US441863A - Night-directory - Google Patents

Description

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BERGSTEIN, OF RENO, NEVADA.

NIGHT-DIRECTORY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,863, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed June 13, 1890- Serial No. 355,360. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Bnnesrnm, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reno,

'Washoe county, State of Nevada, have in directories especially adapted for the use of professional men, by which their absence, re turn, and other matters are indicated.

My invention consists in the novel construc tion and arrangement of the directory hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a directory of this class specially adapted for the use of physicians, whereby their presence or absence from the house may be made known to the caller at night without requiring him to disturb the household to learn such facts, and also to better indicate the position of the night-bell and to give an opportunity to leave such orders as may be necessary.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my in vention, Figure l is a vertical section of my directory. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective of one of the openings in the frame A. Fig. 8 is a face view of the directory,indicating the presence at home of the physician. Fig. 4 is a face view of the same, the placards being changed to indicate the absence of the physician.

A is aframe, which is adapted to be located in a suitable positionas, for instance, to be let into the panel B of a door. Across the transverse center of this frame is a bar a, in which is located the bell-connection O,of any suitable character, here shown as the ordinary pushdoutton of an electric bell. In the opening above this bar is let a clear-glass pane D, upon the upper portion of which may be printed the name of the physician. In the opening under the cross-bar is let a pane E of ground glass, usually termed and better known as a transparent slate. The outer surface of this is adapted to be written upon. In the sides of the frame behind the glasses D and E are the curved face-guide cleats F, which admit of any suitable placard being readily fitted from the back of the frame into place directly behind the glasses and there held. From the base of the frame extends a shelf G, upon which is mounted a lamp H, which here represents any suitable source of light, located behind the device, as it is the intention to make the directory an illuminated one for use at night. The placard in the upper opening, which is represented by I, is to be of any suitable transparent or translucent material, whereby the rays of light from behind will pass through and enable the person in front to read the inscription upon it. This placard is a narrow one, as it is intended to lie behind the lower portion of the upper or clear-glass pane D, below the permanent inscription upon said pane. The lower placard J is to be made of similar transparent or translucentmaterial and may occupy the entire space behind the transparent slate E, being held thereto at its lower portion by the guides F and at its upper portion by a suitable removable metal strip j.

The use of the directory will be best seen by referring to Figs. 3 and 4, where I have shown face views. It will be seen by Fig. 3

that the doctors name is permanently printed upon the upper portion of the clear-glass pane D. The removable placard I just above the bell has inscribed upon it Night-bell. The removable placard J below the bell has upon it Press the button and a hand or hands pointing to it. Such a directory as this indicates to the caller the position of the bell, and in the absence of definite information regarding the whereabouts of the physician it may be presumed that he is within. New by referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the previous placard inscribedNight-bell has been removed and another inserted in the same place with the words Is out inscribed upon its face, and also that the lower placard J has been removed and a second one substituted with the words Please leave your orders, Transparent slate, Call at, (be. The presence of the light behind the device enables the person without to read all these inscriptions and thereby be informed of matters necessary for him to know. Any light maybe used, not necessarily a lamp, but whatever source of light may be convenient, provided it be located at a point behind the device, so that its rays may pass through it.

I c /I' It is obvious that various placards may be kept on hand with inscriptions other than those here presented; but this will show the principle of operation and the use of the directory.

It must be noticed that the transparent slate E has a double function, first, of showing the placard behind it, and, second, of providing a suitable surface upon which to Write the order desired to be left. If it were plain glass it would serve merely the purpose of allowing the inscription behind it to be seen, and would, therefore, be no different from the upper glass D; but by being a slate it also serves the second purpose. It is therefore an illuminated slate, and the Whole directory is an illuminated one adapting it for its use as a nightindicator. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A-nightdireetory consisting of asuit'able frame, a transparent slate mounted in said framegand a transparentor translucent placard mounted in the framebe'hind' the slate, whereby a source of light located at a point back of the placard will illuminate the face of the placard and the slang-substantially as herein described.

2. A nightdirectory consisting of asuitable frame divided transversely by a bar, so as to leave a top and a bottom opening, a bell-connection in said bar,-a-clear-glass pane let into the top opening, and a transparent slate let into the bottom opening, substantially as herein described.

3. A night-directory consisting of a frame having a transverse bar, leaving a top and a bottom opening a bell-connection located in said bar, a clear-glass pane mounted in the top opening-3a transparent slate mounted in the bottom opening, and transparent or translucent placards mounted in the frame/behindthe clear-glass pane and behind the transparent slate,- whereby a source of light back of the frame willilluminate the entire face of the directory, substantial-1y herein do scribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

HENRY BERG'STEIN. itn esses:

S. H. N oURsE, H. 0. LEE;

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