US3215826A

US3215826A - Counter drum lighting device

Info

Publication number: US3215826A
Application number: US122299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Blanchet Andre Francois
Original assignee: S A T A M SA Appareillages Mec
Current assignee: S A T A M SA Appareillages Mec
Priority date: 1960-07-08
Filing date: 1961-07-06
Publication date: 1965-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-02

Description

Nov. 2, 1965 A. F. BLANCHET 3,215,826

COUNTER DRUM LIGHTING DEVICE Filed July 6. 1961 INVENTOR Andre-roncoig BlGifiChE'l' BY W WLMEW,J inwillaw AT ORNEYS United States Patent 3,215,826 COUNTER DRUM LIGHTING DEVICE Andre Francois Blanchet, Des Presles- Le Perreux, Seine, France, assignor to S.A.T.A.M. Societe Anonyme pour tous Appareillages Mecaniques, La Courneuve, Seine, France, a company of France Filed July 6, 1961, Ser. No. 122,299 Claims priority, application France, July 8, 1960, 832,443, Patent 1,269,792 1 Claim. (Cl. 24tl2.1)

In liquid metering and dispensing apparatus the drums of the mechanisms for indicating the liquid volumes and the price of dispensed liquid quantities are usually arranged behind windows provided in a masking member located at a very small distance from a plane tangent to said drums. The masking member and the drums are enclosed in a casing having a transparent plate parallel to said windows. Lighting of the drums is achieved by a light source arranged between said masking member and said casing, in an off-set location with respect to said windows. As the space available is generally reduced the horizontal distance between the light source and the masking member, and consequently between said source and the drums, is comparatively small.

In such known arrangements the angle of incidence of the light rays emitted by the light source on the glass plates which seal said windows is near 90. Thus, the windows constitute display (or reading) windows as well as lighting windows, and only a small portion of the light emitted from the light source towards the windows will reach the drums.

It is one of the main objects of the present invention to eliminate this drawback of the known arrangements by providing distinct reading windows and lighting windows, the latter being arranged in such a position that the light rays passing through said lighting windows are substantially perpendicular to the respective planes of said lighting windows.

A practical embodiment will be described hereinafter, by Way of example, with reference to the appended drawing; however, it should be well understood that this example is by no means to be considered as constituting a limitation of the scope of the present invention.

Referring to the appended drawing numeral 1 designates one of the drum mechanisms for indicating the quantities of liquid dispensed by a liquid metering and dispensing apparatus, 2 is one of the drums of the mechanism indicating the price of the liquid volume recorded by drum 1 of said indicating mechanism, 3 is a masking member arranged in proximity of the common plane tangent to drums 1 and 2, while 4a is a transparent plate arranged in casing 4 of the apparatus; 5 designates a light source mounted between the prolonged plane of masking member 3 and casing 4, and 6 is a drum indicating the unitary price of the liquid to be dispensed.

In the known apparatus, masking member 3 is of a planar shape and provided with windows enabling the user to read the indications on drums 1 and 2. According to the present invention masking member 3 presents a general configuration somewhat similar to that of a so-called Venetian blind having mutually spaced inclined slats with slits defined therebetween. In the present example masking member 3 has a configuration similar to that of a Venetian blind having three slats or

louvers

13, 23 and 33. The

reading windows

13b, 23b and 33b are provided in the inclined slats or

louvers

13, 23 and 33;

slits

13a, 23a and 33a, defined between the slats or

louvers

13, 23, 33 and masking member 3 proper, constitute lighting windows and may be sealed by translu cent or transparent plates substantially perpendicular to the light rays emitted by light source 5 and passing through said plates. The

apertures

13b, 23b and 33b hence permit observation of the portions of

drums

1, 2 and 6 illuminated by source 5 through

apertures

13a, 23a and 33a respectively, such observation being possible along lines of sight substantially perpendicular to the paths of light from said source to said drums. On the other hand, the limits of the slits or

apertures

13a, 23a and 33a are substantially parallel to such lines of sight, so that the

apertures

13a, 23a and 33a are not seen by such an observer.

In this arrangement the light rays emitted from source 5 impinge on

plates

13a, 23a, 33a at an angle of incidence having a value of substantially zero degree and thus pass through said plates without any appreciable reflection. Consequently the flux of light reaching said

plates

13a, 23a, 3311 will pass entirely, or substantially entirely, through these plates and will illuminate

drums

1, 2 and 6, respectively.

Masking member 3 and its projecting portions may advantageously be manufactured by molding a transparent synthetic material such as Plexiglass.

The scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodiment described hereinabove; the invention may be applied not only to indicating mechanisms of liquid metering and dispensing apparatus, but also generally to any counting mechanism of apparatus having drums which are lighted by steeply inclined light rays. It should be noted that the respective axes of the drums to be lighted need not necessarily be located in a common vertical plane. These axes may indeed be arranged in mutually oil-set positions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In devices where the masking member need not be sealed, the lighting windows such as 13a, 23a and 33a may be open, i.e. the translucent or transparent plates may be omitted from said windows.

I claim:

1n an indicating mechanism comprising at least one counter drum and at least one light source for illuminating a portion of said drum onto which light from said source falls at high angles of incidence, a generally planar mask interposed between the light rays of said source and said drum with the plane of said mask substantially parallel to a plane tangent to said drum at said portion thereof, said mask having at least one louver provided therein adjacent said drum portion, said louver comprising a slot-like member inclined at an acute angle with respect to said tangent plane and defining an opening between the lower edge of said louver and said mask giving access between said source and drum portion, said light source being mounted forward of and below said louver, said louver having an aperture therein through which said portion of said drum may be observed along a line of sight substantially perpendicular to the path of light between said source and said drum portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,561,626 11/25 Wiley 40-133 1,933,763 11/33 Russell 40-130 X 2,795,878 6/57 Welland 4077 2,842,880 '7/58 Rapisarda 40-430 2,897,344 7/59 Peterson 2408.l6

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

LEWIS I. LENNY, Examiner.