Improved Means for Forming or Displaying Words, Letters, Figures, Pictures, or other Designs Devices for Advertising or Signalling Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar., 1897
NAL
Improved Means for Forming or Displaying Words, Letters, Figures,
Pictures, or other Designs Devices for Advertising or
Signalling Purposes.
I EUGEN SANDOW, of 350 Oxford Road, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Athlete, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to such apparatus for displaying a signal or an advertise-
ment or device wherein a cluster or series of incandescent electric lamps are
employed, those lamps only being lighted which correspond to the word figure
letter or device to be displayed.
One wire of each lamp is connected to a main conductor leading to a terminal on
a wire from the dynamo accumulator or other suitable source of electricity, and the
other wire of each lamp is connected to a conductor leading to and in electrical
connection with one of a number of insulated spring plungers or pegs mounted in a
suitable frame or casing.
The second wire from the dynamo is connected to a suitable conducting plate
near to and corresponding in form with the series of spring plungers or pegs above
named.
The frame or casing containing the pegs or plungers can be moved to or away
from the conducting plate, or the plate can be moved, or both can move, so as to
cause the ends of the pegs or plungers and the plate to come in contact with each
other; such contact would light all the lamps above named, but in order to select
certain lamps to display a desired letter or word signal or device I interpose
between the pegs or plungers and the conducting plates a plate of insulating
material perforated at desired places so that the pegs of the lamps which are
required to be lighted can project through the holes in the insulating plate and
touch the conducting plate; thus by changing this insulating plate various letters
signal words or devices may be displayed by the series or cluster of lamps.
The motion of the conducting plate or the pegs, (or both), and the changing of
the insulating plate, may be performed automatically or by hand.
According to a modification a predetermined number of signals letters or words,
or devices may be displayed in any order or singly by connecting one of the wires
from all the lamps required for each signal letter word or device to one of a series
of insulated spring pegs in a fixed frame and mounting above each of the series of
pegs a spring plate or plunger capable of making contact with every peg of its
corresponding series, the plunger or plate being provided with a finger piece or
head similar to the key of a type writing machine, bearing upon it an indication of
the nature of the signal letter word or device which would be displayed by the
lepression of the plate or plunger to which it is fixed.
Dated this 8th day of April 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Means for Forming or Displaying Words, Letters, Figures,
Pictures, or other Designs or Devices for Advertising or
Signalling Purposes.
I EUGEN SANDOW, of 350 Oxford Road, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Athlete, 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 to such apparatus for displaying a signal or an advertise-
ment or device wherein a cluster or series of incandescent electric lamps are
employed, those lamps only being lighted which correspond to the word figure
letter or device to be displayed.
One wire of each lamp is connected to a main conductor leading to a terminal on
a wire from the dynamo, accumulator, or other suitable source of electricity, and
the other wire of each lamp is connected to a conductor leading to, and in
electrical connection with, one of a number of insulated spring plungers or pegs
mounted in a suitable frame or casing. The second wire from the dynamo is
connected to suitable conducting plate near to and corresponding in form with a
series of spring plungers or pegs above named.
The frame or casing containing the pegs or plungers can be moved to or away
from the conducting plate, or the plate can be moved, or both can move, so as to
cause the ends of the pegs or plungers and the plate to come in contact with each
other, such contact would light all the lamps above named, but in order to select
certain lamps to display a desired letter or word signal or device I interpose
between the pegs or plungers and the conducting plate, a plate of insulating
material so cut away or perforated at desired places that the pegs of the lamps
which are required to be lighted can project through the holes in the insulating
plate and touch the conducting plate; thus by changing this insulating plate
various letters signal words or devices may be displayed by the series or cluster
of lamps.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have annexed hereto a
sheet of diagrams illustrative thereof.
Fig. 1 shews in front elevation an arrangement of lamps a in a cluster suitable
for showing (say) one letter, but of course it will be understood that any other
desired arrangement or grouping of the lamps a may be adopted.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 shewing also the frame & carrying the
insulated spring plungers b and their connecting wires a¹ to each lamp a, also the
connections a² from the lamps a to the main wire c of the dynamo or other source
of current supply.
Fig. 2 shews an underneath plan of the parts bb, and Fig. 2 is a partial
enlarged section shewing that the frame or plate 61 may be made of insulating
material and thus insulate the plungers from each other. The springs 6 serve
also to connect the plungers b electrically with the adjustable screwed plugs 63 to
which the wires a' are connected.
Fig. 3 shews a plan view of a plate d to be interposed between the plungers b
and the conducting or contact plate e.
The connections a³, seen dotted on Fig. I and in section at Fig. 2, are bars
connected to the negative wire of each lamp a and to the negative wire c from the
dynamo or other source of current supply.
The plate d (see also Fig. 3) is made of any suitable insulating material and is
so perforated, say at the holes shewn black on Fig. 3, that those of the spring

page_text: plungers 6 necessary to illuminate the letter A can pass through the card or plate d
and make contact with the conducting or contact plate e which is connected by the
positive wire c¹ to the dynamo or other source of current supply, and will therefore
cause only those lamps shewn shaded on Fig. 1 to be lighted.
By using other cards or insulating plates similar for example to those shewn at
Figs. 34, 38, 30, 3D, other letters words figures, or devices respectively can be
displayed by lighting those lamps whose plungers can pass through the
perforations.
The motion of the conducting plate e or the frame b carrying the pegs (or both)
and the changing of the insulating plate d may be performed automatically or by
hand.
It will be evident that the plate e and frame b may both be stationary, and the
card or plate d made to push out and hold out of contact with the plate e those
plungers or pegs b, which are desired not to light their corresponding lamps.
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 :-
The combination with a cluster of electric lamps, of a corresponding number of
spring plungers, each connected to one of the wires of such lamps and capable of
making electric contact with a suitably formed contact plate connected to one (say
the positive) wire from a suitable source of current supply, the second wire being
connected to the other (say the negative) wire from the aforesaid source of
current supply, and a movable or removable interposed insulating card or plate
so perforated as to allow a desired combination of the electric lamps to be
ignited by allowing the corresponding spring plungers to protrude through the
perforations.
Dated this 7th day of January 1897.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant..