Year: 1898

page_text: I, HAYDN THIES HARRISON, of 19 and 21, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention a series of advertisements are caused to be successively
brought into position before a clock face, sign board, barometer or other object of
interest to the public in such a manner as not to obscure, and it may also be so as not
to prevent light passing through to or from said objects, but at the same time so as to
ensure that persons looking at the clock, sign board, barometer or other object will
see the advertisement that is for the time being exhibited.
For this purpose a series of pictorial or typographical advertisements are painted, or
printed photographically or otherwise upon strong transparent material such as
celluloid, which may conveniently be in the form of a strip or disc and caused to
pass between the clock face or other object and the glass protecting it.
In one
arrangement, the advertisements are depicted upon an endless band of celluloid
which is caused to pass over a feed drum or roller and guide rollers so arranged
that the band passes in front of the object of interest (hereinafter referred to as a
clock face) which may conveniently occupy the upper front part of an upright case
of suitable height to contain the guide rollers and the apparatus for feeding the band
hereinafter described. The feed drum or roller is mounted in bearings at the upper
rear portion of the case and the band of celluloid extends from it around a pair of
guide rollers near the bottom of the case, thence between the clock face and its
protecting glass to a pair of guide rollers arranged above the clock, whence it passes to
the feed drum or roller after passing under a jockey pulley or roller which may con-
veniently be provided with flanges and may either rest freely in the loop of the band
or have the ends of its axle mounted in vertical guide slots, the arrange, ent in either
case being such as to cause the whole weight of the roller to be exerted in keeping
the band of celluloid taut.
The feed drum or roller, which, in some cases, is provided with two anular series
of pins adapted to gear into correspondingly spaced perforations formed near each
edge of the band, may be actuated intermittently by an electric clockwork, or other
suitable motor; with a wide band of say more than twelve inches, I prefer to use an
electric motor, but with a narrower band clockwork may conveniently be used if the
advertisements are not required to change very rapidly.
In order that the advertisement band may be driven intermittently from a con-
tinuously running motor, the feed drum or roller is loosely mounted on its shaft, and
is connected thereto by a helical or other suitable spring, one end, say the inner end,
of which is connected to the shaft and the other to the drum or roller; the shaft may
be driven from the motor through suitable reduction gearing so that the shaft of the
motor will have to rotate several times to cause the shaft of the drum or roller to
make one rotation.
Extending from the periphery or the end of the drum or roller is a pin or projection
which is adapted to be engaged by a catch or pawl carried by the framework of the

page_text: device so as to prevent the roller rotating, except when the catch is disengaged by
means of a pin or projection extending from a radial or other arm or disc mounted on
the drum shaft. The catch may be in the form of a bell crank lever, one arm of which
carries the stop against which the pin on the drum abuts and the other arm of which
projects into the path of the pin carried by the drum shaft, the arrangement being
such that once in each revolution of the shaft, said pin will come in contact with the
catch and move it in opposition to a spring so as to release the drum or roller, which
is then free to rotate.
The feed drum or roller is made of such a diameter that if the roller is caused to
rotate one or more times the band will travel the exact distance required for one
advertisement to pass from the clock face and the next advertisement on the band to
take its place. The motor shaft may conveniently be run at 3000 revolutions
per minute and the gearing be such that the shaft will make one revolution per
minute.
In operation, the pin on the feed drum or roller is by the action of the spring
which connects it to its shaft forced against the top of the stop on the catch or pawl
which thus prevents the rotation of the drum or roller whilst the motor rotates the
druin shaft until the pin carried thereby, after the shaft has made nearly a complete
revolution, comes in contact with the upper side of the other arm of the catch or
pawl and causes the stop to move from beneath the pin carried by the drum or roller,
which then rapidly makes one revolution under the action of the spring; the pin on
the drum or roller then again abuts against the stop on the catch or pawl which will
have been returned to its normal position by a spring directly the pin carried by the
shaft, during the continued rotation of the latter, had cleared the catch or pawl.
This operation is repeated every minute as long as the motor continues to
rotate at the proper speed. As the shaft of the motor rotates continuously while the
current is on, waste of current and undue sparking at the brushes due to starting is
prevented, and the feeding or shifting of the advertisements takes a short interval of
time compared to the time each advertisement is at rest and capable of being seen
by the public through the protecting glass of the clock face.
In another arrangement a large intermittently rotatable disc, the centre of which
is placed below, above or on one side of the clock face, and which has a series of
advertisements upon it is so arranged that during its rotation said advertisements
will be brought successively into view in front of the clock face, the disc being moved
intermittently through only a fraction of a revolution. In this case pin stops are
mounted at intervals round the disc so as to limit the extent of its movement each
time it is released. The shaft may be provided with a corresponding number of
releasing pins adapted to come in contact with the catch or pawl at the required
times.
In another arrangement instead of an endless strip or band of advertisements as
herein before described, a strip attached at each end to a roller may be arranged so as
to he wound step by step by first on to one roller and then on to the other roller. To
enable this to be effected I provide reversing gear adapted to be automatically
actuated when practically the whole of the strip has been wound on to either roller
or automatic releasing gear adapted to release one roller when practically the whole
of the strip has been wound on it, so as to allow the strip to be rewound on the other
roller which is caused to rotate by a spring or a weight on the end of a cord that is
wound up by the unwinding of the strip from this roller by means of the motor.
The means for changing the advertisements may be constructed or arranged in various
ways provided that the advertisements be on transparent material such as celluloid
as set forth.

page_text: 5
vising Devices.
I, HAYDN THIES HARRISON, of 19 and 21, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, 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 :-
According to this invention a series of advertisements are caused to be successively
brought into position before a clock face, sign board, barometer or other object of
interest to the public in such a manner as not to obscure, and it may also be so as
not to prevent light passing through to or from said objects, but at the same time so as to
ensure that persons looking at the clock, sign board, barometer or other object will see
the advertisement that is for the time being exhibited.
pictorial or typo-graphical advertisements are painted, or printed photographically
For this purpose a series of
or otherwise upon strong transparent material such as celluloid, which may
conveniently be in the form of a strip or disc and caused to pass between the clock
face or other object and the glass protecting it. In the accompanying illustrative
drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an advertising device according to this
invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof; and
Fig. 3 is a detail view hereinafter referred to.
In this arrangement, the advertisements are depicted upon an endless band of
celluloid 1 which is caused to pass over a feed drum 2 and guide rollers 3, 3* so
arranged that the band passes in front of the object of interest which, in this
example, is a clock face 4 which may conveniently occupy the upper front
part of an upright case 5 of suitable height to contain the guide rollers
and the apparatus for feeding the band
drum 2 is mounted in bearings 2* at the upper rear portion of the case
hereinafter described. The feed
and the band of celluloid 1 extends from it around a pair of guide rollers 3.
near the bottom of the case, thence between the clock face 4 and its protecting
glass 4 to a pair of guide rollers 3ª arranged above the clock, whence it passes to
the feed drum 2 after passing under a jockey pulley 6 which may conveniently be
provided with flanges 6ª and may either rest freely in the loop of the band 1 as
shown, or have the ends of its axle mounted in vertical guide slots, the arrangement
in either case being such as to cause the whole weight of the roller to be exerted in
keeping the band of celluloid taut.
The feed drum 2, which is preferably provided with two annular series of pins 2ª
adapted to gear into correspondingly spaced perforations formed near each edge of
the band 1, may be actuated intermittently by an electric clockwork or other suitable
motor 7; with a wide band of say more than twelve inches, I prefer to use an electric
motor as shown, but with a narrower band clock-work may conveniently be used if
the advertisements are not required to change very rapidly.
In order that the advertisement band may be driven intermittently from a
continuously running motor, the feed drum 2 is loosely mounted on its shaft 8, and
s shown in Fig. 3, which is a section through the end of the feed drum 2 and its
Iriving gear, is connected the said shaft by a helical or other suitable spring 9, one end
f which is connected to the shaft and the other to the feed drum; the shaft 8 may be
riven from the motor shaft 10 through suitable speed reducing spur gear 11 so that
he shaft 10 will have to rotate several times to cause the shaft 8 to make one
otation.
Extending from the end of the feed drum 2 or it may be from the periphery
hereof, is a pin 2 which is adapted to be engaged by a catch 12 so as to prevent the
ed drum 2 rotating, except when the catch 12 is disengaged by means of a pin 13

page_text: extending from a disc or arm mounted on the drum shaft. The catch or pawl may be
in the form of a bell crank lever, one arm of which carries a stop or hook 12* against
which the pin 2b abuts and the other arm of which projects into the path of the pin 13
carried by the toothed wheel 11 which is fixed to the drum shaft, the arrangement
being such that, once in each revolution of the shaft, the pin 13 will come in contact
with the catch and move it in opposition to a spring 14 so as to release the drum,
which is then free to rotate. The feed drun 2 is made of such a diameter that if it is
caused to rotate one or more times the band will travel the exact distance required
for one advertisement to pass from the clock face and the next or other advertisement
on the band to take its place. The motor shaft may conveniently be run at 3000
revolutions per minute and the gear be such that the shaft will make one revolution
per minute.
In operation, the pin 2b on the feed drum 2 is by the action of the spring which
connects it to its shaft forced against the top of the stop or hook 12 which thus
prevents the rotation of the drum whilst the motor rotates the drum shaft until the
pin 13, after the shaft has made nearly a complete revolution, comes in contact
with the upper side of the other arm of the catch 12 and causes the stop or hook 12×
to move from beneath the pin 2b; the drum 2 under the action of the spring then
rapidly makes one revolution whereupon the pin 2 will again abut against the
catch 12 which will have been returned to its normal position by the spring 14
directly the pin 13 had cleared the said catch. This operation is repeated every
minute as long as the motor continues to rotate at the proper speed. As the shaft of
the motor rotates continously while the current is on, waste of current and undue
sparking at the brushes due to starting is prevented, and the feeding or shifting of
the advertisements takes a short interval of time compared to the time each advertise-
ment is at rest and capable of being seen by the public through the protecting glass
of the clock face.
Figs. 4 and 5 are corresponding views to Figs. 1 and 2 of a modified construction and
Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the reducing gear and catch 12. The feed drum 2 is
arranged above the clock towards the front of the casing and is driven from a motor 7
enclosed in a special casing attached to the exterior of the main casing 5. The reducing
gear between the motor and the feed drum as will be seen from the drawings consists
of worms and worm wheels and the catch 12 is counterweighted so as, after displace-
ment by the pin 13, to re-assume a position in which the hook 12* will be in the path
of the pin 2b on the drum 2.
Fig. 8 illustrates another arrangement in which a large intermittently rotatable
disc 15, the centre of which is placed below, above or on one side of the clock face 4,
and which has a series of advertisements upon it; it is so arranged that during its
rotation said advertisements will be brought successively into view in front of the
clock face, the disc being moved intermittently through only a fraction of a
revolution. In addition to the clock face 4 other objects of interest, such as a
thermometer 4ª and a barometer 4b, may be arranged in the same apparatus so that
the advertisements will be brought successively into view in front of them also. In
this case the motor shaft 10 is geared to the disc 15 by speed reducing spur
wheels 11, 11, 11, 11, 11ª, 11. The spur wheel 11 is connected to its spindle
or shaft by a spring as hereinbefore described and carries a pin 13 adapted to displace
the catch 12 once during each rotation of the said wheel; the said catch normally
engages with one of a series of pin stops 16 fixed at intervals round the spur wheel 11°.
When the catch is moved momentarily out of the path of the stops 16, the disc 15,
and the wheels 11 and 11d turn rapidly until the next stop 16 engages with the
catch 12. In some cases the disc may be connected to its shaft by a spring, the shaft
then being provided with a number of releasing pins adapted to come in contact with
the catch at the required times.
In another arrangement instead of an endless strip or band of advertisements as
herein before described, a strip attached at each end to a roller may be arranged so
as to be wound step by step first on to one roller and then on to the other rolier. To
enable this to be effected I provide reversing gear adapted to be automatically actuated

page_text: when practically the whole of the strip has been wound on to either roller or automatic
releasing gear adapted to release one roller when practically the whole of the strip
has been wound on it, so as to allow the strip to be rewound on the other roller which
is caused to rotate by a spring or a weight on the end of a cord that is wound up by
The means for
the unwinding of the strip from this roller by means of the motor.
changing the advertisements may be constructed or arranged in various ways
provided that the advertisements be on transparent material such as celluloid as set
forth.
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. An advertising device wherein a series of advertisements depicted upon trans-
parent material such as celluloid are successively brought into position before an
object of interest in an intermittent manner and so as not to obscure the said object,
substantially as described.
2. An advertising device of the kind referred to in the preceding clain in which
the advertisements are depicted upon a band or dise of transparent material, said
band or disc being alternately held and released by a catch operated by a moving part
driven from a continuously rotating shaft, said band or disc, when released, being fed
rapidly forward by a spring that is wound up by the rotating shaft during the period
the band or disc is held by the catch, substantially as described.
4. Advertising devices constructed arranged and operating substantially as described
with reference to and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3; Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7; and Fig. 8
of the accompanying drawings.