US2199996A - Safety signaling means - Google Patents

Description

May 7, 1940. c. H. HOBSON ET AL 1199.995 SAFETY SIGNALING MEANS Filed July 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CL IF TON h. HOB-SON YCHARLES G/ROUX ATTORINEY 7 L May 7, 1940. c. H. HoBsoN gr AL SAFETY SIGNALING MEANS Filed July 10. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet -2 ATTORNEY Patented May 1, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Three Rivers, Mass.

Application July .10, ms, SeriaLNo. 90,014

s cmmi (or 88-42) This invention relates to safety ,signaling means.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an ingenious safety signaling acv s cessory constructed to be worn by persons whoare subjected to the dangers and hazards of vehicular trafllc accidents-of all descriptions, although it is specifically constructed. for use by pedestrians walking along streets or highways at night, 10 or by traffic officers or others employed on highways; streets, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide reflective means which will produce substantially absolute reflection of light entering the reflective ll means from different angles.

Another object is to provide reflective mea formed in such a manner that they may be utilized with various different types of attachments or supports.

so Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that many changes may be made in the details of construction, and

:5 arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as.

expressed in the accompanyingclaims. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the speciflc details, and ar- 41 ,1 rangements shown and described, as the preferred forms only have been given by way of illustration.'

Referring to the drawings: Fig. I is a perspective view of one form of the invention showing'the reflective means attached to'a resilient band;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line II--II of Fig. I; Fig. 111 is a sectional view taken on line III- III of Fig. I;

a Fig. IV is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the function of the reflective means shown in Figures I to III inclusive;

Fig. V is a perspective view of a modifled form-- of the invention; l

a Fig. VI is a sectional view similar to man.

Fig. XI is a sectional view taken as on line XlofFigX.

Referring more particularly to the drawings illustrating the invention, wherein like .charactersof reference denote like parts throughout 5 the. several views, the reflective members I, as shown in Figs. I to IV inclusive, are formed preferably of vitreous material. i

It is to be understood that the reflective members formed of such vitreous materials may be 10 made to any color desired, such as red, green, yellow, etc.

The reflective members I, as shown in Figs. I to IV inclusive, are preferably provided with a plurality'of curvedsurfaces 2 formed on one face 15 of said members and a plurality of curved surfaces 3- formed onthe opposite or rear faces of said members.

Referring more particularly to Fig. IV, wherein an enlarged fragmentary view of said reflec- 80 j tive surfaces is shown, it will be noted that the radii of curvature 4 of the surfaces 2 are half of the radii of curvature 5 of 'the surfaces 3, with the index of refraction of the vitreous material being approximately 1.5. is; i

The object of forming the surfaces tosuch a radius of curvature is to provide a pluralityof reflective units 6 so constructed that when light rays I and 8 coming from directions indicated by the arrows 9, enter the unit 6, they will be at reflected back in substantially the same direction, as indicated-by the arrows l0 and H, regardless of at what angle they enter the said unit 6.

The front surfaces 2 of the units 6 arefocused on the rear surfaces 3, which surfaces are pro- 1 vided with a coating l2 of silver, aluminum, or other means to form mirror surfaces. The said mirror surfaces 3 are so curved, accordingto the index of refraction of the material used, as to focus the light rays from the front surfaces 2 0 back on themselves so that they will follow the same patlr'that the said rays followed when entering the units 6. This is illustrated diagrammatically-by the various dot and dash lines I to ll inclusive inFig. IV. The various units 6, as 48 shown in Figs. 11 and III, are arranged with their axes l3 radial about a given center of curvature II. The object of this arrangement isto provide anincreased area of reflection II when the lightrays 16 enter the reflective members so from the sides of the reflector. This-is illustrateddiagrammatically in Fig. n.

The reflective members-Llare provided with stripsof metal or other suitable material I'I- anchored at their opposite ends it in the material from which the said reflective members are formed. The strips II are adapted to form loops or keepers through which the arm band I9 may be threaded as shown in Fig. I. The arm band I9 may be formed of elastic or other resilient material, leather, canvas, etc., and may or may not be'provided with a clasp or buckle. 20, as desired, depending, of course,, upon-"thamaterial,

used for the band. a

To aid in retaining the reflective members in desired adjusted position on the arm band I 9 the said strips I! are provided with an inturned During use these edges 2I are adapted to grip the material of the arm band I9 and hold the respective members 'I in adjusted position.

In Fig. V there is shown a modified form of attachment which comprises a pair of spaced pin-like members 22 having a head 23 bent to such shape as to form a clamp attachment to one of the members IT. The pin members 22 and head 23 are formed integrally from a bar or wire of resilient material bent into the shape desired In Figs. VI, X and x1 there is shown a modifled form of the invention wherein the reflective member is provided on its outer face with a plurality of angled light reflecting facets 24, 25, and 26, arranged at different angular relations to each other. The inner face 21A is provided with a continuous spherical surface, preferably having a coating of silver, aluminum, gold, or similar means thereon to provide a mirrored surface.

It will be noted that the front facets 25'are formed in groups A, B, and C, lying at different angular relations with each other. The facets of group A are formed in substantially parallel relation with each other, and adapted to reflect light rays coming from the direction indicated by the arrow 21 back on themselves towards their source of origin so that they will be visible to anyone stationed in the path of said reflected rays. By providing a plurality of facets 25 having their surfaces parallel as indicated by the group A, a relatively large reflective fleld is provided in the plane of said facets. n

The central group having its facets 25 lying in the plane indicated by the line C, is adapted to reflect light rays coming from the direction indicated by the arrow 28 back along the same path. The group B, having all its facets 25 arranged in planes substantially parallel with each other, is adapted to reflect light rays coming from the direction indicated by the arrow 29 back along the same path.

The facets 25 of each of the groups A, B, and C are, therefore, all cooperative to reflect the light rays impinging thereon from directions normal to the planes of said facets back along their path of origin and thereby provide increased reflective means atthe differently disposed angular relations of said groups. 1

- different angular relations.

The group D is adapted to receive and reflect light rays coming in the directionindicated by the arrow 30, while the group E is adapted to receive and reflect the light rays. coming from the direction indicated by, the arrow 3|, and the group F is adapted to receive and reflect the light rays coming. from the direction indicated by the arrow 32. It will benoted that these directions are all at different angular relations to each other.

The facets 26 located on the opposite side of the front facets 25 are all separated into groups in a manner similar to the facets .24 and are adapted to receive and reflect light rays coming from the opposite direction in a. manner similar I to the previously mentioned groups.

It will be noted that by forming the facets into a plurality of selected groups having their faucets lugs 33, having slots 34 formed therein through which the arm band I9 may be fitted, or other supporting means may be attached.

In Figs. VII and VIII thereis shown another modified form of the invention wherein the reflective members I are provided with headed pin members 35 anchored at 36 in the material of said members I. Each of the pin members 35 is provided with an enlarged head 31 adapted to be placed through the openings 38 formed in conneeting links 39 and to overlie the slotted portions 40 formed adjacent the ends of said connecting links. This arrangement provides means for holding the reflectors in assembled aligned relation with each other.

An attachment having an opening 4| therein, similar to the openings 38, and a slot 42 similar to the slot 40, is provided with an enlarged head having a transverse slot 43 therein through which the chain-like member formed by the plurality of reflectors I and connecting links 39 may be joined.. v

In Fig. IX there is shown another modified form of the invention wherein an attachment formed of relatively flat resilient material 44, having slotted ends 45, is provided to support the reflective means I onan arm band, belt, or other suitable means. In this particular instance the resilient member 44 is adaptedto be cupped so that its slotted ends 45 may foe-resiliently held beneath the heads 31 of the pin members 35, the cupped portion of said resilientmeans 45 bein adapted to form the part through which the arm band or belt-likemember is threaded.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple, eflicient, and economical means have been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In a device of the character described comprising a body portion of homogeneous transparent sheet-like vitreous material having a concave spherical surface on the under side thereof and a convex spherical surface on the front side 7 thereof and having an outline other than circular,

said convex surface having-a plurality of out- -wardly projecting integrally related reflective members matted in edge to edge relation with each other throughout the. useful area thereof and attaching means having portions extending outwardly of the concave side of said device adjacent opposed ends thereof and in a direction opposite the convex surface and each having an openirm therein to which supporting or connecting means may be attached.

2. In a device of the character described com prising a body portion of homogeneous trans- I parent sheet-like vitreous material having a concave spherical surface on the under side thereof and a convex spherical surface on the front side thereof and having an outline other than circular, said convex surface havinga plurality of outwardly projecting integrally related reflective members matted in edge to edge relation with each other throughout the useful area thereof and attaching means having portions anchored within the body of said material and portions projecting outwardly to one side thereof to which connecting means may be secured.

3. A reflecting unit comprising a body portion of homogeneous vitreous sheet-like material having a concave spherical surface on its under side and a convex spherical surface on itsouter side and having an outline other than circular, a plurality of separate reflective units in edge to edge relation with each other and covering the useful area of said outer convex surface, said reflecting units being provided with relatively flat facets disposed at different angular relation with eachother and being arranged in groups with some of the facets of each group disposed toward the front of said convex surface and others disposed at an angle relative to said front facets, some of the like facets of each groupbeing disposed in different substantially parallel planes with the angularly disposed facets of said groups having meeting edges,- said like facets of each group being so arranged as to provide a plurality of separate reflective surfaces facing difierent directions to simultaneously reflect light impinging thereon from said directions with the front facets of each respective group angled relative to the front facets of the other of said groups.

CLIFTON H. HOBSON. CHARLES GIROUX.

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