An Improved Advertising Sign.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 16th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Advertising Sign.
I ARTHUR MARTYN of 209 The Grove Hammersmith in the County of
Middlesex, Advertising Sign Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in producing an advertising sign which although composed
of fixed letters or other devices has the appearance of being constantly in motion
thus producing an altogether novel and remarkable effect.
I first make a sign in the ordinary way by means of convex or concave letters or
devices affixed to a convenient support, preferably glass, and such letters may be
of metal, glass, enamel or any suitable material having a bright surface.
Such sign being placed in the requisite position I then fix in front of it at a
convenient distance, say 8 feet, two or more gas jets or other lights so constructed
that the flame or lights shall contract and enlarge, or in other words flicker, at
frequent intervals.
The effect of the varying rays of light falling in quick succession on the surface
of the convex or concave letters at different points produces an optical illusion by
which the letters appear as if in constant motion resulting in a very striking &
effective sign for advertising and other purposes.
ARTHUR MARTYN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Advertising Sign.
1, ARTHUR MARTYN, of 209 The Grove, Hammersmith, in the County of
Middlesex, Advertisement Sign Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
This invention consists in an advertising sign which, although composed of fixed
letters or other devices, has the appearance of being constantly in motion, thus
producing a novel and remarkable effect.
For this purpose I make a sign in the ordinary way with convex or concave
letters or devices affixed to a suitable support, such as a sheet of glass for example,
and such letters or other devices may be of metal, glass, enamelled metal, or any
other suitable material having a bright surface. Such sign being placed in the
requisite position, I fix in front thereof, at any convenient distance, say eight feet
for example, two or more gas jets or other lights so constructed and arranged that
their flames shall contract and enlarge or in other words flicker at frequent intervals.
The effect of the rays of light of varying intensity falling in quick succession on the
bright surfaces of the convex or concave letters at different points produces an
optical illusion by which the letters appear as if in constant motion thus producing
a very striking and effective sign for advertising and other purposes.
And in order that the invention may be fully understood I have annexed hereto
a sheet of drawings in which
Figure 1 illustrates one of my improved signs with three gas jets placed in front
thereof.
These gas jets or other lights are to be placed in the position that will render
the effects most clearly visible to the spectators, and this position is preferably
ascertained by experience in each case. The gas flames or other lights may be
provided with reflectors, and if preferred with shades to screen them from the eyes
Price 8d1

page_text: of the spectators, the sign itself, as illuminated by the lights, remaining visible, but
not the lights themselves.
The letters or other designs may be simply convex or concave, or they may be
made with convex or concave corrugations, or with convex projections or concave
depressions or with both according to the effect it is desired to produce.
The flickering of the light may be produced by any suitable means as for example
in the case of gas jets by causing the gas on its way to the jets to pass through a
Ushaped pipe B (see Figure 2 of the drawings) the bend of which contains water
or other suitable liquid C which has to be displaced more or less by the gas in its
passage through the pipe B to the jets or burners, thereby causing the water or
other liquid to oscillate to and fro in the bend of the pipe B thus allowing the gas
to gurgle past the liquid whereby the flame is caused to "jump" in the manner
which is often unpleasantly visible when an accumulation of water or other liquid
takes place in the ordinary supply pipes to gas burners-D is a syphon for allowing
any excess of liquid to flow away from the lower end of the U pipe B should it
accumulate there.
According to another method the gas may be delivered to the jets or burners.
through an india-rubber pipe which is pinched or squeezed at intervals by means of
a pincer, or other suitable device, operated by clockwork, or other motive power, so
that the size of the passage through which the gas passes is alternately increased
and diminished.
According to another method the increase and decrease in the flame may be
produced by means of a special tap in the gas pipe such as that shown in vertical
and horizontal section in Figures 3 and 4 for example in which E is a conical plug
revolving in the shell F. G G¹ is the main gas passage and H is a hole in the
plug E which forms a continuation of the passage G G' when it coincides therewith.
1 is a channel formed round the plug E and making at all times a communication
between the parts G and G¹ of the main gas passage. This channel I is smaller
than the passage G G and than the hole H in the plug E. It will now be under-
stood that as the plug E rotates and the hole H comes to coincide with the
passage GG, the full supply of gas will be allowed to pass to the jets or burners and
the flame will be large; but as the plug E continues its revolution the hole H ceases
to coincide with the passage G G' and the size of the passage contracts until the gas
can only pass by the smaller passage I and the flame is consequently reduced, so that
every time the plug E is rotated, the flame will be increased and diminished.
According to yet another method the gas or other flames may remain of constant
intensity and a more or less opaque screen be passed between them and the sign at
more or less frequent intervals so as to correspondingly vary the intensity of the
light falling on the sign. A similar effect may be produced by employing electric
lamps, and making and breaking the current of electricity at longer or shorter
intervals, whereby such lamps are caused to vary in brilliancy or illuminating power.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it
understood that I make no claim separately to any particular means of producing
the flicker or variation of the amount or intensity of the light transmitted to the
sign, but that what I do claim is :-
The improved advertising sign which consists of an ordinary sign composed of
letters or designs having bright surfaces, in combination with two or more gas
flames or other lights which are caused to alternately contract and enlarge,
flicker, or to otherwise vary in brilliancy or illuminating power at frequent intervals,
substantially as hereinbefore described."
or to
A. MARTYN,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.