US1520815A - Signal - Google Patents

Description

Dec, 30, 1924.

C. A. FISCHER SIGNAL Filed Feb. 19, 1924 IN VEN TOR 61A, zfccr WI TN ESSES 9%@ A TTORNE YS Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED r ortica.

SIGNAL.

Application filed February 19, 1924. Serial No. 693,837.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN A. Fisoli- ER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Grand Forks, in the county of Grand Forks and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals, of which the following is a specification. u s

My invention relates to improvements in signals for automobiles, and it consists 1n the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a signal of simplified construction which is adapted to be applied to an automobile or like vehicle and which provides reliable means adapted to be operated conveniently by a driver of the automobile to indicate at any time his intentions with respect to the further movement of the automobile.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signal of the character described in which the signalling element will be releasably held in either signalling or nonsignalling position until moved therefrom by manual act of the operator.

A, still further object of the invention is to provide a signal of the character described which is not likely to get out of order easily, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and thoroughly practical commer cially.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a signal embodying the invention with the cover of the signa-l case in partly raised and laterally swung position,

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the signal and through a fragmentary portion of a support to which the signal is secured, the section being taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure l with the cover of the signal case in closed position,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, the section being taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Figure t is a fragmentary perspective view showing portions of the mechanism for operating the signal arm of the device and for holding the signal arm either in signalling or non-signalling position.

j In. carrying out my invention, I provide a casing indicated generally at l. The casn ing comprises a flat base 2 which is substantially rectangular in configuration. Elongated strips 3 which preferably have a length approximately equal to that of the base 2 are secured upon the base in any suitable known manner or are formed integrally with the base and extend along the longitudinal edges of the base as best seen in Figure l. The strips 3 are rabbeted for their full length along the upper inner edges thereof as indicated at 4 fora purpose to be presently set out. The casing l also includes a cover or lid which may consist of two complementary sections 5'* and 5b as shown or which may be formed in a single piece. The cover a-b is substantially rectangular in configuration and. is approximately coextensive in length and width with the base 2, being adapted to overlie the base 2 and to be supported upon the strips 3 which thus constitutes the sides of the casing. The cover is secured in spaced parallel relation to thebase 2 by screws 6 or like fastening devices by means of which the cover is attached adjacentto its longitudinal edges to the strips or side members 3 and in additionby screws 7 which extend through openings in the cover adjacent to one end of the latter and engage threaded axial openings or sockets in posts 8 which are upstanding from the base 2. rlhe cover and the base thus areheld in such relation in respect to each other that slots 9 and 10 respectively in the cover and base will be disposed in alignment. The slot 9 extends along the longitudinal median line of the cover from a point adjacent to one end of the cover for part of the length of the latter. The position of the slot 10v in the base 2 corresponds to that of the slot 9 in the cover.

The casing described in the foregoing is open at its opposite ends and is adapted to receive an elongated signal arm 11 which has a length less than that of the casing and is adapted to slide in the direction of its length to and from position to extendat one end beyond the corresponding end kof the casing, the longitudinal or side` edges of the signal arm being parallel with each other and the width lof the signal arm being such that the latter is in sliding contact at its longitudinal edges with the walls of] the rabbets in the strips 3.

lll)

The signal arm 11 is fashioned at one end in the similitude of a hand, as indicated at 12. A relatively deep and wide notch or indentation 13 is formed in the other end of the signal arm 11 to provide clearance for a slide block 14 which has reduced portions 15 and 16 respectively in sliding engagement with the slots 9 and 10 in the cover and base respectively of the casing and thus is mounted to have limited movement back and forth in the casing in the direction of length of the latter. A handle 17 carried by the slide block 14 protrudes from the casing through the slot 9 in the cover and is adapted to be grasped to effect sliding movement of the block 14.

Lazy-tongs 18 are disposed within the casing between the base 2 and the plane of the signal arm 11. The lazy-tongs 18 are pivotally attached at one end by a pin 19 to the signal arm 11 at a point along the longitudinal median line of the latter and adjacent to the inner end of the notch 13 in the second named end of the signal arm. The adjacent ends of the members of the lazy-tongs at the second end of the latter are received in a horizontal notch or recess 2O in the adjacent end of the block 14 and are held therewithin inv pivotally connected together relation by a fastening device, such as a screw 21 which thus secures the lazytongs at the second end thereof to the block 14. Two crossed members of the lazy-tongs 18 adjacent to the second end of the latter are pivotally connected to each other midway between their ends and are attached to the base and cover of the casing by a pin 22 which extends through aligned openings in said members of the lazy-tongs and has reduced end portions indicated at 22a and 22b received in aligned openings in the base and cover of the casing.

With the arrangement described, movement of the block 14 longitudinally of the casing will cause the lazy-tongs to be extended or folded and thus will cause the ysignal arm 11 to be slid either from retracted position as illustrated in Figure 1 to a position in which the end portion of the signalling arm indicated at 12 will be extended beyond the corresponding end of the casing and in signalling position or to be returned from extended signalling position toward retracted non-signalling position, as illustrated in Figure 1.

It is desirable that the signal arm shall be releasably held either in extended signalling position or retracted non-signalling position until moved therefrom by manual act. To this end, a spring latch member 23 is secured within the casing, as to the base 2 alongside of the slot 10 by a screw 24 and has means for engaging with a ll-shaped notch 25 in the adjacent side of the block 14 when the block is positioned adjacent to either of the opposite ends of the slot 10 and to then releasably hold the block 14 against sliding movement in the casing.

The latching member 23 may be a piece of spring wire secured intermediate its ends by the screw 24 to the base 2, the end portions of the piece of spring wire being bent in such angular relation to each other as to be adapted to engage respectively with the notch 25 when the block 14 is adjacent to opposite ends of the slot 10 and to each enwith a fixed stop 26 or 27 on the base when the other end portion is in engagement with the notch 25 to place a tension on said other end portion tending to hold the latter in engagement with said notch.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The casing 1 may have attaching members 28 secured thereto and provided with extending end portions having openings for the reception of screws 29 whereby the casing may be attached to a support 30 which iii actual practice may be a portion of the frame of an automobile. rlhe casing 1 will be attached to the support or frame of the automobile so that the signal arm 11 will extend laterally of the automobile when the signal arm is in extended or signalling position and the handle 17 will be in position to be grasped conveniently and manipulated by the operator of the automobile. The signal arm will be relensably held in either extended signalling position or retracted non-signalling position tl'n'ougl'i the action of the spring latch 23 in engagement with the notch 25 in the slide block 14. Therefore, the operator may devote his entire attention to the operation of the automobile when he has manipulated the handle 17 to cause movement of the signal arm 11 to extended signalling position until the reason for moving the signalling arm to signalling position no longer exists. The handle 17 may be then conveniently manipulated to cause return of the signal arm from extended signalling position.

lt will be observed that the strips 3 serve not only as side members of the casing but also as guides for supporting and guidingv the signal arm in its movement to and from extended or signalling position.

Obviously my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawing and l therefore consider' as my own all such modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein described as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

. 1. A signal comprising an elongated casingopen at the end, a signal arm reciprocable in the easing and adapted to be moved to and from position to protrude from the open end of the casing3 a block supported tra within the casing to have limited sliding movement, longitudinally of the casing,

means extending eXteriorly of the casingl for actuating said slide block, lazy-tongs connecting said slide block and said signal arm and being lattached to'said casing, and a spring latch member carried by said easing for engaging with said slide block to yieldingly hold the latter against movement from position at either of the opposite ends of its travel relatively to the casing.

2. A signal of the character described comprising an elongated casing having parallel base and cover members and a pair l of parallel spaced apart side members connecting said base and cover members, an elongated signal arm supported and guided by sald side members for movement to and from position to extend from said casing beyond one end of the latter, a slide block disposed in said casing and having guided limited movement longitudinally of the casing, said slide block having a. handle eX- tending through a slot in the casing exteriorly of the latter, lazy-tongs attached at onel end to said signal member and at the other end to said slide block, said lazytongs being attached adjacent to the second end thereof to said casing, and latching means carriedb-y said casing for engaging said block when the latter is at either of the limits of its movement longitudinally of -the casing to releasably hold the slide block against movement relatively to the casing.

CHRISTIAN `ALBERT FISCHER.

Images