Switchboard for illuminating electric-lamp signs.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets—Sheet I.

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HIE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTO-UT(lO.. WASHINGTON. 0. C.

No. 702,149. Patented June 10, 1902.

M. NORDEN &amp; L. S. CRANDALL.

SWITCHBOARD FOR ILLUMINATING ELECTRIC LAMP SIGNS.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1902.) (Wo Model.) 2 Sheets— Sheet 2.

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THE NORRIS PETEHS CO). PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. 0. C.

United States Patent Office

MORTIMER NORDEN, OF NEW YORK, AND LUCIEN S. CRANDALL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SWITCHBOARD FOR ILLUMINATING ELECTRIC-LAMP SIGNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,149, dated June 10, 1902.

Application filed Marell 19) 1902. Serial Ho. 98)888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Mortimer Norden, residing at the borough of Manhattan, and Lucien S. Crandall, residing at the bor5 ough of Brooklyn, in the city and State of New York, citizens of the United States, have invented an Improvement in Switchboards for Illuminating Electric - Lamp Signs, of which the following is a specification.

io Our invention relates to devices for simultaneously displaying at a predetermined spot several electric-lamp signs of numerals or letters, the numerals constituting a number or the letters a word. These electric-lamp 15 signs are such as are shown in design patents, dated July 23, 1901, Nos. 34,848 and 34,849.

In our present invention several monograms of lamps are simultaneously operated 20 by a device consisting of parallel series of spring-actuated circuit-selectors arranged to contact with correspondingly-arranged circuit-wires, the coaeting groups thereof beingdetermined by perforated cards acting simi25 larly to the cards of the Jacquard loom. The cards are received one at a time in a receptacle embracing the groups of circuit-wires. A card covers all of the circuit-wires except those predetermined according to the letters 30 or numerals to be displayed, and these are exposed by the openings of the card and permit the passage of the spring-actuated circuit-selectors to electric contact therewith when said circuit-selectors are swung to place 35 and at which time the various electric contacts are made and the circuit established. The circuit is broken with the return movement of the parts.

In the operation of the device the parts are 40 so arranged and timed in their movements that the circuit-selectors are brought to place before the electric contact is made and the circuit established, and said contact is broken and the current shut off before the separa45 tion of the circuit-selectors from the contactwires is effected. Therefore there is in the operation of the devices no sparking which would have a tendency to injure the parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation 50 representing our improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial plan of the parts shown Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the parts as separated in contradistinction to the closed position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is an 55 elevation of the face-plate,showingthe groups of circuit-wires and the receptacle for the perforated cards. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the back or inner face of the device carrying the spring-actuated circuit-selectors, and Fig. 60 7 is an elevation of a perforated card.

We prefer to employ a case of insulating material for the group of circuit-wires comprising a back plate 2, side plates 3, and a face-plate 4. In this face-plate 4 from one 65 side—that is, from the left hand, Fig. 5, toward the right hand—is a receptacle 5, with opposite grooved edges adapted to receive the perforated card. The circuit-wires which extend to the monogram of lamps are shown at 70 7, and where they pass through this plate 4 they are preferably surrounded by tube-sections G. These circuit-wires are arranged in parallel, horizontal, and vertical rows at predetermined spaced-apart intervals. As 75 shown in Fig. 5, there are three parallel horizontal rows and eight parallel vertical rows.

The switch is preferably composed of the base-plates 8 9, to which are connected pivotposts 10 11, and the blade-bars α δ are piv- 80 oted to the posts 10 11. The spring-clips 12 13, with which the opposite ends of the bladebars come into electrical connection, are secured to base-plates 14 and 15, and the several base-plates S, 9, 14, and 15 are secured 85 to the face of the plate 4.

Between the blade-bars a b there are insulating-material cross-bars c d, a handle 16 being securely connected to the cross-bar c and the cross-bar d on its rear face being recessed 90 and curved for a bow-spring i, hereinafter described. A hinge formed of plates e e' is employed, the plate e being secured to the faceplate 4 by screws, with one end of the plate e bolted to the base-plate 8. A block f of in- 95 sulating material is provided with parallel, horizontal, and vertical rows of offset apertures spaced apart between the centers to agree with the circuit-wires 7, and the plate e² covers or overlies the outer surface of this 100 block / and is secured thereto, the plate e' of the hinge being secured to the plate e² and

702,149 the block/ and hinging the block to the faceplate 4.

We employ a helical spring g, received in a recess in the face-plate 4 atone end and at' the other end in a shallow recess in the block /, the said spring being located centrally and in proximity to the pivot of the hinge-plates and the bow-spring i, secured by rivets at one end of the plate e² of the block and at the other end received in the recess of the crossbar d, the spring g having the function of moving the block/away from the face-plate 4 and the spring i of moving the switch device on its pivots at the posts 10 11 away from contact with the clips 12 13, and we would remark that the bow-spring i is of greater tension and strength than the helical spring g—so much so that it is adapted to maintain the block / in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 until after the bars a b of the switch are removed from contact with the clips 12 13 and the parts are brought toward the position Fig. 4, when the spring g acts to move the block/into the position shown in Fig. 4.

We employ circuit-selectors h,received and moving in the offset apertures of the block/ These circuit-selectors are each in the form of cup and stem portions, the cup portions being in the larger portions of the apertures and the stem portions in the smaller apertures, that pass through the back face. Helical springs 17 are placed within the cup portions of the circuit-selectors. Atone end they bear against the bases of the cup portions and at the other end against the inner surface of the plate e² of the block, and their action is to force the stem portions of the circuit-selectors to project from the surface of the block/.

A conductor-wire 18 extends from the source of electrical energy to contact with the baseplate 14, a conductor 19 extends from the base-plate 9 from the monogram of lamps, and a conductor 20 extends from the base-plate 15 and returns to the source of electric energy, the various circuit wires or conductors 7 extending to the monogram of lamps, so that the electric circuit is complete from the source of energy by the conductor 18, base-plate 14, spring-clip 12, bar a, post 10, base-plate 8, hinge-plates e e², plate e', springs 17, circuitselectors h, circuit-wires 7, to the monogram of lamps, from the monogram of lamps by the conductor 19 to the base-plate 9, postil, bar b, clip 13, base-plate 15, and conductor 20, back to the source of electric energy.

In Fig. 7 we have illustrated a sample card or ticket k with perforations. These perforations are of larger diameter than the stems of the circuit-selectors or the ends of the circuit-wires 7; but it will be noticed that the distance between centers of these perforations in all directions agrees exactly with the distance. between centers of the circuit-wires 7 or the stems of the circuit-selectors, and one corner of the card k is preferably cut off at an angle, and the receptacle for the card in the face-plate 4 is also cut off at an angle, so that it is impossible to insert the ticket except in the one way, which is the correct way, for if 70 the ticket were turned over it would not fit, and when in position, as indicated, the apertures therein expose predetermined groups of the circuit-wires 7, so that the stems of the circuit-selectors pass through the apertures to 75 electric contact with said circuit-wires, and where there are no apertures in the card or ticket the stems of the circuit-selectors rest against the face of the card or ticket, which forms an insulating medium or septum be- 80 tween the circuit-selectors and the conductors.

The parts are in their normal position in Fig. 4, and in the operation of the device a ticket is inserted in the groove 5 or receptacle 85 of the face-plate 4, and the handle is turned downward toward the position shown in Fig. 2. By this action and for the reasons hereinbefore described with reference to the springs g and i the circuit-selectors are brought into 90 contact with the face of the ticket, and where there are apertures they pass through the apertures and form electric contact with the circuit-wires 7, and after this relation is established the handle reaches such a downward po- 95 sition that the bars α δ pass between the springclips 1213 and the electric contact is made and the circuit established, the current passing, as hereinbefore described, through the predetermined circuit-selectors to the monogram 100 of lamps illuminating the numerals or letters predetermined by the ticket or card k. The illumination of the numerals or letters is maintained so long as the hand of the operator upon the handle 16 keeps the parts in the 105 position shown in Fig. 2. With the return movement the handle and switch are swung upwardly toward the position Fig. 4, and because of the greater power of the spring i the circuit-selectors are kept in electric contact no with the wires 7 until the contact between the bars a b and the spring-clips 12 13 is broken and the electric current shut off, and with the further upward movement of the handle and bars the spring g acts to throw 115 the block / outward into the position Fig. 4, in which the card or ticket k is removed and another one having different perforations inserted to produce with the repetition of the operations a different illuminated number. 120 These movements may be repeated as frequently as desired or necessary, and with the employment of tickets or cards having varying perforations different combinations or groups of circuit-selectors are brought into 125 play to carry out the functions of the device.