Improvements in Vehicles or Apparatus for Advertising Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicles or Apparatus for Advertising Purposes.
I, ALGERNON MOSES MARSDEN, of 82, Redcliffe Gardens, South Kensington,
in the County of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in vehicles or apparatus for advertising
purposes, and is designed to provide for the more effectual display of a
succession of advertisements, by means of vehicles adapted to travel along public
thoroughfares.
To this end, the advertisements or announcements are printed, painted, or
otherwise suitably applied, on diaphanous bands, lengths, or strips of canvas, or
other suitable fabric, passing over rollers, and means are provided for causing the
bands, lengths, or strips to remove to and fro continuously, or intermittently, sɔ as
to display the advertisements successively.
The vehicle may be in the form of a bicycle, or of a tricycle, or it may be
a wagon drawn by a draught animal, or propelled mechanically, or electrically.
On the said vehicle is arranged a light structure which may be of any suitable
shape as, for instance, rectangular or polygonal, and in this structure are mounted
the rollers over which the canvas bands, lengths, or strips pass. Suitable openings,
which may be glazed if desired, are provided to enable the advertisements to be
readily seen. The canvas or fabric bands, lengths, or strips are wound from one
roller onto the other, and then back again, by any suitable mechanism, under the
control of the driver, by hand, or by foot; or electrical, or mechanical, means may
be provided to effect this purpose at predetermined intervals.
The material on which the advertisements or announcements are printed, being
of a diaphanous character, the advertisements, or the like, are easily discernible at
night, on a light being placed behind thein. The light employed may be that of
an electric, oil, or gas lamp. In case the mechanism for moving the advertisements,
or the like, to and fro is operated by electricity, the battery for working it may be
employed also for the electric lamp.
Improvements in Vehicles or Apparatus for Advertising Purposes.
I, ALGERNON MOSES MARSDEN, of 82, Redcliffe Gardens, South Kensington,
in the County of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
This invention relates to improvements in vehicles or apparatus for advertising

page_text: purposes, and is designed to provide for the more effectual display of a
succession of advertisements, by means of vehicles adapted to travel along public
thoroughfares.
To this end, the advertisements, or announcements, are printed, painted, or
otherwise suitably applied, on diaphanous bands, lengths, or strips, of canvas, or
other suitable fabric, passing over rollers, and means are provided for causing the
bands, lengths, or strips to move to and fro intermittently, or continuously, so as
to display the advertisements successively, whether the vehicle be in motion
or at rest.
The vehicle may be in the form of a bicycle, or of a tricyle, or it may be a
waggon drawn by a draught animal, or propelled mechanically, or electrically.
On the said vehicle, is arranged a light casing or structure which may be of any
suitable shape, as for instance, rectangular or polygonal; and in this structure are
mounted the rollers or drums over which the canvas bands, lengths, or strips pass.
Suitable openings, which may be glazed if desired, are provided to enable the
advertisements to be readily seen. The bands, lengths, or strips are wound from
one roller or drum onto the other, and then back again by any suitable
mechanical, or electrical, means provided to effect this at predetermined intervals.
When the material on which the advertisements or announcements are printed,
is of a diaphanous character, the advertisements or the like, will be easily
discernible at night on a light being placed behind them, and this light may be
that of an electric, oil, or gas lamp. In case the mechanism for moving the
advertisements, or the like, to and fro, is operated by electricity, the battery for
working it may also be employed for the electric lamp.
And in order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describe the
same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of one form of vehicle
(in the present instance a tricycle) constructed according to my invention, for
advertising purposes, a portion of the wall of the casing or structure being broken
away to show the internal mechanism more clearly.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing respectively a reversing device, and a
cam for operating it, these forming part of the said internal mechanism.
Fig. 5 illustrates, separately, an escapement arrangement, hereinafter referred
to, for controlling the intermittent movement of the bands or strips carrying the
advertisements.
A indicates the frame of the tricycle, and B the light casing or structure mounted
thereon. In the example shown, this casing or structure is of rectangular form,
with an inclined roof, and has a lower compartment B₁ for the reception of packages
or other articles, so that the vehicle can be employed at the same time for parcels
delivery and for advertising. a is one of the bands, lengths, or strips of fabric
carrying the advertisements, there being, in the present case, two such bands
employed, each at opposite sides of the vehicle, and arranged behind a glazed
aperture b, although, for the sake of clearness, only one of these bands and its
operating mechanism is shown. c, cl, are guide rollers by which the band is held
close up to the aperture b, and d, d', are drums of equal diameter upon which the
band is wound. One of them, for example d', is provided, after the manner of a
spring barrel, with a tension spring d² to keep the said band constantly tight, and
allow for the variations in the effective circumferential speeds of the two drums,
owing to the alternate winding and unwinding of the band. The drums are driven
synchronously from a vertical shaft e by bevel gears e¹, e², and this shaft derives its
motion from a main shaft f through the medium of suitable reversing gear, in the
following manner. The shaft is rotated continuously by means of a chain fx
passing from a wheel Ax on the driving axle of the tricycle over a chain wheel f¹
mounted loose on the said shaft and communicating motion thereto through a
friction clutch f. This friction clutch is so adjusted as to slip and allow the shaft
to remain at rest should the resistance become sufficiently great. The shaft drives,
by means of a worm, a spring barrel g in which a certain amount of power is

page_text: stored up to keep the mechanism at work during temporary stoppages of the
vehicle. The barrel g communicates motion, in an increasing ratio, to a pinion /
whose axle is in alignment with the shaft e, and in a diminishing ratio to a
wheel i, the ratios being such, for example, that, while the spring barrel makes
10 revolutions, the pinion h makes 50, and the wheel i makes 1, and consequently
each revolution of this latter wheel corresponds to 50 of the pinion.
Above the spring barrel is mounted a rocking arm i, pivotted at j³, and having
at one end a pin engaging in a cam k This cam is mounted on the axle of the
wheel and is formed (as shown more clearly in Fig. 4) with a pair of parallel
grooves connected by cross ways as at k¹ so that the rocking arm j is kept
stationary during the greater part of each revolution of the cam, but is raised,
or lowered, as the case may be, as soon as its pin enters the part of the
cam.
At its other extremity, the rocking arm j has a pin 3, engaging in a groove in
the sliding part or sleeve of a clutch reversing device, shown more clearly in
Fig. 3, by which motion is transmitted between the axle h¹ and the shaft c. The
sleeve is arranged to engage one or other of a pair of clutches formed upon
pinions m, m¹, the former of which is fast on the extremity of the shaft e, while the
latter is loose on the axle ¹, and these pinions are in common engagement with an
intermediate pinion m². It will thus be seen that if the sleeve is in its upper
position, and in engagement with the clutch m, the shaft e will be driven direct
from the axle h¹, whereas if the sleeve is in its lower position, the said shaft will
receive a motion the opposite of the axle.
From what has just been described, it will be seen that the direction of movement
transmitted from the shaft, to the shaft e, will be reversed every time the latter
shaft has made 50 revolutions, or any other desired number for which the motion
work may be arranged.
It will also be seen that, by reason of the interposition of the friction clutch f²,
the chain wheel f¹ may continue to be rotated after the spring barrel g is wound
up, without fear of injuring the mechanism.
The automatic escapement arrangement which I find it convenient to use, for
controlling the step by step movement, is shown more clearly in Fig. 5, and comprises
arms or stops n arranged in pairs on shafts n¹ situated above and below the aperture b.
At the ends of each shaft are secured arms n², connected by rods or links n³,
working on pins nt, carried by the arms n². At intervals along the band a, between
the different advertisements, are arranged horizontal bars a¹ whose ends project
beyond the edges of the band and work in guides a*. The arms or stops n are
situated at each side of the band a, in proximity to the guide rollers c, cl, so that
they can engage with the ends of the bars a¹ and arrest the movement of the
Land. They are operated by a clock movement arranged in a casing o, and serving
to rotate a three-throw cam o¹ which actuates a pivotted lever p.
works in a loop or stirrup ppl on the lever, and is mounted on an arbor or spindle
carrying a pinion in gear with any suitable wheel of the clock movement. The
other end of the lever is forked, and engages with the pin nt of one of the arms n².
The clock movement is so adjusted that the lever p, and consequently the arms or
stops n, are caused to rock and to disengage the band a at predetermined intervals,
say once very ten seconds, thereby shifting the different advertisements in regular
succession.
This cam
The arrangement of the arms n is such, that only the upper, or the the lower, pairs
are in the engaging position at one time, and their extremities no are hocked or
bent over so as to engage the ends of the bars a¹, no matter in which direction the
band a may be travelling. When the shafts n¹, carrying the arms n, are operated by
the clock movement through the lever p, that pair of arins which was in engagement
with one of the horizontal bars al is disengaged, and the band immediately travels
sufficiently far to carry this bar past the said arms. On the shafts n¹ returning to
their former position the movement of the band continues until the succeeding bar
comes against the end of the same pair of arms n. This, however, takes very little

page_text: time, and the change of the advertisements appears to a passer-by to be practically
instantaneous.
Instead of employing a pair of arms or stops », with connected parts, both above
and below the glazed aperture b, I may, in some cases, employ only one pair, say
that above the said aperture.
The clock movement for operating the escapement permits the change of the
advertisements to go on continuously, even when the vehicle is at rest; and
furthermore enables the change of the advertisements to take place regularly, no
matter at what speed the vehicle may be travelling.
E
For the purpose of operating the second band (not shown) an entirely separate 1
set of mechanisin may be employed; or a pair of drums similar to the drums d, d¹,
may be driven from these latter by a belt, or other suitable means, thereby
obviating the necessity for separate reversing and escapement mechanism.
Obviously, any number of pairs of drums may be operated from a single pair
in this manner; or instead of employing separate bands, the drums d d', may be
so arranged, in combination with suitable guide rollers, that the band may pass
successively in front of several glazed apertures or openings.
The interior of the framing or casing may be adapted to hold parcels, or the
like, so that the tricycle, or vehicle, can serve, at the same time as a medium
for the delivery of goods, etc. The clock movement may be provided with a dial
and hands, arranged outside the vehicle, so as to indicate the time as the vehicle
travels along.
It is obvious that instead of the band being arranged to travel to and fro, it
may be an endless one and travel intermittently always in the same direction, in
which case the reversing device would be dispensed with; and it is also obvious
that the shaft may be driven by an independent motor located on any
convenient part of the vehicle.
my
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A wheeled vehicle or apparatus for advertising purposes, having a casing or
structure, furnished with openings to permit of the advertisements being seen,
and provided with rollers or drums over which a band (or bands) bearing the
advertisements is caused to travel; a device or mecharism for actuating the rollers
or drums; an escapement arrangement for controlling the movements of the band
(or bands); and a clock movement for actuating the said escapement and
permitting the shifting of the advertisements, whether said vehicle be in motion,
or at rest, the power for actuating the band (or bands) being derived either from
the means employed for propelling the said vehicle, or from an independent motor,
substantially as described.
2. In a vehicle for advertising purposes, as above claimed, the arrangement and
combination of parts constituting the means for effecting the step by step or inter-
mittent movement of the advertisement band, and for controlling the same,
substantially as described and as shown in the drawings.
3. In a vehicle or apparatus for advertising purposes, as above claimed, the use
of a reversing device comprising a clutch whose sliding portion or sleeve (l) is
controlled by a rocking arm (5) operated by a cam () driven by the same set of
gearing as the said sliding portion or sleeve, substantially as described with
reference to the drawings.
4. In a vehicle or apparatus for advertising purposes, as above claimed, the use
of an automatic escapement arrangement comprising arms or stops (n) having
looked or bent over extremities (225) and disposed in pairs on a shaft, or shafts (1)
the said escapement being operated by a clock movement so as to cause the said
arms or stops to engage the bars (ax) on the band (or bands) bearing tl.e advertise-
ments, and to thus arrest the movement of such band (or bands) for the required
time, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.

page_text: 5. My improvements in vehicles or apparatus for advertising purposes, substan-
tially as herein before described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of Angust 1895
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5ª Market Street, Nottingham.
Agent for the Applicant.