US703394A - Reversibly-suspended flexible sheet. - Google Patents

Description

No. 703,394. Patented July I, I902.

W. E. ELAM.

REVERSIBLY SUSPENDED FLEXIBLE SHEET.

(A plicatio 2.

filed Jan. 4, 190

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ERWIN ELAM, on ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

REVERSIB LY-SUSPENDED FLEXIBLE SHEET.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,394, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed January 4,1902, Serial No. 88,454. (No model.)

To ctZZ whomit may concern/.-

Be it known that LWVILLIAM ERVVIN ELAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversibly-Suspended Flexible Sheets; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a manner of so supporting maps or other analogous flexible sheets' bearing on both faces matter to be inspected that .the sheet may be quickly reversed, whereby the matter upon either face i may be readily brought into position for convenient inspection. Heretofore when large wall-maps, for example, have been printed upon both faces one of the maps has been practically of little use, because of the diffi culty of reversing the ,sheet, and hence the attempt to furnish two maps occupying only the space of one and at nearly the cost of one has not been successful. I obviate the difficulty by placing an imprint upon both faces of the same sheet, the two imprints being back to back and relatively upside down, and by providing a bar, continuous or otherwise, around which the sheet or an extension of the same may pass belt-like, whereby if the sheet be in front of the bar one face will be visible, while if it be passed around the bar like a belt until it lies in the rear of the same the opposite face will be brought to view in proper position. If the bar be horizontal, the imprint or map in view will always be erect,while the one upon the opposite face will be inverted, and if the bar be vertical the map in view will be in normal position or in position to read from left to right,while the opposite one'will be temporarily reversed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in front elevation a'simple embodiment of myinvention. Fig. 2is a View looking from. the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a Fig. 4: shows a certain sheet-revers- Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 show different Figs. 11,12 show a modified construction. Fig. 13 shows an analogous construction where the map moves horizontally. Fig. 14 shows as added features the use of guiding-ways for [he map edges and a cover to protect the map when not in use. Fig. 15 shows the sheet provided with marginal tapes. Figs. 16 and 17 show the sheet provided with marginal cords moving in-guideways therefor.

In Figs. 1,2, 3, 4, A represents a flexible sheet'having an imprint of a map, for example, upon one face and having-upon the opposite face of the sameportion a relatively inverted imprintforexample, another map. 13 represents a simple bar to be mounted upon a. wall or other support by brackets O in such manner'that the sheet may pass freely around it. The sheet is provided at its ends with bars or map-sticks D, which project beyond its lateral margins, the one upon the rear fold in position to strike the brackets C and the other adapted to strike stops E, whereby the sheet is prevented from passing entirely around the bar, and'thus becoming accidentally detached. 'Thatface of the sheet which is next the bar may be protected from wear by small wires or cords F passing over that face and secured in any suitable manner. The bar instead of being of uniform cross-section may have enlarged portions G, Fig. 5, and in this case the wires or cords are used over those portions of the sheet which would otherwise rest upon these enlargements. Such enlargements may be grooved, as at G in Fig. 6, and maybe arranged to receive only the marginal unprinted portions of the sheet,in which case two marginal cords only are used.

The bars of Figs. 4, 6 may have the central segment removed, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and where marginal cords are used they may beheld in'the grooves by suitable pulleys H, Fig.9, or other devices. In any of these forms the marginal portions of the sheetor tapes or cords forming extensions of such portions may be carried beyond the ends of the body of the sheet when they have been passed around the bar to reverse the sheet and bring it in the rear of such tapes or extensions. With this arrangement I use a loose roller I, suspended in the bight of the tapes, asshown.

In Fig. 13 the map, provided with loops such as are shown in Figs. 11, 12, is mounted to move horizontally around a bar J, while held taut by the tapes which pass around a parallel bar J. With any of the constructions the lateral margins of the map may run in guiding-grooves K, formed in plates K, Fig. 14, provided for this purpose, and a flexible coverlike that of a roll-top desk, for examplemay run in suitable grooves in the same plates.

In Fig. 15 the sheet is shown as provided with marginal tapes L, which may receive all or nearly all the wear incident to passing the sheet around a reversing-bar, and in Fig. 16 it is shown as provided with flexible marginal ribs or cords M, running in Ways having the form of a longitudinally-slotted tube M.

Whenever the reversing-bar used is circular in cross-section, it may be revoluble, if desired, certain advantages being thereby gained at the expense of slight increase in cost; but where, for example, it has the crosssection shown in Fig. 10it is necessarily nonrevoluble.

Where the matter borne upon the sheet is a map, especially when the meridians thereof are parallel, the protecting-wires may be so placed as to serve as meridian-lines.

While the word map and the phrase map or the like are herein used to designate the matter borne by the sheet, such terms are chosen as giving briefly a clear idea of the invention and include any printed or other matter which must for convenient inspection be erect or which must read from left to right.

Where plates with guidinggrooves are used, as they may be with any of the forms shown, a reversing-bar is not essentially requisite if the sheet have the proper degree of stiffness, the curved guiding-wall of the groove being, in effect, a short bar, similar to that shown in Fig. 7.

What I claim is 1. The combination witha flexible sheet bearing upon opposite faces of the same portion relatively inverted imprints, of means whereby the sheet is bent back upon itself or reversed when moved endwise, whereby either imprint may be brought to View in proper position-for inspection from the same side of the apparatus.

2. The combination with a suitable bar, of a flexible sheet adapted and arranged to pass belt-like around the bar and bearing upon one face an imprint and upon the opposite face of the same portion a relatively inverted imprint; whereby one imprint being in position for inspection, passing the sheet around the bar reverses the sheet and brings the other imprint into like position.

3. The combination with a suitable bar, of a flexible sheet arranged to pass, belt-like, around the bar and bearing relatively inverted imprints upon its opposite faces, respectively, and wires or the like extendedacross that face of the sheet next said bar protect ing the sheets surface from abrasion.

4. The combination with a suitable bar, of a flexible sheet arrangedto pass belt-like around the bar and bearing relativelyinverted maps upon its two faces, respectively, and a series of wires extended across that face of the sheet next the bar and occupying the places of meridian-lines of the map upon that face.

5. The combination with a suitable bar, of a flexible sheet arranged to pass belt-like around the bar, bearing upon opposite faces of the same portion relatively inverted imprints, and means for preventing the sheet from passing in either direction the proper limit of its movement.

6. The combination with a sheet having upon one face an imprint of a map or the like and upon the opposite face of the same portion a relatively inverted imprint and having its ends connected by narrow marginal bands or cords forming -closed loops, of a sheet-supporting bar located within the-upper bight of theloops,and abarlyingin the lower bight of the loops; whereby the sheet being in front of the plane of the bars one im print will be visible in proper position while if the sheet and bands be moved, belt-like,- the sheet will pass to the rear of said plane and the other imprint will become visible in erect position between the bands.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

F. M. NASH, E. M. .ToBsoN.

Images