US1176201A - Direction-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

E. CERF & F. JORDAN.

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION F IL ED MAYIO, I915 Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. CERF & F.- JORDAN.

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

, APPLICATION FILED MAY 10.4915

1 1 76,201 Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

"VITN'ESSES: INVENTORS To all 267M673; it may concern Be it known"that we, Eannr. CERF and Fo'nnnsr Jonoi' "l citizens of the United States, residing 'inthe city and county of SanFrancisco aiicl State of California, have invented new useful Improvements in DirectiomIndiators, of which the following is asp e'cificatitinf "This invention relates to a directlm indicator fora'uto'mobiles or like vehicles. 5 One offthe Objects of the present invention is to' provide a simple, substantial, cheaply manufactured indicating device .which' isparticularly adapted for application to-automobiles" and like vehicles, by which the operator of the car may indicate to drivers of. otl erwehicles and pedestrians thetinten ded, direction or movement of the car.,thus reducing the number of accidents and generallyde'creasing the difficulties of the traffic problem in crowded districts. v

Further objects will hereinafter appear.

..The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a planview of the direction indicator. showing the lever connection by which it is operated. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the direction indicator. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the display cylinder. Fig. 4; is a cross section on line 4l of Fig. '2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the operating lever. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of same.

More particularly described, A indicates a cylindrical shaped casing, in one end of which is journaled a shaft 2. Secured on one end of the shaft is a cylinder 3, one end of which is open, as at 4:, and secured on the other end of the shaft is a pulley 5. Surrounding the shaft and interposed between cylinder 3 and pulley 5 is a clock spring 6, the inner end of which is secured to the shaft while the outer end is secured to the casing. Securedin the casing, on each side of the spring, is a partition plate7. These plates are provided for the purpose of mclosing or forming a housing for the sprlng and at the same time serve as bearings for shaft 2.

Cylinder 3 is provided with a plurality of rectangular shaped openings 8, any one .of-which may be brought into register or alin'ement with a display opening 9 formed mnncrr'fon-miiioaroiej ,1

. g Specification of fritters-Patent. in

CER AND ronnns'r JORDAN; basalt"; riianorsoo, transmit-1 i in the main casing. The openings 8 in the cylinder are in the present instance covered by semi-transparent, colored sections constructed of glass, celluloid, or like material, each opening displaying a different color such, for instance, as red, white, green, blue. etc. the different colors displayed being pro vided for the purpose of giving different slgnals' For instance, when white isdisplayed it will indicate that the car is going straight ahead; when red is displayed it will Application filed May 10,1 SeriaINQ2m12. v p p indicate that the car is to' be stopped, when green is displayed it will indicate that the car s to be turned to the right, and when blue is displayed it will-indicate that the car is to be turned to the left. lVhile'colored display surfaces are provided to indicate the direction of the car in this instance, it is obvious that the surfaces may be provided with words, such as Ahead, Stop, Right, Left, Back up, etc.

For the purpose of efliciently projecting or showing the display surface at night, an

electric light, such as indicated at 10, may be employed, said light projecting into the interior of the cylinder and being secured to or supported by a head or cover section 11 formed on one end of the casing A.

Suitably secured upon the steering post of the car, such as indicated at 12, is a ratchet plate 13, and adapted to swing about a pivot 14 mounted on said plate is a lever 15, to which is attached a downwardly extending shaft 16, on the lower end of which is secured a crank arm 17 Secured at one end to the crank arm 17 is a flexible connection 18 in the form of a wire, chain, or the like. The other end of this connection is wound about pulley 5 two or three times, and the end of same is secured to the pulley, as at 19. Formed on the outer edge of the plate 13 is a plurality of notches 20, and engageable with said notches is a spring-actuated pawl 21 which may be lifted out of engagement with the notches by means of a lever projection 22; the pawl 21, together with the ratchet member, performing the function of locking the cylinder in any position to which it may be turned. a In operation, the main casing A is suitably secured by brackets 23, or like means, to the rear end of the car. The flexible wire cable 18 is then connected with thecrank arm 17 and the ratchet late attached to the steering post 12 of the car in a position just below the Wheel, being secured in this pos1- tion by means of a pair of clamps 2-4. WVith the mechanism thus attached it is only necessary to swing lever 15 in the direction of arrow a. This causes the lower crank arm to swing in the same direction, pulling the flexible cord 18 in the direction of arrow 6 and causing it to unwind from pulley 5 and turn same, with connected shaft and drum 3,

plate. If it is desired to display another signal, it is only necessary toswingthe lever 15 into the second, third, fourth or any other notch desired; each notch indicating that a display surface is in register with the display opening. The return movement of lever 15 permits the tension imposed upon .spring 6 to wind the cord 18 back on the pulley and at the same time revolve the cylinder to normal position which indicates that the car is going straight ahead. The movement of lever 15 is preferably limited at each side of the plate by a stop pin 26 and each notch may be numbered or otherwise designated to indicate which sign or signal is being displayed.

The mechanlsm here shown is slmple 1n construction easily attached to an auto.-

mobile, and is equally simple in operation and requires such a little space that it Will not interfere with the operation or handling of any other part of the car.

. The materials and finish of the several parts of the device are such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer ma dictate.

We wish it understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor'details of construction may .be resorted;'.-to within the scope of the appended claim also be used at the frpnt as well as the rear 1 by simply conneeting'it with the operating device.

I-Iaving thus described our invention,

what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- In an automobile direction indicator, a casing having an open end, a rotatable member in the casing having a closed end spaced from the open end of the casing, said closed end of the member having an outwardly opening socket, a shaft, a spring connected to the shaft, a housing for the spring having side plates through which the shaft ends project, said housing having a diameter but slightly less than the interior diameter of the casing, a pulleyon the outer end of the shaft, said shaft having a squared inner end whereby the housing, spring and pulley when connected to the shaft may be inserted in the casing and the squared inner end of the shaft placed in the socket from the outer end of the latter, and the housing periphery directly engaged with the inner circumference of the casing, means to secure the housing to the casing, and a closure for the open casing end which closure is spaced from the outer end of the shaft.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMILE CERF.

- FORREST JORDAN.

Witnesses:

IVILLIAM T. HoBsoN, ARTHUR CERF.

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