Year: 1899

page_text: I, CHARLES SUTHERLAND STAFFORD, of No. 12. Danvers Street, in the City and
County of San Francisco, State of California. U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a device which is especially designed to exhibit adver-
tisements, or other displays, which are printed or carried upon a sheet of con-
siderable length, and it consists in mechanism by which the advertisements are
intermittently advanced and stopped for a period of time until the whole sheet
has been exhibited, then turned and the movement thus alternately continued.
In carrying out my invention I take a sheet of any suitable flexible material,
and pass it over guide-rollers suitably journaled in the top and bottom of a
framework which may either be stationary, or adapted for transportation as upon
a car or wagon The sheet thus forms one side of a casing or box.
From these rollers the sheet extends rearwardly and winds upon drums or
rollers, which are also suitably journaled within the frame.
Around these latter rollers or around other rollers on the same axes is a band
which is adapted to unwind from one of the rollers and wind upon the other one,
in unison with the movements of the advertising sheet
It will thus be seen that as one of the rollers grows smaller by the unwinding
of the band, the other roller grows larger and the proportionate size of these
rollers to the drums or rollers upon which the advertising sheet is rolled is always
maintained the same.
The driving of the mechanism is effected by means of a belt which passes around
the aforesaid rollers exterior to the said band, and thence passes around a main
driving roller.
The driving band passes between juxtaposed rollers and the compression upon
it is sufficient to prevent its shipping and to allow power to be transmitted to
drive the belt and through it to rotate the band advertising sheet rollers.
By duplicating the display mechanism upon the opposite side of the casing and
emploving another driving belt which also passes between the juxtaposed rollers,
both displays can be driven from one set of driving mechanism.
The arrangement of mechanism is such that the sheet will be driven in one
direction until the whole length has been withdrawn from one of the drums and
coiled upon the other, and the mechanism then automatically reverses and returns
the sheet from the larger to the smaller drum until it has all been returned, thus
running it alternately in opposite directions as long as the apparatus is kept in
motion.
The driving mechanism consists of a train of clockwork mechanism, having
an escapement and an oscillating balance, which may either consist of weighted
arms or may be in the form of a balance wheel.
Power may also be applied, if desired, from some other well known source, to

page_text: rotate the train gearing and through it communicate power to drive a large gear
wheel.
The roller or drum shafts are so mounted at one end that they can easily be
removed by disengaging this end, so that different sheets can be substituted upon
the rollers.
In order to vary the speed to suit the power, without making the gear too large,
a speed reducing train may be introduced.
Improvements in Means for Exhibiting Advertisements and the like.
I, CHARLES SUTHERLAND STAFFORD, of No. 12, Danvers Street, in the City and
County of San Francisco, State of California, USA., Mechanical 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 a device which is especially designed to exhibit adver-
tisements or other displays which are printed or carried upon a sheet of consider-
able length; and it consists in mechanism by which the advertisements are inter-
mittently advanced and stopped for a period of time until the whole sheet has been
exhibited, then turned, and the movement thus alternately continued
It also consists in details of construction, which will be more fully explained by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-
Fig. 1 is an external view of my device
Fig. 2 18 an end view of the sheets
and belts, showing their respective locations Fig. 3 is an elevation of the
driving mechanism. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.
Figs. 5 and 6 are an elevation and a plan of a modification of the driving
mechanism
'A is a sheet of any suitable flexible material, and B B₁ are guide rollers suitably
journaled in the top and bottom of a frame-work, which may either be stationary
or adapted for transportation, as upon a car or wagon. These rollers B B are
sufficiently separated to exhibit as much of the advertisement or other display as
it may be desired to show at any one time
From these rollers the sheet extends rearwardly and winds upon drums C C¹,
which are also suitably journaled within the frame. It will be seen that as the
sheet is moved from one of the drums, as C, and coiled upon the other drums C¹
the diameter of one of the drums is constantly decreasing, while the diameter of
the other is constantly increasing. It is therefore necessary to provide some
means for driving the mechanism which will compensate for the varying diameters
of the drums and will act in unison therewith to move the sheet. This is effected
by extending the shafts of the drums C C¹, and upon these shafts are fixed
rollers CC, having a corresponding diameter Around these rollers C2 C3 is a
band A', which is adapted to unwind from one of the rollers and wind upon the
other one in unison with the movements of the advertising sheet.
It will thus be seen that as one of the rollers grows smaller by the unwinding
of the band the other roller grows larger and the proportionate size of these rollers
to the drums upon which the advertising sheet is rolled is always maintained the

page_text: same. Thus whenever the apparatus is driven the movements of these rollers will
be essentially in unison.
The driving of the mechanism is effected by means of a belt D, which passes
around the rollers CC3 exterior to the band A³ and thence passes around the
driving roller E. In the present case this driving roller E runs essentially in con-
tact with another roller E¹, with which it is turnable by means of intermeshing
pinions Fupon the ends of the respective shafts. The driving band 1) passes
between these rollers E E¹, and the compression upon it is sufficient to prevent its
slipping and to allow power to be transmitted to drive the belt and through it to
rotate the band advertising sheet rollers. By duplicating the display mechanism
upon the opposite side and employing another driving belt D, which also passes
between the rollers E E¹, both displays can be driven from one set of driving
mechanism.
The arrangement of mechanism is such that the sheet will be driven in one
direction until the whole length has been withdrawn from one of the drums and
coiled upon the other, and the mechanism then automatically reverses and returns
the sheet from the larger to the smaller drum until it has all been returned, thus
running it alternately in opposite directions as long as the apparatus is kept in
motion. In order to drive the reverse drums which propel the belt, I have shown
a shaft (, which is in continuous connection with the drum shaft E and which
is also slidable longitudinally in its journals or beatings g. This may be effected
by making the end of the shaft polygonal and entering it into a correspondingly
shaped socket in the coupling II, by which it is united with the shaft of the belt
wheel by a keyway and feather, or the pinions I, which are mounted upon it,
may be cared by a sleeve which is slidable upon the shaft. Upon this shaft are
fixed the pinions I, and these pinions, facing each other, are at a distance apart
somewhat greater than the diameter of the gear J, with which they alternately
.J When
mesh, and the shaft extends diametrically across the face of the gear
it is moved m one direction, one of the pinions I carried by it will engage with
When
the gear upon one side, and this will rotate the shaft in one direction.
shifted in the opposite direction, the first named pinion will be disengaged and the
other one will be engaged with the opposite side of the gear, and as power is
constantly applied to drive this gear in one direction it will act through this
second pinion I to reverse the movement of the shaft and with it the parts driven
thereby This alternate shifting of the two is effected by means of a cam K,
which is fixed upon the end of a pinion shaft, driven by mechanism to be herein-
after described, and at certain intervals, or when the entire length of the adver-
tising sheet has been coiled from one of its carrying drums to the other, this cam
will be turned, and as it rotates between two collars L, fast on shaft (, it will
piess upon one of these collars, so as to move the shaft in the direction of the
.pressure A complete rotation of the cam will have moved the shaft so as to first
engage one of the pinions I with the driving gear J and then will have moved the
shaft to disengage the first pinion and engage the other one, as previously
described.
The driving mechanism consists of a train of clockwork mechanism, as here
shown at M, having an escapement N and an oscillating balance, either consisting
of weighted arms, as shown at 0, or it may be in the form of a balance-wheel.
Power may also be applied, if desired, from some other well known source to
rotate the train gearing and through it communicate power to drive the large
gear-wheel P. Upon the same shaft with the gear-wheel P is a mutilated gear-
wheel P, which is journaled to rotate between the mutilated pinions Q and R.
Through the pinion Q and any other desired connecting mechanism power is trans-
mitted to drive the gear . and through it the shaft G, which transmits motion
to the belt driving roller, while through the pinion R and a suitably arranged
connecting train of mutilated wheels power is transmitted to actuate the cam K,
The relative
by which the shaft is alternately shifted, as before described
arrangement of these two trains of gearing is such that the mechanism for turn-

page_text: ing the cam and reversing the movement of the shaft and the advertising sheet
will be actuated only when the entire length of the sheet has been unrolled from
one of its drums and transferred to the other, while the mechanism for advancing
the sheet is actuated at intervals, so that each advertisement will be exposed upon
the face of the sheet for any desired length of time
The gearing by which the proportioned speed of movement of the advertising
sheet is produced may either be arranged between the main driving mechanism
and the shaft J, which transmits the power to move the sheet, as shown in
Fig. 4, or the power may be transmitted from this shaft directly to the shaft
of the belt roller E through shaft G and speed gears G¹, as shown in Fig 6
When springs are used for driving the mechanism, as here shown, I have
employed two of these springs S, and one of them is so connected as to be in
action all the time, while the other is only operating when the intermittent
mechanism acts to turn the shaft and advance the advertising sheet, so that the
additional power is applied where it is needed and is cut off when it is not needed.
This is effected by means of a notched or toothed wheel T and a pawl lever U, one
end of which is adapted to drop into the notches of this wheel and hold it stationary.
The other end is connected with a lever U, which is so fulcrumed, that it is
actuated by the movement of the intermittent gear P, and by means of a pin V
the levers are moved so as to disengage the pawl U from the notched wheel, and
thus throw the second spring into action. As soon as the pin releases the
lever U the parts drop into their normal position, and by means of the spring W
the end of the pawl lever U is held in contact with the smooth periphery of the
notched wheel T, so that as soon as the next notch comes in Ime with it the pawl
will drop into it and arrest the movement of the wheel, holding it in this con-
dition until the mutilated gear-wheel has made another revolution.
A gong or bell may be so placed that it will be struck by a hammer carried by
one of the levers, and thus give notice whenever the display sheet is moved.
Where the springs are used and in order to conveniently wind them without
interfering with the front and back of the apparatus, the winding shaft extends
out at one end of the frame-work and may be geared at right angles with the
operating mechanism by 'means of bevel or crown gears.
The drum shafts are so mounted at one end that they can easily be removed by
disengaging this end, so that different sheets can be substituted upon the drums
In order to vary the speed to suit the power without making the gears Pº P7
of Figs. 5 and 6 too large, a speed reducing train may be introduced, as shown
at Ps P, Fig. 5.
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:
1st. In an advertising device, a flexible advertising sheet, drums to which its
ends are connected so that it may be alternately transferred from one to the other
by their rotation, belt pulleys fixed upon the ends of the drum shafts, a band
connected with said pulleys and adapted to coil from one to the other in unison
with the movements of the larger sheet, an endless driving belt passing over said 4
band and rollers,, a pair of contact rollers between which said band passes and
through which power is transmitted to move it, a shaft connected with the driv
ing roller, mechanism by which the shaft is rotated in one direction to transfer
the flexible sheet from one roller to the other and mechanism by which it is
automatically reversed after the transfer is completed so as to return the sheet 5
to the opposite roller.
2nd. In an advertising device, an endless flexible sheet with drums and
mechanism by which it is alternately transferred from one roller to the other,
supplemental bands adapted to coil and uncoil upon the rollers in unison with
the coiling and uncoiling of the sheet a driving or power mechanism consisting 5
of a train of gearing and intermittent or mutilated gears through which power

page_text: is transmitted to move the sheet from one roller to the other and allow it to remain
stationary for a given time between each advancing movement
Bid. In an advertising device, a sheet adapted to coil alternately from one
dium to another so as to exhibit its surface between the two, an endless belt with
rollers through which power is transmitted to move the sheet, supplemental bands
adapted to coil and uncoil upon the rollers in unison with the coiling and uncoiling
of the sheet, a shaft through which power is transmitted to the belt driving
1ollers, said shaft being movable longitudinally and having pinions fixed to it and
adapted to engage opposite sides of a driving gear so as to alternately reverse
the movement of the shaft, a train of gearing by which said shaft is iotated
intermittently, a second train of gearing and a cam duiven thereby which acts to
move the transmitting shaft longitudinally to change the engagement of its
pinions and reverse its rotation when the sheet has been transferred from one drum
to the other a driving mechanism and escapement and springs through which
power is applied to drive the mechanism, one of said springs acting continuously,
and mechanism by which the other is thrown into action only when the sheet is
to be advanced
4th In an advertising device of the character described, a sheet and drum
to which it is connected so as to be alternately transferred from one drum to the
other, intermediate mechanism by which said transfer is effected, means operat-
ing in unison with said sheet and compensating for the varying diameters of
the drums upon which the sheet is alternately wound, mechanism by which the
motion of the driving shaft is reversed after such transfer is completed so as to
again return the sheet to the first drum, driving mechanism and escapement, and
a plurality of springs, one of which acts constantly to move the mechanism and
the other only when power is applied to advance the sheet, and a mechanism con-
sisting of a notched wheel and escapement lever and means for actuating it inter-
mittently from the main driving mechanism whereby the second sping is thrown
into action at the desired intervals.