Improvements in Apparatus for Displaying Advertisement Notices.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Displaying Advertisement Notices.
I, EMILE CHASSERAUX, of Number 11 Boulevard Magenta, Paris, in the French
Republic, Engineer, 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 relates to improvements in apparatus for displaying advertisement
notices, and has for object to cast upon the foot pavement illuminated advertisement
notices which are changed at any desired intervals by means of suitable clockwork
mechanism.
In applying my apparatus I am enabled to make use of every kind of light and to
cast upon the ground luminous rays which pass through a number of notices or
advertisements inscribed on glass or other transparent substance, attached to or
fixed upon a mechanically revolving plate arranged below the light. The luminous
apparatus is intended in the first place to supply the light produced by a lamp of
any kind, or to answer the purpose of shop lamps having semi-transparent glass
panes on which are painted the signs of various trades. The whole of the
mechanical part of my apparatus is enclosed within a casing preferably made of
metal the diameter thereof being proportionate to the number of notices which are
to be displayed. The essential object of my invention being to produce an
illumination and increase of brilliancy of the semi-obscure places where these
apparatuses are placed, whenever a complete installation is undertaken, the form of
lamp employed will preferably be that adopted for lighting the City of Paris, but
the actual form may be varied to suit particular circumstances.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have illustrated on the
accompanying sheets of drawings several methods of applying my invention to
lamps of varying construction.
In Figure 1 I have shewn the application to an ordinary post or bracket
gas lamp.
Figure 2 shows the application to a suspended gas lamp.
Figure 3, the application to a Wenham or similar regenerating gas lamp.
Figure 4, the application to an oil-lamp.
Figure 5, the application to an arc or other electric lamp.
Figure 6 is a plan showing the general arrangement of mechanism for operating
the revolving plate.
Figure 7 being a transverse section through the same, and
Figure 8, a plan showing an alternative arrangement of the pawl and ratchet for
regulating the movement of the plate.
C
In the sectional model,-see Figure 4-the rays of light are reflected by means
of a reflector a through a condenser or lens c which in turn by means of a prism b
projects the rays through the magnifying lens or lenses d and e, and downward
through the plate B.
In this way the figure, drawing, or advertisement inscribed upon the disc C is
projected upon the ground increased many times in size and vividly illuminated.
The mechanism for rotating the plate carrying the transparent discs C is
enclosed within a metal casing A and consists of a support or plate B in which are
formed perforations having ledges or shoulders countersunk to receive the trans-
parent discs C. This plate receives a constant impulse of rotation from a spring
barrel D but it is retained for a certain interval by means of a pawl E engaging
against stops or bosses F.
A clockwork barrel G provided with an escapement of any suitable construction
causes a ratchet-wheel H to revolve constantly in such a manner that each time

page_text: that the pawl E passes over one tooth, the plate B turns for a distance equivalent
to the space between two adjacent transparent discs C. A retaining device I
which may be operated from the outside of the case by means of a button, allows
of the movement of the plate B being arrested when desired. Instead of cutting
the teeth of the ratchet-wheel H vertically, I may cut them horizontally as shewn
in Figure 8, and cause the pawl E to work in such a manner as to actuate a rod J
and a spring clip K which retains the plate by the aid of pins L.
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 :-
1. In lamps, the use for concentrating light on a horizontal surface, of a prism b,
in combination with a lens d, with or without a reflector a or lens c and a supple-
mentary leus e, constructed combined and arranged substantially as shewn and
described in Figures 1 to 5 of accompanying sheets of drawings.
2. In lamps, the use for projecting images on a horizontal surface, of the optical
arrangements described in the above claim in combination with a transparent or
semi-transparent picture of the image C to be shewn, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the arrangements described in Claim 2 the use of a box,
plate, or other opaque screen B for the purpose of throwing a dark shadow within
which the desired image may be the more clearly displayed substantially as
described.
4. The particular mechanism for operating the revolving plate as shewn in
Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings for the purposes described.
Dated this Sixth day of September 1893.