Improved Means for Displaying Advertisements and Articles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improved Means for Displaying Advertisements and Articles.
I, ALFRED APPLEBY, Manufacturer, of 124, Vyse Street, in the City of Birming-
ham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is an improved mechanically advertising means adapted to be
operated either by a small motor, clock mechanism, or other moving agent.
The essential parts of the advertising means according to this invention are a
resilient coil spring of any suitable diameter, exterior shape, and length, and
a knitted sheather or woollen sleeve which encloses or encircles it. The said
resilient coil is adapted to be rotated whilst bent in a curved, horse-shoe shaped,
or similar form or position; its particular construction allowing of this.
Upon the woollen sleeve or sheath surrounding the coil is threaded a number
of rings set up with or carrying number or name plates, letters, small manu-
factured articles, illuminated devices, and such like; the resilient coil forming
the carrying means to the said articles. This resilient coil has imparted to it,
from each of its ends, a rotary movement, which it communicates to the articles
carried upon it; the effect given being that all the articles or parts carried revolve
to a centre, and are continually being presented to be viewed or to be read.
The ends of the coil must be driven in the same direction and at the same
velocity in order to rotate the coil successfully and prevent its buckling, aud this
may be done continuously, by toothed gearing through a motor, or intermittently
by clock mechanism, in which latter case a pause in the rotation, for reading the
adverts. carried, is given.
The sheath enclosing the coil can be knitted of different coloured worsteds,
but it must be of sufficient thickness to free the articles carried from close contact
with the coil.
As a modification any number of such resilient coils may be arranged to form
a design, and can be worked in common, but their direction and rate of rotation
must be independently or collectively studied.
It is obvious that such an advertising means would be an extremely interesting
and curious one, and would be the means of bringing prominently forward the
matter carried by the resilient coil.

page_text: Improved Means for Displaying Advertisements and Articles.
I, ALFRED APPLEBY, Manufacturer, of 124, Vyse Street, in the City of Birming-
ham, 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 is an improved mechanical advertising means capable of being
worked by an electric motor, clock mechanism, hand, or other moving agent, and
its essential parts are a resilient coil spring, which is adapted to be rotated from
both its ends whilst in a bent or curved position, (such for example as forming
a semi-circle or a horseshoe shape), and a flexible or elastic sheath or sleeve which
encloses or encircles it and comes intermediate between the said coil spring and
the articles or devices (such as name plates, letters, small manufactured articles,
illuminating devices, and such like,) carried by it, which are to be displayed.
The said coiled spring has its ends so geared up that both ends of the coil must
be driven in the same direction, (although by curving the axis of the said spring
the direction of rotation of the said ends appear opposite) and an equal velocity
must be given to each end to prevent the said coil buckling.
The advertising means according to this invention is practically illustrated
in the accompanying sheet of drawings and will be described hereinafter in con-
nection therewith, but the arrangement of the parts and the devices they carry
can, of course, be varied. The said sheet illustrates in Fig. 1 the invention
applied for the purpose of displaying a number of plates or tabs set up with
letters to form, when combined, different words, the said plates in their move-
ment upon the coil converging inwards of the coil and diverging outwards of the
coil. In this fig., e is the resilient coil spring which is bent into a semi-circular
form and is carried upon a suitable frame, a, through trunnions or shank ends,
which are mounted to rotate in suitable bearings upon the said frame. The said
trunnions or shank ends are driven or rotated by an even gear d, which is com-
posed of toothed wheels, d³, d, and , two of the said wheels being intermediate
ones and two fixed on the said trunnions, so that the coil e is driven with the same
velocity at each end and in a common direction eiz.:-towards the centre of its
curved figure. This is very important to successfully and evenly work the coil.
The toothed wheel dis slowly driven by a reducing gear which, in its turn,
receives its movement from some motive power; in the drawings the said reduc-
ing gear comprises wheels e, 3, 3, e, mounted on shafts e, e in suitable bear-
ings c, e, of the advertising means' frame a.
g is the flexible or elastic sheath or sleeve which fits over the resilient coil e, it
being shown in the drawings as being built up of sectional parts. h are the
plates or tabs carried by the coil c through the elastic sleeve g, and these are
arranged in four series, as shown in the detail view Fig. 2, and have on both their
sides letters, or other display matter, to form a combination in each series on each
side the said tabs displaying one combination inwards of the coil and another
outwards of the coil. The direction of rotation of the coil is to close each
series of tabs, h, inwards of the coil to converge to the point f, and to open them
out fan-like outside the coil to diverge from the point f. Rubber rings
disposed between the edges of each tab to keep them in their proper positions
from each other, the said rings yeilding sufficient to meet all positions of the tabs
In Fig. 3 the resilient coil c is made to carry on its elastic sheath y a number
of articles in the form of rings m, or parts carried by such rings; and in Fig. 4
a short length piece of the coil c is shown on an enlarged scale, in order to set
forth its construction.
7t are

page_text: It is to be understood that any number of such resilient coils as c may he
arranged to carry display matter and form a design, but their direction and rate
of rotation would have to be studied in the manner herein before set forth.
The back or facing of the frame a in Fig. 1 can be formed with mirrors or
other reflecting devices, to give a effect to the display of the parts carried by the
coil.
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:
First. In advertising and display means, the use of a resilient coil such as c
which is arranged to be rotated whilst in a bent or curved position, and which
forms the carrying means for articles such as name plates, letters, small manu-
factured articles, illuminating devices, and such like, substantially as set forth.
Second. An advertising and display means characterised by a resilient coil
arranged in a bent or curved form and adapted to be rotated and carry advertising
matter, and a flexible or elastic sheath or sleeve which encloses or encircles the
said coil.
Third. In combination in an advertising and display means; a resilient coil, c,
arranged to be rotated in a bent or curved figure, an even gear for driving and
turning the said coil, a flexible elastic sheath which encircles or encloses the
said coil, a display means carried by the said sheath and coil, and a suitable
framing upon which the whole of the parts are mounted, substantially as described
and set forth.
Fourth. The general arrangement and fitting of the parts in combination as
set forth in Fig. 1.
That this 5th
f
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,