Improvements in Advertising Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Advertising Lamps.-
We, WALTER THOMSON, Engineer, of 2, Linden Terrace, Whitley, in the County
of Northumberland, and THE JACTHO PATENT AUTOMATIC ADVERTISING LAMP Co.,
LIMITED, Manufacturers, of 100, New Bridge Street, in the City and County of
Newcastle-on-Tyne, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows;-
Our invention relates to advertising lamps and has for its object to provide a
lamp that will exhibit advertisements or notices to great advantage and which
will also be simple and cheap to construct.
To this end, according to one form of our invention, we construct an opaque
casing or cover and at a convenient point therein provide an aperture or opening
in line with which a polygonal frame or drum revolves within the casing on a
hollow shaft or spindle, carried in bearings or standards supported on a base.
These standards or bearings are adapted, by means of screws, telescopic or similar
devices; to be adjustable in height so as to provide for the raising and lowering
of the frame or drum and also, by the aid of slots and clamps or the like, to be
moved in a straight or curved path to provide for horizontal adjustment.
The advertisements or notices--preferably in the form of stencils-are fixed
around the frame or drum which is so revolved as to bring each in its turn
opposite the casing aperture and then be stopped and locked to retain it in that
position to obtain the desired display, and again revolved, stopped and locked to
convey the next advertisement or notice into the same position and so on con-
secutively, these operations being effected manually or automatically with the
aid of appropriate means disposed to meet the adjustments before referred to if
necessary. For the automatic operation, clock-work mechanism of the known
type may be advantageously adopted.
The light is located inside the drum or frame furnished at the ends to permit
its passage and between the light and the advertisements or notices an opal or
other suitable plate is interposed in line with and of similar dimensions to the
casing aperture. The light used' is of any fitting kind-generally electric or
gas-and the function of the hollow spindle or shaft aforesaid is to afford a con-
venient conduit for the wires or gas and also to support the lamps or burners,
the requisite junctions being effected by transverse holes. If desired the act of
switching or turning on the light may also accomplish the release of the actuat-
ing mechanism of the frame or drum.
In use, when the lamp is lighted and the frame or drum is operated, each
advertisement or notice in turn is exposed at the opening in the casing brilliantly
illuminated which along with the constant change will serve to attract attention.
In addition to the changing advertisements, there may be fixed advertisements
or notices on the lamp casing in which for the purpose openings are made where-
at transparent plates having the requisite mätter inscribed on them are arranged
and illuminated by the internal light. The changing matter may be complete

page_text: in itself or supplementary to all or a portion of that fixed, in which case the
lamp is specially applicable for exhibiting entertainment programmes or such
announcements.
PRYOR & HARVEY,
Agents.
Improvements in Advertising Lamps.
We, WALTER THOMSON, Engineer, of 2, Linden Terrace, Whitley, in the County
of Northumberland, and THE JACTIO PATENT AUTOMATIC ADVERTISING LAMP. Co.,
LIMITED, Manufacturers, formerly of 100, New Bridge Street, in the City and'
County of Newcastle-on-Tyne, but now of 18, Royal Arcade, in the same City
and County, 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:-
:-
Our invention relates to advertising lamps and has for its object to provide
a lamp that will exhibit advertisements or notices to great advantage and which
will also be simple and cheap to construct.
We will fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying draw-
ings which illustrate a lamp embodying it. Of these drawings, Fig. 1 is a
general front elevation; Fig. 2 is an end elevation at the right hand side of the
lamp, with parts opened or broken away, as will be hereafter mentioned; and
Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section looking towards the front of the lamp,
parts on the line of section being shown in elevation.
A is an opaque casing or cover constructed of sheet iron, tin or other suitable
material and it is ornamented and coloured or polished to render it attractive.
It may be of any fitting shape, but the form illustrated is very effective, and for
giving access, hinged doors a, a are fitted-one at each end-and the top a² is
made removable; the hinging and fastening of the doors and the fitting of the top
being effected in appropriate fashion. In Fig. 2, the door w is opened and the
side of the casing beyond the top of the door is broken away for clearness of
illustration.
In the front of the casing we provide an aperture or opening a³ in line with which
a polygonal frame or drum B revolves within the casing A. on a hollow non-
revoluble shaft or spindle C carried, as will be presently explained, on the base
or bottom a of the casing A. The aperture a is covered by a glass pane. The
frame or drum B may be of various construction, but that shown is very simple
and cheap, since it only consists of two sheet iron, tin or like bosses b, 61 each
furnished with a series of integral radial arms 62. . 62, 63.63 respectively, which
are united by longitudinal strips 6+ b all these can be easily stamped to
shape. The boss 61 is stiffened by being connected to the wheel e' which will
be presently referred to, and the boss b by a brass or other disc 65 riveted thereto.
Some of the arms 62. . 62 are broken away in Fig. 2 so that parts behind them
may be clearly seen, and for the same reason the arms 63..63 and boss b¹ are
not shown.
D..D are the advertisements or notices in the form of stencils, which are
cheaper, more durable, and give sharper or clearer displays than glass plates;
therefore we prefer them. They are fixed around the frame or drum B, the
fixture being easily accomplished by riveting their longitudinal edges to the
strips ... The frame or drum B is so revolved as to being each advertise-

page_text: ment or notice D in its turn opposite the aperture a³, and then be stopped and
locked to retain it in that position to obtain the desired display, and again
revolved, stopped and locked to convey the next advertisement or notice into the
same position, and so on consecutively, these operations being effected manually or
automatically with the aid of appropriate means. Generally the lamp will be
automatically operated, and for this purpose clockwork mechanism of the known
type used in advertising lamps may be advantageously adopted and as is indicated
at E in Figs. 2 and 3. The mechanism is carried by a standard e bolted to the
base at. The connection between the frame or drum B and the clockwork E is
represented in Fig. 3 from which it will be seen that the usual ratchet wheel e',
which controls the revolution of the frame or drum B, is secured to the boss b¹
by screws, and is formed with a centre e that is fitted within the shaft or
spindle C so that it may rotate therein. This is a handy arrangement, for, besides
effecting the requisite connection, the centre e also serves to carry one end of the
shaft C whose other end is carried by a telescopic standard c which, by means of
a screw c¹, permits the centricity of the frame or drum B and clockwork E being
maintained. The shaft or spindle C is locked in the standard c by a screw & and
thereby prevented from revolving.
Of course the connection between the frame or drum B and clockwork E may
be effected in other ways besides that explained and the shaft C may be carried
at both ends by standards if desired.
The light exemplified by two incandescent electric lamps, F, F-is located
inside the drum or frame B and between it and the advertisements
or notices D.. an opal or other suitable plate G is interposed in
line with, and of similar dimensions to the aperture a³ for the purpose of form-
ing the ground of the advertisements or notices when opposite the aperture.
The plate G is supported from the shaft or spindle C by arms g, g fastened thereto
by screws g', g' and each bearing at the free end a resilient carrier g looped to
receive the top and bottom edges of the plate and thereby sustain it. The con-
nection of the shaft C and arms 9, 9 are shown in elevation in Fig. 3 for better
understanding. The arms 9, gare made telescopic so that they may be lengthened
or shortened to vary the distance of the plate G from the light, the desired
position being retained by set screws g³, 93.
The light used will mostly be electric, though gas is equally applicable, and
the function of the hollow spindle or shaft C, in addition to bearing the frame or
drum B, is to afford a convenient conduit for the conducting wires or gas and
also to support the lamps or burners, the requisite junction between a lamp or
burner and the interior of the spindle being effected by transverse holes in the
latter as represented in Fig. 3.
According to the example, the lamp is lighted and the light turned out again,
and the operation of the drum is started and stopped by separate manual opera-
tions, but if desired the act of switching or turning on the light and the act of
turning it out may, by the application of suitable means, also accomplish the
release and stoppage of the actuating mechanism of the frame or drum B
respectively.
In use, when the lamp is lighted and the frame or drum B is operated, each
advertisement or notice D in turn is exposed at the opening brilliantly
illuminated, which, along with the constant change, will attract attention.
In addition to the changing advertisements D..D, there may be fixed adver-
tisements or notices on the casing A in which for the purpose openings a5, 6, a²
are made and covered by glass panes whereat transparent plates having the
requisite matter inscribed on them are arranged in suitable seats and illuminated
by the light within the frame or drum B passing through the ends of the
latter and the stencils. However, for the reasons already stated, in place of the
transparent plates we recommend, as shown in the drawings, the use of stencils H,
H', H interposed between the glass panes at the openings a, a, a7 and opal or
like plates I, I', 12. Further, instead of these advertisements or notices being

page_text: illuminated wholly by the internal light, it is better to fit external lights as at J,
JJ and another internal light J. The conducting wires or gas supply is or
are led to all the lights from a central source in suitable manner, as will be
obvious.
I
The changing matter may be complete in itself; or supplementary to all or a
portion of that fixed; as indicated in the figures: In the latter case, the lamp is
specially applicable for exhibiting entertainment programmes or such announce-
ments in which event the frame or drum B may be operated by a handle:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner. the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. An advertising lamp arranged, constructed and operating, substantially as
herein before described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
2: In an advertising lamp, the combination of a casing or cover provided with
a display aperture or opening such as a³, a revoluble polygonal frame or drum
having advertisements or notices fixed thereto, a light within the drum or frame,
an opal or like plate interposed between the light and the-notices or advertise-
ments, and a hollow spindle or shaft forming a support for the drum or frame
and a conduit for the conducting wires or gas, the whole being arranged and
adapted for use substantially as hereinbefore described in reference to the
accompanying drawings.