Patent GB-190317652-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Advertising Devices.
Inventor: SMITH JOHN DAWSON
Filed: 1903-08-14
Granted: 1903-09-17
Abstract: 17,652. Smith, J. D. Sept. 27, A.D. 1902, [date applied for under Patents Act, A.D. 1901]. Advertising. - Relates to an advertising-device in which a travelling web or sheet is used, and consists in improved means for actuating the web, means for automatically taking up slack in the web when moving in either direction, means for automatically reversing the direction of movement of the web, and means for automatically stopping the movement of the web at predetermined intervals so as to display the advertisements thereon. The ends of the web 7 are fastened to the rollers 8, 9, of which 8 is fast on its shaft 10, while 9 rides loose on the shaft 12. A hollow casing 14 on the roller 9 contains a spring 15, one end of which is attached to the casing 14 and the other to the shaft 12. Before the rollers are connected by a chain 56 passing over the sprocketwheels 11, 13, driven at the same rate, the spring 15 is partly wound up by giving the shaft 12 a few turns. If, owing to the amount of web on the roller 9, more is unwound than is taken up by the roller 8, the slack will be taken up by the gradual unwinding of the spring 15, which causes the roller 9 to revolve in a reverse direction to that of its shaft 12. When the roller diameters are equal, the spring will have a moderate tension, and when the roller 8 increases in diameter and winds more web than is unrolled from 9, the roller 9 turns on its shaft to yield this extra amount and thus winds up the spring again. A similar unwinding and winding of the spring occurs if the direction of transfer of the webbing is reversed, and the slack thus taken up automatically. The screwed shaft 17 is drawn from the electric motor 6, through the gearing 36, 34, 37 which operates the shaft 20 whose gear and sprocket wheels 23, 21 engage as shown with the gear and sprocket wheels 19, 18 respectively on the shaft 17. The shaft 20 carries a loose sheath 26, which can move longitudinally but, owing to the screw 28 in the shaft engaging in the slot 27, also revolves with the shaft 20. The travellers 38, 39 whose screwed heads 40 move along the shaft 17, are prevented from rotating by passing their shanks 41 over the sheath 26 as shown, these shanks engaging the top of the centrally-pivoted arms 43, 44, which are fastened to the back of the frame 42, their lower ends being connected by the tie-rod 47. Thus when the travellers press the arm 43 to the left, it engages the head 29 of the shaft 26 and, by causing engagement of the pin 31 on this head with a pin 24 on the sprocket-wheel 21, causes the shaft 17 to revolve in one direction ; whereas it revolves in the opposite direction when the engagement of the shaft head 30 with the gear-wheel 23 is made by means of the pins 32, 25. The engagement is made sure by the action of the stretched spring 48, which accelerates the motion of the arms 43, 44 directly the lower pivots pass on either side of the vertical line through the pivots 45, 46. The travellers are adjusted so far apart that when any desired length of web has been unwound from one roller, the motion is reversed. The intermittent unwinding of the web is accomplished by means of the chain 52, which passes over a sprocket-wheel 49 on the shaft 17, and two idle pulleys 50, 51, and the chain 56, which passes over the sprocketwheels 11, 13 on the shafts 10, 12 of the web rollers. Any suitable number of pairs of links, four in this case, are provided with tongues 57, which engage with the lug 53 on the driving-chain 52. The pairs of links are equidistant on the chain 56, and when by engagement with the lug 53 the chain 56 drives the rollers, and the link-pair 58 is carried up over the wheel 11, where engage. ment ceases, the chain 56 remains stationary while the lug travels round the wheels 50, 49, 51 and engages the next link-pair 59 which has been brought into the position previously occupied by the pair 58, by the motion of the chain 56. A similar intermittent motion results when the chain 52 moves downwards instead of upwards. - The advertisements are so located on the web that they may be read through the case-opening during these stoppages, the duration of which is determined by the number of link-pairs on the chain. The engagement of the lug 53 with the link-pairs is ensured by fastening a rod 62 to the side of the case. Any suitable case with a view-opening may enclose the device, which is primarily intended for use in street-railway cars, and when so used the inner ornamental framework of the car is utilized as the casing for the device.