A Method and Apparatus for the Application of Electrical Energy to the Purposes of Advertisement.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 19th July, 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method and Apparatus for the Application of Electrical Energy
to the Purposes of Advertisement.
I ALFRED RENÉ UPWARD of 150 Holland Road London, W. Electrical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to the application of electrical energy now readily obtainable
from the street mains of central stations to the purposes of advertisement.
Preferably the luminosity is obtained by the well known phenomena of colour &
light attending electric discharge through a partial vacuum; or it may be obtained
from the simple incandescence of platinum wire or foil or other suitable material
in air.
The vacuum tubes or incandescent material take the form of letters which are
arranged as required. In order that these devices may more effectually arrest and
sustain the attention, the electrical circuits of the several letters and successive words
of the advertisement are connected to a many-way self-acting switch actuated by any
convenient small source of power such as clockwork or water-power or by a small
electro-motor fed from the same source of electrical energy; these circuits are so
arranged with reference to the self-acting switch and the electric supply that the
luminous effect is made intermittent, either the whole advertisement becoming
alternately luminous and non-luminous or each word or words appearing in
succession.
Vacuum tube and incandescent effects may be used side by side on the same
board.
The circuits of the luminous letters may also be so arrangod that the same lines
which form the elements of certain letters in one position of the self-acting switch also
form the elements of other letters of succeeding words as the switch by its motion
changes the path of the current.
The necessary high potential required to work the vacuum tube letters is obtained
by the usual method of common induction coils which however will require no
"contact breaker" since the alternating current of the street mains will produce the
required effect.
In some cases it is convenient to have a small separate induction coil to each
vacuum tube letter instead of using larger coils working several letters or words.
Dated this 7th day of May 1890.
A. RENE UPWARD.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method and Apparatus for the Application of Electrical Energy
to the Purposes of Advertisement.
1 ALFRED RENÉ Upward of 150 Holland Road London W. Electrical 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 the application of electric energy and self-acting
switching mechanism to the purposes of advertisement.
Letters or other devices modelled from material of suitable electrical resistance
such as platinum wire or foil are rendered incandescent by the passage of the
current.
It will be easily seen that these incandescent conductors readily lend themselves
to the production of varied effects such as that produced by enclosing them in

page_text: coloured glass tubing or by placing each separate letter or device as a whole
behind coloured sheet glass. When the incandescent matter is enclosed in glass
tubes as above described the difficulty of moulding the tubes into the required
shapes and also of preventing the wire or other incandescent material from touching
the glass at sharp bends my ba obviated by forming the letters of several separate
tubes which tubes are the elements of letters and take the form of simple curves
or straight lines for example the letter "N" would consist of three tubes the
protruding ends of the platinum or other wires being joined in simple "series."
In order to reduce the loss of energy from convection the tubes
exhausted of air similarly to ordinary incandescent lamps with
latters.
may be
" vacuum tube "
The tint or colour attending the electric discharge through the partial vacuum
may be varied by the different degree of exhaustion in each separate letter or by
varying the potential of the discharge or by changing the gases introduced into
the tubes.
Self-acting switching mechanism is used in combination with any of the above
described devices.
The function of this mechanism is to render each separate letter word words or
device or the advertisement in part or whole alternately luminous and non-luminous
as a powerful means of arresting and sustaining the attention.
The number of "ways" on the switch is made to correspond with the separate
elements of the advertisement which are to be rendered luminous in succession.
The switch may conveniently he constructed by sinking copper mercury cups (of
the required number) into a base board and opposite and parallel to these on the other
side of the board "sinking" a long copper mercury trough pivotted copper forks are
then so fixed that when depressed contact is made between any individual "
"
cup and
the back trough or an axle may be arranged with protecting pins which dipping into
mercury cups complete the circuit.
"
One "lead from the electric supply is connected to the trough and the other to
the "earth" or common return from the various letters or devices the other or "lend
wire from each lotter or device is connected to a separate "cup" on the switch-
board.
The copper forks on the switchboard are actuated by clockwork or by any other
Sinall source of power such as a "bucket water wheel "or by the hot air from a gas
jet working a vano.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what mannor the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is
1. Letters or devices rendered luminous or incandescent by the passage of the
electric current for the purposes of advertisement substantially as described.
2. The combination in the circuit of electrically luminous letters and devices of a
self-acting switch rendering the letters words or devices or any single element or
elements of samo alternately luminous and non-luminous and when required giving
each word or part of a word separately in its right order of succession substantially as
described.
8. Letters or devices of the special construction herein described for the purposes
described.
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201
T1 3000