US2853819A - Electric signs - Google Patents

Description

L. F. LEESCH ELECTRIC SIGNS Filed July 14, 1955 sept. 3o, 195s- INVENTOR al l l Lows F LEEscH,

ATTORNEY States Patent `ce 2,853,819 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 ELECTRIC SIGNS Louis F. Leesch, Hallandale, Fla., assignor to U Change Neon, Inc., a corporation of Florida Application July 14, 1955, Serial No. 521,955

. 2 Claims. (Ci. 40-130) My invention relates to electric signs.

An important object of the invention is to provide means whereby an electric sign character is mounted upon each individual supporting element or block, and a suitable number of the blocks assembled to produce the completed sign with the sign characters connected in a suitable circuit.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby certain of the electric sign characters will continue to operate when one or more of the sign characters are partly or completely removed. 4

A further object of the invention is'to provide means whereby circuit parts carried by the supporting elements or blocks are suitably connected when the blocks are assembled to form a completed circuit with the signal characters connected therein.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a sign of the above-mentioned character, the parts of which may be quickly and conveniently assembled and separated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout same,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sign unit embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the sign unit, one section of the casing or block being removed, and the sign character being in the innermost position for illumination,

Figure 3 is a similar view, the sign character being partly removed as when burned out, parts of the sign character being broken away,

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a horizontal transverse section taken on line S-S of Figure l,

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sign units assembled to produce the complete sign, with one sign character removed.

ln the drawings, where for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 10, 10a, 10b and 10c designate supporting elements, casings or blocks, which are preferably rectangular, and which are identical, so that a description of one will suice. These casings are formed of insulating material such as plastics material, hard rubber, ibre or the like. Each supporting element or casing comprises casing sections 11 and 12 provided with internal lugs or bosses 13. The bosses 13 of one casing section align with the bosses 13 of the other casing section and these bosses are secured together by screws 14 or the like. lt is thus apparent that the casing sections are rigidly and detachably connected.

The casing sections 11 and 12 are provided in their tops with semi-cylindrical openings 15, which when assembled, form cylindrical openings 15. These cylindrical openings 15 lead into vertical cylindrical sockets 16 formed in the interior of the casing sections 11 and 12 by ribs 16 and 17, formed upon the interior of the casing sections. The cylindrical sockets may be formed by other means. v

Each casing is equipped with a luminous lighting tube character 18. This luminous lighting tube character may vary in shape and design for each casing. I have shown these luminous lighting tube characters as representing letters but they may be in other designs, such as stars, etc. Each luminous lighting tube character 1S includes a glass tube 19 containing neon and having a pressure of about twelve millimetres of mercury. I may employ the luminous lighting tube shown in the book entitled Luminous Tube Lighting by Henry A. Miller, 1946. The luminous lighting tube in this book comprises a glass tube with metallic caps on its ends and electrodes are arranged within the caps and are attached to the caps and electrically connected therewith. The glass tube contains neon. l may also use luminous lighting tubes as shown in Patents 2,156,068; 2,238,277 and 2,254,945. The luminous lighting tube which I employ is conventional.v The luminous lighting tube 19 which I employ has metal sleeves or caps 2t) attached to the ends of the glass tube 19 and electrodes 2l are mounted within these caps and are electrically connected therewith.

Each casing is provided at one vertical edge with a T-shaped groove 21 formed therein and upon its opposite vertical edge with a T-shaped tongue 22 to engage within the groove 21 of the next casing.

The numeral 23 designates generally U-shaped resilient contacts, formed of bronze or the like. The outer end portion of one contact 23 has a horizontal portion 24 extending through a transverse slot 25 formed in the tongue part 22. The horizontal portion 24 is continued in the form of a slightly bowed extension 26 arranged exteriorly of the tongue part 22 and having its free end contacting therewith. The companion U-shaped contact 23 has a generally horizontal portion 27 extending through an opening 28 in the groove part 21 and continued in the form of a slightly bowed extension 29, extending longitudinally of the groove 21 and having its free end engaging the bottom wall of the groove. The slots 24 and 28 are formed in the casing section 11 and the resilient contacts 23 are held in place within this casing section.

The numeral 3i) designates a metal strip, the ends of which extend through slots 31 formed in the casing section 11 and these endsare bent to provide outwardly projecting bowed extensions 32 and 33. The free end of extension 32 contacts with the bottom wall of the groove 21 while the free end of bowed extension 33 contacts with the outer face of the tongue 22. The strip 30 and its extensions are carried by the casing section 11.

When the casing sections 11 and 12 are assembled, and the luminous lighting tube character has its ends inserted into the openings 15', the metallic caps or terminals 20 Contact with the outer inclined sides of the resilient U-shaped contacts 23 and shift these inclined sides to a substantially vertical position, Figure 2, whereby the electrical contact between the inner ends of the resilient contacts is broken. When the luminous lighting tube has burned out and is completely or partly removed, Figure 3, the caps or terminals 20 disengage the inclined outer faces of the resilient contacts and these contacts move inwardly to Contact with each other at their inner ends, Figure 3.

In Figure 6, I have shown the casings 10, 10a, 10b and I 10c, in assembled interlocking engagement, the tongue 22 tact with the bowed extension 33 of the next casing, excepting the end casing 10c. One casing 10b, Figure 6, has its luminous lighting tube removed and hence the resilient contacts 23 thereof have their ends in electrical engagement. bowed extensions 29 and 32 of the casing 10c. A clip 35 is engaged beneath the bowed extension 26 of the casing 10 and a metallic clip 36 is engaged beneath the bowed extension 33 of the jcasing 10.V A wire 37 is connected with the metallic clip 35 and with one pole of a source of current 38, and a Wire 39 is connected with the clip 35 and to the other pole of the source of current. With the circuit arranged as shown in Figure 6, current will pass lfrom the source of current through the wire 37, clip 35, resilient Contact 33 of the casing 10, through kterminal 20, through the luminous lighting tube'18, through the cornpanion terminal 20, through'the companion resilient contact 23 and then through the next luminous lighting tube of the casing ltlayand then through the engaging resilient contacts 23 of the casing 10b and then through the tube of the casing 10c and then to the clip 34. The current then passes through the several metal strips 30 which are in electrical connection and then through the clip 36 and through the wire 39 back to the opposite pole of the source of current. It is thus seen that when any one luminous lighting tube has been removed cornpletely or partly, that the circuit will be made through the engaging companion resilientkcontacts 23 and the circuit may be maintained closed so that the remaining luminous lighting tubes may remain lit. It is thus seen that theV means whichI vprovide not only serves to rnechancally connect the casings but to electrically connect the conducting elements of the various assembled casings so that the circuit may be completed.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electric sign comprising a plurality of insulating casings arranged in end to end relation, each casing being provided at-one end with a tongue and at its opposite end with a groove, the tongue of one casing being adapted for insertion within the groove of the next casing, a pair of contacts carried -by each casing and having extensions, the contact extension of one casing en- A metallic clip 34 is engaged beneath the gaging the contact extension of the next casing, a conducting element carried by each casing and having extensions, the conducting extension of one casing engaging `the conducting element extension of the next casing, means to electrically connect one contact and one conducting element ofI one end casing, means to electrically connect one contact and one conducting element of the other end casing with a source of current, a luminous lighting tube for use with certain vcasings, terminals carried by the tube to engage with the contacts of such casing, and means carried by the casing for receiving and holding said tube.

2. An electric sign comprising a plurality of insulating casings arranged in end to end relation, each casing being provided at one end with a tongue and at its opposite end with a groove, the tongue of one casing being adapted for insertion within the groove of the next casing, a pair of resilient contacts carried by each casing and having extensions which project to the tongue and the groove, the contact extension of one casing engaging the contact vextension of the next casing, a conducting element vcarried -by each casing and having extensions, the ,conducting element extensions passing to the tongue and groove, the conducting element exten- References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,973 Wilson Nov.v 1, 1932 1,914,074 Bruijnes June 13, 1933 1,943,772 Prouty Ian. 16, 1934 1,986,009 Nelson `lan. l, 1935 2,024,409 Wilde Dec. 17, 1935 2,145,967 Boland et a1 Feb. 7, 1939 2,552,249 Baxter May 8,1951

FOREIGN PATENTS 365,488 Great Britain Ian. 21, 1932

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