US997960A - Illuminating identification device. - Google Patents

Description

P. L. BRIGGS & G. MORRIS, J11. ILLUMINATING IDENTIFICATION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1-908.

Patented July 18, 1911.

I nve niors Ikederzbk 1115121;

k M fl min/asses To all whom it may concern:

UNITED ST TE PhilF-ENT o IoE.

FREDERICK L. BRIGGS, or BROOKLiNE, am) GEORGE MORRIS, an, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 1,

ILLUZMINATING' IDENTIFICATION Specification of Letters Patent. July 18, 1911.

Application filed April 6, 1908. Serial 1%. 425,199.

Be it known that we, FREDERICK, L.

- BRIGGS, of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, and GEORGE MORRIS, Jr, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, both being citizens of the United States, have invented an Improvement in Illuminating Identification Devices, of which the following description, in connection with the ac companying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings, representing like parts.

Our invention relates to lanterns and more particularly to lanterns for use upon carriages, automobiles and other vehicles or cars..

It is customary, ii the-above connect-ion, to use lanterns to display certain informati'onsn'ch .as' the' license number, owners name or other designation and, in addition thereto, to displayp colored light in connection with-or idlieuiof a white light.

The laws of practically all the States now require that automobiles be provided with asi n bearing the license or registration num er, year thereof, and jurisdiction or State of registration, a'nd'a red light upon the rear of the car. Moreover, it is usually' required that the sign be suspended from the rear axle for convenience in reading the same in the daytime, and) also that a lantern be secured to the car at night at such point that it will throw s ch a light upon the sign as will cause it to 'be visible a certain distance, usually about s'ixtysfeet, more or less. As a matter of fact it is practically impossible to so mount a separate lantern that it will illuminate the Sign upon the axle sufiiciently for it to be read at night except under the most favorable circumstances. 1

Our invention aims to provide a lantern adapted to, display not only the desired danger light, in this case the usual red light, but adapted also to illuminate the sign bearing the license or registration numher, the jurisdiction and year or other particular information desired, so that it may be readily seen at night.

In the particular embodiment of our invention illustrated herin, igure 1 is a front view of the lantern; Fig. 2, a rear view of'the same: Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 33, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a detail view of oneend of fhe lantern and the removable grooved'end piece and locking pin therefor.

Referring to Figs. and 3 the lantern comprises, 1n this instance, an inclosingscase a, having a hat face 1),; a-Zcurved back 0, and

case is preferably constructed-ofone piece of metal or other suitable material, pro- 1s somewhat. longer thannit is high. The

Vided at the g With a :groove 0 or said edges may be. provided withother suitable means for holding 'axpluralit-y'of glass or other transparent-plates e, 6' comprising the front or fiat face 6, referred'to, .one or more of'said transparent plates bear-" in}; diaractersor symbols fyfi ofrtli'e desired significance. In addition thereto, the face plates e, e have, in this instance, ared or colored-area or strip 9 across one en'd thereof; either applied to or arranged in: jun-tar" position to the white.

Mass, denoting the} jurisdiction; the succeeding plates display. one or more fi gnres glass, or the glass comprising the registration number and the opposite endplate, at the right, the year of the registration of the car. Acro slthei tops of the plates the combined colored areas 9 constitute in effect a continuous red strip which serves for the customary rear danger signal.- This strip is preferable to the commonly use d bulls-eye red lantern, inasmuch as it is distinguishable there-from; and while the common red or bulls-eye lantern is ordinarily used to Warn travelers from all kinds of obstructions and dangers, such as heaps of materials in the road and excavations therein,this lantern serves to distin-.

guish the car or carriage from. the obstruc tions referred to: After the face-plates e, e have been placed in position in'the grooves, the substantially U shaped end grooved piece it is adjusted across the end of the lantern face and, by means of a pin iinserted through holes 7, j in the cars 70, k on the top and bottom of the case, is locked in position effectually to secure the face plates in place. At its rear the lantern is provided with" a lamp socket Z, Secured in an open'in in the; back wall of the case and adapted to receive a suit-able incandescent lampjb ulb m, and the electric wires n, n'there'for.

which,f'1'n turn, may be connected to-a 'battery placed in a convenient position in the car, or connected by suitable means to the battery providin motive power for the car. The inside wa is of the case may be polished or enameled to serve as a reflector for the light.

Supporting strips 0, 0 may be secured to theinside of the back wall of the case if desired. There is also provided a socket piece 79, having a set screw 9, at the back of the lantern case by means of which the case may be secured to the ordinary post provided therefor upon .the car orcarriage.

A leaf spring 7* is secured in the groove of sired to display the registration number and title thereof the face plates may be readily removed and new and proper ones, displaying the new number and title, substituted therefor, even while the lamp is ighted. In this way any number of sets of' face plates may be easily and economically provided and carried on hand anddisplayed when needed.

By our invention the identifying characters are always visible when the lantern is lighted.

Claims:

1. An identification device comprising a one-piece casing having a convex rear wall able information bearing members having each :1- semi-transparent area constituting in interchangeablecombination, a constant ad ditional information imparting means of substantiallythe length of said casing, the edges of the. casing disposed to receive said information bearing members, illuminating means therefor, a detachable locking member f0] attachment to said casingland provided with a tension member to securely lock said information bearing members in position.

2. Amidentification device comprising an open-sided casing, lighting means therein, interchangeable information, symbol bearing members, holding means therefor in the top and bottom edges of the open side of said casing, a detachable locking member I I a secured to said casing at one end of said;

open side and yielding means in said locking member to retain said information bearing members against rattle.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK L. BRIGGS.

GEORGE MORRIS, JR.

Witnesses:

EVERETT S. EMERY, ROBERT H. KAMMLER.

Cry antes of this patent may be obtained for 'five cents each, by addressing thef Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

and beveled ends, removable interchange

Images