US507168A

US507168A - Joseph rodriguez

Info

Publication number: US507168A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1910-10-24

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

y (No Model.)

J. RODRIGUEZ.

STATION INDICATOR.

No. 507,168. Patented ont. 24, 1893.

J. RODRIGUEZ. STATIGN INDICATOR No. 507,168. Patented 001;. 24, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,168. dated October 24, 1 893.

Application filed March 28,1893. Serial No. 468,022. (No model.)

use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in station indicators, and is designed to furnish means readily operated by the train conductor or brakeman for indicating to the passengers, after leaving each one of the several stations, the name of the next succeeding station on the line.

To this end, my invention consists in mechanism organized to present successively through the glass-protected sight opening of a suitable indicator box or casing the names of the way stations in regular succession, said names beinginscribed or printed upon a strip of ilexible fabric which passes over two idle rollers arranged so as to cause the fabricto pass in close proximity to the rear surface of the glass protecting plate. The opposite ends of the fabric are secured respectively to two additional rollers in the rear of the idle rollers referred to, and the fabric is wound from the one to the other, one of these Winding rollers being provided with a spring tension device so as to automatically maintain the fabric in a taut condition in spite of the constantly increasing difference in the diameters of the two winding rollers as the fabric is unrolled from the one on to the other. The fabric is preferably secured to the winding rollers by being held near its ends in longitudinal slots made in the said rollers, a strip of steel serving to hold the fabric in the slots, together with the additional security afforded by the subsequent wrapping of the fabric around the rollers and over the steel securing strip. As an efficient safeguard against overwinding the rollers in either direction and thus detaching the fabric from one or the other of them, I provide means for positively stopping and interrupting the roller-actuating mechanism, so as to prevent its being operated farther when the fabric has been unwound from the one roller and wound up on the other roller to the limit of its prescribed movement in either direction. I also provide means for insuring that each actuation of the operating mechanism, corresponding to one station, shall bring the name of that station exactlyopposite the sight opening of the indicator casing so as to be ful/ly in view of the passengers. The specific means whereby these several results are attained are hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, and will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l represents a front view of an indicator casing adapted to receive my improved mechanism and to display the station names through the sight opening as shown. Fig. 2 represents a similar View of the mechanism with the front plate of the casing removed and a portion of the fabric shown as broken away so as to show the parts behind. Fig. 3 represents a central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 represents a transverse section taken on a plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a face view of the device for operating the actuating mechanism of the indicator. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and l0 represent detail views of the same; and Figs. ll and l2 represent longitudinal and transverse sections of the spring-containing end cap of the winding roller.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a suitable indicator display casing which may be of any size or dimensions appropriate to the particular width and length of the fabric, and the height of the letters inscribed or printed thereon. A glass-protecting plate B serves to exclude dust from the interior mechanism and is provided with a transparent place through which the naines of the stations are to successively appear. I preferably inscribe upon the glass plate B above the sight opening, the word Next in order that it may be clearly understood that the particular name displayed is the name of the next station on the route of travel. The casing with its contents is mounted or supported IOO at any part of the car, sufficiently prominent for the purpose, and at such aheight as to be conveniently accessible to the operator.

Immediately in the rear of the glass plate are arranged the idle rollers a. which are adapted to rotate freely in suitable bearings. The fabric b, upon which the names of the stations are inscribed or printed in succession, passes over the rollers ct and that portion of the fabric which passes the sight opening is constantly held close to the glass and fiat, whatever may be the amount of the fabric wound on the winding rollers proper, or whatever portion of the fabric may be on the one winding roller or the other.

One of the winding rollers c is journaled in bearings and is provided with a longitudinal slot within which the doubled edge of the fabric is forced and is held in place therein by a steel strip (l inserted in the slot after the fabric edge has been inserted and between the folds of said edge, as shown, so as to wedge the fabric in place. I prefer this manner of connecting the fabric to the roller, ratherthan by tacking it thereto,because the fabric may be readily removed when desired for any purpose. The opposite end of the fabric is in like manner removably connected to the winding roller e by a similar longitudinal slot and steel wedge piece d, as will be readily understood. It is also to be noted that sufficient selvage or margin is to be left at the ends of the fabric beyond the final naines as they appear through the sight opening to permit the fabric to preserve at least one turn around the rollers when unwonnd to the limit prescribed; thereby always leaving at least one wrappin g of fabric around the roller to insure against the steel wedge working out of place and releasing the fabric.

The winding roller c is provided with agear c aihxed so as to turn with it, and this gear meshes with a driving gear f, which in turn meshes with a gear e. The gear e is not connected directly to the winding roller e, but is fixed upon a short arbor g suitably journaled, and which passes freely through a cap-piece h rigidly affixed upon the proximate end of the roller e. A volute spring i is connected at one end to the interior wall of the cappiece h and at the other end to the arbor g. The connection between the arbor g and roller e is therefore a spring connection. It Will be evident that the driving gear f when revolved rotates the gears c e in such direction that the fabric is wound from the one winding drum upon the other. The gears e' c being of equal size are rotated in equal periods of time by the driving'gear and if both gears e c were rigidly affixed to their shafts, the result would be that the mechanism would soon come to a complete stop, for the reason that as the diameter of the one winding roller increased over the correspondingly diminishing diameter of the other the former roller would constantly demand a greater quantity of fabric than the latter could furnish in equal revolutions of the two; but, byinterposing the spring connection between the gear e and the winding roller e I provide a means for compensating for the differences in diameter referred to. Thus as the roller c increases in diameter by reason of the fabric it draws from the roller e it causes the roller e to revolve more than one of its revolutions, thereby exerting a tension upon the spring t', which tension tends constantly to keep the fabric taut, while at the same time enabling the roller e to continuously supply the amount required bythe roller c and without blocking the operation of the gearing, or putting undue strain upon the fabric itself.

The gearj is fixed upon a shaft having a squared end over which fits a socket Z formed in a tubular extension of a revoluble drive plate n. This drive plate has a single aperture n within which fits the forward end r of a pivoted lever p, said end r being of sufficient length to also enter any one of a series of radial openings m of a fixed plate m when the aperture n registers therewith. A spring s tends to constantly depress the end rof the lever, and the opposite end of the lever projects as a thumb-piece tthrough the upper surface of a turn button o, constituting an operating knob or handle for actuating the mechanism. The turn button 'u is provided with a base flange o', whereby it is screwed to the plate n as shown in Fig. 6. An annulus or ring w, extends over the fiange fu to hold the plate n and turn button 1; in place while permitting them to be rotated and an intermediate spacing ring w is also provided, the rings w and w' being connected by screws to the plate fm. The radial openings m' in the plate m correspond in distribution to the station names on the fabric, the relationship between the two beingsuch that as the drive plate n is revolved a distance corresponding to the distance between two adjacent openings m the fabric will be moved sufficiently to display the next station name through the sight opening of the indicator. Moreover, inasmuch as the pivoted lever engages each time with one of the openings in', the station names are brought with the greatest precision exactly opposite said sight opening, without any special attention on the part of the operator.

The shaft f upon which the gearf is fixed is externally screw threaded as shown and is provided with longitudinal recesses z whereby stop-pieces w2 may be rigidly but adjustably fixed upon the shaft. Between the stoppieces a nut a: intermeshes with the screw thread of the shaft, so as to travel backward or forward thereon according as the shaft rotates in the one direction or the other. The nut has a stem projection as running freely between guides y, and is provided at its oppositie ends with cam surfaces terminating in being turned farther in that direction andl therefore the fabric is prevented from being subjected to a strain that would separate it from the winding roller. It willbe evident that the height and width of the letters may be varied according to circumstances. In the illustration given, one complete revolution of the plate n causes six station names to appear one after another opposite the sight opening. If the numbers are made higher, so that for the same single revolution of the plate n only three station names appear opposite the sight opening, the radial openings m will be reduced to three also; and so on, the number ofradial openings in the platem corresponding always to the number of station names appearing opposite the sight open- 1ng with every complete revolution of the plate n.

In operating the indicator the conductor or brakeman presses upon the projecting button or end t of the pivoted lever until the opposite end fr' of the lever is lifted from engagement with the particular opening m in which it is engaged at the time. The button o is then turned until the pivoted lever end engages with the next one' of the openings m', and at the end of this movement the next station number appears through the sight opening. In this manner, after leaving each station, the name of the next succeeding station is made to appear upon the indicator, and at the end of the route the mechanism becomes locked against further operation in the same direction by means of the nut and corresponding stop piece on the threaded shaft. On the return trip, it can be operated in the opposite direction.

It will be evident that the invention may be applied not only as a station indicator, but also to display any other signs or indications that may be inscribed or printed upon a similar fabri Y Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. An apparatus for indicating the names of railway stations and the like, provided with a traveling band upon which the names are to be inscribed, two winding rollers to which the opposite ends of the traveling band are connected, gearing for actuating the winding rollers, and an automatic stop for blocking the gearing when the band has reached the limit of its travel from one of the winding rollers to the other; substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for indicating the names of railway stations and the like, provided with a traveling band upon which the names are to be inscribed, two winding rollers to which the opposite ends of the traveling band are connected, gearing for driving the two winding rollers simultaneously, a screw-shaft connected with the gearing and having a stop, and a traveling nut upon the screw-shaft cooperating with the stop; substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for indicating the names of railway stations and the like, provided with a traveling band upon which the names are to be inscribed, two winding rollers to which opposite ends of the traveling band are connected, gearing for driving the two winding rollers simultaneously, a screw-shaft connected with the gearing and having two stops, and a traveling nut upon lthe screw-shaft intermediate of the two stops and co-operating therewith; substantially as described.

4. An apparatus for indicating the names of railway stations and the like, provided with a traveling band upon which the names are to be inscribed, two winding rollers to which the opposite ends of the traveling band are connected, gearing for driving the two winding rollersY simultaneously, a screw-shaft connected with the gearing and having two stops adjustable upon said shaft, and a traveling nut upon the screw-shaft intermediate of the two adjustable stops and co-operating therewith substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for indicating the names of railway stationsy and the like, provided'with a traveling band upon which the names are to be inscribed, two winding rollers to which the opposite ends of the band are connected, cog-gears upon the ends of the rollers, and intermediate cog-gear meshing with the roller gears, a screw-shaft connected with the intermediate gear and having two stops secured thereon, and a traveling nut upon the screwshaft intermediate of the stops and having a tail-piece, and a longitudinal guide-way in which'said tail-piece moves; substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus forindicating the names of railway stations and the like, the combination with the gearing of an operating device therefor, said device consisting of a turnplate having apawl pivoted thereon, said turn plate being provided with a notch or slot into which the end of the pawl enters, and a xed plate beneath the turn plate, said fixed plate having a series of notches or slots registering with the turn-plate notch or slot as the turn plate is revolved; substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for indicating the names of railway stations and the like, the combination with the gearing, of an operating device therefor, said device consisting of a turnplate having a pawl pivoted thereon, said turn-plate being provided with a notch or slotinto which one end of the pawl enters IOO ITO

and having a slotted turn-button through In testimony WhereofI affix my signaturein whfioh the opposite end of the pawl projects, presence of two witnesses.

an a fixed plate beneath the turn-plate,sa,id 1 A f Xed plate having a series of notches or slots JOSEPH RODRIGUE' registering with the turn-p1ate notch or slot, VVibnesses:

as the turn-plate is revolved; substantially as NATHAN L. HAHN,

described. JAMES E. HILLS.