An Improved Mechanically Moving Advertising (Device and Window Attraction.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mechanically Moving Advertising (Device and Window
Attraction.
I, CHARLES ANKERS, of 22, Hospital Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, Watchmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An advertising and window attraction, according to this invention, comprises
a platform or course upon which minature cycles and cyclists are caused to travel,
so as to represent a cycle race. Such cycles are caused to revolve around the
course by means of clockwork disposed beneath such course. A central fixed
pillar in the centre of the course forms a journal for two, three, or more tooth
wheels having sleeves to which are attached projecting arms whose outer ends
are attached to the cycles. Such sleeves are loosely mounted one upon the other
so that they may revolve independently of one another and at different speeds.
Parallel with such fixed pillar is the driven arbor of the clockwork, which carries
a corresponding number of tooth wheels to that carried by the fixed pillar. The
wheels upon the clockwork arbor are fixed thereto and by meshing with the
wheels upon the fixed pillar cause the same to rotate and so drive the cycles
around the course.
In order that the cycles may revolve at different speeds the tooth wheels upon
the clockwork arbor and also those upon the fixed pillar have differently pitched
teeth so as to produce such different speeds. Friction rollers or belts and pulleys
of different sizes may be employed instead of toothed wheels. Tooth wheels or
friction rollers of oval shape may be employed to produce differential, speeds, or
irregularly shaped wheels, racks and pinions, cams, or equivalently well-known
devices, may be employed for this purpose.
The clockwork herein referred to may be driven by a spring or by a weight,
or its motive power may be derived from electricity or other suitable source.
In advertising a particular firm of cycle makers the cycle which bears their
name is the one which is attached to the sleeve of the tooth wheel which is caused
to travel at the fastest speed.
It must be understood that I do not confine myself to the employment of cycles
and cyclists as competitors upon the course above described, and that I reserve to
myself the right to substitute men, horses, or other figures, or puppets, as com-
petitors and for the purpose of advertising food, clothing and other commodities.
Doted this 26th day of July 1898.
J. A. COUBROUGH,
Chartered Patent Agent,
10. St. George's Crescent, Liverpool, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Mechanically Moving Advertising Device and Window
Attraction.
I, CHARLES ANKERS, of 22, Hospital Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, Watchmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement —
An advertising and window attraction, according to this invention, comprises
a platform or course upon which miniature cycles and cyclists are caused to travel,
so as to represent a cycle race. Such evcles are caused to revolve around the
course by means of clockwork disposed beneath such course. A central fixed
pillar in the centre of the course forms a journal for two, three, or more tooth
wheels, having sleeves, to which are attached projecting arms whose outer ends
are attached to the cycles. Such sleeves are loosely mounted one upon the other
so that they may revolve independently of one another and at different speeds.
Parallel with such fixed pillar is a driven arbor of the clockwork, which carries
a corresponding number of tooth wheels to that carried by the fixed pillar. The
wheels upon the clockwork arbor are fixed thereto, and by meshing with the
wheels upon the fixed pillar cause the same to rotate, and so drive the cycles
around the course.
In order that the cycles may revolve at different speeds the tooth-wheels upon
the clockwork arbor and also those upon the fixed pillar have differently pitched
teeth so as to produce such different speeds. Friction rollers or belts and pulleys
of different size may be employed instead of toothed wheels. Toothed wheels or
friction rollers of oval shape may be employed to produce differential speeds, or
irregularly shaped wheels, racks and pinions, cams, or equivalently well known
devices may be employed for this purpose.
The clockwork herein referred to may be driven by a spring or by a weight,
or its motive power may be derived from electricity or other suitable source.
In the drawing herto annexed is illustrated a portion of a mechanically moving
cycle race according to this invention, Figure 1 being a sectional elevation, and
Figure 2 a plan.
Referring to the drawing it will be seen that three cycles a, a¹, a², are carried
by arms b, 61, 62, attached to sleeves c, c', c², upon the fixed pillar d. Fixed to
the sleeves, c¹, c, are the tooth wheels e, c¹, e², gearing with the tooth-
wheels f, f, f, which are fixed to the clockwork arbor y, whose wheel g¹ is
rotated by a spring and clockwork train located in the box h. The cycles travel
upon a course which is grooved at k to accomodate the arms b, 61, 6. Stays l
support the central and concentric portions of the course i. It will be seen that
the wheels e, el, e, are graduated in size and that the wheels f, f', f, are corre-
spondingly but inversely graduated in size, whereby the wheels upon the arbor g
rotate the wheels and sleeves upon the pillar d at different speeds. Consequently
the cycles a, a, a², travel around the course i cach at a speed different to that
of the others.
I may substitute oval or other shaped tooth wheels for the tooth wheels shewn
in the drawing, whereby the cycles are caused to travel at a varying speed. Or,
one or two of the cycles, may be caused to travel at a varying speed, whilst the
other or others travel at an even speed, by the use of oval as well as circular
wheels. Instead of the tooth wheels illustrated I may substitute friction discs,
preferably of india-rubber or bordered with india-rubber, and when using such
discs the varying speeds above referred to may be obtained by mounting such

page_text: discs slightly out of centre, the india-rubber serving to compensate the varying
radii of two such discs in contact.
As a modification I substitute pulley wheels for the tooth wheels e, e, e²,
and f, f, f, and couple them with bands, preferably elastic. Such pulley wheels
are graduated in size so as to give the cycles different speeds, and may be truly
circular or they may be oval or mounted somewhat out of centre in order to
produce a varying speed.
I do not confine myself to the use of a spring and clockwork as the source of
motion, that is to say, the wheel gl may be driven by an electric motor or by
means of a weight and cord passing over a pulley which is geared to said wheel,
or said wheel may be driven by a toothed rack which may be operated by a
weight and pulley.
In advertising a particular firm of cycle makers the cycle which bears their
name is the one which is attached to the sleeve of the tooth wheel which which
is caused to travel at the fastest speed.
It must be understood that I do not confine myself to the employment of cycles
and cyclists as competitors upon the course above described, and that I reserve to
myself the right of substituting men, horses, or other figures, or puppets, as com-
petitors and for the purpose of advertising food, clothing, and other commodities.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In combination, a race course having a central spindle upon which are
mounted a series of sleeves, arms attached to said sleeves and carrying puppets
representing competitors on said course, said sleeves carrying tooth wheels or
their equivalent, of graduated sizes, which gear with corresponding but inversely
graduated tooth wheels or their equivalent upon a spindle driven by clockwork
or its equivalent, whereby said puppets travel around the course each at a different
speed to that of the other puppets, substantially as described with reference to
the drawings hereto annexed.
2. As a means of affording a varying speed to puppets arranged to travel around
a race course in the manner herein described, the employment of oval tooth
wheels or their equivalent or eccentrically mounted friction discs or pulleys or
their equivalent, for the purpose of rotating the sleeves c, c', ², to which such
puppets are attached, substantially as described with reference to the drawings
hereto annexed.
2
1 1000
J. A. COUBROUGH,
Chartered Patent Agent,
10, St. George's Crescent, Liverpool, Agent for the Applicant.