US2214275A - Direction indicator - Google Patents

Description

Original Filed March 3, 1934 E a R S URw EEA ME m n P E R S URm E A S ATE n n P m J ((8 mm T/6 Z w 2 w 4..li|| W W m I 3 u W m 0 u A Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED s'r 'r OFFICE DIRECTION INDICATOR Aubrey Hart, New York, N. Y.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to novel means for indicating direction, and is a refile of application Serial Number 713,936, filed March 3, 1934.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an indicator in which the principal feature resides in a device comprising a reversible arrow which may be arranged to point in the desired direction. One of the many uses to which this device can be put is in connection with batteries of elevators, to indicate whether a car to the right or left of a person is in service, although it is not desired to limit the device to this particular use. The device can quickly and easily be adjusted to indicate whether the public is to move to the right or to the left.

The device more particularly comprises a sign having a movable strip associated therewith, said movable strip carrying arrowheads thereon with means to reverse the direction of the arrowheads with respect to said sign when said strip is moved. This object is accomplished by providing the movable strip with two groups of combinations of reversely pointing arrowhead and arrow tail portions, which are so arranged with respect to the sign that, depending upon the direction to be indicated, one arrow head and one tail portion of each combination will be exposed to view so as to display a complete arrow pointing in the desired direction. The sign bears upon its face the representation of the shank of an arrow in such a manner that it is co-ordinated with said arrow head and tail portions to present a complete arrow when the device is in use.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, although changes may be made in the details of the construction shown without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claim. In the drawing, like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a front view of the indicator;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the direction of the arrow as reversed;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the device;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the device with the movable strip removed;

Figure 5 is a View of the movable strip;

Figure 6 is a plan view, and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary section on line 'l--'! of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, numeral l designates the body of the indicator, preferably made from a flat sheet of material. Near the lower edge of the device, two loops 2 and 3, exaggerated in the drawing, are formed by slitting the said body portion as at 4. The spaces 5 in front of the loops are open and form window openings to expose to view the indicia on the movable plate or strip 6. The indicia on said plate comprises the representation of an arrow head 1 and a tail portion of an arrow 8 adjacent each other, displayed near one end of the movable plate, with another arrow head 9 and a tail portion of an arrow I0 adjacent each other, displayed on the opposite side of the plate. The arrow head and tail portions on one end of the plate point in a direction opposite to that of each other and in a direction opposite to that of the similar devices at the other end of the plate.

The reference character I! denotes a representation of the shank of an arrow displayed on the body between the openings 5. When the plate 8 is mounted behind the body of the indicator l and is supported for movement with respect thereto by the loops 2 and 3, said plate will be arranged to display an arrow pointing in the direction desired.

In the operation of the device as shown in Figure l, the plate is arranged to indicate, for example, that the elevator at the right is in service. In this position, the arrow head I and tail portion in are exposed to view through the window openings 5. When it is desired to re- Verse the direction of the arrow, the plate 6 is moved to the right until the arrow head 9 and. tail portion 3 are exposed as shown in Figure 2, at the same time concealing the previously displayed, oppositely pointing, arrow head and corresponding tail portion behind the indicator body I. The shank l I of the arrow performs the same function for each arrow, regardless of its direction.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel, useful, efiicient and inexpensive indicator for general use which has only one moving part, and is therefore simple to adjust and maintain in operation.

What I claim is:

In a device of the class described, a sheet of material having portions thereof removed to provide window openings and a centrally disposed retaining loop for each window, an imperforate bar integral with said sheet disposed between said windows and joining them, a strip behind said windows having the end portions thereof supported by said loops for slidable movement, said strip having an arrowhead and a separate non-corresponding tail at one end, and another similar, but reversely pointing arrowhead and separate non-corresponding tail at the other end of said strip, a representation of the shaft of an arrow on said bar having its axis coinciding, in lineal extension, with the axis of said arrowhead and tail, the arrowhead of one end and the tail of the other end of said strip pointing in one direction when exposed to view through said windows when the strip is moved in one direction, and the other arrowhead and respective tail pointing in the opposite direction when exposed to View through said windows when the strip is moved in the opposite direction, the representation of the arrow shaft on said bar completing the arrow between the head and tail at the completion of the movement of the strip in either direction.

AUBREY HART.

Images