An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Advertising.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1592
Complete Specification Left. 20th Apr., 1392-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Advertising.
I, THOMAS OBBINSON of Mentone, near Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been devised for the purpose of affording business people a
convenient and popular method of distributing their advertisements at a moderate
cost, whilst on the other hand the public are rewarded for their trouble in noticing
such advertisements by having desired information given to them.
The method of advertising consists in having cards with say a railway time table
for a particular. line printed on a portion of their surface and attractive adver-
tisements printed on the remaining portion of their faces. These cards are put up
in packs in allotted spaces in preferably an upright pedestal box, and in front of
which box are arranged a number of knobs or thumb presses, and over each knob
or thumb press is placed the name of the particular line of railway or other
information to which it relates. The buttons on being pressed operate preferably
a. crank action, which in its turn actuates a small quadrant, thumb, pricker, or
equivalent pusher which shoves or forces out preferably the bottom card of the
pack into a trough in any predetermined direction, the said troughs being also on
the exterior of the machine are conveniently placed in such a manner that the
operator after having pushed or equivalently moved the actuating thumb press
before referred to, will find a card delivered in one of the troughs before mentioned
and on looking at it will find, the information that he stands in need of and at the
same time the advertisement on the said card will be brought prominently under
his notice and in most cases he will keep the card for future reference or give it to
someone else, thus, still further publishing the said advertisements.
Referring again to the various packs of cards in the machine, they may be in
separate little boxes and to facilitate their egress as required may be either
weighted, or pressed by a small spring at the top or bottom.
Such portions of the outside pedestal box as are not occupied by the knobs as
aforesaid may be also utilized for advertising purposes.
Dated this hib'day of January 1802
S. S. BROMHEAD,
.97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Advertising.
I THOMAS OBBINSON of Mentone, near Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,
Australia, Agent, 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 has been devised for the purpose of providing a convenient, and
at the same time a popular, method of distributing advertisement cards at a
moderate cost, whilst on the other hand the public are rewarded for their trouble
in noticing such advertisements by having some desired information given to them
in return.
The invention consists Firstly: In a novel method of advertising by a machine
which gives the public, a printed card in return for the operator's trouble in pulling

page_text: 7
a knob on such machine, and Secondly: In apparatus to be employed in carrying
such method into effect.
The method of advertising consists in having cards with say a railway time-table
for particular lines of trains &c. printed on a portion of their surface, and attractive
advertisements printed on the remaining portion of their faces, and put in packs in
allotted spaces in, preferably, an upright pedestal box, the mechanism of which said
pedestal box being so arranged that upon pulling a particular knob in front of the
box, one of the cards, with the required information upon it, will be produced which
may be taken away by the operator.
I will now proceed to describe the apparatus before mentioned, and will refer to
the accompanying drawings in which―
Fig. 1. is a front view of the pedestal box shewing an arrangement of spaces set
apart for particular sets of cards and their pull-knobs, and also shewing the spare
portions of the surface arranged to contain fixed advertisements.
Fig. 2. shews an internal section of the said pedestal and its internal mechanism.
Fig. 3. is a sectional detail view of one of the operating card boxes, and
Fig. 4. a plan of such box:
Fig. 5. shows an enlarged sectional view of one of the operating card boxes whilst
à card is being taken out of same by an operator.
,,
In these drawings "A" is an upright pedestal box on the face of which is
arranged a series of knobs "B," each knob having a separate box "C" to its own
particular set of cards, and the whole of such boxes being set in a hinged frame "D"
centred at "D₁ (see Fig. 2). This said hinged frame can be lowered to the
dotted position, shewn on the drawing, which will allow the attendant to charge the
card boxes "C." If preferred the backs of the boxes "C" may be made removable
for facilitating their recharging. A tension chain "D" is arranged in manuer
shown to support the weight of the said frame when open. "E, E are simple
shelves on which a stock of the different cards may be stored from time to time for
replacing the cards taken out of the boxes "C" by the public. Referring again
to Fig. 1. the surface that is not taken up by the card boxes "C" may be divided
into spaces for any desired advertisements, these spaces are marked "." I would
now direct attention to Figs. 3, 4 and 5 which shew the operative mechanism for
removing a card, and in which "G"is the card. "B" is the pull-knob to which
is attached a rod "B" around which is encircled a spiral spring in a state of
compression. Attached to the other end of the said rod "B" is a small sliding
block "Hof wood, or other material, which is grooved to slide horizontally
backwards and forwards along metal guide plates or rails "H" arranged on either
side for the purpose (see Fig. 5). On top, and at the end of, the said sliding
block is affixed a small wedge shaped thumb piece of india-rubber "H2"
which is set in such a manner that on the forward motion of the sliding block "H"
the thumb piece "H2" pushes the card "G" forward (as shewn in Fig. 5), and
when the fingers of the operator loosen their hold on knob "B the latter with the
block and the said thumb-piece "H2" slide backwards into a recess I." The
operator may then pull out the projecting card "G" which action will allow
the pack of cards "K" to fall, the bottom one now occupying the position just
vacated by the withdrawn card. The pack will then be resting upon the two
supporting limitation plates of metal "L" and the thumb piece "H2" will be again
ready to push forward the bottom card (see Fig. 3).
"
The modus operandi of my invention is as follows:-
"
Presume that a person is at a railway station or other public place and desires to
know when the next train leaves for say "Pau." He may step up to the machine,
and on pulling the knob "B" under the word "Pau" and then releasing the said
knob he will find a card produced (as shewn on Fig. 5) and on removing such card
will find the printed list of trains leaving for, and coming from, such station, whilst
at the same time his attention will be unavoidably attracted to any advertisement
that is on the said card "G," and it is probable that he will carry such card about

page_text: with him for future reference and thus further publish the advertisement contained
thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In advertising appliances :-The method of employing a machine by means of
which advertisements are distributed through the medium of a printed card
containing popular information and which is supplied to any person who may pull a
knob on such machine, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and in the manner
illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
2. In advertising appliances-A machine consisting of an upright pedestal box
(as "A") on which is mounted any number of pull knobs (as "B," the latter being
so arranged that on the operator pulling one of the knobs mechanism is brought
into operation which projects a card containing some required popular information
and advertisements, substantially as described and explained and as illustrated on
the accompanying drawings.
3. In advertising appliances: A hinged frame (as "D") in which is placed a
number of chambers or boxes (as "C") containing cards and mechanism for pro-
jecting such cards, substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In advertising appliances -The combination of a sliding block (as "H") on
which is mounted a thumb piece (as "H") with a chamber or box (as "C") and
slide plates or rails (as "L") substantially as explained and as illustrated on the
accompanying drawings.
5. In advertising appliances :-The peculiar construction, combination and
mechanical arrangement of the parts shewn on Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the
drawings herewith.
Dated this 20th dare of Anvil 1905
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.