Signal lamp with a movable slit plate

Claim 1

A signal lamp comprising a housing having an opening; a bulb for emitting light mounted within said housing; an optical element means positioned within said opening for converting light from said bulb into parallel rays; a plurality of lenses integrally formed into a planar section and rigidly mounted within said opening, the width from the bottom to the top of said planar section being substantially equal, said lenses being individually tinted in red or amber, the colors being alternated along the continuum of said planar section, thereby forming a pattern of colored lenses; a slit plate slidably positioned within said opening, said plate being mounted between said lenses and said optical element, said plate having light transmitting and shaded portions which are alternately formed in the vertical direction, the width of said light transmitting and shaded portions being equal to said individual lenses; a resilient means for biasing said plate and enabling light to be transmitted through a selected one of said paths; a solenoid for positioning said plate against the bias of said resilient means; and switch means for actuating said bulb independently or in combination with said solenoid.