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Patents: 338 of 530	UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. OLIN H. BASQUIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LUXFER PRISM PATENTS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.	Olin H. Basquin 12 of 28
PRISMATIC CANOPY. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter Patent No. 586,213, dated July 13, 1897. Application filed April 19, 1897. Serial No. 632,712. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:     Be it known that I, OLIN H. BASQUIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented and produced a new and useful Improvement in Prism Lights and Plates, of which the following is a description.     My invention relates to lights and prism-plates made therefrom. It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein—     Figure 1 is a plan view of a prism-light hexagonal in shape with a circular prism-surface. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a square light. Fig. 3 is a view of a prism-plate composed of such prism-lights.     Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the figures.     A A are the bodies of the prism-lights, preferably smooth on one side and having each a set of prisms B B, which prisms are arranged in a substantially circular body. C C are non-prismatic corner portions of such lights. In the plate it will be observed that the angle of the prisms varies in the different lights, the lights B' B' having the prisms greatly inclined, the lights B² B² having them less inclined, and the lights B³ B³ having the prisms horizontal.     The value of this invention can be better understood when it is taken in connection with the method or means by which such prism lights and plates are made. In prism-plates for ordinary use it is very desirable to have variously-arranged angles. In my drawings I have not attempted to show any particular arrangement of angles or to indicate an arrangement of angles suitable for any particular purpose, but I have endeavored simply to illustrate, as it were, diagrammatically the manner in which my invention can be made use of. Now it is evident that if we desire to have a considerable number of angles in a given plate it would be necessary to have a separate mold for each variation in the angles of the prism. In speaking of "angles" of the prisms I do not refer to the angular cross-section of the prism, but to the angular arrangement of the prism on its light or plate, particularly with reference to the horizontal. By having a series of prism-lights all of them the same shape in their body portions and by having a central circular

prismatic body on each I can frame any number of such prism-lights together, so as to have a frame uniform in general appearance, while at the same time by having such circular prism-surfaces set at any desired angle of inclination I can accomplish the very desirable result of having prisms of various angles of inclination in the same plate, so as to direct the light into any predetermined direction or into any desired part of the room. Thus, for example, with a series of hexagon-shaped prism-lights it is obvious, as illustrated, that the angle of inclination of each of the sets of prisms in the several circular prism-surfaces can be different from those of any other and the light can be thrown from any particular part of the plate into any desired direction by these means.     I claim—     1. As a new article of manufacture, a substantially flat prism-light comprising a body portion of transparent material having a receiving-surface and an outline other than circular, with an inscribed circular surface consisting of a series of substantially parallel prisms systematically arranged with each other and with the particular outline of the body portion of the prism-light to produce an increased illuminating effect and to throw substantially all the light into a pre-determined direction, the diameter of such circular prism-surface not exceeding the shortest diameter of the body portion, so that the prism-surface can be set in any relation to the outline of the body portion and thus throw substantially all of the light affected in any predetermined direction with reference to the outline of such body.     2. A prism-plate comprising a series of prism-lights combined together in a suitable frame or grid, all the lights having bodies non-circular in outline but uniform, each body having a circular prism-surface consisting of a series of prisms systematically arranged to produce an increased illuminating effect, substantially as shown and described. OLIN H. BASQUIN. Witnesses:     BERTHA C. SIMS,     DONALD M. CARTER.