AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ADVERTISING UPON CARS, CARRIAGES AND WHEELED VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ADVERTISING UPON CARS,
CARRIAGES AND WHEELED VEHICLES 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 the means for displaying advertisements within the
body of a railway car or similar carriage and more particularly to that form known
as a travelling sign.
In the display of advertisements within the body of a vehicle the great
desideratum is to so position the sign that it must be seen by the occupant without
necessitating effort on his part. The most available place in an ordinary railway
car is the space between the tops of the windows and the roof of the car, the reason
for which is that such space on one side of the car is directly within the vision of
passengers seated on the other side of the car.
It is further desirable that the sign shall constantly change in order that tho
attention of a passenger once arrested may be held by the presentation of new
matter and the purpose of advertising thus be accomplished. This requirement is
best attained by the use of an endless apron or belt carrying the advertising
matter.
The practical use of an endless travelling advertising apron or belt along the
most desirable space within a railway car is the object of this Invention, in the
carrying out of which improvements are involved that render it possible with simple
mechanisms to expose a greater advertising space on an apron or bolt relative to
the size of the car, than has been availed of beretofore, and this is accomplished
without enlarging the vehicle, or obstructing it, as will presently appear.
The Invention consists in mounting the driving shaft and connecting gearing
outside of the car, where it will least interfere with the users of the car.

page_text: In mounting one or more endless advertising aprons upon pulleys situate on the
ontside of the car body, so that said apron will pass through the car, travel along
its side and be exposed at all points from end to end of the car.
In driving two endless aprons arranged to travel along the car sides from a single
driving shaft arranged outside of the car body.
In providing one of the apron pulleys with adjusting devices bearing against
one end of the car whereby said apron may be strained taut and thus travel
smoothly in its course through the car.
It also includes combinations of parts, all of which is fully hereinafter set forth.
One practical form or embodiment of these improvements is illustrated in the
Drawings.
Figure 1 shows an end elevation of an ordinary street car provided with the
Invention, the platform and roof of said car being in section.
Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same on line x x of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows a horizontal section of the same, taken just below the roof.
Figure 4 shows an end elevation of one of the apron pulleys.
Figure 5 shows a sectional elevation of part of the end of the car with the apron
and one of its pulleys in elevation.
Figure 6 shows a horizontal section of the same.
Figure 7 shows a horizontal section and Figure 8 a sectional elevation of a
modified form of mounting the aprons.
The car body illustrated is of the ordinary type of street car and consists of a
floor A sides B, C; ends D E, roof F, end doors G, and wheels H, but the
arrangement of these improvements with such a car will sufficiently illustrate its
application to all carriages.
As shown, the endless advertising belt 10 is mounted upon pulleys 11, 12, the
axes of which are journalled in brackets projecting from the car ends D, E, which
latter have slits for the passage of the apron through them.
The pulleys 11, 12 are placed in such position that the apron will be stretched
and run along the space between the tops of the windows and the point where
the spring of the arched roof begins, being thus brought into the place most
conveniently observed by the occupants of the car.
One member of the apron runs close to the uprights or vertical ribs 13 of the
car body, and its other or returning member may run in close proximity thereto,
but it is preferable that a distending board as 14 shall extend from end to end of
the car between the two members of the apron and have a width equal to that of
the apron so as to afford a support insuring the width wise distension of the apron,
should the same from being improperly stretched or by reason of long use have a
tendency to sag.
To properly stretch the apron, one of its pulleys is provided with adjusting
devices (see Figure 5). These consist in providing the journals or bearings in
movable pieces 15 that may slide on the brackets 16, which latter are slotted to
permit the movement of the pulleys, said pieces 15 having cars with threaded
openings in which adjusting screws 17 turn; and these screws 17 simply abut
against the base of the bracket 16. Thus by proper turns of the screws 17 more
or less stretch of the aprons may be effected and an even stretching and true run
of the apron may be accomplished.
While it is desirable to mount the apron close to the side of the car so as to
economise space and not interfere with the usual inside appearance of the car,
which can always be effected by the use of small pulleys, it is equally important
that the carrying pulleys shall be of considerable dimensions so as to freely and
surely move the apron. To effect this cach belt in addition to being mounted
upon large carrying pulleys 11 or 12, has guide pulleys or rollers 20, suitably
mounted to bring the two members of the apron into close proximity in their travel
through the car.

page_text: These pulleys and their mountings being outside the car enables the entire
interior of the car to be utilized for exposing and moving the apron and hence the
advertising area in a car is largely increased beyond what is possible when the
mountings for the apron are within the car; and as the mountings are outside of
the car and are supported near the roof overhanging the platforms, they are not
only out of the way as obstructions, but are so positioned as not to interfere with
the internal finish of the car or modify its external appearance.
To properly and economically drive the endless aprons the running gear of the
car must be used as is common.
In order, however, not to obstruct the interior of the car either in its appearance"
or utility the driving shaft 30 is mounted outside of the car body and preferably
parallel with and near the door casing, though it might be placed at any other
point against the end of the car. It is journalled in bearings provided in the roof F
and floor A, and near its upper end is provided with a duplex band pulley 31 from
which bands, cords or chains 32, 33 lead respectively to band pulleys 74, 75 carried
by the axes of the apron pulleys 11, 11 at the opposite sides of one end of
the car.
The lower end of this shaft projects below the floor A and is provided with a
bevel wheel 40 that is engaged by a bevel wheel 41 fast on a cross shaft 42
mounted in brackets attached to the floor of the car, which shaft is driven at
approximate speed by means of a sprocket wheel 50 that is geared by the usual
driving belt or chain 51 from a sprocket wheel 52 mounted on the axle 53 of one
set of wheels.
The relative size of the sprocket wheels may determine the speed at which the
apron shall travel but as it is desirable to provide means for producing more than
one speed of movement for the apron, this may be provided for in a simple manner
by mounting an extra bevel wheel as 60 on the shaft 42 and making the wheels 40,
41 and 60 adjustable on their shafts. If then it is desired to increase the motion
of the shaft 30 and hence modify the travel of the aprons, it is only necessary to
loosen the several wheels 40, 41, 60, move the wheel 41 out of the way, and set
the wheels 40, 60 into gear in any convenient manner.
By these simple contrivances any ordinary vehicle may be provided with
advertising aprons stretched from end to end thereof so as to present a reading
surface to the eye at all points within the body of the vehicle and said aprons may
be made to travel at all times when the vehicle is in motion by the aid of devices
so placed as not to obstruct the vision, interfere with the seating space or in any
manner modify the aesthetic appearance of the interior or exterior of the car; said
devices being also brought into positions most available for speedy repair and
adjustment.
The apron pulleys, driving shaft and pulleys may all be enclosed in suitable
boxes and tubes to protect them from dust or injury, and the travelling aprons
inside the car may be protected on its exposed surface by a glass covering or
front.
A modified arrangement involving one branch of the Invention is shown is
Figures 7 and 8. The pulleys carrying the apron 10 are mounted within the car
body, and a small driving pulley 70 is provided on the outside of the car so as to
communicate the power from the driving shaft to the apron pulleys by a band,
cord or chain, gearing said pulley 70, to a pulley 80 on the lower end of the shaft
of the apron pulley 11. The pulley 70 in this form is mounted at the lower end
of a shaft that has at its upper end a band pulley around which the band, cord or
chain 33 or 32 passes.
In this modification the cord, band or chain, gearing the pulleys 70, 80, together,
requires no marring of the car body beyond simple perforations to provide for
the passage of the band, cord or chain connecting the pulleys 70, 80, which is
advantageous where the apron is applied to old cars.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination with a railway car or similar carriage and an endless
advertising apron or belt mounted upon pulleys and arranged to travel along the
side of the car, of a driving shaft and gearing for moving said apron arranged
outside of the car body, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a railway car or similar carriage, of an endless
advertising apron or belt carried by pulleys mounted outside of the car body and
arranged to pass through the car body and travel along its side, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with an endless advertising apron or belt carried by pulleys
mounted outside of and arranged to pass through the car body and travel along its
side, of a driving shaft journalled so as to stand outside of the car body, substantially
as described.
4. The combination with an endless advertising apron or belt mounted upon
pulleys outside of the car body and arranged to pass through the same and travel
along its side, of a driving shaft mounted outside the car body, and driving pulloys
and a band connecting said shaft and belt pulley substantially as described.
5. The combination with a car body, of two endless advertising aprons arranged
to travel along opposite sides of the car body, a single driving shaft and gearing
transmitting the motion of said shaft to both aprons, substantially as described.
6. The combination with two endless advertising aprons or belts arranged to
travel along the sides of the car body, of a driving shaft mounted outside the car
body, a duplex driving pulley carried thereby, and driving bands leading therefrom
to the apron pulleys, substantially as described.
7. The combination with an endless advertising apron or belt mounted upon
pulleys outside of the car body and arranged to pass through the car body and
travel along its side, of means substantially as described for adjusting one of said
apron pulleys with respect to the car body.
Dated thig 19th dow of August 1884