IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ADVERTISING BY NIGHT OVER LARGE AREAS
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I ERIC STUART BRUCE of Exeter College in University of Oxford Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR ADVERTISING BY NIGHT OVER LARGE AREAS " to be as follows:—
My invention consists of a combination of a balloon made of translucent or
semi-translucent material & one or more electric incandescent lamps placed within
the balloon which is filled with hydrogen or other suitable gas, a metallic circuit
which may or may not be combined with the rope by which the balloon would
generally be held captive, a battery primary or secondary or any other suitable
source of electricity which latter would generally be placed on the ground or roof
of building & would supply the electric current to light the lamp or lamps within
the balloon.
The object of the apparatus is to display at night
advertisement which may
be designed on the translucent Balloon at such a height that the word or design
may be visible over a large area.
€
any
The Translucent Balloon can also be used to attract attention to any building
such as theatre etc without any special design being depicted on the balloon.
By placing a contact breaker in the circuit intermittent flashes of light may be
produced at will. This make & break can be produced if desirable by clock work.
The Balloon itself can be made of any shape & can itself be made to resemble
any article to advertised.
If needed lamps of various colours can be placed within the balloon & by means
of a switch the current may be turned on to any lamp or group of lamps in turn
the effect being that the whole balloon would change colour the object of these
changes being to attract more notice.
If desired the electric lamps need not be placed only inside the balloon but may
be used to illuminate any object suspended from the balloon.
The balloon may when wished be worked as a free balloon the battery or other
source of electricity being placed in the car.
Dated this 90th dow of Rantember 188K

page_text: I ERIC STUART BRUCE of Exeter College in University of Oxford, Gentleman
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 :-
My invention consists of a combination of a balloon made of translucent or i
semi-translucent material & one or more electric incandescent lamps placed within
the balloon which is filled with hydrogen or other suitable gas, a metallic circuit
which may or may not be combined with the rope by which the balloon would
generally be held captive, a battery primary or secondary or any other suitable
source of electricity which latter would generally be placed on the ground or roof
of building & would supply the electric current to light the lamp or lamps within
the balloon. The object of the apparatus is to display at night any advertisement
which may be designed on the translucent Balloon at such a height that the word
or design may be visible over a large area. The Translucent Balloon can also be
used to attract attention to any building such as theatre etc. without any special 1
design being depicted on the balloon. By placing a contact breaker in the circuit
intermittent flashes of light may be produced at will. This make & break can
be produced if desirable by clock work. The balloon itself can be made of any
shape & can itself be made to resemble any article to be advertised. If needed
lamps of various colours can be placed within the balloon & by means of a switch
the current may be turned on to any lamp or group of lamps in turn the effect
being that the whole balloon would change colour the object of these changes being
to attract more notice If desired the electric lamps need not be placed only inside
the balloon but may be used to illuminate any object suspended from the balloon.
The balloon may when wished be worked as a free balloon the battery or other
source of electricity being placed in the car.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein fig. 1 shows
the mode of suspending the lamps within the balloon which is held captive by a
rope and fig. 2 shows the lamps upon their supporting frame separately.
The number of lamps I use inside the balloon depends upon the size of the
balloon used They may be supported on any suitable frame or holder suspended
within the balloon by the arrangement described in my complete specification for
Improvements in apparatus for Heliographic signalling by electricity, patent,
No 5854, 1885. The form of support for the lamps I prefer is shown in fig. 2
where the lamps a project at various angles from a ball b & are enclosed for
protection from breaking in a spherical frame work c made of brass or other
suitable material. The lamps are usually connected in multiple arc & the main
leads to which they are connected are led through the eye d at the bottom of the
frame o whence they pass down through the neck of the balloon to the source of
power below. For producing the intermittent flashes of light the same apparatus
may be used as described in my patent No 5854. 1885 before referred to.

page_text: The main leads are made as light & flexible as possible consistently with the
current they are required to convey.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention, & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The herein described apparatus for advertising by night over large areas, con-
sisting in the combination with a balloon of one or more electric incandescent
lamps placed within the balloon, an electric connection with a battery & other
source of electricity as & for the purpose hereinbefore specified.
"
2000