US643872A - Illuminated sign. - Google Patents

Description

No. 643,872. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

.c. H. HILL.

ILLUIlNATED SIGN.

(Application filed June 1, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

ll aegfor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES HARRY HILL, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PRISMATIC ELECTRIC SIGN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,872, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed June 1, 1899. Serial No. 718,991. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLEs HARRY HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVilliamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Illuminated Sign, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically-illuminated signs, and has for its object to provide a transparent sign in connection with which is arranged a series of electric lamps having different-colored bulbs through the medium of which the sign may be varied in color and different combinations of coloring may be secured with a pleasing effect.

The sign proper consists of a casing of any desired outline having a transparent face or faces upon which lettering is placed either in color or cut in transparency from a colored background and which letters may or may not have a border of some color. The result will be that as the different lamps within the casing are illuminated a variety of colors will appear upon the sign, depending upon the color of the bulb of the light or lights illuminated and also upon the different colors upon the face or faces of the sign. In connection with this portion of the device I employ an automatic circuit-closer for closing the circuits of the different lamps or series of lamps intermittently.

In the drawingsforming a portion of the specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several Views, Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a sign connected up with a spring-operated circuit-closer for closing the difierent circuits therein at specified times. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the sign proper, showing one of the faces removed and including a diagrammatic representation of the circuits therein. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a section on line 4: 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, 5 represents the rim of a hollow sign, which in this instance is cylindrical and upon the opposite ends of which are arranged covers comprising frames 6 and transparent fillings 7, of glass or other suitable material. The cylindrical casing 5 is held upon an arc-shaped plate 8, the ends of which are turned backwardly and upwardly therefrom and are 11111 tually parallel, as shown at 10, said parallel portions 10 having alining perforations 11, through which is passed a supporting-tube 12, the outer end of which has a suitable closure, such as a ball 13. The tube 12 comprises a T connection 14, the stem of which is in threaded engagement with the plate 8 and'rim 5, through which plate and rim the said stem opens, forminga means of communication between the tube 12 and the inclosure of the casing.

Supported upon suitable insulating-blocks 15 is a series of incandescent lamps equally spaced about the inner periphery of the easing. The opposite lamps 16 and 17 have bulbs of the same colorin this instance green. The opposite lamps 18 and 19 have blue bulbs, the opposite lamps 20 and 21 have yellow bulbs, and the opposite lamps 22 and 23 have red bulbs. Thus it will be seen that the lamps within the sign are divided into four pairs having similar bulbs and of which the elements are oppositely arranged. 7 5

Passed through the tube 12 and inwardly through the T 14 is a common return-Wire 25, with which the negative terminal of each of the lamps is connected. Passed also through the tube 12 and T 14 and entering the inclosure of the sign is a wire 26,which is connected directly with the positive terminals of the oppositely-disposed red lamps 23 and 22, thus connecting said lamps in multiple arc. A wire 27 is similarly passed into the casing and is connected with the positive terminals of the yellow lamps 20 and 21, a third wire 28 is passed into the casing and is connected with the positive terminals of the blue lamps 18 and 19, and a fourth wire 29 is connected with the positive terminals of the green lamps 16 and 17. Thus if a current of electricity be passed through any of the wires 26, 27, 28, and 29 and returned through wire 25 the corresponding lamps will be illuminated.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the transparent ends of the casing are suitably lettered, a portion of the lettering being transparent, as shown at 30, upon a translucent ground 31 of some prime color, such as red. 100 The letters 30 have a translucent border 32 of a different prime color, such as blue.

Other letters, as shown at 33, are opaque upon a transparent ground and have a translucent border 34 of some fundamental color, such as red. Additional transparent lettering 35, having a translucent yellow border 36, are upon an opaque ground 37. Thus as the different couples of lamps within the casing are illuminated the transparent portions of the 7 sign will show the color of the illuminated lamps, while the translucent portions will show colors or shades resulting from the combination of their individual colors and the color of the illuminated lamps. Thus, for instance, if the yellow lamps are illuminated the transparent portion of the sign will show yellow, the blue portion of the sign will show green, the red portion of the sign will show orange, and the yellow portion will show yellow. This combining of the colors will be continued through each cycle of the operation of the mechanism, it being understood that, if desired, two or more pairs of lamps may be simultaneously illuminated, either continuously throughout their periods of illumination or through portions of their periods.

In order to intermittently illuminate the different pairs of lamps, I have provided an automatic spring-operated circuit-closer includin g a casing 40, in which is located a train of gearing having an operating-sprin g 41, said train terminating in a shaft 42, upon which is adjustably fixed a series of arc-shaped contact- plates 43, 44, 45, and 46, all of which are directly connected with the common return 25, leading from the sign and with which connection is made directly with the metallic supporting-frame 47 of the shaft 42 and accompanying mechanism In alinement with each of the contact- pieces 43, 44, 45, and 46 is a corresponding pivoted lever 48, 49, 50, and 51, respectively, having contact-fingers 52 at their free endswhich are adapted to be engaged successively by their respective areshaped contacts. In order to hold the fingers 52 in the paths of their respective contacts, a helical spring 53 is connected at one end wit-h each of their levers and at the opposite end with the eye of an adj Listing-bolt 54, passed through a support 55, the movement of said levers under the influence of the spring 53 being limited by the engagement of the opposite ends of the levers with the plate 56, upon which they are supported. Each of the levers has its individual plate 56, which is mounted upon an insulating block or base 57, connected with the base of the casing 40, and each of these plates has a binding-screw58,ccnnected with its respective wires 26, 27, 28, and 29, leading to the lamps within the casing. The contacts 43, 44, 45, and 46 are adjustably held upon the shaft 42 through the medium of setscrews 59, passed through their hubs and engaging the shaft, the aggregate lengths of the several arcs being somewhat more than three hundred and sixty degrees, and said contacts being preferably positioned so that their 0011- tact-faces slightly overlap, thus maintaining a constant illumination and a gradual fading from one series of lamps to the next. 7 By the adjustable mounting of the contacts upon their shaft their positions may be varied to accomplish the different periods of illumination above referred to. In order to prevent too-rapid movement of the circuitclosing mechanism, a fan is mounted upon a shaft included in said train in the usual manner. Thus it will be seen that if the spring 41 be placed under tension it will operate its con nected train to rotate the shaft 42 and successively engage the contacts carried thereby with the fingers 52 on their respective shafts, thus successively closing the circuits, including the wires 26, 27, 28, and 29, upon a suitable source of electricity 61 through the common return 25.

As above intimated, I may employ any desired style of circuit-closing mechanism in connection with the sign, and upon the face of the sign may be placed Whatever characters I may wish, having any desired arrangement and embracing any color or series of colors; also, I may employ any number of lamps for each color and may connect them in any manner without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Upon reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings it will be seen that the bases of the several lamps are mounted directly upon a split ring 70, which is of wood or other insulating material and is attached to the inner periphery of the cylindrical casing 5, intermediate the ends thereof, and is held in place by means of screws passed through perforations in the casing and into the material of said ring. This ring not only braces the material of which the casing is formed, but it enables the adjustment of the lamps upon the ring previous to the insertion of the latter and enables the electrical connections being made with efficiency and convenience, it being of course understood that when desired the entire series of lamps maybe simultaneously removed by removal of said ring.

Various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a sign comprising a casin g having transparent portions of a split ring removably mounted within the casing, lamps mounted upon the ring and movable therewith, said lamps having a common return, of circuits including certain of said lamps, and comprising said common return, and a circuit-closer for said circuits comprising a yieldable lever forming a terminal of its circuit, a shaft in circuit with the common return through a source of electricity,

and a series of contacts adjustably mounted upon said shaft and adapted to intermittently engage their respective levers to complete the circuits of the latter, substantially as specitied.

2. A sign comprising a casing having transparent portions, a plate connected with said casing and having rearwardly-extending portions provided with alining perforations, a tube passed through said perforations, and a lateral extension of said tube connected with and opening into the casing and adapted to receive means for energizing the illuminating means within the casing, substantially as specified.

3. A sign, comprising a casing, an insulating split ring removably arranged Within the casing, a plurality of colored lamps mounted upon said ring and removable therewith, a tube rigidly connected with said casing and comprising an extension opening into the easing between the ends of the ring, and wires connected with said lamps and passed up- Wardly through said tube and its connection with the casing.

4:. A sign comprising a cylindrical casing having end closures,each consisting of a frame and a transparent filling, a plurality of lamps within the casing, an arc-shaped plate secured to the casing and having backwardly-bent portions provided With alining perforations, screw-threaded alining perforations in said plate and casing, a T connectioniengaging the threads of the last-named perforations, and tube-sections passed through the first-named alining perforations and engaging the T connection and forming a means of access for electric circuits to the lamps within the easing, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHAS. HARRY HILL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT F. ALLEN, W. W. AOHENBACH.

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