US2225961A - Illuminated number sign - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 24, 1940. K, L, RUNDBERG 2,225,961

ILLUMINATED NUMBER, SIGN Filed sept. 25, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 1 DSC. 24, 1940. K, L RUNDBERG 2225,96

ILLUMINATED NUMBER S IGN Filed sept. 25, 1939 `2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUlVIINATED NUMBER SIGN corporation Application September 25, 1939, Serial No. 296,359

3 Claims.

This invention relates to illuminated number signs; and has special reference to signs adapted for use to designate house or door numbers, although the use of the invention is not restricted to '5 that purpose alone.

An object of the invention is to provide an 'improved illuminated sign unit adapted to be embedded in a building wall and having improved means for engaging the materials of the building wall to hold the unit positively and securely embedded therein and to cooperate with the inside of the unit to reflect the light against the front wall of the u-nit to illuminate the number displayed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved illuminated sign unit comprising walls forming a housing and adapted to be embedded Within the wall of a building and to cooperate therewith to form a complete building wall, in

combination with a translucent front wall for the unit and means for attaching directly thereto opaque elements constituting digits or letters, or the like, in approximately uniformly spaced relation to provide a house sign which is clearly legible in daylight without artificial illumination, and

which may be illuminated so as to be clearly legible in the dark.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrically illuminated sign of the character mentioned having improved means for supporting electric lamps within a housing, and rellecting devices for reflecting the light of the lamps to a translucent front wall having a house number displayed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting wall for the digits of house numbers comprising a section of ilexible translucent material adapted to form the exposed wall of Aa concealed illuminating unit and having two rows of approximately uniformly spaced holes therethrough adapted to receive fasteners passing through the digits of house numbers seated against said wall and composed of opaque material so that, when the device is illuminated, the

Wall will appear as translucent and the house number will be clearly legible.

Various Vother objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following d'escription., reference being made to the `annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front View showing my improved illuminated house sign mounted within and forming a part of a building wall.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view von the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view approximately on the line4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 5 4,.showing an appropriate connection of the electrical devices.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, showing the mounting for the electric lamp supports.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one ofthe socket members for supporting a pair of electric lamps.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the socket member that is shown in Fig. 7.

Fig, 9 is an enlarged detail sectional View on the line 9 9 of Fig. l, of a portion of the flexible translucent front Wall of the unit showing one of the house number digits attached thereto.

Fig. 10 isa perspective view of a house number digit showing the two spaced portions 'thereof a adapted to receive attaching fasteners, as 'shown in Fig. 9.

As shown, the device comprises a housing composed of a strip of sheet metal forming a back wall I and two end walls 2 diverging forwardly from the back Wall. The strip is of approximately uniform width. The end margins 3 of the Walls 2 are extended in approximate alinement with each other. A pair of side walls 4 are engaged against the edges of the strip that forms the walls I and `Z, and have angularly extended flanges 5 and 6 engaging the margins of the walls I and 2 and rigidly secured theretoby solder or other attaching means. The walls 4 are formed with corrugations 'I which receive and rmly engage portions 8 of the mortar or other building wall forming material. Thus, the housing lprovided by the Walls I, 2 and 4 is designed and adapted to be embedded in and to form 'a part of a building wall, and may be mounted in the Wall during initial construction thereof, or subsequently placed in the wall. Preferably, this housing has approximately the same dimensions as the dimensions of a standard structural brick, with the exception that the walls 2 converge rearwardly, so that the vdevice may be mounted in a wall in place of a brick and the corrugations 'I engaged with or embedded in the mortar. To ll the corners beyond .and adjacent to the inclined Walls 2, brick fragments 9 may be used. The outer margins I0 of the corrugated walls 4 are extended laterally in the same plane with the flanges 3. The flanges 3 and the margins 4 substantially cover the mortar embedding or surrounding the housing composed of the Wall elements described.

A section II of insulating material, preferably characterized with reflecting qualities, is attached to the inner surface of the wall I by fasteners I2. A metallic socket member I3 is attached to the part II by a fastener I4 and has flexible arms I5 formed in connection therewith and provided with curved rebent ends I5 constituting sockets for the sleeves II of the electric lamps I8. The socket members I5 are resilient and are formed with projections I9 to engage with or into the lamp sleeves II and securely hold them in position in the sockets. An electric circuit wire 20 has one end attached to a binding post 2| in electrical communication with the socket member I3 and with the sockets I6.

A metallic bracket 22 is attached to the insulating member by a fastener 23, and the other electric circuit wire 24 is attached to a binder 25 in electrical contact with said bracket 22. Resilient arms 26 formed integral with the bracket 22 extend laterally to position to be engaged by the contact ends 2'I of the electric lamps I 8 so that, when the circuit provided by the wires 20 and 24 is closed, the electric lamps I8 will be lighted. The resiliency of the sockets IB and of the contact arms 25 permits lamps of different sizes to be used interchangeably. The wires 2U and 24 are enclosed in a conduit 28 embedded in the building wall and extending into a socket 29 provided as a part of the unit. The socket 29 extends through a hole in the wall I and is clampingly engaged therewith by a flange 30, and a nut 3I screwed on the end of the socket 29 and cooperating with the flange 30 to hold the socket 29 in engagement with the wall I. A clamping bracket 32 extends through holes in the socket 29 and engages the conduit 28. A screw 33 passing through the bracket 32 and screwing into the socket 29 affords means for clamping the bracket 32 against the conduit 28.

This unit as described and the conduit 28 may be mounted in the building wall during the construction thereof and at a desired location without difficulty. 'Ihe device may also be mounted in a wall that has been constructed by removing one of the bricks and mounting the housing in place thereof in connection with the conduit 28 and the electric wiring.

The outer wall of the housing comprises a section 34 of flexible and substantially infrangible translucent material adapted to seat against the outer surfaces of the iianges 3 and IIl and having its edges approximately even with the edges of said flanges (Figs. 2 and 3). Each panel 34 is formed with two parallel horizontal rows of holes 35 (Fig. 9), complementary holes in the upper and lower rows constituting pairs of holes in direct vertical alinement. These pairs of holes are spaced equidistant from each other so that the digits forming different house numbers may be applied and attached to the respective panels interchangeably and in proper spaced relationship, irrespective of the order in which the digits occur in the different house numbers.

Each of the digits 36 is formed with a pair of holes 3l (Fig. 10) spaced vertically from each other a distance approximately equal to the vertical distance between the holes 35 so that fasteners 38 may be passed through the holes 3l and 35 and clampingly engaged against the inner surface of the panel 34. As shown, each fastener 38 is in the form of a staple having a head engaging against the outer surface of a digit 36 while the arms of the staple extend through the holes 31 and 35 and are bent into clamping engagement with the panel 34. Therefore, it is diicult or impracticable to remove the staples 38 without rst straightening the bent arms thereof so as to permit withdrawal of the staples from engagement with the panel 34.

My invention comprises an angular frame 39 adapted to enclose and abut against the edges of the iianges 3 and I0 and also toy enclose and abut against the margins of the panel 34 (Figs. 2 and 3). Fasteners 40 pass through holes in the frame 39 in the margins of the panel 34 and in the flanges 3 and clamp these parts together in a manner to prevent displacementl thereof. The frame 39 constitutes a retaining device and also an ornamental border for the translucent panel 34. The translucent section 34 is flexible and substantially infrangible so that it will not be easily broken but can bend in order to conform to irregularities along the margins 3 and I0 caused by the material of the building wall or otherwise, and in order to avoid the necessity of careful handling to avoid breakage as well as to permit the fasteners 40 securing the parts together as a unit to be tightened and released without damage.

It should now be apparent that the invention attains all of its intended objectives in a highly eicient manner, may be made inexpensively and of ornamental appearance, and may be easily attached within a wall during initial construction thereof, or may be subsequently mounted in a wall without defacing or marring the appearance of the surrounding wall structure. The construction and arrangement of the parts may be varied within equivalent limits without departure from the nature and principle of the invention.

I claim:

l. A device of the character described comprising continuous parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, outwardly diverging end walls forming a casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in a building wall; a socket device in connection with said rear wall for supporting an electric lamp within the casing for connection with an electric circuit, laterally extended anges in connection with the outer margins of said top, bottom and end walls having holes therethrough, a flexible translucent outer Wall for the casing seated against and having its outer edges even with the outer edges of said flanges and having holes therethrough registering with said holes in said flanges, an angular frame abutting against the outer edges of said flanges and said wall and also covering the margins of said wall and having holes registering with said holes in said wall and said flanges, and fasteners passing through said holes in said frame and said wall and flanges and attaching said frame and said outer wall to said flanges.

2. In a device of the character described comprising continuous parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, and outwardly diverging end walls forming a casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in a building Wall; projections in connection with said top and bottom walls for engaging with the materials of the building wall to prevent outward displacement of the casing, a socket device in connection with said rear wall for supporting an electric lamp within the casing in connection with an electric circuit, laterally extended fianges in connection with the outer margins of said top, bottom and end walls, a translucent outer wall for the casing seated against said anges and having opaque digits in connection therewith, a frame enclosing and abutting against the outer edges of said flanges and being thereby held from lateral displacement and also abutting against the edges of said outer Wall, and fasteners passing through said anges, said outer wall and said frame and attaching said frame and said outer Wall to said anges.

3. In a device of the character described comprising continuous parallel top and bottom Walls, a rear Wall, and outwardly diverging end Walls forming a casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in a building wall, means integral with said top and bottom Walls for engaging and holding said casing rigidly in said building Wall, a socket device in connection with the rear wall for supporting an e1ectric lamp Within the casing for connection with an electric circuit, laterally extended flanges integral with the outer margins of said top, bottom and end Walls, a exible translucent outer Wall for the casing seated against and having its outer edges even with the outer edges of said anges, opaque digits in connection with the outer surface of said outer Wall, a frame having portions enclosing and abutting against the outer edges of said flanges and said outer Wall and also covering the margins of said outer wall, and fasteners extending through said frame and the margins of said outer wall and through said anges and attaching said frame and said outer wall thereto.

KARL L. RUNDBERG.

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