US2876567A - Advertising sign device - Google Patents

Description

March l0, 1959 H. B. GOODEN ADVERTISING SIGN DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 12, 1956 I/@ IMS INVENTOR.

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ADVERTISING SIGN DEVICE Herbert B. Gooden, Waycross, Ga.

Application March 12, 1956, Serial No. 570,752

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-32) This invention relates to signs and devices for advertising and the like, and particularly to what I choose to term an advertising sign device.

The main object of my invention is to provide an advertising means which by illumination and motion serves to call attention to certain wares on sale in a store or market place.

An ancillary object of this invention is to have an advertising device provided with ilexible bands or strips of suiiicient width to carry thereon painted or printed notices of commodities on sale and prices therefor, the bands being arranged in a series simultaneously in View for window shoppers to invite them in to buy.

Another object of the invention is to have such flexible advertising bands or strips illuminated and constantly in motion in endless rotation to call attention and vary the showing of titles.

A further object of the invention is also to have the various bands or strips adjustable individually for smooth running operation.

It is likewise an object of the invention to arrange a series of advertising strips or bands behind individual windows and all of the latter formed into a frame o-r casing which may serve as a store front or t-he like, while mechanical means are concealed within for simultaneously operating all of the bands in said casing or frame.

It is also an object, to have such an advertising device wherein a motor drive operates through a reducing device to rotate rollers upon which the flexible bands or strips travel, the drive and the illumination of the strips being electrical in kind.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of anadvertising sign device made according to my invention and embodying the sarne in a practical form and shown occupying a store front;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the device as taken on line 2-2 in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of an advertising band or strip forming part of the invention;

Figure 4 is another vertical cross section diiferent than in Figure 2, but taken on line 4 4 in Figure l;

Figure 5 is another section as taken on line 5 5 in Figure 2 illustrating the driving mechanism of the device;

Figure 6 is a further section as taken on line 6-6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is also a section as taken on line 7-7 in said Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is still another section as taken on line 8-8 in the same Figure 5.

States arent icc Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

In the merchandising iield, especially in stores, markets and the like, it is always important to call the attention of the public to the wares on sale, especially to attract attention to low prices. Many expedients have, of course been resorted to through the years, and signs of all kinds and sizes have been used, with and without illumination. However, there is still a great need of some form of eifective advertising sign or device that has capacity for showing a satisfactory amount of articles or listing of wares with prices or other features, and also for attracting attention in an active manner. Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a special sign or device should have movable means for showing a list or series of showings of articles on sale in illuminated form to. render the sign as attractive as possible to attract attention. As a result of such consideration, I have succeeded in producing an advertising sign device along the lines already indicated, as will now be set forth in detail in the following, due reference being had to the drawings heretofore but briefly alluded to.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, a frame or casing, generally indicated at 9 primarily includes the front frame or wall 10 having a series of upright frame members 11 spaced apart to provide windows 12 between each pair of such members. At the ends are fixed the end walls 13, 14 spaced a relatively greater distance from the last upright members 11 and the resulting longer openings are closed by panels 15, 16, while a bottom 17 and top 18 are also affixed to and form parts of the casing 9. The top is preferably `short from front to. rear and has a rearwardly sloping portion 19 connected to a depending wall 20 and slopes down to the back 2.1 of the casing as a whole.

` The front 10 has an upper lengthwise sign frame 22 having a long window 23 which is provided with appropriate wording 24 applied thereto in more or less translucent manner. With this feature in mind, the depending wall Ztl has a downward extension 25 which upon its front face is preferably painted or treated to be light reflecting in nature, and a series of fluorescent lamps 27 are mounted on this extension to illuminate the sign or window 23 with its Wording 24 from within, and also to illuminate sign elements below as well. The casing is also subdivided behind the front 10 into a series of sign chambers 2S by partitions 29 disposed behind the upright front frame members 11, these partitions serving to separate certain sign parts about to be explained. Thus, within the end screen 15 between the last partition 29 and casing end 13 which forms chainber 30 is located the mechanism for driving the active sign parts disposed in the other chambers 28, the end chamber 30 primarily containing an electric rnotor 31 for driving the mechanism involved, either in this chamber or directly behind it, as best seen in Figure 5.

The motor 31 is coupled at 32 to a reducing device 33 having a chain sprocket or pinion 34 on its shaft 35 connected by chain 36 with a large sprocket 37 on a gear shaft 38 supported in bearings 39, 4t) on upright supports 41 and 42. Upon the gear shaft 3S is mounted a large gear 43 simultaneously meshing with two pinions 44 and 45 mounted on two parallel separate shafts 46 and 47 rotatable in bearings 43, 49 and 50, 51 attached to uprights 41 and 42 just mentioned. Thus far, it is evident that when mo-tor 31 is energized, it will rotate sprocket 37 through chain 36 and thereby shaft 38 and its gear 43, and consequently pinions 44 and 45 with their shafts 46 and 47 in simultaneous rotation in the same direction. Upon the front ends of these shafts are fixed bevel gears 52, 53 meshing with corresponding bevel pinions 54 on a pair of elongated top and bottom shafts S` Vand 56 rotatably mounted and extending through the partitions 29 and chambers 28 near the front windows 12. Upon these shafts are mounted rollers 57 yand 58, one roller upon each shaft within each chamber V28 between each pair of partitions 29.

Upon each pair of upper and lower rollers 57 and 58 is mounted a band, belt or strip of paper, more or less smooth fabric or flexible plastic sheet 59 behind each window 12, each of these belts being brought rearwardly in a loop 60 by an idler roller 61 rotatable upon a swinging idler mounting 62 swingably suspended from a length- Wise shaft 63 running through the partitions as in the case of roller shafts 55 and S6 referred to. In each case, the idler roller is disposed within the loop 60 of each band or belt 59 so as to take up all slack and maintain the front length of the band or strip flat behind the window 12 at the front of the casing. For this purpose, the idler rollers may be made more or less heavy to produce their adjusting effect largely by gravity. i: Upon each of belts or bands 59 is printed or painted appropriate advertising material or wording indicated at 64, 65, 66, which is illuminated from above by fluorescent lamps 27 and visible from the front through windows 12, and when the motor is energized by electric current from a switch (not shown) the rollers are rotated so as to cause the bands or belts to slowly travel upward behind each window and display the advertising matter thereon. The casing is preferably supported on legs 65 to dispose it at a proper level so that people passing the store or riding by in vehicles, can readily see the displayed sign or device.

However, when so desired, the casing may be secured direct upon the side or front wall of a; building, store, or supermarket, by omitting the legs 65', and which will be mounted or secured on the building at the proper level, so that people passing the building or store displaying the sign or device, or people riding by in automobiles, buses, etc., will readily see the sign.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others, within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. An advertising sign device, including an elongated casing having an elongated window thereon and beneath said window a series of relatively shorter windows disposed along the casing, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted adjacent to each of the shorter windows `in the series with one roller above the other in each pair, a belt of flexible material upon the rollers in each pair interconnecting them and carrying advertising data and adapted to be moved into register with one of said shorter windows, means for maintaining the belt flat behind one of said shorter windows in each case, means for illuminating the belts to render the advertising data on the same visible through the shorter windows adjacent thereto, and means for rotating the rollers and causing the belts to travel vertically behind said shorter windows to bring various data into view in said windows in succession, comprising a lower rotatable shaft common to all of the lower rollers and a similar upper parallel shaft common to all of the upper rollers, a pinion fixed upon each shaft, a further rotatable shaft intermediate the lower and upper shafts having a gear and means for directly driving said pinions from said gear, a sprocket fixed upon the further shaft, a chain pinion drive having a chain interconnecting the sprocket and chain pinion, and a prime mover for driving the chain pinion, said means for maintaining the belts fiat including a series of cylindrical rollers independently mounted to swing eccentrically adjacent to each belt to idle and take up the slack thereof, the means for illuminating the belts including a series of elongated lamps mounted above the upper shaft and the rollers thereon in effective position to illuminate the belts from above simultaneously, and the elongated window disposed above the series of shorter windows having a caption forming a sign thereon of translucent character capable of being illuminated from within by said elongated lamps and serving to call attention visually to the advertising data of the belts upon the rollers beneath said elongated window.

2. An advertising sign device according to claim 1, wherein the casing is enclosed upon the top and rear thereof and has a plurality of upright similar partitions dividing the casing into a series of belt chambers ndividually containing an upper and a lower roller and one belt mounted thereon, with each chamber registering with one of the shorter windows of the series, and wherein the casing top has a depending wall intermediate the front and rear which extends into the casing and at its lower edge supports the elongated lamps which illuminate the belts from above, and wherein the drive includes a motor and a speed reduction unit connected thereto and having a shaft supporting the chain pinion so as to drive the latter pinion.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,820 Haynes Aug. 6, 1907 930,797 Rhodes et al Aug. 10, 1909 947,828 Lennox Feb. 1, 1910 1,095,346 Newton May 5, 1914 1,389,177 Aimes et al Aug. 30, 1921 1,598,658 Rogers Sept. 7, 1926 1,777,110 Summer Sept. 30, 1930 1,788,427 Eisenberg Jan. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 681,473 France Feb. 3, 1930

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