US1861306A - Automobile signal - Google Patents

Description

May 31, 1932. R FLEEK 1,861,306

AUTOMOBILE S IGNAL Filed Oct. 5, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 1 i H TN H N d 1 :1. U k

27 5 9 1:1 1:1 d: H H l X E. Eileen INVENTOR ATTORNEY May 31, 1932.

R. E. FLEEK 1,861,306

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Oct. 5, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E FZQQW ATTO R NEY May 31, 1932. R. E. FLEEK 6 1? I AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Oct. 5. 1928 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 {GI/149.9. E'fifi WWW M:

KFHME H 2 2 ET E NH] N llllliiii Fmfi FAT {jg !EEEEEEi| T E? H N U [N E FilLLE F W Patented May 31, 1932 ROY E. FLEEK, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Application filed October 5, 1928.

This invention relates to a directional signal for motor vehicles and the like, the general object of the invention being to provide means for indicating when the vehicle is to stop or is to be turned to the right or left.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casing having a plate in its front stenciled with upper and lower groups of characters, the upper group forming the composite word Stop and Turning and the lower group forming the composite word Right and Left, with means within the casing and including electric lamps, so arranged that when one circuit is closed the characters forming the word Stop will be illuminated and when the second circuit is closed, the characters forming the words Turning right will be illuminated and when the third circuit is closed, the characters form ing the words Turning left will be illuminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide the device with the ordinary tail light.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure l is a front View of the device.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken immediately in rear of the stenciled plate.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken immediately in rear of the .first chambered plate.

Figure 4 is a rear view of the second chambered plate.

Figure 5 is a top, plan view, with the top of the casing broken away.

Figure 6 is a section on line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a section on line 77 of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Serial No. 310,544.

Figure 9 is a view showing the Turning right signal illuminated.

Figure 10 is a View showing the signal Turning left illuminated.

Figure 11 is a view showing the signal illuminated.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits.

In these views, the numeral 1 indicates the casing of the device whichis adapted to be fastened to any suitable part of a motor vehicle or the like at the rear thereof, said casing having its .ends stepped, as shown, so that the upper part of the casing is longer than its central portion and the central portion is longer than the lower portion. This reduced lower portion forms a chamber for the tail, lamp 2 and the front of this chamber is closed by the usual red lens 3. The

front of the casing above the tail lamp part 1 is open and a transparent plate 4 covers the opening. A stenciled plate 5 rests against the rear face of the transparent plate, and this plate 5 is stenciled with upper and lower groups of characters, the upper group 6 forming either the word Stop or the word Turning and the lower group 7 forming either the word Right or the word Left. A plate 8, having the partitions 9 thereon, is placed in the casing with the free edges of the partitions engaging the stenciled plate 5, and a second plate 10, having the partitions ll thereon, is placed in the casin with the edges of its partitions engaging t e rear of the plate 8. Spaces 12 are placed between the rear of this plate 10 and the rear cover plate 13 of the casing so as to form a chamber A at the rear of the casing. The par titions 11 on the plate 10 form two chambers B and C, the chamber C being below the chamber B, with one chamber extending beyond the end of the other chamber and the two chambers being in communication with each other through the small opening 11.

A chamber D is formed between the plates 8 and 10 by the end partitions 11 and the walls of the casing 1. At the opposite end of the casing, the plate 10 extends a short distance into the top step of the casing, while this end of the plate 8 has an opening 14 this s-witch may be arthreesway one.

therein so that a lateral extension A of chamber A is formed at the left hand end of the casing which places this chamber A in register with the character S of the upper group of characters 6. The top parts of both the plates 10 and 8 and their upper partitions are recessed to form the passage 15 which places the chamber A in communicationwith an arc-shaped slot 16 formed in the stenciled plate over the character U in the upper group of characters (S -so as to form-the char acter O when this slot and the U forming slot are illuminated.

The rear part of the plate between .the

, passage and the left hand end ofthe plate lS'-IOll'l1(ld,' as shown at: 17, and a. lamp; 18 is placed on this rounded :portion. so that the rays-of light. therefrom will passithrough the extension A"and through-the passage 15 toilluminate the characteWS andtheslot 16.

Electric bulbs 19 are carried. by theplate 10 on the front face of the plate, some of'these bulbsibeing designated. at B others-being designated L and one of the bulbs being desigr nated S. As. will be seen, there are three bulbs in chamber B designedR, S and L respectively: andthere are two bulbs in the chamber G designated respectively B and L and thereare also two bulbs in chamber D designated R and L respectively. The R bulb inchamber B is placed partly in the passage 11. As shown in Figure 12, the bulb Sin chamber B and .the bulb 18 in chamber A- are arranged in a.- circuit. a. The three L bulbs. are arranged in aicircuit designated by the letter Z) and the three R bulbssare arranged in a-circuitindicatedat 0. A switch 20 is arranged in. each circuit. If desired, This Figure 12 also shows'thecircuitd containing aswit-ch 21 for the tail lamp 2.. Theconductors for these bulbs pass through an opening 22 formed in the rear cover plate 13 and are connected with the'battery of the car or other suitable source.

The partitions 9 on. plate 8 divide the same into the chambers EandF- and intoa small L-shaped'chamber G which projects into the chamberrE." The plate 8 isv formed with an opening 23 arranged immediately above the upper end of the partitions forming the chamber G and this opening is directly in front of the R lamp in chamber B. Asecond opening 24 is arranged in the right hand end of thechamber E and .is located-in frontof the R lamp in chamber-G. A- pairofopenings 25 is formed in plate 8 in cha'mberF and one of. these openings is in frontof the L .lamp in chamber D and-the otheris. in front of the R- ;lamp, in'said chamber D. The plate 8 is also formed with the. slotsor openings 26 whichiare of respective- T, Uand-P shape and: these-.1 openings communicate with l the :chamberrB -and;they are in; alignment with the characters T, U and the P forming part of the composite character PR on the stenciled plate 5. The slot 27 in said plate 5 which converts the P into an R is arranged in the left hand extension F of the chamber E and the characters NING are in communication with said chamber E. An li=shapedislot28=is formed inplate-8 and places the chamber G in communication with the chamber C and this slot 28 is in alignment With the clraracter lj'in the lower group of characters 7 on the stenciled plate. The Yertical'slot'29 in the stenciled plate, arranged adj acent the character L therein, is in communication with the chamber E. The plate 8 lSrTOIII'lGd with theone verticaland two horizontal slots:30 which are. arranged in; theright hand 1 end of 'the -lowerpart ofchamber E and. these slots: are; in a communication with the: chamber G. A- block.31 isarranged on the; plate 8v and engages-the stenciled plate and islocated between ;-the horizontal slots 30 and an opening 332. passes through the block and the plate8 and isincommunicationwith the chamberG and'h as its front end.registering with a. .slot- 33 in the stenciled plate which forms -a part" of the composite character. EG and-isxusedto form the letter E when the:Left turning signal is-being" used. An angle shapedslotfi t also forms part, of. this composite character. andisin communicationwith the right hand partof chamber. E and-forms thetletter 'G -when the Right turning. signal .is being. used.

A .vertical slot' 35-and a short horizontal slot 36 are formed in plate 8 in the right hand part of: chamber- E. and communicate with cl iamber. G, and these slots are. in register with .the first partiofthe composite'letter HE in thev lower group of characters on the stenciled plate, the rear part of this composite. character: being in communication with ithe chambenE. Abl00k-37 .is arranged in the right liand part of chamberE in plate 8 and a slot\88 ,passesthrough thisblock and through the plat-ev 8 and is in communication witlrthechamber. andthis slot- 38 is. in register. with a: slot 39 formed in the. stenciled plate between the -upper ends of. the two partsof the. character 26in the group 7. The character T ofthis group is in. communication' with thelowerpartof the chamber.F. I l

, EIQIllillhQ foregoing it. will be. seenthat when the switch 20 in circuit a is closed, currentwill passto thelamp 18 on .the rear part of the plate 10 and to the S lampin-chamber Bsothat; the rays oflight from lamp 18'will pass through the extension A? of chamber A thus illuminate the character- S of the upper group of characters on the stenciled plate 5 and somev of-the rays ofslight. from this lamp will pass through the passage 15 and through;the arc-shaped slot 16. in the stenciled plate. The rays of light from the S lamp in chamber B will pass through the slots 26 which form respectively the letters T, U and P and through the characters T, U and P on the stenciled plate, so that the word Stop will be illuminated, the rays of light passing through the slot 16 converting the U into an O and as the slot 27 in the stenciled plate is out of alignment with the chamber E, no rays of light will pass through this slot, so that the character P is formed. Thus the Stop signal will be given. When the circuit d is closed, the three L lamps will be lighted and the rays of light from the L lamp in chamber B will pass through the slots 26 and the registering character forming slots in the stenciled plate so as to illuminate the letters T, U and P, while the rays of light from the L lamp in chamber D will pass through one of the openings 25 into the chamber F and will pass through the slot 27 in the stenciled plate, thus completing the illumination of the letter R and also illuminating the letters N ING, so that the word Turning is formed. The rays of light from the L lamp in chamber C will pass through the slot 28 and the character L on the stenciled plate and some of the rays of light from this lamp will pass through the slots 30 as well as the hole 32, thus illuminating the E character, and some of the rays of light from this lamp will pass through the slots 25, 36 and 38, thus illuminating the F character and the T character will be illuminated by the rays of light from the L lamp in chamber D passing into chamber F and through the T character. Thus the word Left is illuminated in the lower group of characters, so that the complete signal will read Turning left.

When the circuit 0 is closed, the R lamps will be lighted, which will illuminate the word Turning in the first group of characters, as before described, and some of the rays of light from these lamps will pass through the openings 23, 24 and 25 in the plate 8 and illuminate the characters forming the word Right in the lower group of characters, thus giving the signal Turning right. As will be seen, this invention will give the three signals Stop, Turning right and Turning left, with a casing of comparatively small size and of few parts so that the device will present a neat and attractive appearance and will not be awkward in size, as it would be if the signal words were arranged separately.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim,

What I claim is A direction signal comprising a casing having an open front and provided with the ends thereof stepped to form the easing into portions of different lengths, a stencilled plate bearing direction characters closing the casing and having letters STORNING for the upper compartment, and letters RLIGHT for the lower compartment, a dividing plate in said casing to provide a front chamber, partitions carried by the dividing plate and abutting the stencilled plate to divide the chambers into compartments arranged one above the other and one partition having an opening to establish communication between said chambers, a second dividing plate in the casingproviding intermediate and rear chambers, spacing elements between the second dividing plate and the rear wall of the casing, partitions on the second dividing plate bearing against the first dividing plate to provide a plurality of lamp compartments, lamps in said compartments, said first dividing plate having light openings establishing communication between the compartments of the intermediate and front chambers to permit illumination of the characters by the lamps, said rear chamber extending about one of the ends of the intermediate and front chambers and having one of the characters disposed in front th(reof, and a lamp in the rear chamber, whereby the words Turning or Stop may be selectively displayed from the upper compartment and Right or Left from the lower compartment.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROY E. FLEEK.

Images