AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING PILIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Thomas Wood Piper, of Plymouth, in the County.
of Devon, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING
PILIC ANNOUNCEMENTS."
Sealed the 29th October 1878, and dated the 23rd May 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Thomas Wood Piper-
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd May 1878.
CHARLES THOMAS WOOD PIPER, of Plymouth, in the County of Devon.
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS."
"AN
My Invention relates to apparatus for exhibiting announcements in public
throughfares, and it consists of a vehicle or travelling column or frame of polygonal
or other form, in the panels of which the announcements are displayed (or they may
be otherwise arranged, as hereafter described); the said column or frame being
mounted on pivots supported on a wheeled base or truck, and connected by suitable
gearing with a revolving wheel axle, so that as it travels along, it will be slowly
rotated, and thus exhibit in succession the whole of the announcements to which
public attention will be in this manner attracted.
In order that my Invention may be better understood, I have illustrated it in
the accompanying Drawings, and will proceed to describe it in detail with reference
thereto.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an octagonal column or vehicle; and Figure 2 is a
central vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, and Figure 4 a horizontal section of a column or
vehicle of square form.
In all the foregoing Figures the column is mounted to revolve on a vertical axis.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation a vehicle in which a pair of circular frames-
are mounted to revolve on a longitudinal axis, the announcements being fitted in
frames or displayed on boards hung on end pivots between the said circular frames,
so that as the latter revolve, the announcement boards or frames which are carried.
round with them always maintain the upright position.

page_text: Figure 6 shows an end view of one of the revolving circular frames of the notice
boards or frames.
It should be clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the forms shown in
the Drawings, as those are given as examplos only of the various ways of carrying
out my Invention in practice.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures whenever
they recur.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, A are the upright pillars of the frame of the column
or vehicle rising from a plinth B, and surmounted by a cornice C supporting a pyra-
midal roof D. The pillars A divide the circumference of the coluinn into panels, in
which the different announcements are displayed.. They rest on a floor E (Figure 2)
supported on friction rollers F running on a circular platform G mounted on four
travelling wheels H, H', the axle of the front pair H' being connected to the usual
locking plate to enable the vehicle to be guided, as usual, with four-wheeled vehicles.
The axles turn in brasses which are free to slide up and down in the hangers a, and
have springs above them to prevent jolting.
To the centre of the floor E is firmly attached a vertical pivot I, having keyed on
its lower end a horizontal toothed wheel K which gears with a worm L fist on the axle
of the hind wheels H, which rotates with the said wheels, and thus transmits a slow
rotary motion to the column carrying the announcements. The toothed wheel K
is of sufficient depth to allow the axle to work up and down in the hangers without
throwing the wheel out of gear with the worm when the vehicle is passing over
an obstacle.
The plinth D descends below the floor E a sufficient distance to conceal the whole
of the gearing beneath the floor from view, and the travelling wheels H, H¹, are pre-
ferably within the plinth, so as to be partially concealed also; but the wheels may
be either inside or outside, as found best in practice.
This travelling advertising column or vehicle is drawn by hand or animal power,
and the space within the column may be utilized for the transport of goods.
Referring to Figures 5 and 6, A are the upright pillars of the frame; B, the
plinth; and C, the cornice of the frame mounted on four wheels as before, except
that the frame is of rectangular form in plan, and does not revolve. It has a pillar
A at each corner, and front and back panels to conceal the gearing.
M, N, are two circular frames fixed on either end of a horizontal shaft O whose
ends are mounted in suitable bearings in panels at the front and back of the vehicle
between the front and back pairs of pillars A.
The back frame MI has an external ring of teeth upon it which gears with a bevel
pinion P keyed on a short upright shaft mounted in an upright bearing passing
through the plinth B, the said shaft having a second bevel pinion R on its
lower end, that gears with a corresponding pinion S keyed on the axle of the hind
wheels H. which rotates with the wheels, whereby slow rotary motion is transinitted
to the shaft O and frames M, N, as the vehicle travels along.
Between the circular frames M, N, are hung any convénient number of panels or
boards T, on both sides of which the announcements are displayed. These panels or
boards are hung freely by end pivots received in corresponding holes in the
frames M, N, the pivots being situated rather above the middle of the height of
the boards, so that they will always hang in a vertical position as they are carried
round by the rotation of frames M, N. By this arrangement announcements on
both sides of the frames, panels, or boards T will be alternately exhibited.
Having described the nature of any Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,-
1st. The travelling rotating advertising column, constructed and operated sub-
stantially as herein described, and shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
2nd. A travelling advertising vehicle in which the announcement boards or panels
are hung on horizontal pivots between franes, mounted to rotate on a horizontal

page_text: shaft or axis, and receiving motion from the travelling wheels of the vehicle,
all substantially as herein described, and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thomas Wood Piper, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in tho year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
C. T. W. PIPER. (L.S.)