Improvements in or appertaining to Letters, Signs, Devices, or the like, for Displaying, Advertising, or Illuminating Purposes, and Improvements in the Method of Illuminating the same.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1890-Accepted. 17th Jan., 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in or appertaining to Letters, Signs, Devices, or the
like, for Displaying, Advertising, or Illuminating Purposes, and
Improvements in the Method of Illuminating the same.
We, CHARLES WALTER COX, FREDERICK ROBINSON and WILLIAM HENRY GRITTON
of 8 Strand Street, in the City of Liverpool, Electricians, 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 :-
This invention relates mainly to improvements in illuminated letters, signs, devices.
or kindred appliances adapted for displaying, advertising or illuminating purposes
and to a method of illuminating the same by means of incandescent electric lamps.
The invention is also applicable in part to non-illuminated letters, etcetera.
Our primary object is to construct and arrange the above appliances in conjunction
with incandescent electric lights arranged in such a manner as to produce a highly
illuminated, and, if desired, constantly changing effect.
The invention may be clearly understood by describing in detail its application to
an illuminated letter "N," reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in
which :-
Figure 1 is a front view with the cover thrown back.
Figure 2 is a side view.
Figure 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, on line ae, Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a similar section showing a modification.
A is the body of the letter, the front of which, and even, in some cases, the side=
also, is or are constructed of a trough shaped cross section, as clearly shown in
Figures 3 and 4. Or the faces or sides of the letters may simply be provided with
trough shaped spaces. The sides of the trough may either be flat, as shown in
Figures 3 and 4, or concave or convex, and they are lined with mirrors a or are
otherwise provided with a reflecting surface.
B is a series of incandescent electric lamps arranged at convenient intervals in
the bases of the troughs, the said lamps being either of high or low resistance, plain
or coloured, placed in series or in parallel, and either on one circuit or on more
than one.
It is preferable also to provide the trough shaped portions of the letter with a
glazed front or cover C, which is hinged as at c, or is otherwise made movable, for
convenience of access for cleaning, repairs, etcetera.
The front is made to close in
such a manner as to be weather tight, and the glazed portion thereof may be coloured
or otherwise, plain or prismatic, transparent or simply translucent.
In conjunction with the incandescent lamps, we employ one or more circular or
other switches so arranged that one or more resistances, placed in series with the
lamp circuit or circuits, may, at desired intervals of time, be inserted into or cut out
from the said circuit or circuits, and thus there is effected an alternate fading and
glowing of the whole or a part of the lamps. By means of these resistances, the
lamps may be incandesced to any desired degree of brilliancy. The whole of the
lamps may, in this way, be caused alternately to fade and glow, or the lamps may be
divided into separate groups or systems-which may be of different colours arranged
alternately or otherwise and each system may be caused to fade and glow at
intervals independently of the other system or systems. A very effective method is
thus obtained of directing attention to the illuminated devices. The multiplied
reflections of the lamps in the mirrored surfaces of the troughs also greatly increase
the brilliancy of the effect. The alternate fading and glowing may be effected
by hand, or it may be done automatically by means of an electric or other suitable
motor.

page_text: It will be evident that the above described method of alternate glowing and fading
lamps for the aforesaid purposes could be employed quite apart from the trough-shaped
reflecting devices herein set forth, the lamps being arranged to follow the contour
of the required letter, sign or other device. The trough-shaped spaces may also, if
desirable, be placed at the sides of the letters, etcetera, as shown in Figure 4, and may
also be provided with lamps. The side spaces aforesaid may face outwards at any
suitable angle to the front face of the letter, etcetera. The position shown on Figure 4
will be found generally to give good results. The side spaces may also be provided
with glazed covers, if desired. Letters, signs or other devices may also be constructed
with the reflecting trough-shaped spaces aforesaid, but without incandescent electric
lamps. In this case, the reflecting surfaces, being placed at different angles, as
shown, make the devices much more brilliant and conspicuous (especially when the
sun is shining upon them) than they would have been had they been constructed in
the ordinary manner. The number, shape and arrangement of the trough-shaped
spaces will, of course, vary considerably with the size, shape and character of the
device to be illuminated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
--
1. The method of illuminating letters, signs or other devices of the kind described,
by means of one or more groups or systems of incandescent electric lamps caused,
either as a whole or in part, to alternately fade and glow.
2. A letter, sign or other device of the kind described, furnished, at its front or
sides, or both, with one or more trough-shaped spaces having reflecting surfaces and
provided at the base with a series of incandescent electric lamps arranged at suitable
intervals thereon, substantially as described.
3. A letter, sign or other device of the kind .described, formed with one or more
trough-shaped spaces facing outwards, and provided with reflecting surfaces, and a
movable glazed cover or covers, substantially as described.
4. A letter, sign, or other device of the kind described, having two or more series
of lamps of different colours following approximatoly the contour of said devices, and
adapted to be successively caused to fade and glow, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.