A System and Details of Design for the Construction of Boards or Hoardings for the Display of Luminous Advertisements in Succession
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar.,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A System and Details of Design for the Construction of Boards or
Hoardings for the Display of Luminous Advertisements in
Succession.
ALFRED RENÉ UPWARD of 150 Holland Road, Kensington London, W.
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
By this invention I construct large boards or hoardings complete and self-
contained carrying a number of luminous advertisements (the source of light for
which preferably being electric), the various and separate advertisements carried
on these complete boards or hoardings preferably being caused to appear singly,
one by one, or in any desired combination, in succession. By this system is secured
the advantage of each advertisement or combination appearing singly, instead of a
mass of advertisements being presented to view, without securing individuality to
each separate advertisement; and also the amount of electric current required is
greatly economized, the supply being only that necessary to maintain each
advertisement separately. When the source of light used is electric the circuit of
each separate advertisement may be carried to a many-way self-acting switch which
closes and opens the various circuits separately in any order of succession as
wished. If other sources of light are used, such as gas etc., the light may be
obscured and exhibited by means of a movable shutter or shutters or screen or
other opaque object, brought into and out of the path of the light by suitable self-
acting mechanism, or self-acting mechanism may control the supply of gas to each
luminous advertisement, and thus cause them individually to become luminous and
non-luminous in succession.
In the construction of these boards or hoardings I provide separate compartments
or spaces, the letters required to form the various words or trademarks being easily
secured in, or removed from, these compartments, so that any advertisement can
easily be written up from stock alphabets without making any structural change
in the board or hoarding.
Deted this 25th day of May 1894.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A System and Details of Design for the Construction of Boards or
Hoardings for the Display of Luminous Advertisements in
Succession.
I ALFRED RENÉ UPWARD of 150 Holland Road Kensington London W.
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:-
By this invention I construct large boards or hoardings complete and self-
contained carrying a number of luminous advertisements (the source of light for

page_text: .
which preferably being electric) the various and separate advertisements carried on
these complete boards or hoardings preferably being caused to appear singly, one
by one, or in any desired combination, in succession. By this system is secured
the advantage of cach advertisement or combination appearing singly, instead of a
mass of advertisements being presented to view, without securing individuality to each
separate advertisement: and also the amount of electric current required is greatly
economized, the supply being only that necessary to maintain each advertisement
separately; a further advantage obtained is that the mere appearance of one
advertisement and disappearance of another continuously in succession on the same
board hoarding, or frame, is in itself a powerful means of arresting and sustaining
the attention. When the source of light used is electric the circuit of each
separate advertisement may be carried to a many-way self-acting switch, which
closes and opens the various circuits separately in any order of succession as
wished. If other sources of light are used, such as gas, or the like, the light may
be obscured and exhibited by means of a movable shutter or shutters or screen or
other opaque object, brought into and out of the path of the light, by suitable self-
acting mechanism, or self-acting mechanism may control the supply of gas, to each
luminous advertisement, and thus cause them individually to become luminous and
non-luminous in succession. In the construction of these boards, hoardings or
frames I provide separate compartments or spaces, the letters required to form the
various words or trade marks, being easily secured in or removed from these
compartments, so that any advertisement can easily be written up from stock
alphabets without making any structural change in the board, hoarding or frame.
The method I usually employ to write up the various advertisements devices or
trade marks is as follows:-1 cover one side of clear glass sheets or other
transparent substance with a perfectly opaque film, usually taking the form of a
tin or other metal foil, which is caused to adhere to the glass by any adhesive
substance such as thin glue.
It will readily be seen that this surface lends itself to the execution of any
words or designs, by merely engraving same, by cutting away the metal foil,
thus rendering the sheet glass transparent where the metal film is so cut away in
the form of letters or devices as required; this having been done these plates
carrying the various inscriptions or devices may next have another sheet of glass
or other transparent substance, preferably coloured, placed over them so that the
film or metal foil lies between the two plates and is thus protected from scratching
or abrasion, the whole being mounted as required in the various spaces of the boards
hoardings or frames.
I will now proceed to describe details of construction of a convenient form and
design of board, hoarding or frame, for the display of luminous advertisements in
accordance with this invention, but I do not confine or limit myself to the exact
form or design, or details of construction particularly described and set forth
in the drawings hereto, although I consider such substantially to be the best
design.
Referring to the drawings hereto (the same reference letters denote the same
parts in all views)
Fig. 1, Sheet 1. represents a front elevation of a board, hoarding or frame
constructed in accordance with this invention, A. A. being the separate spaces for
the various luminous advertisen.ents,
Fig. 2, Sheet 2. is a complete cross section of one of the compartments A. A.
showing also part of a compartment above and part of one below it, the com-
partment or spaces being divided by parting boards B. B. which parting boards
also serve to carry the lamps C. C.
Fig. 3, Sheet 2. is a longitudinal section of compartments A. A.
The wires coming from the rows of lamps C. C. are connected to the circuits D. D.
(which may consist of copper strip) by means of small bults and nuts E. E, all the
circuits of the various compartments on the right or front, being joined to a common
return, those at the left or back being carried on separately insulated to the various

page_text: terminals of the many-way self-acting switch above referred to. F. Fig. 2, Sheet 2.
represents the engraved film between the two sheets of glass or other transparent
material, or other form of transparent or other advertisement. G. G, is a reflecting
surface by means of which the advertisement F. is mainly illuminated.
It will be observed that the reflecting surface G. is inclined forward at a slight
angle, the object of this being to obtain the maximum luminous effect when the
boards, hoardings or frames are viewed from a point considerably below them. This
reflecting surface G. may conveniently be formed of tin, zinc or other metal sheets,
the surface of which is rendered a dull or dead white, or if wished this reflecting
surface may be brightly coloured. H. H. Figs. 2 & 3 Sheet 2. are longitudinal
ventilating slots provided at the back of the boards, hoardings or frames provided
for the dissipation of the heated air arising from the lamps.
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. Boards, hoardings or frames for the display of luminous advertising
inscriptions or devices, divided into spaces or separate compartments the luminous
advertisements in which can be rendered luminous independently.
2. The combination with such boards, hoardings or frames of self-acting switching
mechanism in direct connection with the various lamps in the various compartments
or spaces, rendering each advertisement luminous for a short period, preferably
each appearing or becoming luminous singly, in succession or in combination
intermittently.
3. The system and details of construction and form of boards, hoardings or
frames for the display of luminous advertisements substantially as described and as
set forth in the drawings hereto.
Dated this 25th day of February 1895.
A. RÉNÉ UPWARD.