US887408A - Sign. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. G. L. MASON.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, 1905. RENEWED AUG. 29. 1907.

3 SHBETS-SHBET 1.

10:41; firm PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. G. L. MASON.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28. 1905.

RENEW-ED AUG. 29, 1907.

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m I 0 m 0 m m a m w n n iwalw a 0m w A M NU E M flu-neuron No. 887,408. PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. G. L. MASON.

SIGN.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.2B,1905. RENEWED AUG.29.1907.

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fma aktolneuq UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. MASON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE L. MASON COMPANY,

. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed April 28, 1905, Serial No. 257,894. Renewed August 29, 1907. Serial No. 390,644.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon L. MAsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in signs or the like.

The ob ect of my invention is to produce a sign which can bemade up of any desired number of letters, the si 11 being composed of a number of units, eac of which is complete in itself and which is capable of being united with a number of similar units desired to roduce a sign of any desired length. Pre erably and as shown, each unit carries but a single letter. It is obvious that if desired more than a single letter could be carried by a single unit or only a part of a letter carried by each unit. Furthermore, while I have shown a separate sign section connected to each unit, it is to be observed that if desired a si n section may extend over all the units or a plurality of them.

My invention consist in providing a series of open ended-units which are adapted to be secured together to form an undivided box adapted to contain illuminating means, witha si n supported by the units and adapted to be luminated by the illuminating devices.

My invention also consists in novel means for mounting the illuminating means in the box so that the sign will be uniformly illuminated and illuminated without presence of light spots. In the forms of my invention shown in this ap lication, this is effected by mounting the iluminating means in the lane of the si' n so that no light is received irectly from t e illuminating means, but the ligiit passing through the sign is all reflected 1g t. Y

My invention also consists in the means for supporting the sign and in using the supporting means to support the illuminating means.

My invention further consists in certain constructions and combination of parts which will be first described in connection with the preferred embodiment of my invention and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein the same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever it occurs, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing my sign as attache to a building and extending out at right angles to the wall thereof. Fig. 2 is a front view of the sign partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts from which a complete sign is constructed. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through one of the boxes in which my sign is constructed. Fig. {5) is a perspective view of a modified form of Referrin to the form of my invention shown in igs. 1 to 5 inclusive, 1 designates a box which is shown as being substantially triangular in cross-section, the back of thebox being formed by the arts 2 and 3 set at an angle to each other. hese parts 2 and 3 are formed at their outer ends into the rolls or pockets 4-4, these rolls or pockets forming receptacles for the illuminating means.

5 is a brace having an outline corresponding to the sectional form of the box, the arts being formed of the main portion 6, rol portions 77 and the converging ends 8-8. As shown, these braces 5 are secured on one end of each box and extend beyond the edge. Thus, it will be seen that I am enabled to secure together as many of these boxes or units as desired by inserting the projecting part of the brace 5 into the unbraced side of another unit. The sections afterward being united by suitable screws or bolts which are passed through the brace and the edge of the section. In this manner, a box composed of any number of sections is formed.

In order to close the open side of a box where but a single unit is used, or the open side of the boxes at the ends of a series of boxes, I provide caps 9 which are of the same outline as the cross-section of one of the boxes and the sides of these caps are provided with inwardly turned flanges 10. The cap 9 which is adapted to close the end of the box which is not braced, is also provided with a brace 5 which is identical with the braces of the units, this brace is slipped into the open side of the box and is secured thereto. At the sides of a box which is provided with a brace 5, the flan es 10 extend over the brace 5 and are secured thereto by suitable bolts or the like. Thus, the ends 9 are secured in position in the same manner that the units are secured together and the end sections may be placed on any box. By this construction, I form a trough which may be made up of any desired number of units.

It wil be seen that by the construction above described a box or trough is formed which has no partitions intermediate its length and that therefore, all parts of the sign will be equally illuminated, due to the fact that the trough is undivided.

11 are a series of short pi e sections, each section being of substantia y the length of one of the units or boxes 1. These sections between the boxes are united together by a T coupling 12 to which is secured an elbow 13 onto the other end of which is mounted the socket 14 for a lamp or other illuminating devices 15. It will be seen that by this construction as many of these sections as there are units or boxes are made up into a continuous line of piping with a socket projecting for each unit or section, the Wires, if electric lights are used being carried in the piping. A line so made up is placed in each end of the set of boxes, the line extending through the openings 16 in the end pieces or caps and then through the rolls 4 at eachend of the boxes.

1.7 are hangers which preferably extend through the rolls 4 and support the line of piping in osition. At one end the piping 1s preferab y connected together by a section 18, thus formin a rectangular frame. At the other end, the piping may be rovided with suitable brackets 19 b which it may be secured to a wall or other evice. It will be seen that this line of piping will support the sign and that no other frame-work 1s neces sary if the sign is to project out from a wall as shown in Fig. 1. One or more guys 20 are provided which are secured to the hangers 17 in order to support the outer end of the sign, if however, the signis to run parallel to the facenf a building, then brackets are attached to eachend of the piping. It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 2, that the lamps 15 or other illuminating means are within the pockets 4 and with the light from these lamps is all reflected down into the body of the box.

21 is a plate which has formed therein a suitable sign or character to be illuminated from the rear. For the sake of illustration, I have shown the-form of monogram sign described and claimed in my application Serial Number 257,893 filed April 28, 1905. As the construction of theisign itself forms no part of this invention, it will not be further de-' scribed. The plate 21 rests upon the extended edge 2222 of the rolls 4 and also u on the cross-strips 6 of the braces 5. The p ate is secured to the strips 6 and projections 22 b screws or in any other manner desired. f desired, one end of the plate 21 may be passed under one of the projection lips 22 and in this case, it would only be necessary to provide screws for the other ends thereof to secure the plate in position.

It will be noticed that the lights 15 are substantially in the plane of the sign plate and that light is transmitted through the sign by being reflected from the back of the box, the light being entirely away from behind the sign late. This gives a erfectly uniform illumination of all parts of the sign and entirely obviates the objectional feature of light spots which are present in all signs in which the light is behind the sign.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a modification of my structure in that each box or unit is complete in itself, that is to say, it is composed of the back portion 2-3, the rolls or pockets 4 and is further provided with the sides 2323, these sides closing the box. The braces 5 are unnecessary in this construction and the boxes or units are secured together by passing bolts 24 through their adjacent ends suitable openings being formed in the ends for this purpose. These units are mounted on a frame similar to the frame previously described, the frame passing through. the openings 26 in the sides, the openings being in line with the center of the rolls 4. V

It is evident that many changes may be made in'the form, construction and arrangement of the parts, for example, the units or boxes can be made with a curved or other shaped back instead of an angular back shown. The rolls at the sides of the units may be changed or other means substituted therefor, if found desirable. Other means for connecting the units together may be substituted for those herein shown and described, or any other form of sign plate de-- sired may be substituted for that herein shown and described. All these changes and manymore which I contemplate come within the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and for the urpose of showing and describing a particu ar form of device is merely'to illustrate my invention, it being clearly understood that I am not to be limited to the forms of my invention shown and described.

1. In a sign, the combination with an undivided box composed of a series of separate units united together, illuminating means within the units and a sign su ported on the front of the box and adapte .to be illuminated by the illuminating means.

2. In a sign, the combination with an 0 en ended box, and means separate from the ex and adapted to close the ends of the box, illuminating means within the box and a sign su ported on the front of the box and adapte to be .illuminated by the illuminating means.

3. Ina sign, the combinationwith a series of units means for connecting the units together to form a single undiyidedbox, illuminating means within the box, and a sign supported on the box and adapted to be illuminated by the illuminating means.v

4. In a sign, the combination with a series of open ended boxes, means for connecting the series of boxes-together to form a continuous box, means to close the ends of the continuous box, illuminating means within the continuous box,-and a sign supported on the front of the continuous box and adapted to be illuminated by the illuminating means.

3 5. In a sign, the combination with a box triangular in cross-section, of a sign supported-on the base of the triangle and adapted to be illuminated from behind the sides of the triangle being adapted to form refiectors, and illuminating means located in one of the angles between the base and the sides.

6. In a sign, the combination with a box triangular in cross-section, of a sign supported on the base of the triangle and adapted to be illuminated from behind, the sides of the triangle being adapted to form reflectors, and illuminating means located in the angles between the base and the sides.

7. In a sign, the combination with a box or casing, of illuminating means mounted in the casing, a sign su port-ed on the casing and adapted to be ill iiminated by the illu minating means, the illuminating means being mounted in the casing insubstantially the plane of the sign whereby the sign is illuminated by reflected light only.

8; In a sign, the combination with a box or casing, pockets formed at the sides of the casing, illuminating means mounted in tlie pocketsfthe back of the box being rovided with a reflecting surface for said ill uminating means a sign mounted on the casing between the pockets and in substantially the plane of the illuminating means and adapted to be illuminated by the illuminating means,

whereby the sign will be illuminated by reflected light only. I g

9. In a sign, the combination with aseries of units adapted to be connected together to form a continuous box, each unit being composed of abody portion having 0 en ends, and pockets adapted to receive t e illuminating means formed at the sides of the body portion, of means for closing the open ends of the end units and a sign supported on the faces of'the units, and adapts to be illuminated from behind. 10. In a sign, the combination with a series of units means for connecting the units together, a frame passing through the units and adapted to support the same, illuminating means carried by the frame within the units, and a sign-sup orted on the units and adapted to be illuminated by the illuminating means. 11. In asign, the combination with a series of units, means for connecting the units together, a frame composed of piping passing through the ends of the units and supporting the same, the frame being connected together at one end, illuminating means carried by the frame within the units and a sign supported on the units and adapted'to be illuminated by the illuminating means.

l2. In a sign, the combination with a series of units, of means for connecting the units together, a frame composed of short pipe sections united by couplings, illuminating means connected to the couplings and supported within the units and a si 11 sup: ported on the units and adaptedto eilluminated by the illuminating means.

Signed by me at Washington, District of Columbia, this 27th day of April 1905.

GEORGE L. MASON.

Witnesses:

FRANCES M. PHELPS, E. E. WARFIELD.

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