US959440A - Electrical sign. - Google Patents

Description

H. I. BLITS.

ELECTRICAL SIGN. APPLICATION PILED AUG.1,1908.

' Patented May 24, 1910.

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Q/vi I511 eases HARRY I-. BLITS, 0F CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA- ELECTRIGAIJ SIGrN.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24,. 1910.

Application flled Augfust 1, 1908.- Serial No; 148;493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known" that I, HARRY I. BLITS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clearfield, in the county of Clearfield' and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrica'l Signs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signs, and particularly to improvements in illuminated electrical signs, and has for an object the provision of' a housing formed with a signhoard on one face and interiorly arranged lamps, and means for variously lighting up and automatically turning out the same.v

Another object of the invention is the provision of a sign arranged with a plurality of panels upon which" matter to be ad vertised 1s placed, and the. provision of lights of various colors surrounding the same for bringing and flashing out the various advertising matter, more distinctly, with more colors, and with different effects than heretofore attempted.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a sign having a signboard, lights for illuminating the same, means for turning on and off the lights automatically at predetermined times, and means for flashing the lights on and ofi? at predetermined intervals and securing more brilliant and variegated eifects by lighting the lamps or a portion of them one after the other, in order to produce what is known as the creeping or serpentine effect.

With these and other objects inview, the invention comprises certain novel automatic and electrical constructions, combinations, and arrangements, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a complete sign, showing means of ordinary or any preferred construction for making and breaking the lighting circuit at short intervals, and, if desired, for lighting the lamps or a portion of them in succession instead of all at the same instant. Fig, 2 is an interior view of the sign shown in Fig. 1 with the front face thereof removed. Fig. 3 is a section through a sign approximately on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a section through Fig. 2 approximately on line 4-4.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a housing of a sign provided with a front plate or face 2; The front face 2' is arranged with a plurality of panels 3 preferably of what is known as double strength prepared glass or' flash glass. The housing .1 1s enlarged or formed disk-shaped at 4 and that portion of the plate 2 in front of the enlarged portion 4 is formed with panels 5* and 6 constructed of material similar to panels 3. Arranged on each side of the front plate 2' is series of glass disks or lenses 7' and 8 which throw the rays of lightoutward and give a fanciful appearance to the sign. The glass disks 7 and 8' are ar-- ranged in border strips 9 and 10 of glass or other material, and conform to the shape :of the edges of the sign. The various disks are formed of different colors so that a vairied effect is produced; It will be evident ithat if desired all of the glass disks could ibe of the same color, and also the colored lights be varied within the spirit of the invention.

Positioned in housing 1 in the rear of strips 9 and 10 are lamps 11 and 12 located preferably directly in the rear of disks 7 and 8. In addition to lights 11 and 12 there are also provided lights 13 and 14 for illuminating panels 3 and 5 and 6. These lights are assisted by some of the light from lamps 11 and 12 so that ample light is provided for the various panels 3 and 5 and 6, and thereby clearly brings out any advertising matter placed thereon. In placing advertising matter on the various panels the same is preferably painted there on in transparent or some light colored paint, but other means may be used for placing the signs on the panels if so desired. The various lights 11, 12, 13 and 14 are preferably electric lights, as shown in Fig. 2, and are connected up with a time switch 15 that is adapted to switch on the current at any predetermined time, and then switch the same off at another predetermined time, so that when the clocks 16 and 17 are set any time during the day the sign will automatically become illuminated by one of the clocks turning the light on at the-desired time. After the sign has remained illuminated for the desired time, for instance until midnight, the other clock operates for switching off the current, and thus the lights are automatically turned on and off without immediate attention. The next succeeding day an operator may reset the clocks for any desired time, and the same will again operate for turning on and off the lights the next succeeding night.

In addition to the time-controlled switch 15 which may be of any desired kind, I arrange a flasher 18 in series with the time switch 15 so that when the time switch 15 switches on the current the flasher 18 will automatically turn the lights on and off or flash the same in any desired sequence or with any desired interval between the flashes. The flasher 18 may be of any construction for automatically turning on and off the lights after the current has been turned on by time switch 15, and for automatically lighting in succession certain of the lamps in order to produce a creeping or serpentine efiect. The time switch 15 may be arranged at any desired point in the housing 1, but preferably is arranged in enlarged portion 4 upon a door 19. When it is desired to reset clocks 16 and 17 the door 19 may be swung outward and the clocks adjusted as may be desired for switching the current on and oil, and then the door is closed. If desired, the housing 1 may be divided into a plurality of compartments, though ordinarily one large compartment will be suificient.

By constructing a sign arranged with a plurality of panels that are illuminated at 0 the same time, means are provided for having a plurality of diflerent matters advertised or exhibited and also a sign is presented in which a plurality of small concerns may have illuminated sign advertisements by simply using one or more of the panels 3 or 5 and 6, thereby giving them an opportunity to advertise their business by electrical and automatic devices which individually they would be unable to do on account of the great expense.

What I claim is:

In a sign, a housing, a door arranged in said housing, a clock operated switch mounted on said door, said door being pivotally mounted for permitting free access to said clock mechanism, a plurality of translucent advertising panels, a border surrounding said panels, and means for illuminating said panels and said border, said means being adapted to be turned on and off by said clock operated switch.

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

HARRY I. BLITS. Witnesses:

E. D. \VHITE, v E. G. FOSTER.

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