US1904192A - Sign - Google Patents

Description

M. B. BENSON SIGN April 18, 1933.

Filed Dec. 14, 1929 INVENTOR Wk/125M014 ATTORNEYS "a a .1 w a w d v F I f a W a 1 1. U 6 llvl 3 oo 11 p 7 7 Q m L m w 5 m M NW C a a 1 m 4 i (a. m n T a n fi m w @Patentecl Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED stares MELVIN BERNARD BENSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

were? OFFICE T MELVIN B. Benson CORPORATION, A c'oaronn'rron or NEW Yoax, AND MELVIN IB. BENSON Application filed December 14, 1929. Serial No. 414,042.

This invention relates to signs. One object of the invention is a novel and improved sign advertising. or announcing device and particularly such a device which is 5 usable throughout the twenty-four hours of the day with its efiectiveness unimpairedby daylight. A further object of the invention is .a signof this general character in which may be used sources of light of'any desired or conventional form; A further 0b ect o-f the invention isa sign or advertisingjdevlce in which the characters or letters of the mes-.

sage to be conveyed stand out in the daylight as well as the night as distinctindividualunits though .the lighting is'i'ndirect and though the light for a number of letters originates from a single source. A' further object of the invention isa sign or advertising device of this general character which is further characterized by the economy in 1ts'manufacture, b-y theease and facility with which the message' or subject-matter may be changed and by the ease and facility of repair and replacement of parts. a For a better understanding ofthe invention reference may be had'tov the accompanying drawing forming one embodiment there of wherein: i

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sign made according tion' V i Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View thereof somewhat diagrammatic, Fig. 3 is a planview of the sign,-and Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on an'enlarged scale of parts thereof.

.Referring to the drawing myimproved sign includesa permanent frame structure including the top and bottomplates 1 and end plates 2, these platesbeing of any suitable material as, for example, sheet metal formed intothe desired shapefrom a single piece of metal. Certain ofthe details of the permanent frame unit are omitted for con- ,venience. The frame carries one or more example, to project outwardly theligh rays coming from the adjacent lighting to one-embodiment of the invening there is indicated only one of these SIGN diffusing glass plates 3, in the particular embodiment. shown there being four of these diffusing glass plates, the upper oneforming with the top 1 and end walls2 a lighting chamber 4, the two intermediate ones forming between the'mselves and'the end walls a lighting chamber '5 and the lower one forming with the bottom wall land end walls 2 a lighting chamber 6. These diffusing glass plates are indicated as being supported by angle pieces 7 which are securedto the permanent frame to form a rigid unit therewith, as for example to the end walls 2 by welding. There is a double back to back mirror'8 between the upper pair of diffusing glass plates I Band a similar doublemirror (back to back) in the chamber formed between the lower pair of diffusing glass plates 3, these mirrors being disposed'at the desired angle as, for

chambers. These mirrors, are carried by the permanent frame structure which lncludes the top and bottom walls 1 and end walls'2 P in any suitable manner, as for example by channels 8 welded to the end walls 2. The lighting chambers 4, 5 and dare entirely closed with opaque walls on all sides except for the diffusing glass walls or window i 3. k Conventional incandescent lamps 9 are indicated in these chambers as the light source,

it being understood that as many lamps 9 of the desired capacityand type as may be needed'are employed although in the drawlamps in each chamber. These lamps may conveniently be in the form of elongated tubularbulbs extending lengthwise of the lighting chamber. The electrical connections'are also omitted for convenience. The

permanent frame structure above described carries detachably secured thereto a front plate 10 and a rear: plate 11, each of these plates being stencilled accordingtothe desired messageto be conveyed oradvertise- Q ment to be announced, and over the stencilled part of these plates there is disposed a transparent textile layer 12. I have found that white silk which has been suitably treated to render it fireproof forms a very satisfactory textile or fabric layer, it having a very fine mesh and functioning to smooth out the image projected from the mirror. It is pasted, for example, on the back or inside of the plates with a view to minimizing the effect of the weather conditions thereupon. The textile layer 12 is preferably white although it may, of course, be desirable in some cases to have it colored. For example amber or faint yellow tint may be employed to good advantage in certain cases. The front and back plates 10 and 11 form the opaque side closing Walls for the lighting chambers 4, 5 and 6. They, therefore, form a tight light seal with the top and bottom walls 1 and the end walls 2 as, for example, by engaging the angles 01' flanges 13 formed from the top wall 1 and the angle pieces 7 which carry the diffusing glass 8. These front and back stencilled plates may be detachably secured in any suitable manner, but in the present instance are indicated as slid in from the top within grooves formed by side flanges 15 formed from the end walls 2 of the casing, these flanges being joined at the top and bottom by elongated bridging members 15 and 14 respectively. U-shaped spring members 14; are secured to the lower wall 1 in the interior thereof against which the lower edges of the plates 10 and 11 abut in the assembled position. The chambers 18 for the reception of the removable plates 10 and 11 are indicated in Fig. 3. The difiusing glass plates 3 may be of any suitable form and color to cause the letters of the message to stand out in clear and distinct outline in the daylight. They may be formed with a diffusing surface in any suitable manner, as, for example, by finely corrugating and rippling or by pitting or sandblasting or they may be of a special composition glass which functionsnot only to give the desired color and character to the light rays passing therethrough, but to thoroughly break up and diffuse the light coming from the sources 9. Any suitable color may be used, but I have found that blue, red, amber or green may be used to good satisfaction. By properly diffusing and coloring the glass plates 8 and by insertion of sources of light of the desired capacity properly distributed within the lighting chambers 4, 5 and 6 these glass plates are illuminated in such manner as to form in effect a source of colored light from which the rays of light 16 emerge to strike the mirrors 8 and from there to be projected through the stencilled plates 10 and 11.

These mirrors are thereby uniformly lighted over their Whole surface and they project forwardly the images of the colored glass plates 3 rather than the images of the source.

The stencilled letters or characters in the front and back plates are uniformly lighted by the light rays of the color of the glass plates 3 with the result that the letters or l and are distinctly defined. in the daylight as well as in the night, the image of the whole colored plate 3 being projected upon the textile layer 12. The latter functionsto soften the projected light without appreciable absorption and to smooth out and render more uniform the character of light images proj ected forward. When it is desired to change the message or advertisement it is only necessary to remove the opaque stencilled plates 10 and 11 and substitute others therefor carrying the desired message, the other parts of the sign being retained as a unit in posiion at all times. In the particular embodiment shown the lighting chamber 5 serves as a source of light for the lower part of the front stencilled plate 10 and for the upper stencilled part of the plate 11 while the lighting chambers 4 and 6 serve only as a source of light respectively for the upper stencilled part of the plate 10 and the lower stencilled part of the plate 11. The sign can be very cheaply manufactured and assembled due to the simplicity of the construction thereof and the use of standard material,

while the operating characteristics of this layer of some protecting material such for example as thesheet of rubber 20. L-shaped members 19 are secured to the end walls 2 to form with the flanges 15 and the flanges 13 guide grooves for the back and front plates 10 and 11. V

I claim:

1. An electric sign including a casing, four light beam diffusing glass plates carried by said casing and forming lighting chambers l at the top, middle and bottom portions thereof with reflecting chambers disposed between the lighting chambers,.double back to back mirrors carried Within said reflecting chambers and inclined to the glass difiusing' plates, each double mirror being adapted to project images of the diffusing glass plates and stencilled plates carried in front and back of said casing directly opposite the reflecting chambers.

2. A sign of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein the stencilled plates are contained Within guideways formed by flanges on the end vvalls of the casing and by members bridging'said flanges.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. V

MELVIN BERNARD BENSON.

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