US847725A - Illusion apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 19,1907.

A.- P. BIONDI.

ILLUSION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MA'R. 1; 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGELO F. BIONDI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ILLUSION APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 19, 1907.

Application filed March 1, 1906. Serial No. 303,590-

of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illusion Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to anillusion apparatus of the character disclosed bymy prior application, Serial No. 270,810, filed July 22, 1905, wherein a suitable vehicle-such as .a car, carriage, or like structurefor the ac commodation of passengers is used in connection with scenery adapted to have traveling motion relative tothe vehicle for the purpose of giving to the occupants of said vehicle the impression oftraveling through rural scenes or through different localities, according to the nature of the scenery employed.

.n this invention I employ means for blow.- ing or forcing air into the windows or doors of or against the aforesaid vehicle for the purpose of still further increasing the impressionof the occupants that the vehicle is in motion.

My apparatus alsoprovides novel'means whereby scenery-panels of the desired-nature may be readily supplied to either of a plurality of movable carriers, such panels being moved alongside of the car and thereafter discharged automatically from the carrier or carriers, so as to be returned to the place from whence the panels are sup lied to the carriers, whereby the character 0 the scenery in view from the car may be varied by changin the panels.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section, partly in elevation, representing an illusion apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a view of a car, partly in side elevation and partly in section. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing one of the scenery-carriers, certain scenery-panels thereon, means for propelling a plurality of scenery-carriers at difierent rates of speed, and means for returning the scenery-panels to the starting-point. Fig. 4 is a detail view in elevation of a number of scenery-carriers and the driving means therefor.

As shown by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I employ a vehicle, such as a car A, the same being of usual or any preferred construction.

Said car is practically stationary, except that means are provided for giving a vibrating motion thereto for the purpose ofcreating the impression onthe occupants thatthe car For this purposethe wheels of is in motion. engage with rollers B, which are suitably mounted in appropriate bearings, so as to rotate therein, and'said rollers are adapted to be driven by a driving-belt C, thelatter being driven from any suitable source of power, such as a-line-shaft. The car-wheels a engage frictionally with the rollers '13 for the purpose of driving said wheels, and thus communicating the jarring motion to the.

car, although it will be understood the car is not driven endwise, because the wheels engagewiththe rollers in such a way asto prevent the car from having traveling motion.

"The rollers B support the car in an, elevated position in order that the passengers or occupants may-have convenient access to the carfrom a suitable platform. As shown, the car is provided with an entrance or door a, a number of windows a and seats a for the accommodation of the passengers.

One of the important features of my invention, as hereinbefore indicated, is the employment of means for directing a'blast of air toward or against the vehicle A, and in the embodiment of the invention shown by the drawings this object is accomplished'by the employment of air passages or ductsD, one of which is shown by dotted lines adjacent to each of the windows a Each duct orpassage is shown as extending vertically through a side wall ofthe car, and that part of the duct or passage adjacent to the window'has an opening or slot (1, (see Fig. 1,) which faces toward the window for the purpose of directing the blast or current of air across said window or into the window, whereby the air is ;blown against the occupants of the seat a adjacent to the window.

Any suitable means may be provided for compressing the air and distributing the same to the ducts D; but, as shown, I have provided the floor a of the car with a main E, and from this main extends the branch mains 6, (indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,) whereby the air is supplied from the .main E, through the mains e, to the upright ducts D. It is evident that instead of'forming the mains, passages, and ducts in the walls of the car I may employ an equivalent construction, such as pipes, properly installed in the floor and side walls of the vehiclef The means for compressing or forcing the air may consist of any mechanism suitable for the purpose; but, as shown, I employ a blower F, of the rotary type. Said blower is inclosed within a casingf, which is suspended from the under side of the car-floor, and from this casing leads a wind-trunk f, having communication with the distributingmain E. The blower-shaft g is provided with a pulley 9, around which passes a drivingbelt G, said belt also fitting the pulley g on a driving-shaft G. This driving-shaft G is shown by Figs. 1 and 2 as having pulleys g, the latter being of less size than pulley 9 for the purpose of driving the belts C, which give rotary motion to the rollers B.

My illusion apparatus also contemplates the employment of moving scenery adjacent to the car or vehicle A. As shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings, the movable scenery is arranged on the respective sides of the car A; but it is evident that the scenery maybe used on one side only of the car. The scenery is supported and operated by suitable carriers, herein shown as endless belts H, each belt being long enough to extend lengthwise of the car or a train of cars and to extend into suitable wings (not shown) or other sta e appliances, whereby the end portions of each endless carrier H will be concealed from the view of the occupants of the car A. As this concealment of the end portions of the carriers is an obvious expedient which may be resorted to by the skilled constructor, I have not considered it necessary to indicate the means for so concealing the ends of the carrier. Each carrier H runs over suitable idle rolls h h, the rolls it being disposed in the same horizontal plane in order to direct that portion of the carrier which moves the scenery within the field of view'from the car H in a horizontal path.

The loading portion of the endless carrier H runs over the pulleys 7b, which are arranged one above the other in the manner shown by Fig. 3 in order to guide or direct said loading portion of the endless carrier in an inclined path, substantially as indicated by the reference character H in Fig. 3. The carrier runs around an idle roller k at one end, and at its other end said carrier fits on a drivingpulley i, the latter being loosely mounted on a shaft I. (See Fig. 4.) The pulley i is pro vided with or made integral with another pulley 'i, so that. the two pulleys i 'L are adapted for simultaneous rotation on the shaft I, and around the pulley 1', fits a drivingbelt J, the latter being driven by a pulley j, which is fast with a main shaft J.

As shown by Fig. 4, the scenery on one side of the car is adapted to be carriedv by a number of endless belts, and these belts are driven individually by the belts J from pulleys j on a common main shaft J. The pulleys "i 11, associated with each endless scenerycarrier H, are all practically of uniform size but the pulleys j on the main shaft J" are of different sizes, the same being shown as increasing in diameter from one end of the shaft J to the end thereof. This construction and arrangement of parts enables the belts J to be driven at different speeds by the pulleys j, and hence the endless scenerycarriers H will be propelled at different lineal speeds. It is intended that the scenerycarriers H next to the car shall be driven at fast speed, the next scenery-carrier at somewhat slower speed, and so on throughout the series of carriers employed, the carrier which is most remote to the car being driven at the slowest speed.

As shown by Fig. 3, the main shaf t J, the pulleys thereon, and the series of drivingbelts J all lie within the upper and lower leads of the endless scencry-carriers I'I, thus disposing the means for driving the scenerycarriers entirely out of the way Below the scenery-carriers is a chute or runway K, the same consisting of an inclined floor which extends the full length of the apparatus. The high end of this runway or chute is below the idle roller 7L2 of the seencry-carriers, while the low end of said runway extends below and be yond the loading portion ll of each scenerycarrier. The runway or chute is thus adapted to receive the scenery-panels as they are discharged from one end of the scenerycarriers and to permit said seencry-panels to return by gravity to the other end of the scenery-carriers below the loading portion. H thereof. Although I prefer to employ the inclined runway or chute for the purpose of returning the scenery-panels to the. loading point, it will be understood that I. may employ any equivalent construction for this purpose. Each endless scenerycarrier is adapted to be supplied with a plurality of scenerypanels. It is preferred to connect the scenery-panels detachably to each endless carrier; but in the case of some of the carriers the scenery-panels may be attached fixedly to the. propercarriers. Each scenerypanel L is provided with a base In, and this base is adapted to bev interlocked detachably with the carrier. In my prior application .I. have shown one construction for interlocking the panel-base with the carrier, said base being provided with a plurality of apertures adapted to receive correspondingly-placed projections on the carrier, said projections being indicated at 0 in Fig. 4-. The scenerycarrier travels around pulleys on shafts the axes of which are horizontal. This arrangement allows the endless belts fornling the that is to say, the face of the belt on which the scenery-panel is deposited is horizontal.

The base of each scenery-panel restson and bears firmly upon the horizontallyearranged belts,-andsaid panel is locked to the belt or carrier by the projections thereon fitting into the apertures of ;the;panelbase.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The shaft J and the shaft G are driven by a motor or from any suitable source of power. The shaft G drives the belts C G, so as to rotate the car-wheels a and the blower F, and thus giving the jarring motion to the car and the required motion to the blower, the latter operating to force air through the pipes E e and the ducts D. The shaft J operates the belts J at different speeds, so as to drive the pulleys i tfland thereby propel the scenery-carriers H at different speeds. Certain of the scenery-carriers may have scenery-panels connected in a substantially permanent manner thereto; but other scenery-carriers are intended to be supplied with scenery-panels which may represent different landscapesas, for instance, rural scenes, villages, streets, marine views, &c. The panels which are intended to be connected detachably to the carriers II are placed by suitable attendants on the inclined portions H of said carriers. It is evident that one or more attendants stationed near the pulley i may take the scenery-panels and place them by hand on the inclined portions H of the proper carriers, and said panels will have interlocking engagement with said carriers, so as to be moved across the field of view from the vehicle A. As the panels are moved by the carriers toward the pulleys h the panels will travel around said pulleys for a certain distance and automatically uncouple or disengage themselves from the projections of the carriers. The panels are thus adapted to drop upon the inclined chute or runway K, whereby the panels will slide by gravity toward the place where they are to be loaded upon the scenerycarriers. My invention enables the scenery on each of the scenerycarriers to be changed at pleasure, and the same scenery-panels may be used repeatedly or other panels representing different scenes may be substituted for those which have passed in view of the car A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a vehicle or car, a movable scenerycarrier adjacent to said car or vehicle, and a plurality of successive disconnected scenerypanels coupled individually to said scenerycarrier, said panels being removable individually from said carrier.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a vehicle or car, a movable-scenerycarrier adjacent thereto, and a plurality of disconnected sceneryspanels imposedon said carrier and extending upwardly-therefrom.

In an apparatus of the character de- -scribed,.a vehicle orcar,.-an.endless scenery- .carrier adjacent thereto, and a plurality of scenery-panels leach coupled detachably to said carrier.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, an endless scenery-carrier running alongside of the car, a plurality of scenerypanels adapted to be moved by the carrier alongside the car, and means for connecting the panels individually and detachably to the carrier, whereby the panels may be fed to one end of the carrier and discharged from the other end thereof.

5. In an illusion apparatus, a vehicle or car, an endless scenery-carrying apron, supporting and driving pulleys for said apron, the axes of said pulleys being horizontal and the faces of said apron being in horizontal planes; and a plurality of scenery-panels movable with the apron, said anels being coupled individually and detac ably to the apron.

6. In an illusion apparatus, a vehicle or car, a plurality of endless scenery-carrying aprons, the faces of each apron being in horizontal planes, means for propelling said aprons at different speeds, and a plurality of scenery-panels for each of said aprons, said panels being coupled individually and detachably to their proper aprons.

7. In an illusion apparatus, a plurality of endless scenery-carrying aprons, a plurality of scenery-panels for each apron, said panels being coupled individually and detachablyto their proper aprons, and means for propelling the aprons at different speeds.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, a scenery-carrier movable alongside of said car, scenery-panels adapted to be loaded on said carrier at one end thereof and to be discharged from the carrier at the other end, and means for returning the panels to the loading-point.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, and an endless scenery-carrier movable relative to the car, and scenery-panels having detachable interlocking engagement with said carrier, said scenery-carrier having a portion thereof running in an inclined path to facilitate the operation of loading scenerypanels thereon.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, an endless scenery-carrier, and a plurality of scenery-panels adapted to have interlocking engagement with said carrier, an end portion of said carrier being exposed and accessible for loading said panels thereon.

11. In an apparatus of the class described,

an endless scenery-carrier, and a plurality of locking relation With certain of said scenery- -scenerypanels adapted to have interlocking carriers.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses,

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