Improvements in Signalling, Announcing, and Advertizing, by Electric or other Light, on the Clouds or other Vapour, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Signalling, Announcing, and Advertizing, by
Electric or other Light, on the Clouds or other Vapour, and in
Apparatus therefor.
I, EDWARD CURTICE of 359 Strand in the County of Middlesex, Publisher, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention I employ electric or other strong light apparatus
resembling the so-called search light apparatus for the purpose of throwing
luminous advertisements or signals upon the clouds or upon fog clouds or upon
beams of light. For this purpose I construct the search light apparatus in such a
manner as to be readily and accurately adjustable in any direction, and I use such
search light or by preference two or more of them combinedly in a carriage which
has a central upright pivot working in a step bearing in a bed plate and running on
wheels on a circular track on the bed plate; by suitable gear these wheels can be
rotated and the carriage thus turned to all points of the horizon. The search lights
are so mounted and connected as to have a common horizontal axis and enclosing
frame, a handle being provided at one or both ends of the frame for turning it as
required for the search lights to sweep the heavens in a vertical plane. Each
search light moreover turns on an axis at right angles to the common axis and is
provided with handle for turning it to any angle. Sometimes I employ two or more
rows of search lights in one frame. The search lights are telescopic for varying
the focus and are adapted to take coloured or clear glass slides with various
designs, letters, signs, words or signals thereon as required for the various purposes
in view.
By means of the above apparatus any style of advertisement or announcement
of large dimensions can be made to appear in the heavens on the clouds and during
foggy or misty weather, and on light beams from a search light; including
portraits, drawings, figures, with or without colours, political or any other news,
stock quotations, results of races, elections, parliamentary news and many more.
Its application to military and naval cypher signalling is also very extended,
whether during battles or otherwise for issuing and receiving orders, and that at
greater distances than heretofore possible.
Dated this 8th day of September 1892.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Signalling, Announcing, and Advertizing, by
Electric or other Light, on the Olouds or other Vapour, and in-
Apparatus therefor.
1, EDWARD CURTICE, of 359 Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Publisher, do
hereby declare the nature of my said 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 I employ electric or other strong light apparatus,
resembling the so-called search-light apparatus, for the purpose of throwing
luminous advertisements or signals upon the clouds, or upon fog clouds, or upon
beams of light. For this purpose 1 construct the search light apparatus in such a
nanner as to be readily and accurately adjustable in any direction, and
b
D. .01*
use such

page_text: •
search light, or, by preference, a combination of two or more search lights, in a
carriage which has a central upright pivot working in a step bearing in or on a bed
plate, and running on wheels on a circular track upon the bed-plate. By suitable
gear these wheels can be rotated, and the carriage thus turned to all points of the
horizon. The search lights are so mounted and connected as to have a common
horizontal axis and inclosing frame, a handle being provided, at one or both ends
of the frame, for turning it as required, to enable the search lights to sweep the
heavens in a vertical plane, or in any other direction, as required. Each search
light moreover turns on an axis at right angles to the common axis, and is provided
with a handle for turning it to any angle. Sometimes I employ two or more rows
of search lights in one frame, and two or more sets of search lights at two or more
stations, using various colors to increase the effect. The search lights are telescopic
for varying the focus, and are adapted to take coloured or clear glass slides, with
various designs, letters, signs, words, or signals thereon, or stencil plates, or positive
photographic or other transparencies, as required for the various purposes in
view.
By means of the above apparatus any style of advertisement, or announcement of
large dimensions, can be made to appear in the heavens, on the clouds, or other
distant back ground, and during foggy or misty weather, upon or through the fog
or mist, and on light beams from a search light, including portraits, drawings,
figures, (with or without colours), political news, stock quotations, results of races,
elections, parliamentary and other news. Its application to military and naval
cypher signalling is also very extensive, whether during battles or otherwise, for
issuing and receiving orders, and that at greater distances than heretofore has been
possible.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar figures of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing my invention fitted with four
light throwing cylinders.
Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of one of the cylinders.
Fig. 4 illustrates the method of grouping a
being shown).
larger number of cylinders (twelve
Fig. 5 illustrates the effect of throwing an advertisement upon the underside of a
cloud.
The circular bed-plate 1 (in section) is preferably secured to a carriage. 2 is a
central pivot upon which the frame 3 revolves. 4 is a circular toothed rack,
attached to, or formed in one with the bed-plate. 5, 5, are two toothed pinions,
attached to the frame 3, and in gear with the toothed rack 4. The pinions 5 and
hand wheels 6 are fast on the axles 7. 8, 8, are vertical brackets attached to the
frame 3. 9, 9, are sliding bearings fitted to the brackets 8, 8, the holes in the
bearings being circular at one end and slotted at the other, to accommodate various
positions of the cylinders, apart from the horizontal. 10, 10, are screwed nuts,
pivoted at 11 to the bracket 8. 12, 12, are vertical screws, working in the nuts 10,
the screws 12 being fitted with hand wheels 13, for regulating the positions of the
bearing blocks 9.
14 is a frame, having trunnions 15, 15, supported by the bearing blocks 9, 9. 16 is
a hand wheel, fast on one of the trunnions, for governing the position of the
cylinders, by hand. 17, 17, 18, 18, are the front and back cylinders, telescopically
fitted together. The cylinders 18 are pivoted to the frame 14 by pivots 19 and 20,
passing through the frame.14; the pivots 20 being fitted with hand wheels 21 for
altering and arranging the cylinders.. Each of the cylinders 18 is fitted with a
reflector 22, in which a pair of carbons 23 are placed, with the usual electric
connections for the production of an arc electric light. 24 is a lens fitted to the
cylinder 17, 25 is a colored or other glass slide, held in a slotted or grooved
ring 29, or other suitable appliance, upon which any suitable design, or letters,

page_text: signs, words or signals may be drawn or pourtrayed. 26, 26, are screws, fitted as
shown to regulate the length of the focus by sliding the cylinder 17 in the
cylinder 18, by means of the hand wheel 27 and screws 26. 28, 28, are pulleys
fitted with coupling cords to ensure the simultaneous rotation of the screws 26.
From the foregoing description, it will be readily understood that the direction
of the rays of light from each cylinder can be arranged in all directions and at any
angle either horizontally or vertically, and that any number of striking effects may
be produced either continuously or intermittently from one station, or, by means of
separate sets of appliances, from two or more stations, for combining the effects,
with or without the aid of various colors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A light throwing apparatus, consisting of a hollow cylinder made in parts,
telescope-like, for focus length adjustment, having a concave mirror at one end, arc
light carbons or other strong light producing appliance arranged in front of the
mirror, and adjustable relatively thereto, an echelon or other suitable lens at the
other or front end, a slotted ring or other suitable appliance in front of the lens
for receiving a slide containing or constituting a stencil or positive photographic or
other transparency, and a stand with pivots or gimbal appliance for enabling the
cylinder to be shifted in any direction, so that a luminous picture or other
device may be thrown upon a cloud or other distant background, substantially
as set forth.
2. The combination of a series of light throwing cylinders as firstly claimed, a
swing frame in which the cylinders are adjustably pivoted, a turntable frame
in which the swing frame is adjustably pivoted, and a foundation track on which
the turntable can be rotated, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of a series of light throwing cylinders as firstly claimed, a
swing frame in which the cylinders are adjustably pivoted, a turntable provided
with a sliding adjustable bearing at each end, in which bearings the swing frame is
pivoted, means for turning the latter round in its bearings, means for raising and
lowering the bearings, a foundation track on which the turntable can be rotated,
and means for rotating it substantially as set forth.
4. The construction of telescopic hollow cylinder as shown in the drawing,
Fig. 3.
5. The construction of combined or multiple light throwing apparatus as shown
in the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2.
6. A system or method of displaying from a multiple light throwing apparatus
of the kinds above claimed a series of luminous devices which together inake up
a field for display of a design, advertisement, or signal, upon the background of a
cloud or smoke, or artificial rays of light.
7. The method of producing a background for forming thereon a field for the
display of a design, advertisement, or signal, consisting in throwing a beam of
strong light out in the heavens from one station, and throwing and forming on the
said beam the field for display from a light throwing apparatus from another
station, the colours of the two lights being different substantially as set forth.
Dated 18th January 1893.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.