Apparatus for Displaying Variable Picture and other Advertisements.
Year: 1897

page_text: Apparatus for Displaying Variable Picture and other
Advertisements.
I CHARLES FOUGERAT, of No. 53, Sinclair Road, West Kensington, in the County
of Middlesex, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for displaying variable picture and other
advertisements and in accordance therewith the apparatus consists of a screen
formed of a number of slats or laths contained in a framing and having a small
space between each two slats or laths.
A band or sheet of canvas, cloth or other suitable material is passed around each
slat or lath, the ends of which band or sheet are attached to a roller or rollers.
These rollers receive movement from a toothed wheel or other gearing actuated
by any suitable power or means, and all move together in such manner that a
given partial revolution of the roller or rollers displaces a given amount of the
sheet or band equal to the width of the laths or slats employed.
Upon the sections of band or sheet exposed upon the laths or slats is or are
painted, printed, or otherwise impressed the picture or other advertisement or
advertisements to be displayed.
The turning of the rollers backwards or forwards changes the advertisement or
advertisements displayed. Where a large number of different pictures or adver-
tisements are desired and so as not to render the appartus too cumbersome, each
section of the advertisement sheet or band may be attached and wound around
two rollers, one to unroll when the other rolls up, all actuated simultaneously by
any suitable gearing.
Each slat may if required be fixed in its framing slightly on the slant or
incline so that spectators from below may not notice the divisions between same,
and the advertisements may, as at night time, appear illuminated by means of
suitable lamps or lights, (conveniently incandescent electric lamps) placed within
the apparatus, the slats or laths being then preferably formed as a skeleton fram-
ing only, allowing the light to show direct upon the canvas or other sheet or band.
Dated this 6th day of January 1897.

page_text: Trance, Draughtsman, 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:
The present invention has for its object an apparatus for producing successively
changing drawings, inscriptions, paintings, advertisements, placards, or the like.
This apparatus which forms an actual screen, is composed of a certain number
of laths of some suitable material, or planks, or even plates of glass mounted on
a frame, with small intervals left between them. A decorated band of canvas or
other suitable substance is passed over each lath and the ends of these bands are
attached to one or more rollers, drawing-cords or other suitable device adapted to
effect the movement necessary for changing the pictures.
The rollers may be actuated by means of cogwheels, bevel gear, endless screws
or other suitable means of transmission, and they may be moved altogether or
successively in such a way that a partial movement of one or more of the rollers
displaces each band or canvas to an extent equal to the width of the laths. As
each section of band corresponding to the width of a lath has been painted or
ornamented in a different manner to yield alternately a complete picture by their
combined simultaneous presentation, it is evident that by an intermittent forward
or backward rotation of the roller to an extent corresponding each time to a dis-
placement of the canvas to the width of the lath, it is possible to cause the whole
of the drawings, pictures advertisements and the like to appear in succession.
For this object the apparatus enabling this result to be obtained may be con-
structed in various ways, some of which have been indicated diagrammatically as
an example in the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows the apparatus as formed of a cloth or canvas in a single piece
travelling successively over laths L. In Fig. 2, the bands or canvases T which are
of a number equal to that of the laths of the screen are moved or displaced in
the manner of endless belts.
(
In Fig.
the cloths or canvases which are of an equal number to that of the
laths, are arranged with the adjacent ends of each pair winding and unwinding
on 21 common roller go and their other ends winding and unwinding
each on a separate roller S S¹. In this construction each of the series of rollers R
on the one hand and S S¹ on the other hand are alternately winding and unwind-
ing rollers.
'
The rollers Rare the ones which are operated for instance by means of an
endless screw Y and the rollers S S₁ those which separately stretch each canvas by
means of springs, weights or the like.
In order to diminish the friction of the cloths or canvases each lath L may, in
certain cases, and more particularly for apparatus of small dimensions be re-
placed by two small rollers or rods T as shown in Fig. 4.
The laths L may also be fixed on the frame of the apparatus in such a way as
to be inclined, so that a spectator placed below shall not perceive the small
intervals existing between each lath necessary for the displacement of the cloths.
In the same way also these laths may be of glass in order to allow of their being
illuminated from behind by means of electric or other lamps in case transparencies
are required.
In addition to the mechanical movements for operating the rollers, a regulator
for always giving precisely the same displacement to the cloth may be employed,
to ensure that the registering of the different sections of the images with ono
another may be always perfect. An ordinary reversing gear combined with the
apparatus enables the direction of the rollers to be reversed and the bands or
cloths to be caused to be automatically returned, immediately they have presented
the last of their pictures or inscriptions.
The laths may be arranged either horizontally or vertically. The rollers may
be replaced by prismatic drums.
Finally, the pictures, advertisements, or the like, may be painted directly on
the canvases in the sectional form hereinbefore described which characterises this

page_text: apparatus, or be attached thereto by gumming, stitching or the like by means of
bands cut out and corresponding to the width of the laths L. This latter means
allows of already existing pictures or advertisements being utilised for the purpose
of the invention without almost any expense, whilst imparting to them the
character of originality belonging to this apparatus resulting from their presen-
tation to the public under a novel, interesting and varied form.
Attention would be particularly called to the fact that the surface of the screen
is almost absolutely flat and preserves this flat surface even during the changing
of the pictures which constitutes the principal interest of this apparatus, the
picture being intermittently blurred and producing by the mixture of colours of
the advertisements interesting and bizarre effects which are constantly modified
thus forming a main attraction of the apparatus.
It may also be remarked that by this system of successive winding and unwind-
ing it is possible to have a great number of changes with a very small width or
thickness. Of course, the width of the sections of the pictures may be varied as
may be desired and must be suited to the nature and dimensions of the changing
paintings or advertisements. To diminish wear and tear caused by vibration, I
form the laths of a suitable shape, and may cause them to turn if desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The improved apparatus herein before described for causing any suitable
drawings pictures, or various advertisements to appear in a successive and iter-
mittent manner, which consists of one or more flexible bands bearing pictures or
advertisements in sections; a number of laths or plates, which said bands are
carried to exhibit the sectional picture as a whole, and means for guiding and
moving said bands over the laths to displace the picture to the extent of the
width of a lath in order to successively and intermittently produce by the fitting
together of the pictorial sections, complete pictures, inscriptions or advertisements
covering the whole front of the apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 6th day of October 1897.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.