Improvements in or relating to Advertising.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Advertising.
We, FREDERICK THOMAS VINE of 23 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, in the
County of Cambridge, Joiner, and EDMUND KETT of Panton Street, Cambridge
aforesaid, Carver, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to advertising and apparatus therefor. The details of
the apparatus may vary but the following will indicate the salient features of the
invention.
The principal idea that we have in view in this invention is to give the answers
to certain questions; thus, suppose, a list of a dozen questions to be appended to
the machine or apparatus, one of which is "Where shall I dine" these questions
would be numbered and the number of the question being say 3 in the list an index
hand or other similar device is turned or moved to the corresponding number 3
with the result that the name and address of a restaurant or other dining place.
appears at a suitable place in the apparatus thus giving the answer to the question
and so on with other questions, an important advantage of this method of advertising
being that the advertisements can be selected by the proprietors of this advertising
medium which we prefer to call The Automatic Free Enquiry Agency, and as the
advertisers can be thus selected there is a sort of guarantee to the person using the
apparatus that the names of respectable firms only will be given in answer to his
enquiry. The apparatus may be constructed as follows
1
In any suitable case which may conveniently be made of cast iron and of
ornamental and artistic design is contained the working mechanism which is
exceedingly simple, and in one case may consist merely of a rotatable disc having
an index hand turning upon a dial upon the outside of the case or visible from the
outside; the dial is provided with the necessary numbers corresponding with the
list of questions and the disc or equivalent which turns in conjunction with the index
hand or equivalent carries at suitable distances the advertisements which are
preferably so arranged that only one is visible at once conveniently through a
suitable opening in the case. The case carries a numbered list of questions the
answers to which are contained in the above mentioned advertisements. Thus
suppose the first question is "Where can I get a hat" the enquirer turns the index
hand to No. 1 upon the dial and then in the appointed space where he looks for
the answer he finds the name and address of a hatter, and so on throughout the list
of questions. Any desired number of questions and answers according to the
capacity of the machine may be used and one machine may contain more than que
dial etc. The machine may be worked if desired upon the well known penny-in-
the-slot principle, the enquirer receiving in addition to the answer to his question a
supply of goods with which the machine is provided. A neat arrangement in
connection with this plan is that the goods shall be supplied by the advertisers and
represent what they sell, thus a cigarette manufacturer may be No. 5 upon the list
and when you turn the index to No. 5 you get the address of the cigarette
manufacturer and a packet for instance of his cigarettes.
Instead of employing a disc and dial we may use an endless band passing round
a pair of rollers which may be connected together by a pitch chain and wheels or

page_text: other suitable mechanism, an operating knob or equivalent being connected with the
chain so that, when the knob is moved along the outside of the case it moves the
chain, turns the wheels and by rotating the rollers causes the travelling band to
move. An advantage of this arrangement is that if the rollers be made of larger
diameter than the chain wheels a faster movement is imparted to the travelling
band than to the knob upon the chain so that from a comparatively small movement
of the latter a comparatively extended movement is imparted to the former. The
knob may be provided with or cause to move an index finger which would travel
along a numbered scale the index and scale being the equivalent of the index and
dial before described. If desired both these arrangements may be combined in
the same machine and may either work in conjunction so as to show two or more
advertisements at once or may be entirely independent. A neat machine may be
made with the dial in the centre portion and a scale at each side the list or lists of
questions being placed as found most convenient.
To facilitate the placing of the index hand any convenient arrangement of toothed
wheel or rack and spring pawl or the like may be employed.
It will be readily understood that the actual mechanism may greatly vary
without departing from the spirit of the invention and that any ornamental or
useful devices, mirrors for example, may be used upon the machine, that its shape
may vary as required, that any suitable materials may be employed in its manufacture
and that the arrangement of the dials etc. above mentioned may be reversed the
index hand standing still and the dials etc. moving.
If desired magnifying glasses may be employed in connection with the case so as
to allow of the advertisement matter or the questions being made very small so as
to take up little room in the machine.
Dated this 17th day of May 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Advertising.
We, FREDERICK THOMAS VINE of 23 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, in the
County of Cambridge, Joiner, and EDMUND KETT of Panton Street, Cambridge
aforesaid, Carver, 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 advertising and apparatus therefor.
The principal idea that we have in view is to give answers to certain questions;
this may be done according to our invention by apparatus wherein a part which
carries or is movable relatively to a tabular series of questions is operatively
connected with a part of the apparatus bearing a tabulated series of appropriate
answers to those questions.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation of an advertising apparatus constructed according to our
invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2, 2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the parts which are seen in side elevation in
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4, 4 of Figures 1 and 5,
Figure 5 being a rear elevation of the parts which are seen in side elevation in
Figure 4.
Figures 2 to 5 are drawn to a larger scale than that of Figure 1.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

page_text: A is a case which may conveniently be made of cast iron and of ornamental and
artistic design. BB'B' are series of questions shown at openings in the face of
the case.
CCC are openings at which the answers to the series BB' B³ of
questions are respectively presented. B³ is a dial numbered to accord with the
numbering of the questions of the series B'.
We will first describe the mechanism appropriated to the series B2 of questions,
premising that similar mechanism is provided also for the series B and different
mechanisin hereinafter described for the series B¹.
.
Within the case A are rollers D journalled in brackets E fixed to the frame A.
F is an endless flexible band upon which the answers to the questions are set forth
which encircles, the rollers D as shown and is provided along one edge with
eyelets F into which pins D' on the rollers enter, so that the band may not slip
thereon; part of the band F is visible at the openings C. D² are chain pulleys
fixed on the spindles of the rollers D; G is an endless pitch chain by which the
pulleys D are geared together. I is a knob at the exterior of the casing,
connected through the slot A of the casing to a slide I which in turn is connected
by the pin to the pitch chain G. H¹ is a pointer which as shown in Figure 1
points to the questions of the series B2; it is carried by the slide I. The slide is
arranged to engage with and travel upon guide bars J fixed inside the casing. It
is channeled at 1 just behind the knob H so as to slide freely along a metal strip I*
fixed by its ends behind the slot A¹ to prevent the improper introduction of a stick
or other instrument into the casing. K is a bar fixed in the apparatus and
corrugated as shewn. L is an arm pivotted upon the slide I and having at one end
a roller L' which constitutes it a roller-detent aud is kept in engagement with the
corrugated ratchet-bar K by a spring L² carried by the slide I and bearing upon
the arm L.
The knob H is moved along the outside of the case to bring the pointer H¹
opposite the question to which an answer is desired. By thus moving the knob
the slide I is caused to move the pitch chain G which in turn operates the rollers D
to the extent necessary to bring the appropriate answer on the band F opposite the
opening C2 which is in effect an index. The rollers D being made, in this example,
larger than the chain pulleys D' a greater movement is imparted to the band F
than to the knob H and chain G, consequently each of the answers on the band F
can be spread over a surface of greater extent than would be possible if the
movement of the band F between the exhibition of successive replies was equal to
or less than the movement of the pointer H¹ from question to question. Thus,
instead of or in addition to an answer, a complete advertisement can be clearly
displayed. The corrugations of the ratchet bar K are so spaced and so shaped
that the detent roller L' controls the movement of the slide I and chain G so that
the chain tends to stop only when each answer assumes the position in which it is
fully displayed; and the dimensions of the openings CCC and of the answer
advertisements are so chosen that not more than one answer at a time is displayed
at the corresponding opening.
The apparatus illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is employed in conjunction with
the dial B and series B' of questions, which are numbered in correspondence as
shown, and with the pointer M fixed upon the piu N which turns in bearings in the
centre of the dial and in a support A2 behind it. Upon the pin N is fixed a gear
wheel N and a milled bead Na by which the pin N pointer M and wheel N³ can
be turned. The wheel N2 gears with a pinion O which is mounted on a spindle P
jourualled in a fixed bearing Q and having a chain pulley O' upon it.
A similar
chain pulley D geared by a chain G to the pulley O is fixed on the spindle of one
of two rollers D round which an endless band F passes as in the analogous
apparatus shown in Figures 2 and 3. A ratchet K is formed upon the periphery
of the wheel N² and a spring-controlled detent L with a roller L is pivotted to the
casing so as to engage with the ratchet and control the movement of the wheel. N°
for the same purpose as those for which the ratchet K and detent L of Figures 2
and 3 are employed.
NO

page_text: In this apparatus the pointer M is turned upon the dial B3 by the milled head N³
to point to that dial-number which corresponds to the number of the question in
series B¹ to which an answer is desired; by this rotation of the milled head the
pin N is correspondingly rotated together with the wheel N2 which by the
gearing and the pulley D² turns the band F to present the answer at
the opening Cl
The nature and arrangement of the gearing by which the question pointers H¹
or M or the part bearing the questions and the part carrying the answers are
connected may be varied as desired, and any convenient arrangement of detent and
ratchet other than those described may be adopted for like purposes.
In an alternative construction the 66 answer advertisements can be placed upon
a disc carried by a pin such as N so that when the pin is rotated to bring the
pointer to the number of the selected question the disc rotates with it and presents
the answer at an opening in the face of the casing.
Or the questions and answers may both be set out upon a disc, all the answers
save one being suitably covered by the casing; if this dise be turned to bring any of
the questions to an index or an opening the equivalent of an index the corresponding
answer will appear at the answer opening.
A flexible band carrying the questions and movable relatively to a fixed index
or pointer may be employed; it may be geared to another band or to a disc
carrying the answers, or may itself carry the answers for presentation at an opening
in the case.
As an example of the use of the apparatus suppose the first question of a series
is "Where can I get a hat" the enquirer moves the pointer to No. 1 upon the
ial or to a position opposite the first question and then in the appointed space
where he looks for the answer he finds the name and address of a hatter, and so on
throughout the list of questions.
The apparatus may be worked if desired upon the well known penny-in-the-slot
principle, the enquirer receiving in addition to the answer to his question a supply
of goods with which the machine is provided. A neat arrangement in connection
with this plan is that the goods shall be supplied by the advertisers and represent
what they sell, thus a cigarette manufacturer may be No. 5 upon the list and when
you turn the index to No. 5 you get the address of the cigarette manufacturer, and
a packet for instance of his cigarettes.
Although we have hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings three
sets of question-and-answer apparatus operated independently of each other, we
may use a single set or any number of sets or a single "question device with
two, three or more sets of " answer devices genred thereto.
33
"
If desired magnifying glasses may be employed in connection with the case so
as to allow of the advertisemeut matter or the questions being made very small so
as to take up little room in the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. Advertising-apparatus so arranged and operating that when any one of a series
of indications (such as the series B of questions) and an index or pointer (such
as H are brought into juxtaposition the juxtaposing of another index (such as C)
and the desired indication in a related series (such as answers on the band F) is
automatically effected.
2. In advertising-apparatus the combination with a series of indications (such as
the questions B) or the numbers on the dial B³ of an index or pointer (such as H¹
or M) a device such as the band F provided with a related series of indications,
and positive mechanical connections between that device and the index or pointer
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
mechanism for moving the " answers "record F substantially as described and

page_text: illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 or in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In advertising-apparatus the employment in combination with a slide such as I
and slot such as A₁ of a strip such as I substantially as and for the purposes
described.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
advertising-apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 11th der of February 1895
FREDERICK THOMAS VINE.
EDMUND KETT.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.