provements in Name, Sign, or Advertisement Boards.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1891-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Name, Sign, or Advertisement Boards.
FRANK WALTER HAYWARD Watchmaker 23 Upper King Street Norwich do
ereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to make signs, names or advertising boards more -
ttractive to the eye.
I accomplish this, by cutting the letters that are to form the words on the
ign the exact shape of the letters out of tin plate or other suitable material or
he letters may be painted on a piece of tin plate or other suitable material,
one letter on one piece of tin plate or other suitable material and then making
these letters to move by the uncoiling of a mainspring actuating a train of wheels
and an escapement of a similar character to a watch escapement, one of the wheels
being connected to the letters, or I attach a small crank to one of the wheels and
by it move a beam balance, this latter moving the letters and regulating the speed
of their movement, or I have a mainspring and a train of wheels to move the letters
and a fly to regulate their speed of movement, or I dispense with a mainspring and
train of wheels and escapement and use the wind as a motive power to move the
letters.
I use one of the known methods of utilizing wind as a motive power but I prefer
to use an instrument that will revolve but one way however the wind catches it,
such as four or more cups at the end of four rods and an axis in the middle, or as a
pretty arrangement, the well known four boats at the end of four arms, there being
a perpendicular axis in the middle of the four arms, on which the arms turn. The
sails of the boats or ships are set so as to catch the wind only in certain positions.
The instruments used to utilize the power of the wind is made to work the letters
by a crank and connecting rod or in any other suitable manner.
In all cases the letters are separate from each other, and in all cases my letters
are made to move part way round and back, and in each case each letter of a word
has an axis of its own, except in the following case, when 1 join two or three letters
to one axis the letters forming two or three sides of a square and as they are turned
on their axis one set of letters may form one word and another set of letters another
word the third set of letters forming a third word. The letters are placed in a
kind of long shaped box, the front being open, or it may have a glass to protect
the letters.
Immediately behind the letters is a partition, behind which the mechanism is
placed, but for outside signs where there is not space enough to place the mechanism
behind, the mechanism may be placed in any other convenient place.
In one sign all the axis may be horizontal and in another sign they may be perpen-
dicular according to the movement the letters are intended to have. The letters
with perpendicular axis have wires attached to them, these wires are led behind the
partition and made as invisible as possible, they are all connected together behind
the partition. And all the letters have a simultaneous movement, except in one
case where I make the initial letter move a short time before the others that form
the name or word or names & words.
In the case where I place the axis horizontal, the axis is attached to the top part
at the back of the letter or figure and then the letter or figure has a motion
somewhat similar to the swing of a pendulum, where I place it horizontal projecting
from the back of the letter at the middle of the letter the letter leans to one side
& then to the other side. Where I place the axis perpendicular at the back of
the figure or letter from top to bottom of the figure or letter the letter has a
movement like the roll of a ship but perpendicular.

page_text: On each sign all the letters have the same motion but there may be different
motions on different signs.
Dated this 6th day of October 1890.
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Name, Sign, or Advertisement Boards.
FRANK WALTER HAYWARD, 23 Upper King Street Norwich, Watchmaker 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:-
The object of my invention is to make sign, name, or advertising boards more
attractive to the eye. I accomplish this by cutting the letters that are
to form the name, or sign, the exact shape of the letters out of tin plate, or other
suitable material, or the letters may be painted on a piece of tin plate or other
material, one letter on one piece of plate, and then making these letters to move by
the uncoiling of a mainspring, this spring actuating a train of wheels.
To regulate the speed of movement I use a fly, or a beam balance, or an escape-
ment similar to a watch escapement. I attach a small crank to one of the wheels
and by this crank working in a slot, that is in a rod that connects all the letters
together, cause all the letters to have a simultaneous movement, or I attach a
notched wheel to the train of wheels and cause the letter connecting rod to take
into it.
The letters forming a name or sign are secured on axis A, and placed in a kind
of long box, B, the front being open, or it may have a glass to protect the letters:
immediately behind the letters is a partition, C, behind which the mechanism is
placed, but for outside signs, where there is not space enough to place the mechanism
behind the partition, the mechanism may be placed in any other convenient
position.
The letters secured on axes are placed in pivot holes in the front part of the
box, each letter has an axis of its own a wire D is attached to the letter, or to
the axis, and carried behind the partition in the case of the upright or perpen-
dicular axis but in the case of horizontal axis where the axis itself is part behind
the partition, this wire attachment D may be wholly behind the partition. In all
cases the letters are separate from each other.
:
In
In all cases my letters are made to move part way round & back, and in each
case each letter of a word has an axis of its own; except in the following case
Fig. 3 when I join two or three letters to one axis, the letters forming two or three
sides of a square, and as they are turned on their axis one set of letters may form
one word, and another set of letters another word, the third set forming a third
word, but only one set of letters will be presented to the eye at the same time.
one sign all the axes may be horizontal, Fig. 2, in another sign they may be perpen-
dicular, Fig. 1, according to the movement the letters are intended to have. In all
cases the letters are connected together by a rod O so they have a simultaneous
movement, except in one case, Fig. 6, where I make the initial letter move a short
time before the others, this initial letter may have varying movements, to be followed
immediately by similar movements of the rest of the letters that form a name or
sign, a kind of "follow my leader" the initial letter being the leader. In one case
where I place the axis horizontal, the axis may be attached to the top part of the
back of the letters or figures, and then the letters or figures have a motion similar
to the motion of a pendulum. Where I place it horizontal projecting from the
back of the letter at the middle of the letter, the movement of the letter is to lean
on one side, and then to lean to the other side; where I place the axis perpendicular,
at the back of the letter or figure, from top to bottom of the letter or figure, the
letter has a movement like the roll of a ship, but perpendicular..

page_text: On each sign all the letters have the same motion, but different motions on
different signs. The moving mechanism consists of a train of wheels & pinions L
working between plates U regulated by a fly V, or an escapement similar to a watch
or clock. Fig. 4 is an elevation and Figs. 5 & 6 are plans of V mechanism.
To the wheel furthest from the Hy or regulating mechanism a graduated
barrel E, Fig. 4, is fixed there may be grooves on this barrel for a line F F, that is
attached to it to work in, one end of this line F being secured to this graduated
barrel E, the other end of the line F is taken to the end of of the box B that
forms the frame to contain the letters and mechanism, and is there run over a pulley G,
this pulley runs freely on a rod H, to enable it to rise and fall so as to feed the
line correctly on to the graduated barrel E, then the line is taken to a barrel I
placed as far as possible from the pulley G. To the barrel I a mainspring J is
attached. There is a click and ratchet on the graduated barrel E and the winding
up is done with a key put on a square K the square is part of the axis of graduated
barrel E, the winding up consists in winding (with the key) the line from the
barrel I, to the graduated barrel E, thus winding up the mainspring J, then the
mainspring J, gradually uncoils winding back the line and so actuating the train of
wheels L, and so causing the letters to move as before described. The letters may
be connected in any convenient manner to the train of wheels L, I prefer the
following, Figs. 4 and 5, by a crank M working in a slot N on the connecting rod O,
there being separate slots P' on this connecting rod O for the attachments D
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 to take into; this connecting rod O is attached by a loose joint Q
to a wire that is attached to an axis R, this axis R enables the connecting rod to
move easily and the weight of rod O is balanced by the weights S, this rod O may
be placed in any position on axis R, or the first letter and the rest through the
connecting rod O may be spring held into a notched wheel T, Fig. 6, and actuated so.
The notched wheel taking the place of the crank M Figs. 4 and 5.
U are the
plates in which the train of wheels work. W is a bridge to hold the barrel and
mainspring J in position. Y Fig. 6 is the spring to hold initial letter and connecting
rod O into notched wheel T.
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
1st. The placing of letters on axes so each letter has an axis of its own, and the
connecting of all the axes together so all the letters have a simultaneous movement,
the movement being part way round and back, and the movement being imparted
through a train of wheels, by the uncoiling of a mainspring, as herein described and
set forth.
2nd. The placing of three or more sided squares on perpendicular axes, and the
placing of letters on the sides of these squares, so the letters on one set of sides of
the square form a word, and the letters on the other sides form other words, then
connecting them all together so they have a simultaneous movement, the movement
being part way round and back, and the movement being imparted through a train
of wheels by the uncoiling of a mainspring, as herein described & set forth.
3rd. The placing of letters each on an axis of its own, and connecting them
together, and making them move part way round and back, but arranging so the
first letter moves slightly in advance of the rest, the movement being imparted
through a train of wheels by the uncoiling of a mainspring, as herein described
and set forth.
4th. The arrangement of wheels, barrels, line, mainspring, connecting rod, &c.
being the actuating mechanism as herein set forth and described, for the purpose
herein described.
Dated thin and dLL 1001