Apparatus for Causing Letters and Designs to Vanish and Re-appear.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Causing Letters and Designs to Vanish and
Re-appear.
I, GEORGE HENRY QUELCH 92 Acre Lane Brixton London S.W. Author
and Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
A vessel of any suitable size or shape, one side being of glass or other trans-
parent medium, or all sides being made transparent.
Such vessel is filled with
any opaque or semi-opaque fluid, white, or of any colour, as, for example, a fluid
similar in opacity to milk. Letters and designs are placed in the fluid at such
distance from the inner surface of the glass forming the side or sides of the
vessel, as to be invisible owing to the opacity of the fluid, when viewed from
the exterior of the vessel. But when such letters and designs are, by suitable
mechanism, brought through the intervening fluid into contact with the inner
surface of the glass they will become visible when viewed from the exterior;
and when the letters and designs are allowed to recede from contact with
the inner surface of the glass they become invisible from the exterior of the
vessel.
Dated this 6th day of August 1890.
GEORGE HENRY QUELCH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Causing Letters and Designs to Vanish and
Re-appear.
1 GEORGE HENRY QUELCH, of 92 Acre Lane, Brixton, S.W. Advertising
Contractor, 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 apparatus for exhibiting verbal or pictorial matter
in such a manner as to attract attention, thereby rendering the apparatus suitable
for advertising and other purposes of a panoramic nature.
The attractive feature consists in causing the "exhibit" to vanish and
reappear intermittently, and this I effect in the manner hereinafter described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section, and Fig. 2 a plan with top removed, of an
apparatus constructed according to my invention.
A is a box or case formed of wood, galvanized sheet metal, or other suitable
material, with a glazed front B. Within this box or case, a watertight compart-
ment is formed by means of a glazed frame C, the sides and bottom of which
are connected with the sides and bottom of the box A by means of sheet india-
rubber c or other flexible water-tight material.
The frame C is supported at its lower edge upon pivotted brackets D, which
pass through the bottom of the box or case, which permits the frame to approach
or recede from the front of the box, and so diminish or increase the space
between the two transparent sheets of glass, which space I propose to fill with
an opaque or semi-opaque fluid, a comparatively thin layer of which is sufficient
to destroy the transparency of the two sheets of glass B and C and so render
anything contained within the box A invisible.
<:
The exhibits" are mounted upon a barrel E through which passes a shaft or

page_text: axis e, carrying a grooved pulley e¹ at each end, and running loosely thereon.
These pullies rest upon rails or brackets F, the rails thus serving as a support
for the barrel, and at the same time permitting it to approach or recede from the
front of the box.
This travelling motion of the barrel, is imparted by means of two slotted arms G,
which are fixed to the end of a shaft G¹ mounted in brackets fixed to the interior of
the box.
The ends of the shafts e pass through the slots in the arms G and by causing the
arms to oscillate, the travelling motion is imparted to the barrel. The oscillatory
motion of the arms and shaft G', is imparted thereto by a lever G2 from any
suitable source of power such as clockwork, hydraulic power &c.
In addition to and simultaneously with its reciprocatory motion, the barrel E has
a rotary motion imparted to it by means of the star or ratchet wheels J, one of
which is fixed to each end of the axis e, and as the barrel recedes, the teeth or
notches engage with pins or pawls k, projecting from arms K, hinged at K³, and the
barrel is caused to revolve a part of a revolution equivalent to the number of teeth
in the wheel J, which of course corresponds with the number of sides or flat surfaces
on the barrel.
It will be readily seen that in its forward motion, the barrel will come into contact
with the movable frame or diaphragm C, and gradually press the glass C' against
the glass front B of the box, thus displacing the layer of opaque liquid and
rendering the "exhibit" on the barrel, clearly visible.
In some cases the barrel may not be used, the "exhibit" being carried by the
frame C, in which case the internal mechanism for causing the frame to approach
and recede from the front of the box, will be simplified.
The spring L is employed, to ensure the recession of the frame C from the front
of the box to which, when pressed closely, it might have a tendency to adhere, and
the stop L' serves to limit the extent of such backward movement.
Another form of apparatus may be employed similar to that hereinbefore described,
with the exception that the inner glass plate or separate water-tight compartment is
dispensed with, and the letters and designs to be exhibited, together with the mechanism
in which they are mounted, are wholly immersed in the opaque or semi-opaque
fluid, and the letters and designs advance directly into contact with and recede from
the inner surface of the glass front of the box or vessel.
In this form of the apparatus, the letters and designs, being always immersed in
the fluid, must be of a nature capable of resisting the effects of sustained immersion,
or else be properly protected from contact with the fluid contents of the box.
Both forms of the apparatus above described, may be used for the purpose of
exhibiting one or more advertisements.
These advertisements by appearing and vanishing, are well calculated to attract
attention.
The apparatus may also be used for exhibiting letters, pictures, and designs, for
other purposes than that of advertising.
my said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
"
1. The method of rendering "exhibits or advertisements intermittently visible
and invisible, by the interposition and displacement or attenuation of a layer of
opaque or partially opaque fluid, substantially as described.
2. An apparatus for rendering "exhibits" intermittently visible and invisible,
consisting of a box A, provided with a compartment having a movable side C
capable of being operated by barrel E and mechanism connected therewith substan-
tially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. An apparatus for rendering "exhibits" intermittently visible and invisible,
consisting of a box or chamber such as A, containing opaque fluid, and fitted

page_text: internally with mechanism for causing the "exhibit" to approach and recede from
the glazed front B, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 6th day of May 1891.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.