An Improved Method of and Means for Exhibiting Advertisements and other Notices.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left. 17th Dec.. 1897-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Exhibiting Advertisements
and other Notices.
I, FRANK FOWLES, of 66, Beecroft Road, Brockley, S.E., Advertising Contractor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to an improved method of and means for exhibiting adver-
tisements and other notices in succession, and the object is to economise space.
In carrying my invention into practice, I proceed in or in about the following
manner. I attach to or form on or in an endless band the advertisements to be
shewn. This band is passed round four rollers, so that the band is divided in four
preferably equal spaces, that is to say, the centres of the four rollers as seen from
the side will form the corners of a four sided figure. A number of these bands and
The ends of the rollers
sets of rollers can be arranged above or aside one another.
work in suitable bearings carried in the sides of a box or casing open on one side
The rollers are
or more than one side, for displaying the notices on the band.
rotated and with them the bands, by any suitable motive power such as clock-
work, electricity, water, or sand. A simple mode of operation would be to rotate
one of the rollers by clockwork, and to furnish the ends of the rollers with sprocket
wheels. A chain being passed round the sprocket wheels, and the whole of the sets
of rollers and bands rotated.
By having blind or inactive links in the chain, the sets of rollers and bands
might be rotated in pairs, say, the first and third pairs moved, while the second
and fourth pairs remained stationary. By having a number of sets of rollers, each
set working a comparatively short band, much more advertising space is obtained,
than by a simple band passed round four rollers the distance between the upper and
lower pairs of which is equal to the distance between the upper and lower rollers
of the upper and lower of a series of sets which is the distinguishing feature of my
invention. Sets of more than four rollers may be used if required.
Dated this 17th day of February 1897.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.
An Improved Method of and Means for Exhibiting Advertisements
and other Notices.
I, FRANK FOWLES, of 66, Beecroft Road, Brockley, S.E., 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:
My invention relates to an improved method of and means for exhibiting adver-

page_text: In
tisements and other notices in succession, and the object is to economise space.
carrying my invention into effect, I proceed in or in about the following manner,
making reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which, Fig. 1, is a
vertical section seen from the side. Fig. 2, a front view partly in section. Fig. 3,
is a side view showing the arrangements for working the rollers. Similar letters
denote similar parts.
a is a casing or frame work having on each side openings 6 through which can be
seen the advertisements or other announcements c. The advertisements c are painted
printed or otherwise formed in, on or attached to the endless bands d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k,
carried by the rollers l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
the spindles of which pass from side to side of a. There are thus three advertise-
ments on each band, or six in each group of six rollers. The rollers are arranged
as shown in four sets of six each, and are driven as follows so that on one side the
advertisements behind the top and third openings move while those behind the
second and fourth openings remain stationary, and correspondingly on the other
side, then the announcements behind the first (top) and third openings are
stationary, while those behind the second and fourth move. These alternate
movements are brought about by the following means. At the ends of the
spindles of rollers and D are the spur wheels J and K, and at the ends of the
spindles of rollers o and A are the spur wheels L and M. At the end of n is
the spur wheel N gearing with L, and at the end of wis the spur
wheel O gearing with J. At the end of Z is another spur wheel P gearing with
M. The wheels J, K, L, M, project somewhat from the side of a. Round sprocket
wheels at the prolonged ends of the spindles of r and D runs the chain K', and round
sprocket wheels at the prolonged ends of the spindles of o and M runs the chain M¹.
Within the base of a is any source of motion, such as an electro motor or a train
of clock work Q, which by a spur wheel R (on its driving spindle) gearing with the
intermediate wheel S rotates the spur wheel S¹ and the spindle T carried through
the side of a and bearing the incomplete spur wheels U, U. One half of the teeth
of U are removed, and the opposite half of the teeth U are also removed. U and
Ugo round together and gear respectively with the spur wheels V and V¹ revolv-
ing loosely and alternately on the spindle W. V and V1 gear respectively with W
and W revolving alternately on the spindle X.
WI gears with
spur wheel Y at
the end of the spindle of I gearing with K, and W2 gears with the intermediate
wheel Z which also gears with P.
When the toothed half of U comes into gear
with V, the latter begins to revolve as also will W₁ which carries round r and K
by the chain K¹ and moves f and ; on one side, and 9 and k on the other side.
When U goes out of gear with V, U¹ comes into gear with W2 and causes the
chains M and wheels A, L, to revolve and raise ei on one side, and d h on the other,
and so on.
A suitable starting lever, switch, or other contrivance can be provided
for setting the apparatus in, or putting it out, of motion. The whole apparatus
may be covered in by an outer casing, the position of which is indicated in the
drawings by the dotted lines A¹. This outer casing will of course have in it
openings coincident with those in a, in order to exhibit therethrough the announce-
ments on the various bands. By making the bands transparent or translucent, they
may be illuminated from within by electric or other light. By suitable modifica-
tion, the bands may each run over two or more than three rollers.
I do not confine myself to the precise shapes, relative proportions or disposition
of parts as shown in the drawings, or mentioned in the specification, as any or
all of them can be considerably varied without departure from the essential
features of the invention.
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:
CLAIMS.

page_text: said apparatus consisting essentially of a casing having openings in front and
behind between each pair of which openings are two endless bands having on them
advertisements or other announcements, each band running over rollers (preferably
three in number) so rotated by suitable mechanism operated by clockwork or other
motive power at the base of the apparatus, that the advertisements behind the top
and third openings on one side, and those behind the top and third openings of
the other side are moved and changed simultaneously, while the remaining adver-
tisements keep stationary, and so that when the latter move, the former remain
stationary, and so on as long as the motive power is permitted to operate, the
whole substantially as described in the above specification, and exemplified in the
accompanying drawings.
2. An apparatus for the exhibition of advertisements and other notices, the said
apparatus being constructed and operating substantially as described in the above
specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of December, 1897.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.