Improvements in Electric Signs and Advertisements.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th May, 1895-Accepted, 29th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Signs and Advertisements.
We, WILLIAM DAVID HAWKSEY of 6 St. John Street, Deansgate, Manchester,
Sign Writer, and IVIE MACKIE LAMB of 12 Peter Street, Manchester, Estate
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates to electrically illuminated signs advertisements and the
like.
According to this invention the letters characters or devices constituting the
sign or advertisement are formed of glass tubes bent when necessary to the
required form and having therein an axial filament of carbon connected with
platinum electrodes or supports which are fused in the walls of the tubes each
of which is exhausted of air and hermetically sealed in the usual manner.
The tubes are held or supported in position by clips or brackets, and preferably
upon a background upon which the letters characters or devices are repeated
behind the tubes so as to be perfectly legible by daylight when the tubes are not
illuminated.
In cases where the carbon filament is of such a length that its resistance would
prevent incandescence on the passage of a current, platinum feeders may be led
into the filament through the walls of the tubes at suitable distances, or the
filaments may be subdivided in length.
It will be understood that on a passage of current through the carbon filaments,
the tubes forming the signs or advertisements will become luminous and con-
spicuous.
Dated this 23rd day of August A.D. 1894.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Signs and Advertisements.
We, WILLIAM DAVID HAWKSEY of 6 St. John Street, Deansgate, Manchester,
Sign Writer, and IVIE MACKIE LAMB, of 12 Peter Street, Manchester Estate
Agent, 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 electrically illuminated signs advertisements and the
like.
According to this invention the letters characters or devices constituting the
sign or advertisement are formed of glass tubes bent when necessary to the
required form and having therein an axial filament of carbon connected with
platinum electrodes or supports which are fused in the walls of the tubes each of
which is exhausted of air and hermetically sealed in the usual manner.
D .

page_text: The tubes are held or supported in position by clips or brackets and preferably
upon a background upon which the letters characters or devices are repeated
behind the tubes so as to be perfectly legible by daylight when the tubes are not
illuminated. The same results may be achieved by forming the tubes with an
opaque or reflecting part at the back, the tubes being arranged against a suitable
contrasting background.
In cases where the filament is of such a length that its resistance would prevent
incandescence on the passage of a current, platinum feeders may be connected to
the filament and pass through the walls of the tube at convenient and suitable
distances apart, or the filaments may be divided in their length each length being
provided with its necessary electrodes. In the case of curved tubes where the
filaments would tend to fall out of their central positions the platinum feeders
will hold them in place or simple platinum supports may be substituted.
In order that our invention may be more readily understood we have hereto
appended a sheet of drawings reference to which is made hereinafter.
Figure 1 illustrates types of both curved and straight tubes from which the
letters characters or devices may be formed or built up.
Figure 2 illustrates a word formed from the tubes.
Figure 3 shews a curved figure built up of short straight tubes.
Referring to Figure 1, A B and C are straight tubes of different lengths each
containing an axial carbon filament a provided with the usual electrodes b c and
each being exhausted of air and hermetically sealed as is usual in incandescence
lamps. Curved tubes are illustrated at D and E the filaments of which may if
desired or necessary be furnished with the platinum feeders or supports d e.
Tubes having both straight and curved parts are shewn at F and G and are
similarly provided with feeders or supports de. The filaments of the tubes DE
FG have the electrodes 6 c at their ends and may have additional electrodes at d
and e if the platinum wires are used as feeders.
Figure 2 illustrates a word formed from combinations of the tubes. The letter P
is formed from the tubes A and G shewn in Figure 1. The construction of the
other letters is obvious from the drawings.
Figure 3 shews a curved figure built of short straight tubes such as C Figure 1,
but preferably of tubes having one end convex and the other concave the convex
end of one tube abutting against and being contained within the concave end of
the next.
In all these cases the filaments in the tubes approximately follow the shape of
the letters. It will be obvious that many modifications in the shape of the tubes
may be employed according to the form of the desired letter character or device
but those illustrated are sufficient to shew the nature of the invention.
The tubes are connected together if desired and to the wires of an electric
circuit in any desired manner so that the filaments become incandescent when the
circuit is closed.
In the accompanying drawings the invention is only shewn as applied to signs or
advertisements consisting of letters or figures but its application to signs consisting
of other characters or devices will be readily understood. If desired the tubes
may be variously coloured.
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. In electric signs and advertisements, letters, characters or devices formed
from or consisting of incandescence lamps having axial filaments substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. Electric signs and advertisements consisting of incandescence lamps having
axial filaments and furnished with backgrounds plainly legible by daylight,
substantially as herein before described.

page_text: 3. Electric signs and advertisements constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of May A.D. 1895.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.