US881943A - Electric-light sign. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

M. NORDEN. ELECTRIC LIGHT SIGN. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1906.

. non'rmna UNITED STATES PAEENT OFFICE.

NORDEN, on NEW YORK.

N. Yk, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC CARRIAGE CALL COMPANY, OF NEW XORK, N. Y}, A, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTBIWLIGHFI. SIGN.

- Speciflc'afion 01 Letters Patent.

Patented March 17,1908.

'A ppfication filed. Au u t '21, 1906. Serial No. 331,445.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORTIMER Norman, a citizen of the UnitedSta-tes residing at the borough of Manhattan, in t e, city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Electric-Li ht Signs, of Wl'llOh the following is a spec' catlon. l

In carrying out my lnventlon I make use of A a shallow boxfor each character or letter of the sign, within which box are lamp sockets so arranged as to be ada ted to form a letter of the alphabet, numera or character, and I rovide interchangeable lates having openings therein adapted to t the lamps and so arranged as to exactly register with the sockets required to form the desired letter, numeral or character with an outline of walls forming the contour of the letter, numeral or character attached to and projecting forward from the plates.

The boxes and the arrangement of the sockets therein may be such as shown in atcut to G. W. Enright, Oct. 27th, 1903, o.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of a com leted sign.

Fig. 2 is a face view of one o the interchangeable plates. Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken transversely. through the letter plate. Fig. 4 is a front View of a single character or letter box with the character or letter plate removed. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the same, with a portion of one of the interchangeable plates in place, and Fig. 6

illustrates a character or letter plate in which ther ro'ecting outline shell has straight walls.

arranged arallel rows of lamp sockets a, permanent y wired to conductors a passing out through the base I). The arrangement of the sockets is such as to produce any one of the letters of the al habet, a numeral or character, and I prefhr the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, which is like that shown in the Enright patent before referred to, although I do not limit myself to this particular arrangement of the lamp sockets.

ably made of sheet meta oxes a have bases b, upon which are Slideways d are formed in the walls of the box a near the front and parallel to the back or base I). I make use of flat interchangeable plates e, having openin s l in them adapted to fit the lamps 9 an so arranged as to exactly register withthe sockets re- 1 uired to form the desired letter, numeral or c aracter, with marginal wallsformed from strips of sheet material bent or out to shape and surrounding the openings and attached to and projecting forward from the upper surface of the plates at substantially right angles thereto, said walls forming the contour of the letter, numeral or other character. These interchangeable plates 6 embody the main features of novelty in this invention and slide into the slideways d, the openings inthe lates being arranged to exactly register wit the sockets requlred to form the desired letter or character. After a letter plate 6 has been slidden into lace in the box I a, lamps g are inserted throug the openings Z in theplate and screwed into the sockets, registering therewith, so that the surface presented, shows only the letteror character desired.

The interchangeable lates e are preferbut may be made of any suitable sheet material. At the back of the walls of the letter outline, I provide flanges f by which the walls fare attached to the plates c, referably by solder or rivets.

It-is desirable to stiffen the front of the letter outline walls by bending over the outer edges thereof as shown. It is preferable to make the walls f of the projecting letter or character outline flaring, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, so thatthe letters may have a greater apparent Width, but they may be made parallel throughout, as shown in Fig. 6.

The advantages of the present invention are that the plates e may be changed at pleasure while the wiring and terminal points remain permanently fixed, and the visible surface of the letter, numeral or character is very clearly delineated.

I claim as my invention:

'1. In an electric sign, the combination of a plurality of interchange able plates, each havlng openings in the form of a letter, numeral or character, and projecting Walls around said openings forming the outline of the letter, numeral or character, substantially as minals, the co ilbination of interchangeable plates havil g openings in the form of a letter of the alphabet and a Wall surrounding said openings and forming the contour of the letter, attached to and projecting forward from the plate, and lamps attachable to said socket terminals through the openings in said plate.

3. In an electric sign, the combination of lamp sockets adapted to be arranged to form a letter, numeral or other character, a plurality of substitutable plates locatable before said lamp sockets and each having openings in the form of a letter, numeral or character,

seams and projecting Walls around said opehi 's forming thecontour of the letter, the o ings in said plates being in registry with lamp sockets arranged to form 'a certain letter, numeral or character, and lamps attachable to said sockets through said openings in the plate.

Signed by me this second day of April 1906.

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MORIIMER NORDEN.

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