School bus stop sign

Claim 1

A stop sign apparatus for a school bus, comprising in combination: (a) a housing having integrally joined walls to provide a box-like internal housing cavity and means enabling said housing to be releasably secured to an exterior school bus sidewall; (b) a unidirectional DC motor mounted and secured within said housing; (c) a sign mounting and linkage arrangement including switch actuator means positioned by said motor and linkage members connected to be actuated by said motor; (d) a sign member with warning lights mounted thereon and having an inner edge portion secured to said linkage members and adapted to being normally pivoted by said sign mounting and linkage arrangement between a retracted position in which it extends rearwardly and parallel to said bus sidewall and a deployed position in which it extends outwardly and perpendicular to said bus sidewall; (e) first and second normally closed limit switches mounted in opposed positions proximate said motor and switch actuation means, said first switch being arranged to be contacted by said switch actuator means when said sign is in said deployed position and said second switch being arranged to be contacted by said switch actuator means when said sign is in said retracted position; (f) a manual single pole double throw electric switch within said bus in a position accessible to the driver of said bus, said switch having a deploy and retract position corresponding to deployment and retraction of said sign member; (g) first circuit means including connecting wiring enabling said motor to be connected to the bus battery through said second limit switch in a first circuit configuration when said control switch is moved to its said deploy position with said actuator means being in contact with said first limit switch and in which first circuit configuration said linkage arrangement is actuated by said motor shaft rotating in a given direction to move said sign member to said deployed position whereupon said second limit switch is electrically opened by contact with said actuator means and said battery is disconnected from said motor and enabling said motor to be connected to the bus battery through said first limit switch in a second circuit configuration when said control switch is moved to its said retract position with said actuator means being in contact with said second limit switch and in which said second circuit configuration said linkage arrangement is actuated by said motor shaft rotating in the same said direction to move said sign member to said retracted position whereupon said first limit switch is electrically opened by contact with said actuator means and said battery is disconnected from said motor; and (h) second circuit means including a circuit interrupter, said first circuit means wiring being connected such that said sign warning lights are continuously energized by said battery through said circuit interrupter and independent of the electrical position of said first and second limit switches and electrically flash when and so long as said control switch is in its said deploy position.