Improvements relating to Letters or Characters to be Attached to Glass Windows, Doors, or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE JAMES BELLAMY RODWELL, of No. 48 Lawrence
Place, in the City of Buffalo, in the County of Erie, and State of New York,
United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements relating to Letters or Characters to be Attached to
Glass Windows, Doors, or the like.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the class of sign letters or symbols designed to be attached
to the glass panes of windows and doors."
These letters are commonly fastened to the glass pane by cement and in cleaning
windows or doors having such letters, water flows over or drips upon the letters,
dissolving or softering the attaching cement in the course of time and eventually
allowing the letters to become detached from the glass.
One of the objects of the invention is to protect the cement against the action of
any water or moisture to which the letter may be exposed, so as to prevent detachment
of the letter, and a further object is the production of such a letter which can be
applied either to the inner or the outer side of a pane or transparent plate.
The letter is preferably stamped out of thin sheet metal, such as copper or brass,
and its body portion is preferably embossed with an ornamental design or pattern,
and the salient portions of the pattern are highly polished to produce a brilliant or
sparkling effect; although the body may be plain and simply polished or gilded, if
desired. The body of the letter is outlined by a raised hollow rib which forms a plain
border around the outer edge of the letter and around the opening or loop thereof, if
the letter is one having such an opening, as the letters R, P, O and B. Beyond this
border rib the letter is formed with a marginal flange or rim which is depressed below
the salient portions or embossments of the body and the border rib, or in other words
is arranged in rear of the plane of said raised body portions and the rib.
When the letter is secured to the inner side of a glass pane, the raised portions of
the body and the face of the raised border rib form the attaching surfaces of the letter
to which the cement is applied, and the front face of the depressed rim forms with the
opposing inner surface of the pane a recess or cavity which extends around the edge
of the letter and the edge of its opening. In this recess is arranged a protecting
filling of red lead or other suitable material which is impervious to moisture. This
impervious filling extends entirely around the letter and effectually seals the edge
thereof, excluding water and moisture from the cement applied to its attaching
surfaces and protecting the same from the disintegrating action of moisture, thereby
reliably fastening the letter to the pane and rendering its attachment practically
permanent.
In applying my improved letter to the inner side of a glass pane or transparent
plate, its raised body portions and the raised border rib are coated with a suitable
transparent cement, the marginal recess or cavity formed by the depressed rim is
filled with the impervious material and the letter is then pressed with its face against
the pane, the cement setting quickly and fastening the letter to the pane. Any
superfluous filling material which is squeezed outward beyond the depressed rim in

page_text: applying the letter is removed by running a putty knife or other suitable implement
around the edge of the letter.
This
The outer edge of the depressed rim does not bear against the glass pane, but is
separated therefrom, so as to leave the outer portion of the recess open.
construction permits additional material to be filled in the recess after the letter has
been cemented to the pane, in case portions of the recess have not been properly
filled.
When sign letters of this character are constructed of thin sheet metal it is
practically impossible to stamp the same perfectly flat or level and when such letters
are cemented to the glass pane by a marginal rim which bears against the pane, as
distinguished from the rim of my letter which is separated from the pane, the rim
owing to its unevenness, springs away from the pane, at different points, rendering
the letter unsightly. In my improved sign letter, any inequalities of the depressed
rim are compensated for by the impervious filling and the latter covers the front face
of the rim and presents a perfectly flat and smooth front surface, thus rendering the
letter sightly in appearance.
When the letter is applied to the outer side of a pane, the depressed rim of the
letter and the outer water of the hollow border rib are first cut away leaving the
face wall and the inner wall of the hollow rib intact. The rear side of the letter is in
this case cemented to the front or outer side of the pane and the face wall of the
border rib now forms the marginal rim between which and the pane the impervious
material is arranged and which in this case is raised above the attaching surface of
the letter, instead of being depressed below the same. In both cases, the marginal
rim of the letter is offset or arranged out of the plane of the attaching surface of
the letter thus forming in each case an outwardly opening recess between the rim
and the opposing surface of the pane.
If desired my improvement may be applied to an inside letter having no hollow
border rib. In this modification the face side of the letter is cemented to the pane,
and the same is formed with a depressed marginal rim between which and the pane
the impervious filling is arranged.
Dated this 28th day of May 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to Letters or Characters to be Attached to
Glass Windows, Doors, or the like.
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
This invention relates to the class of sign letters or symbols designed to be attached
to the glass panes of windows and doors."
These letters are commonly fastened to the glass pane by cement and in cleaning
windows or doors having such letters, water flows over or drips upon the letters,
dissolving or softening the attaching cement in the course of time and eventually
allowing the letters to become detached from the pane.
One of the objects of the invention is to protect the cement against the action
of any water or moisture to which the letter may be exposed, so as to prevent detachment
of the letter, and a further object is the production of such a letter which can be
applied either to the inner or the outer side of a pane or transparent plate.

page_text: Figure 1 is a front view of my improved sign letter, applied to the inner side of a
pane of glass.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an edge view of the letter applied to the glass pane.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the letter applied to the outer side
of a glass pane, and
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified construction of the
letter.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
A is a transparent plate, such as a pane of glass, and B the sign letter or other
character secured to the pane. The letter is preferably stamped out of thin sheet
metal, such as copper or brass, and its body portion is preferably embossed with
an ornamental design or pattern, as shown in the drawing, and the salient portions
of the pattern are highly polished to produce a brilliant or sparkling effect;
although the body may be plain and simply polished or gilded if desired. The
body of the letter is outlined by a raised hollow rib d which forms a plain border
around the outer edge of the letter and around the opening or loop thereof, if the
letter is one having such on opening, as the letters R, P, O and B. Beyond this
border rib the letter is formed with a marginal flange or rim e which is depressed
below the salient portions or embossments of the body c and the border rib d, or
in other words is arranged in rear of the plane of said raised body portions and
the rib, as shown in Figure 2.
When the letter is secured to the inner side of a glass pane the raised portions of
the body and the face of the raised border rib d form the attaching surfaces of the
letter to which the cement is applied, and the front face of the depressed rim e forms
with the opposing inner surface of the pane a rocess or cavity which extends around
the edge of the letter and the edge of its opening. In this recess is arranged a
protecting filling f of red lead or other suitable material which is impervious to
moisture. This impervious filling extends entirely around the letter and effectually
seals the edge thereof, excluding water and moisture from the cement applied to its
attaching surfaces and protecting the same from the disintegrating action of moisture
thereby reliably fastening the letter to the pane and rendering its attachment practi-
cally permanent.
In applying my improved letter to the inner side of a glass pane or transparent plate,
its raised body portions and the raised border rib & are coated with a suitable
transparent cement, the marginal recess or cavity formed by the depressed rim e is
filled with the impervious material and the letter is then pressed with its face against
the pane, the cement setting quickly and fastening the letter to the pane. Any
superfluous filling material which is squeezed outward beyond the depressed rim e in
applying the letter is removed by running a putty knife or other suitable implement
around the edge of the letter.
The outer edge of the depressed rim e does not bear against the glass pane, but is
separated therefrom, as shown, so as to leave the outer portion of the recess open.
This construction permits additional material to be filled in the recess after the letter
has been cemented to the pane, in case portions of the recess have not been properly
filled.
When sign letters of this character are constructed of thin sheet metal it is
practically impossible to stamp the same perfectly flat or level and when such letters
are cemented to the glass pane by a marginal rim which bears against the pane, as
distinguished from the rim of my letter which is separated from the pane, the rim
owing to its unevenness springs away from the pane, at different points, rendering the
letter unsightly. In my improved sign letter, any inequalities of the depressed rim
are compensated for by the impervious filling f and the latter covers the front face of
the rim and presents a perfectly flat and smooth front surface, thus rendering the
letter sightly in appearance.
When the letter is applied to the outer side of a pane, as shown in Figure 4, the

page_text: depressed rim of the letter and the outer wall of the hollow border rib are first cut
away from the dotted line -, in Figure 2, leaving the face wall d' and the inner
wall 2 of the hollow rib intart, as shown in Figure 4. The rear side of the letter is
in this case cemented to the front or outer side of the pane and the face wall d¹ of the
border rib now forms the marginal rim between which and the pane the impervious
material is arranged and which in this case is raised above the attaching surface of
the latter, instead of being depressed below the same, as in the construction shown in
Figures 1, 2 and 3. In both cases, the marginal rim of the letter is offset or arrange:1
out of the plane of the attaching surface of the letter thus forming in each case an
outwardly opening recess between the rim and the opposing surface of the pane.
If desired my improvement may be applied to an inside letter having no hollow
border rib, as shown in Figure 5. In this modification the face side of the letter is
cemented to the pane, and the same is formed with a depressed marginal rim el
between which and the pane the impervious filling is arranged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A sign letter or character adapted to be cemented to a transparent plate with its
body portion and having a marginal rim or flange arranged out of the plane of the
attaching surface of said body portion and forming an outwardly opening recess or
cavity around the edge of the letter, substantially as set forth.
2. A sign letter or character adapted to be cemented to a transparent plate with
its body portion and having a hollow border rib which outlines said body portion and
a depressed marginal rim arranged on the outer side of said border rib, substantially
as set forth.
3. The combination with a transparent plate, of a sign letter or character provided
on its face side with a salient body portion or portions which are cemented to said
transparent plate and with a marginal rim which is depressed below said salient body
portions, forming with the opposing side of the plate a recess extending around the
edge of the letter and an impervious filling arranged in said recess whereby the raised
cemented portions of the letter within the depressed rim are protected, substantially
as set forth.
Dated this tith day of Jannum 1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.