Improvements in and in the Production of Letters and Figures for Signs, Display Tablets, Addresses, and the like, principally for Advertising Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 17th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in the Production of Letters and Figures for
Signs, Display Tablets, Addresses, and the like, principally for
Advertising Purposes.
I, ARTHUR HARRIS, trading as A. Harris and Sons, of 152 Bristol Street, in
the City of Birmingham, Manufacturing Plumber, 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 improvements in, and in the production of, letters and
figures for signs, display tablets, addresses, and the like, principally for advertising
purposes, as hereinafter described, and consists primarily in making the said
letters from circular, angular, half-round or other cross-sectioned metal or other
tubing or moulding.
Thus, letters are made up of lengths of tubing or moulding fashioned into shape,
or mitred together as may be desired.
In carrying out one form of my invention, say in connection with a letter T, I
take two lengths of half-round sectioned tubing, one to form the head or cross piece,
and the other to form the stem, and I shape the upper end of the one to fit within
a like shaped recess cut within the middle of the underside of the other, and
connect the two sections together by soldering, brazing or other means.
The junction of the one sectional part with the other part may be strengthened,
if necessary, by an inserted pummel, block, or break-joint piece.
The ends of the said component members are also filled up with closures, plugs
or inserted pieces.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a front elevation of a capital
letter T, constructed or made up from connected-together lengths of half-round
or semi-circular sectioned tubing or moulding, according to one form of my
invention.
Figure 2 is an edge view of the same and Figure 3 is a vertical section upon the
dotted lines - Figure 1, whilst Figure 4 represents in horizontal section, upon
the dotted lines A Figure 2, the prepared limb members of the said letter, before
the same are put together and brazed, soldered or otherwise connected.
Figure 5 represents the length of half-round sectioned tubing from which the
letter T, Figure 1, is made.
a is a head member, made from a length of tubing such as Figure 5, with the
ends a', chamfered off and closed by inserted end pieces a², soldered therein, b is a
leg or stem, whose lower end 3, is chamfered and closed, alike unto the ends of
the head, whilst its upper end ', is tongued to take over the middle part of
the head.
Instead of the ends being chamfered, it may be straight or of any other figure.
The letter may be secured in position by screw pins c, or other means.
Instead of making up the letter from half-round sectioned tubing I may employ
semi-circular sectioned moulding as represented in Figure 6, and if necessary, I may
close the back of the same in by a strip Figure 6.
Thus in making up a letter, I take a long length of tubing or moulding as repre-
sented in Figures 5 and 6, and separate the same up into suitable sections, prepare
their ends and connect the same together as stated.
The letters or figures may be made up from lengths of cylindrical tubing,
Figure 7, or from square-sectioned tubing Figure 8, or from triangular sectioned
tubing Figure 9, or from square sectioned moulding Figure 10.

page_text: Figure 11 represents a capital T made up from either triangular sectioned tubing
Figure 9, or from like sectioned open-backed moulding Figure 12, which may have
its back either left open or closed by a plate such as Figure 6ª.
In carrying out the formation of the letter S, I may take a length of tubing, and
insert within the interior of the same, a flexible mandrel, and then bend the said
length into the desired letter, whose open ends are filled up by closure pieces; or
the said letter may be made up of curved sections, suitably connected together.
Figure 13 represents a capital letter S, so made.
In forming a letter O, I proceed in the same way as in the production of the
letter S, but the ends are disposed in varying planes, so that after the removal of
the bending mandrel, the said ends have to be brought into the same plane and
closed together, and there affixed by brazing or otherwise. Or instead of a flexible
maudrel, I may employ pitch or sand as the internal support.
F
In carrying out the production of the letter D, as represented in Figure 14
I make the same up of two.component parts, one a straight piece, and the other
of a U figure, or I make the same up of six straight sections, united together as
in Figure 144.
I then mitre or shape the ends, and join up the same into the desired letter.
In carrying out the making of a hollow letter M, I take four component parts,
and unite their prepared or mitred ends into the said letter.
In producing a letter C, as represented in Figure 15, I proceed in a similar
manner to that already described in respect of the formation of other letters, or it
may be made up of a series of curved or straight sections.
These hollow letters which may be fitted with terminals or finishing ends, may
be made of open jointed or seamless tubings, preferably of zinc, although the same
may be made up of any metal, as may be desired, and further, the same may be
made of non-metallic substances such as paper or papier-mache.
I make up figures in exactly the same way as the letters.
Figure 16 represents a figure 6 made according to my invention.
Such figures as 6, 9, 8, 3 and 1 may be made up from one or more segmental
lengths of tubing or moulding, whilst others, such as 5 and 2, are made up from two
or more sections, suitably connected.
Instead of affixing the sectional parts by soldering or brazing, the same may be
rivetted or pinned together, either with or without junction'pieces, or the said parts
may be connected together by junction castings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Making hollow letters and figures or numerals from a single length or from two
or more lengths of tubing or moulding of any desired section, substantially as
described and set forth.
Dated this 11th d..
100%
ARTHUR HARRIS,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.