US723739A - Station-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1904's.

E..G. SCHWARZ. STATION INDIGATOR. -APPLIoAToN FILED 00131, 1902.

io MODEL.

F @A L T.

TH: MORRIS PETERS co. mouufno., WASNINGTUN, D. c.

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

ERNEST G. SCHWARZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STATION-IN DiCAToR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 723,739, dated March 24, 1903.

Application led 0ctober`3l, 1902. Serial No. 129,620. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.:

Be it known that I, ERNESTG. SCHWARZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an indicating device especially adapted for indicating stations or streets on railways, although it may be used for any purpose where it is desired to show at intervals various signs, characters, pictures, or information of any kind.

The invention involves 'a pair of rollers which carrya web upon which are the signs or pictures to be exhibited, a motor, and suitable clutch andtripping mechanism for moving the web step by step in a given direction and for reversing the movement at any time desired.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan or face View of the apparatus with parts broken away and partsv in section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation ot' the device, showing the mechanism on both ends in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a detail.

A indicates the framework, consisting, es# sentially, of three parallel plates connected together by binding-rods similar to ordinary clockframes.

B and B indicate two rollers adapted to carry a web O, which leads from one roller to the other, passing over guide-rods b b and behind a glass set into an outer inclosing case, a part C of which is shown. This web C will contain the names of the various streets or stations in succession on a railway', or it may contain bits of information of any character intended 'to be shown in succession. The shaft b of roller B is mounted to slide longitudinally in its bearings in the frame. One

end carries a pinion e and a disk e', havinga shoulder e2 upon its periphery. At the other end this shaft projects through the frame and is provided with an annular groove e3. Roller B/ is similarly mounted in its bearings, its shaft being provided on one end with a pinionfand diskf, having a shoulderfz, and on the other end, also projecting through the frame, an annular groovef3.

On one side of the apparatus is placed a spring-motor consisting of a spring-drum Gr and two trains of gearing g and g', both driven thereby. The last wheel of the train g (indicated by g2) is in a position to be engaged by the pinion e, while thelast wheel of the other train (indicated by g3) is in a position to be engaged by the pinion f. WVheu one pinion is iu engagement withits train, the other pinion is ont of engagement with its train, and whichever train is operating determines the direction of movement of the web. On that end Aof, the apparatus opposite the motor is mounted ya rock-shaft 71 having an arm h', by means of which it can be rocked slightly. This shaft also vcarries a doubleended bar, one end t' of which engages with the annulargroove 'in shaft b by means of aforked end, while the other arm t" leads.

in the opposite direction and similarly engages with the annular groove in the shaft b2. The free end of thearm h has attached to it two cords 7' and j', leading in opposite directions therefrom and over suitable guide-pulleys 7o and lc to points conveniently reached lfor manipulation. Adjacent to the respective disks e and f are arranged two levers Z and m, the former being pivoted at one extremity Z to the frame-plate and the latter being pivoted at an intermediate point m to the frame-plate. The upper end of each lever carries a dog or detent o, (shown in Fig. 3,) adapted to engage with the shoulder of the disk opposite which it is placed. The lower end of lever m and an intermediate point of the lever l are connected together by a shiftingsbar p, which is arranged inside of the frame-plate, the connection withthe two levers being by means of a pivot-pin passing through slightly-elongated openings in the frame-plate. A cord may be attached to the end of the shifting-bar so that it can be moved longitudinally when desired, and a spring q, attached at one end tothe frame-plate and bearing at the other end against the bar, returns the latter after it has been manually moved.

The operation is as follows: By pulling on the cord fthe shaft b is thrown to the left ICO and the shaft b2 to the right, causing pinion e to engage with its train and pinionf to become disengaged. The motor then rotates roller Bin a direction to wind up the web and display a certain sign at the window in front of the appara-tus. When the sign has become centrally placed, the shoulder c2011 disk e engages with the dog on the end of lever Z and the rotation ceases. The sign remains in View as long as desired, and when a change is nec essary the shifting-bar p is pulled. This throws both dogs away from their respective disks, and the shaft being released, the motor again rotates roller B in the same direction and is again stopped after one complete rotation by the engagement of the dog, the same having been releas'ed and carried back into position immediately after having been pulled. During these motions the shoulder on disk f does not engage with its dog because the rotation is not in the proper direction for engagement. Vhen all of the signs have thus been successively shown, or in fact at any 1 time during the passage of the web from one roller to another, the direction of the step-bystep motion can be changed. This is done by pulling on the cord j', which reverses the position of the armst' t" and throws pinion finto engagement with its train and pinion e out of engagement. Then by operating the shifting-bar p, as before described, the web is moved step by step in the opposite direction. IfIence one motor is used for movements in both directions, and the apparatus is simple and easily controlled. Obviously other devices might be used to pull the various cords or effect the various shifting movements, and my invention is not therefore limited to the particular means described.

It is needless to mention the various uses to which a device of this kind can be applied, but I may state that I contemplate using it as a chart for purposes of instruction and as an advertising-machine for displaying pictures and other advertising matter.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a movable sign apparatus, the combination of two rollers, a web adapted to be moved by the same, a motor, two trains of gearing driven thereby, devices adapted to respectively connect the rollers with the trains of gearing, a detent for each roller and a single shifting device for both detents, substantially as described.

2. In a movable sign apparatus, the combination of two shafts movable longitudinally, a pinion and a notched disk carried by each shaft, two levers having dogs adapted to engage respectively with the notches in the disks, a shifting-bar acting simultaneously on both levers, a motor, two trains of gearing driven by the motor and means for throwing one or the other of the pinions into engagement with a corresponding train, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST G. SCII WARZ.

Vitnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, WALDo M. CHAPIN.

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