ILLUMINATE HOUSE NUMBER SIGN

NUMEROS ECLAIRES POUR MAISONS

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A self-contained house number sign is provided with
photo-voltaic cells which charge an internal battery during day-
light. The battery is connected to a lamp via a phototransistor
for energizing the lamp at night. The lamp lights the edge of a
plastic template having cut-out house number indicia.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property
or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A self-contained illuminated sign which stores energy
in daylight and utilizes the stored energy for illumination of
the sign during darkness and which sign comprises:
a battery means;
photo-voltaic cell means mounted for the incidence of
daylight thereon during daylight hours;
photo-conductive means connected between said battery
means and said photo-voltaic cell means, mounted for
the incidence of daylight thereon during daylight
hours and operative to permit the flow of electricity
from said photo-voltaic cell means through said battery
means only during daylight hours thereby to charge said
battery means;
lamp means;
light-sensing switching means connected between said
battery means and said lamp means, mounted for the in-
cidence of daylight thereon during daylight hours and
operative to permit the flow of electricity from said
battery means through said lamp means only during hours
of darkness thereby to energize and illuminate said
lamp means and to prevent the flow of electricity
through said lamp means during hours of daylight; and
sign means positioned so as to be illuminated by said
lamp means.
2. A self-contained illuminated sign as claimed in Claim 1
and in which said sign means is in the form of a translucent
plastics panel which is positioned to be edge-lit by said lamp
means.
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3. A self-contained illuminated sign as claimed in either
of Claims 1 and 2 and in which said sign means is removably
mounted on said sign.
4. A self-contained illuminated sign as claimed in Claim 1
and in which said light-sensing switching means is a photo-tran-
sistor.
5. A self-contained illuminated sign as claimed in Claim 1
and in which said photo-voltaic cell means, said photo-conductive
means and said light-sensing switching means are all mounted on
an upwardly facing surface of said sign.
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Description

10 5 ~; 4 4 5 A
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to signs for ~,
storing solar energy which illuminates the sign at night. In t
its particular aspects, the present invention relates to a sign
having a battery charged by a photo-voltaic cell.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When travelling at night to an unfamiliar place often
there is not enough light to see street signs, house number signs
and the like. While signs have heretofore been fashioned of
10 retroflective elements or have been illuminated by lamps, to my
knowledge, no illuminated sign has heretofore been known which
is self-contained, maintenance-free and which can be illuminated
throughout the night.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It iB an object of the present invention to provide a
self-contained sign which is capable of storing sufficient solar
energy during daylight hours to light the sign substantially
throughout the night.
It is a further object of the present invention to
20 provide an illuminated sign having a separate indicia portion
which is easily removed and replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention comprises providing a
photovoltaic cell on a sign and a battery within the sign coupled
so as to be charged during daylight hours from the photo-voltaic
cell.
During the night, the battery energizes a lamp for
lighting a sign portion. The sign portion, for easy replacement,
usefully comprises a sheet of translucent plastic having cut-out
30 indicia. The sheet is usefully edge-lit by the lamp.
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1056445
Other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following
deta,iled description thereof when taken in conjunction with the
appended drawings. ,
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
. _ .
The invention will now be described merely by way of
illustration with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of the sign of the pre-
sent invention;
Figure 2 is a front view similar to Figure l; and
Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2. ~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT S'
_ _ _ _ S
Referring to Figures 1 through 3 of the drawings, the
illuminated sign of the present invention 10 comprises a rectan-
gular housing 12 having a front face 14. In face 14, there is
a rectangular recess 16 in which is set a sheet 18 of translucent
plastic having a high refractive index such as available under
the trademarks Lucite and Plexiglass. Sheet 18, which is secured
in recess 16 by screws 20, has cut-out number indicia 22 thereon
which may be representative of a house number. As is apparent, I
sheets 18 may be separately available for fitting into a standar- l
dized housing 12. For mounting sign 10, on a building or other r
, location, a pair of apertured ears 24 are provided projecting
from opposite sides of housing 12.
A lamp or bulb 26 is located within housing 12 and is
positioned along a top edge`of sheet 18 for edge-lighting the
sheet to cause light to emanate from the contours defining cut-
' out number indicia 22. Lamp 26 is preferably positioned as
shown in Figures 2 and 3, the position of the lamp shown in

lO5G4~5
Figure 1 being merely schematic.
As will be understood as the discussion pro_eeds, the
lamp 26 is energized only at night from a battery 28 located
with:in housing 12. In daylight, the battery 28 is charged from
a series of photo-voltaic cells 30 located along the top edge of '~
housing 12. Alongside photo-voltaic cells 30, there is provided
a photo-conductive cell 32 which is connected in a first series
circuit with photo-voltaic cells 30 and battery 28.
Thus, in daylight, cells 30 produce a ~oltage which is
10 applied to battery 28 via cell 32 which is rendered conductive ç
by solar illumination impinging thereon. Battery 28 charges
through the daylight hours and, when the sun sets, cell 32 is
rendered non-conductive, disconnecting the battery 28 from the
photo-voltaic cells 30.
A second series circuit is provided, consisting of a
photo-transistor 34 positioned alongside cells 30 and connected
electrically between lamp 26 and battery 28. The photo-transis-
tor 34 is of a known inverting typé which is conductive in the
absence of illumination. Thus, during daylight hours, the
20 battery 28 is disconnected from lamp 26, allowing the battery
to be charged. When the sun sets, causing the battery to be no
longer in a charging condition, the photo-transistor 34 connects
the battery to lamp 26 to light the indicia 22.
It should be appreciated that the lamp 26 need only be
energized by about five watts of power to provide sufficient
light, and that cells 30 for supplying approximately that power
level to the battery 28, an`d rechargeable batteries capable of
storing approximately sixty watt-hours of energy are available
and sufficiently small to be utilized for the purposes herein
30 described,
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lOS644S ~` .
Having described in detail the preferred emhodiment
of the present invention, it should be apparent that numerous
modifications, additions and omissions in the details thereof
are possible within the intended spirit and scope of the in-
vention.
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