U.S. patent application number 11/582362 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for display panel for a door handle.
Invention is credited to Peter J. Thompson.
Application Number | 20070094905 11/582362 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37951542 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070094905 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thompson; Peter J. |
May 3, 2007 |
Display panel for a door handle
Abstract
The display panel has an outer surface to which a sign may be
attached and an inner surface having a fastener composed of
resiliently deformable material. An end of the fastener is
separated from the display panel by a slit which is adapted to
receive an outer plate of a conventional door handle The outer
plate is held in the slit by the resiliently deformable composition
of the fastener. The plate may however be removed from the slit by
the application of a force opposed to the bias of the resilient
material in order to widen the slit.
Inventors: |
Thompson; Peter J.;
(Courtice, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
37951542 |
Appl. No.: |
11/582362 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/599 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 16/459 20150115;
Y10S 40/907 20130101; Y10T 16/4628 20150115; G09F 7/18 20130101;
G09F 23/00 20130101; Y10T 16/495 20150115; Y10T 16/95 20150115;
Y10T 16/509 20150115; G09F 7/00 20130101; Y10T 16/4707 20150115;
Y10T 16/458 20150115; G09F 7/10 20130101; E05B 1/0084 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
040/599 |
International
Class: |
G09F 23/00 20060101
G09F023/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 19, 2005 |
CA |
2,523,926 |
Claims
1. A display panel for attachment to a door handle having an outer
plate adapted to be manually pushed or pulled in order to open and
close said door, said display panel including inner and outer
oppositely facing surfaces, said outer surface having means for
removable attachment of a sign, said inner surface having a
fastener which is composed of resiliently deformable material, said
fastener comprising a wall which commences at a starting position
on said display panel, continues away from said inner surface on a
first curve to an apex then continues on a second curve toward said
inner surface and ends at a terminal edge, said terminal edge
facing said inner surface and being the closest portion of said
wall on said second curve to said inner surface, said terminal edge
being spaced apart from said inner surface by a slit, said slit
being free of any obstruction therein and being adapted to receive
said outer plate therein, said terminal edge being biased by said
resiliently deformable material into contact with said outer plate
when said outer plate is received in said slit with resulting
resistance to removal of said plate from said slit, the application
of a force opposed to the bias of said resilient material causing
the slit to widen in order to permit the removal of said outer
plate therefrom.
2. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said slit has terminal
portions at either end and an intermediate portion between said
terminal portions, the space between the edges which define said
terminal portions being wider apart than the space between the
edges which define said intermediate portion.
3. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said outer surface has a
plurality of ribs which extend outwardly therefrom and against
which said sign is adapted to abut
4. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said means for removable
attachment of a sign includes a groove which is formed in said
outer surface and which is of a size suitable for accommodation of
a margin of said sign such that said margin is removably secured
therein
5. The display panel of claim 4 wherein said groove has four spaced
apart parallel extents for receipt of the margins of a pair of sign
such that said signs are in a parallel spaced apart relationship
when attached to said display panel
6. The display panel of claim 4 wherein said outer surface has a
raised frame in which is formed said groove, said groove extending
along the length of said frame.
7. The display panel of claim 4 wherein said groove has a pair of
spaced apart parallel extents and said outer wall has a plurality
of ribs which extend outwardly therefrom and against which said
sign is adapted to abut, said ribs being disposed between and
parallel to said pair of extents and spaced apart from one
another.
8. The display panel of claim 7 further including an end plate
which is removably attached to said display panel for removably
securing said sign within said groove.
9. The display panel of claim 8 wherein said end plate has a pair
of pins and said display panel has a pair of channels in which said
pins are removably received.
10. The display panel of claim 7 wherein said groove has four
spaced apart parallel extents and said outer wall has a plurality
of ribs which extend outwardly therefrom and against which said
sign is adapted to abut, said ribs being disposed parallel to said
extents and spaced apart from one another, said grooves adapted to
receive margins of a pair of signs such that said signs are in a
parallel spaced apart relationship with each other when attached to
said display panel.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to display panels for supporting
signs and more particularly to a display panel which may be
removably attached to the handle of a door and to which a sign may
be removably attached.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is known to attach a display panel which supports a sign
to a door handle of the type which is either pushed or pulled but
is not turned. Such handles are found in the doors which open to
the outdoors of most commercial and industrial buildings in North
America.
[0003] A handle which is pushed or pulled usually has an elongated
outer plate which is spaced apart from the door so that the handle
can be gripped should the door be opened by pulling. Known display
panels are attached to such handles by various means such as
clamps, screws and bolts and examples of such display panels are
described in Canadian patent application no. 2,454,212.
[0004] A sign supported by the panel may display an advertisement,
a message such as "Push" or "Pull" or other information. It is
generally thought that a door handle is a good location for a sign
since the sign is likely to be noticed by everyone who walks
through the door for the obvious reason that the handle must be
deliberately looked at to be usable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The display panel of the subject invention which may be
easily attached and detached from most conventional door handles
that are pushed or pulled. The display panel has an outer face to
which a permanent sign can be attached. Alternatively, a temporary
sign can be readily attached to and detached from the display panel
should that be desired.
[0006] Briefly the display panel of the subject invention includes
inner and outer oppositely facing surfaces. The outer surface has
means for removable attachment of a sign while the inner surface
has a fastener which is composed of resiliently deformable
material. The fastener comprises a wall which commences at a
starting position on the display panel, continues away from the
inner surface on a first curve to an apex then continues on a
second curve toward the inner surface and ends at a terminal edge.
The terminal edge faces the inner surface and is the closest
portion of the wall to the inner surface on its second curve. The
terminal edge is spaced apart from the inner surface by a slit. The
slit is free of any obstruction therein and is adapted to receive
the outer plate of the door handle therein. The terminal edge is
biased by the resiliently deformable material of the fastener into
contact with the outer plate when the plate is received in the
slit. As a result, removal of the plate from the slit is resisted.
The application of a force opposed to the bias of the resilient
material causes the slit to widen in order to permit the removal of
the outer plate therefrom
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The display panel of my invention is described with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a relatively long display
panel of the subject invention in combination with a conventional
door handle;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shorter and wider display
panel in combination with a similarly shaped door handle;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the display panel;
[0011] FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of a fastener of the
display panel;
[0012] FIG. 4 is an elevation of the display panel which is
substantially the same as the one illustrated in FIG. 3 in
combination with a conventional door handle and a sign;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a the display panel in
conjunction with a conventional push-type door handle;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view, in larger scale, of the sign
illustrated in FIG. 5;
[0015] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the display panel
in combination with two signs;
[0016] FIG. 8 is an end view of the display panel;
[0017] FIG. 9 is an end view of alternative embodiment of the
panel;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the display
panel showing the manner in which a sign is disconnected from the
panel; and
[0019] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the display panel
and a sign disconnected therefrom.
[0020] Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the
description of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] With reference to FIG. 1 the display panel of the invention,
generally 10, is shown in conjunction with a conventional door
handle, generally 12. The door handle has inner and outer plates
14, 16 interconnected by a web 18. As is conventional, the inner
plate has a number of apertures through which screws or bolts pass
in order to attach the plate to a door 20.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 3A, the display panel has
inner and outer oppositely facing surfaces 20, 22 and oppositely
facing side surfaces 24, 26. The inner surface is flat and
terminates at a semi-circular fastener 28 composed of resiliently
deformable material.
[0023] The fastener is composed of a wall 30 which commences at a
starting position 32 on the display panel. The wall continues away
from the inner surface on a first curve 34 to an apex 36 then
continues on a second curve 38 toward the inner surface 20 and ends
at a terminal edge 40. The terminal edge faces the inner surface
and is the closest portion of the second curve of the wall to the
inner surface.
[0024] The terminal edge is spaced apart from the inner surface by
a slit 42. The slit is completely free of any obstruction therein
and runs the length of the fastener.. The slit is adapted to
receive the outer door plate 16 therein. The fastener is composed
of resiliently deformable material which biases the terminal edge
40 into contact with the outer plate when the outer plate is
received in the slit with resulting resistance to removal of the
plate from the slit. The application of a force opposed to the bias
of the resilient material causes the slit to widen so that the
outer plate can be removed from the slit.
[0025] The area of the inner surface beneath the fastener,
indicated 20a, is flat unlike the like area 50 beneath fastener 52
in FIG. 4 which is rounded.
[0026] With reference to Figure 1, the forward edge 16a of the
outer plate of the door handle is received in the slit while the
upper edge 16b of the outer plate of the door handle illustrated in
FIG. 2 is received in the slit of the display panel.
[0027] The thickness of the outer plate of the door handle is
greater than the slit in fastener 28 so that the terminal edge of
the fastener must be physically separated from the inner surface of
the panel before the forward end of the outer plate can be inserted
into the slit. If the forward end is pressed against the slit, the
terminal edge will separate sufficiently from the inner surface of
the panel to receive the outer plate. Such pressure will
accordingly cause the slit to widen throughout its length. Once the
plate is in the slit, the terminal edge of the fastener, being
biased by the resiliently deformable material of the fastener, will
snap toward the inner surface of the panel thereby securing the
panel firmly to the outer plate.
[0028] As previously indicated, the terminal edge and the portion
of the inner surface which constitute the slit contact the outer
plate throughout substantially their entire length except for the
terminal portions of the slit as noted below. As a result, removal
of the plate from between the edges is resisted throughout
substantially the entire length of the slit. In order to remove the
plate, a force opposed to the bias of the resilient material must
be applied to widen the slit sufficiently in order to permit the
removal of the plate from the slit.
[0029] It should also be noted and, with reference to FIG. 3, that
the slit is wider adjacent to its two ends or terminal portions a,b
than in its middle or intermediate portion c. As a result, the
outer plate may more easily be slid into the slit than would be the
case if the slit were of uniform width throughout its length.
[0030] With reference to FIG. 4, on the outer surface 60 of the
display panel, a number of ribs 62 extend outwardly, The ribs are
shortest nearest the side surfaces 64, 66 of the panel and longest
at the centre. A groove 70 is formed adjacent to each side
surface.
[0031] An arcuate sign 72 is removably attached to the outer
surface of the display panel. The side margins 74 of the sign are
received in grooves 70 while the area of the sign between the
margins rest on the outer ends of the ribs.
[0032] With reference to FIG. 5, the display panel is shown
attached to a conventional push-type door handle having a flat
central plate 82 and bars 84 at either end of the plate for
interconnecting the plate to the door.
[0033] With reference to FIG. 6, the illustrated sign is of the
same construction as that illustrated in FIG. 4 and has an arcuate
central area 86 to which a number of frames 88 are attached. Each
frame has a groove 90 on its inner surface for receipt of the
margins of a smaller sign.
[0034] In FIG. 7, the display panel and signs are similar to those
illustrated in FIG. 4 except that the display panel is widened to
accommodate two signs 92, 94 The signs are arranged side by side in
a parallel spaced-apart relationship on the outer surface of the
panel.
[0035] The signs are secured to the panel by their margins which
fit into grooves 96 in the outer surface of the panel and by an end
plate 98 having a pair of spaced pins 100 which fit into channels
102 in the outer surface of the display panel.
[0036] The sign is normally flat but sufficiently flexible to form
into an arc as illustrated in FIG. 8. Alternatively, the sign can
be formed with an arcuate outer surface 104 as illustrated in FIG.
9, and a flat inner surface 106. Whichever the shape of the sign,
it is secured to the display panel by grooves 108.
[0037] With reference to FIG. 10, the sign can be removed from the
display panel by prying it out by means of flat bar or lever 112.
To this end, the lower end of the lever is placed between the end
plate 114 and the sign 116 and the upper end of the lever is pushed
down in order to remove the margins of the sign from the grooves of
the display panel.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 11, the sign 120 is slid along the
grooves 122 of the display panel and is held in position by means
of end plate 124 which is attached to the panel by means of screws
126.
[0039] The sign is composed of stiff but bendable material so that
it can be inserted into the frame by flexing it slightly. Once
inside the grooves of the display panel, the sign will remain there
until it is intentionally flexed to allow it to be removed.
[0040] It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be
made in the structure of the display panel without departing from
the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended
claims.
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