Tail-End Light for Automobiles. Page: 2 of 3
This patent is part of the collection entitled: Texas Patents and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOHN RICHARD GREEN, OF DALHART, TEXAS.
TAIL-END LIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILES.Specification of Letters Patent.
Patented July 29,1919.
Application filed November 3, 1917. Serial No. 200,065.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, JOHN RICHARD GREEN,
a citizen of the United States, residing at
Dalhart, in the county of Dallam and State
5 of Texas, have invented certain new and
useful Improvements in Tail-End Lights for
Automobiles, of which the following is a
specification.
My invention has relation to an improve-
10 ment in tail-end lights for automobiles, sub-
way and surface trains and other motor pro-
pelled vehicles and in such connection it re-
lates more particularly to the construction
and arrangement of such a tail-end light..
15 The principal object of my invention is to
provide an electrically illuminated signal
which can be attached to the rear end of a
vehicle, automobile, etc., and so arranged
that the speed at which the conveyance is
20 traveling is indicated by different colored
lights, such as red, blue, green, etc., which
lights are automatically cut into and out of
an electric circuit as the speed of the vehicle
varies..
25 Heretofore, as far as I am aware, the
speed of a traveling automobile or other ve-
hicle has been ascertained by a dial attached
to the front of the automobile and connected
to the rear axle of the same, and while such
30 speed was readily ascertained by the driver,
the.only way by which an officer of the law,
for instance, or a bystander, could determine
the rate of speed at which the car was trav-
eling was by a stop-watch, good judgment
35 as to the variable speeds of automobiles, or
mere guesswork.
Again in underground railways or sub-
ways the rear end or tail lights are invari-
ably of one color and could not serve to in-
40 dicate to a following train whether or not
the preceding train was proceeding rapidly
or slowly or had come to a full stop.
The above difficulties, I believe, are obvi-
ated by my combined speed indicator and
45 tail-end light, and the invention will be more
fully understood by reference to the follow-
ing description, taken in connection with the.
accompanying drawings, forming part here-
of, in which-
50 Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a tail-end
light with parts broken away, embodying
the main features of my invention.
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on
the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the insulator
55 shaft and contact posts.
Fig. 3 is a view of the insulator shaft, andFig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the in-
sulated core taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.
Referring more particularly to the draw-
ings, 1 represents the wheel of the vehicle,
for instance an automobile, to the axle of
which wheel is attached a gear wheel (not
shown) in gear with a cog wheel 2, which
latter wheel is in gear with the cog 3 secured
to and operating the shaft 4. On this shaft r s
4 is secured a governor 5 and this governor
has two weighted flat springs each secured
at one of its ends to an enlarged portion 4a
of the shaft 4. The other end of each spring
of the governor 5 is secured to an insulated
sleeve 6 having on its periphery a metal ring
8 as shown in Figs. 1, 3'and 4. The ends of
the shaft 4 rest in bearings 7. The contact
ring 8 connects or disconnects with one or
the other of the contact posts 9, 10 and 11 as 75
the speed of the governor, actuated by the
speed of the vehicle, varies, the expansion
and contraction of the two springs of the
governor, under centrifugal force, as the
shaft revolves faster or slower, causing the
insulated sleeve 6 to move backward or for-
ward. About midway of the shaft 4 is a
flange 4b which acts as an obstruction to keep
the governor from drawing the insulated
sleeve 6 too far from the contact posts. 85
These contact posts 9, 10 and 11 are con-
nected to three wires 12 which lead to one
pole of each lamp, the wires being inclosed
for safety in a pipe 15. One pole of each
of the series of electric light bulbs 16 is con- 90
nected with the bar or plate 12a which is
grounded. A contact plate 14 wipes over the
contact ring 8 and is connected by a feed
wire 13, leading to one pole of a battery 18.
The wire 19 leading from the other pole of 95
the battery and the ground wire 19 from the
plate 12a of the lamps are preferably con-
nected to the frame of the vehicle, thus com-
pleting the circuit. The shaft, governor,
etc., may be inclosed by a dust-proof casing
or box 20.
As the speed of the vehicle increases or de-
creases, each lamp 16 is brought into circuit
and displays its selected light through the
reflecting hood 17. Thus when the vehicle is
at rest or moving at very slow speed the
lower lamp (which is red) is brought into
circuit to display its light from the tail end
of the vehicle. When the vehicle gathers
more speed the second lamp (which is green)
is brought into circuit and the first lamp cut
out, When the vehicle reaches its maximum1,311,345.
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Green, John Richard. Tail-End Light for Automobiles., patent, July 29, 1919; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1258030/m1/2/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.