired.

The lug arrangement may be varied as required and accordingto the shape and area of the indicators to be made. For example, for a rectangular indicator there may be only one lug on each of two parallel edges, or a lug on each of the four edges, or more than one lug on some of the edges. Still further in the case of rectangular or square indicators, the lugs may so relatively project from an edge or edges thereof that when in position the edges of the rectangle do not come horizontal and vertical but at an angle inclined to the horizontal or vertical.

Again, where the indicators are of circular, oval or other shape, the lugs will be so disposed that at least they come on what may be regarded as opposite edges or opposite edge portions. In any case, however, it will be realised that a factor concerning the lug disposition obviously will be the arrangement and spacing of the slots or the like on the board or panel by which the indicators are to be carried.

Although in the particular illustrations shown in the drawings the potential indicators have been shaped and dimensioned for co-operation with a board or panel having horizontal and vertical slots defining imaginary squares, it will be understood that this is by no means a limitation of the invention. The lugs and their relative dispostion may be such that they can engage with panels, boards and the like having perforations of other character. Still further, it must also be understood that in place of mount ing the indicators when removed from the main strip or strips upon stiff panels or boards, they may be mounted on flexible sheets of suitable material provided said sheets have the necessary arrangement of slots or perforations therethrough.

Again, regarding shapes of potential indicators, these if desired can be according to any known colour convention whereby a certain shape indicates one colour whilst another shape indicates a different colour, and so on. Further, the surfaces of the potential indicators themselves may be of different colours or of varied colours so that when removed from their main strip or sheet and mounted upon the slotted board, panel or the like these colours fit in and form part of any desired indicating system.

In both Figs. 1 and 2 what may be regarded in each case as one row of potential indicators has been shown on the strip. However, of course it will be understood that in place of a somewhat narrow strip there can be employed a sheet and on the said sheet there can be a plurality of rows of potential indicators.

Although it is preferable that the weakening of the sheet material to define the areas of the potential indicators is by a scoring action or by scoring interrupted at small points by unscored portions, yet this may be replaced by lines of perforations or by slotted portions and solid portions, or any desired combination thereof.

As has been pointed out herein, the dimensioning of the various indicators disclosed as well as the orientation of the integral lugs thereon must be related to the spacing of the slots or to the openings in the indicating panels. Hence each lug on any indicating member must be spaced, in a direction which when the member is mounted on a panel is parallel to one of the rows of openings therein, from each other lug on the indicating member a distance equal to one or more times the distance of the spacing of adjacent openings in a row. Hence the spacing distance must be an integral multiple of the distance between adjacent openings in the indicating panel. Where the term integral multiple is employed herein, it is intended to include the multiple 1.

The invention is not limited to the precise forms or details herein set forth, as these may be varied to suit particular requirements.

What I claim is:

1. For use in combination with an indicating supporting panel having uniformly arranged and uniformly spaced parallel rows of openings therein, a substantially rectangular indicating member having at least three integral lugs extending from the edges thereof, a pair of said lugs extending from one edge of said indicating member and the other lug extending from the opposite edge, said other lug being spaced from each of said pair of lugs a distance, in a direction parallel to said one and opposite edges, equal at least to an integral multiple of the distance between adjacent openings in a row of openings in the indicating panel, and said one and opposite edges of said indicating member being spaced one from the other a distance equal to an integral multiple of the distance between adjacent parallel rows of openings, whereby a pair of said indicating members may be mounted on said indicating panel with the edges thereof free from integral lugs being in line and the adjacent edges thereof substantially in contact and the lugs on the adjacent edges of said members extending into separate openings in a single row of openings in the indicating panel.

2. In combination with an indicating supporting panel having uniformly arranged and uniformly spaced parallel rows of openings therein, a plurality of substantially rectangular indicating members each having at least three integral lugs extending from the edges thereof, a pair of the lugs of each member extending from one edge thereof and the other lug extending from the opposite edge thereof, the lugs of each pair of lugs of each indicating member being spaced apart along the edge of said member from which they extend a distance, in a direction parallel to said one and opposite edges thereof, equal at least to an even integral multiple of the distance be tween adjacent openings in a row of openings in the indicating panel and said other iug on said opposite edge of each said indicating member being spaced in a direc tion parallel to said one and opposite edges thereof equal distances from the iugs of said pair, and said one and o/p posite edges of each of said indicating members being spaced one from the other a distance equal to an integral multiple of the distance between adjacent parallel rows of openings in said indicating panel, whereby said indicating members may be mounted on said indicating panel with adjacent edges substantially in contact, said one lug of one indicating member thusly positioned with respect to a second indicating member extending into an opening in the indicating panel in the same row of openings and between the openings into which the pair of lugs o f said second indicating member extend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,111,780 Horton Mar. 22, 1938 2,188,310 Price Ian. 30, 1940 2,213,666 Burke Sept. 3, 1940

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