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Changeable message highway sign machine

  • US 4,015,349 A
  • Filed: 02/25/1974
  • Issued: 04/05/1977
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1971
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. For displaying selectively to motorists any of a plurality of traffic messages, a changeable message highway sign machine comprising a casing adapted to be mounted in an overhead position proximate to a highway traffic lane to confront oncoming motorists, the motorist confronting side of said casing being shaped to form a vertical sign face, said casing defining in said sign face a message aperture a message bearing rotor defining on the periphery thereof a plurality of message faces extending longitudinally along the rotor and being angularly spaced around the rotor, each message face being adapted to support lettering of a written message, said rotor being disposed rotatably within said casing in aligned relation to said message aperture, bearing means in said casing journalling said rotor for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, power indexing means housed in said casing and coacting with said rotor to turn the rotor to message presenting positions thereof wherein the respective message faces thereon are disposed in viewing alignment with said message aperture to be displayed therethrough to oncoming motorists, said casing including a first hollow linear member defining the lower edge of said message aperture and having a downwardly and inwardly sloping upper edge surface closely confronting the rotary path of the periphery of the rotor, electrical resistance element means disposed longitudinally within said first linear member in proximate relation to said upper edge surface thereon to thermally preclude an icing bridgeover between the rotor and the lower edge of the message aperture, said casing including a second hollow linear member extending along the upper edge of said message aperture and defining a downwardly and outwardly sloping lower edge surface closely confronting the rotary path of the rotor periphery, said second member including a water deflector projecting downwardly and outwardly over the upper marginal edge of said message aperture to deflect downwardly flowing precipitation from the rotor, electrical resistance element means disposed in said second member in proximate relation to said sloping lower edge surface thereof to preclude an icing bridgeover between the rotor and the upper edge of the message aperture, and a cam and cam follower coacting with said rotor to releasably and firmly hold said rotor in any of said message presenting positions thereof.

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