U.S. patent number 3,785,331 [Application Number 05/291,789] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-15 for plastic sign kit.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Coursigns, Inc.. Invention is credited to Robert C. Ferris.
United States Patent |
3,785,331 |
Ferris |
January 15, 1974 |
PLASTIC SIGN KIT
Abstract
A restrictive sign designed primarily for use on golf courses to
designate restricted areas comprising a signboard for containing an
inscription conveying certain information or instructions and an
associated mounting stake for supporting the sign and a cord
adapted to be extended between two or more stakes and held in
slip-free relation on each stake to define areas to be avoided. The
signboard is removably mounted on the stakes for ready
interchangeability and the board and stake include interengaging
means maintaining their cooperative relationship while the stake
has stop means to support the signboard at a desired elevation and
a reinforced surface for use in pounding the stake into the golf
course. The design of the signboard and mounting stake is such as
to lend itself to manufacture in impact resisting molded plastic
which may be of a conspicuous color.
Inventors: |
Ferris; Robert C. (Chicago,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Coursigns, Inc. (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23121834 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/291,789 |
Filed: |
September 25, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
116/63R; 24/350;
40/618; 52/103; 47/47; 40/607.11; 40/607.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01F
9/688 (20160201); E01F 9/623 (20160201); E01F
13/028 (20130101); A63C 19/062 (20130101); Y10T
24/3459 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
E01F
13/00 (20060101); E01F 13/02 (20060101); A63C
19/00 (20060101); A63C 19/06 (20060101); E01F
9/012 (20060101); E01F 9/011 (20060101); E01f
009/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;116/63R,63P ;52/103,104
;40/145,1R,1C ;249/51 ;256/13.1 ;94/1.5 ;350/97 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
829,678 |
|
Apr 1938 |
|
FR |
|
574,578 |
|
Mar 1958 |
|
IT |
|
Primary Examiner: Capozi; Louis J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mann, Brown, McWilliams &
Bradway
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and
a pre-determined length of cord, said signboard having means
slidably interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop
surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said
cord, said signboard and stake being molded from plastic material
having the general properties of polystyrene, said signboard being
provided with a pair of spaced guide brackets adjacent respectively
top and bottom edges of the signboard, the back side of said
signboard bearing on a face of said stake and said guide brackets
each engaging a back side of the stake and a side edge of the
stake, and said guide brackets adjacent the bottom edge of the
signboard each engaging a said stop surface means on said
stake.
2. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and
a predetermined length of cord, said signboard having means
slidingly interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop
surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said
cord, said signboard and stake being molded from plastic material
having the general properties of polystyrene, said means attaching
said cord on the stake comprising a vertically open notch having a
toothed side wall portion and an inclined wall in opposed relation
to said toothed side wall, said stake being fabricated in a
T-shaped cross section having a stem and oppositely extending
flanges, and said notch is formed on the rear edge portion of said
stem.
3. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said
signboard, stake and predetermined length of cord are fabricated
from plastic material having similar integral color.
4. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said
notch is formed by an integral member having an inclined wall
surface in opposed spaced relation to the rear edge surface of said
stem and said toothed side wall portion is formed on one of said
surfaces.
5. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 wherein an
opening is provided through said stem for passage of said cord,
said opening being located adjacent to said notch.
6. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 including a
driving pad surface on the top end of said stake and a reinforcing
gusset underlying said driving pad integrally connecting the
underside of the driving pad with opposite sides of said stem.
7. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 6 wherein the
stem of said T-section stake includes an integral rearward
extending projection underlying said driving pad and overlying the
opening to said notch.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, on golf courses, it has been necessary to drive wooden
or metal stakes into the grounds to support signs, usually wooden
signboards, to indicate restricted areas where it may be necessary,
at least temporarily, for vehicles as well as golfers to avoid such
areas. With the advent of golf carts for transporting golfers and
their equipment around golf courses, it has become increasingly
important to control the movements especially of the carts in order
to protect highly vulnerable areas of the courses against the heavy
loads and abuses of this traffic. It is especially important to
direct the golf carts away from being driven on the greens, or in
wet areas, or on worn areas, or over newly seeded or sodded areas,
since the weight of the carts and the churning of the wheels can be
very injurious to the playing surfaces, especially during those
seasons of the year when the grounds may be subject to adverse
weather conditions at which times they may be sensitive to traffic
conditions that would be damaging if allowed to continue for
indefinite periods in fixed patterns without the possibility of
varying the traffic patterns. Heretofore, the carts have, at times,
congregated in certain grounds areas, thus concentrating the damage
done in these particular spots.
The present invention affords an economical means to avoid these
problems by providing kits comprised of a plurality of plastic
signboards containing various inscriptions such as CARTS.fwdarw.,
KEEP OFF, NEWLY SEEDED, NO CARTS, DROP AREA, GROUNDS UNDER REPAIR,
etc., and a length of line or cord for extending between and
connecting a number of such stakes, certain of which will be
equipped with the signboards bearing the inscription necessary to
direct the traffic as desired. The signboards, stakes and cord are
made in a conspicuous color such as yellow or orange for easy
visibility and are easily set up or moved to relocate areas to be
avoided or to change the teeing locations to prevent excessive
damage from divots.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The primary purpose of the invention is to provide a kit of readily
assembled and disassembled parts comprised of stakes, signboards
and line for roping off certain areas of a golf course to direct
golfers and golf carts according to conditions that may vary from
time to time and thus necessitating ready changing or realignment
of the signs and stakes.
The principal object of the invention is to provide ruggedly
constructed stakes and signboards manufactured from a highly
colored suitable impact resistant molded plastic that is weather
resistant and strong but is such that it will not damage golf
course mowing equipment if it should be run over by such
equipment.
An important object of the invention is the provision of molded
plastic stakes and signboards slidingly assembled together for
ready disassembly by golfers or by groundskeepers for relocation or
storage.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a signboard
supporting rigid plastic stake molded in one piece and having a
quickly attached slip-free rope or line securing means and a
driving surface for pounding the stake into the grounds.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a printed rigid
plastic signboard constructed with guide means slidable onto a
stake member in interengaged relationship therewith and supported
on a stop included on the stake.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing objects and other important objects of the invention
are attained by the signboard and stake kit illustrated in the
accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a general perspective view adjacent a tee area on a golf
course showing the restrictive sign and stake mounting arrangement
of this invention in a place to direct golf carts away from the tee
area;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view to larger scale of the mounting
stake and signboard;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the mounting stake, shown in
greater scale, with the removable signboard in place and
illustrated in vertical section with the line cord extended through
the stake and secured in the upwardly opening serrated notch;
FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view, to the same scale as FIG. 3,
showing the removal mounting of the signboard on the stake with the
line cord disposed through the stake and reversed through the open
notch for securement and having portions of the board and stake
broken away;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of fragmentary portions of the
signboard and stake indicating the vertically sliding assembly
relationship of the two parts; and
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the assembled signboard and supporting
stake showing the interlocking sliding relationship and
illustrating the top driving pad for pounding the stake into the
ground.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention contemplates a plastic sign kit for use by golf
courses to control the movements particularly of golf carts for
directing the carts away from areas of the course to be protected
such as greens, tee areas, sodded or newly seeded areas, worn areas
and wet grounds. The kit includes a number of stakes and a number
of signboards as well as a length of rope or cord all fabricated
from plastic and of the same bright color. The stakes may be driven
into the grounds around the area to be restricted and connected by
the line cord thus to rope off a particular area. Signboards may be
slidingly mounted on certain of the stakes to indicate the purpose
of the restriction or to indicate direction to be taken or areas
for parking golf carts. The stakes are designed for ready assembly
of the line cord therewith and for anchoring the cord readily at
the end stakes. A driving pad is provided at the top end of the
stake for pounding it into the grounds and a support surface is
provided for carrying the signboard at a proper height on the
stake. The printed signboard is provided with integral guide
brackets slidingly engageable with the stake and also engageable
with the supporting stop surface on the stake to maintain the sign
at the proper height.
The parts of the kit may be made from a plastic material having the
general properties of polystyrene or polypropylene and may
incorporate an integral color which might be a bright yellow for
ready visibility or an orange color or it might be made in a more
or less natural white color. The line cord may be made of braided
polypropylene. These materials are suggested by way of examples and
may be replaced by other suitable materials in the general field of
plastics where it may be desired or another material having similar
properties may be preferred.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown generally in FIG. 1 the sign mounting arrangement of this
invention is intended primarily for use on golf courses and, as
indicated, may be used adjacent to a tee area 10 to direct golf
carts away from such area or it can be used at any other area of
the course where it may be necessary to restrict the movements of
the golf carts or golfers to keep them off of any portions of the
grounds where it may be best that they be required to avoid these
areas for some reason such as soft or wet grounds, or newly seeded
or sodded areas to protect these areas temporarily while undergoing
renewal or repairs.
The sign arrangement includes a stake 11 and a signboard 12
together with a line cord 13. These three elements are assembled in
kit form for supplying golf courses, country clubs, or the like,
and the kits are proposed as a means of furnishing a quantity or
supply of the parts in accordance with the needs of each purchaser.
A typical kit might include two hundred fifty stakes, one hundred
signboards of various types and possibly two thousand feet of
matching line cord. The signboards may be supplied with
inscriptions such as Winter Rules, Off Limits, or any such
restrictive indication as may be necessary according to the
conditions to be provided for.
The stake 11 is of T-section having a stem or web 14 and oppositely
extending flanges 15 and 16 and the web 14 is tapered adjacent the
bottom of the stake, as at 17, to provide a pointed or sharp bottom
end for ready penetration of the ground. The web 14 of the stake
may be provided with lightening openings 18 to eliminate material
not essential to the functioning of the stake. Each of the
oppositely extending flanges 15 and 16 is provided with an
integrally formed supporting stop 19 projecting rearwardly from the
back side of the respective flanges. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and
4, it will be seen that these stops 19 support the signboard 12 on
the stake 11 as will be described hereinafter.
At the top end of the stake 11 a driving pad 20 is formed
integrally with the web or stem 14 and is disposed horizontally or
perpendicular to the web to provide a surface by means of which the
stake may be pounded into the ground or if the condition of the
ground is such that the stake might be pushed into the ground the
pad 20 affords a surface upon which the necessary pressure may be
applied. The pad 20 is stabilized and reinforced on the top edge of
the web 14 by means of underlying gusset members 21 integrally
formed with the pad and stem and which are disposed at right angles
to the web upon opposite sides thereof so that the pad is supported
and stiffened against forces which otherwise might exert a tendency
to displace the driving pad to one side or the other of the web
14.
An opening 22 is provided through the upper area of the rearwardly
extending stem 14 of the stake for the passage of the line cord 13
therethrough particularly at the endmost stakes in a grouping. At
the end stakes the cord 13 is passed through this opening 22 and
doubled back through an open notch 23 on the rear edge of the stem
14 securely to fasten the cord in place, as best shown in FIG. 4.
The notch 23 is formed by an integral member 24 extending outwardly
and upwardly from the rear edge of the stem 14, as best shown in
FIG. 3.
The member 24 provides an inclined inner wall surface 25 in opposed
spaced relation to the rear edge surface of the stem 14 thus
forming a tapered opening or notch for the reception of the cord
13. The line cord is securely retained in the notch 23 by means of
teeth or serrations 26 which may be disposed on either the surface
25 or the rear edge surface of the stem 14 but, as shown, are
indicated as being disposed integral with the rear edge of the stem
14. A rearwardly extending projection 27 on the stem 14 underlies
the driving pad 20 and is spaced above the notch forming member 24
to overlie the upwardly opening notch thus necessitating the cord
13 to be entered into the notch first by a horizontal movement
inwardly and then downwardly into the valley of the notch against
the teeth 26.
It will be noted that these teeth 26 are sloped generally
downwardly to permit easy entrance of the cord 13 into the notch 23
but resist upward movement of the cord and thereby prevent its
unintentional escape from securement between the teeth and the
opposing wall 25. At the endmost stakes the line cord is doubly
secured by passing the cord through the web opening 22 and then
doubling the cord back through the notch 23, but at all of the
intermediate stakes in the grouping it is necessary only to enter
the line cord into notch 23 of each stake where it is retained by
the action of the serrations or teeth 26. Thus the grouping may
readily and quickly be set up for immediate use without delay.
The signboard 12 is provided with a generally flat surface or face
30 upon which any desired inscription may be applied. The kits
hereinbefore referred are each furnished with a variety of
signboards which afford a user a wide choice of inscriptions
suitable to various needs. The signboard is removable from the
stake 11 and is easily assembled therewith by sliding the signboard
over the upper end of the stake where it is supported on the
rearwardly projecting stop members 19 formed on the rear face of
each of the stake flanges 15 and 16. The sliding relationship
between the signboard and stake is such as to provide for easy
assembly and disassembly and affords an interlocked engagement
therebetween when assembled. The assembly thus is always maintained
in proper relationship with the stake for correct disposition of
the sign on the golf course to insure readability of the
inscription.
The signboard 12, as best shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, incorporates
similar pairs of guide brackets 31 disposed in spaced relation at
respectively top and bottom edges of the signboard. These guide
brackets are spaced apart by a distance dictated by the width of
the head of the stake as measured the combined dimensions of the
flanges 15, 16 at opposite sides of the stem 14. The spaced upper
guide brackets 31 extend upwardly above the top edge of the
signboard and the lower guide brackets 31 depend downwardly below
the bottom edge of the signboard.
As best seen in FIG. 6, the guide brackets project rearwardly of
the rear face of the signboard 12 as at 32 and these rearwardly
projecting portions 32 then are provided with inwardly directed
opposed flanges 33 which engage behind the rear faces of the stake
flanges 15 and 16 to provide an embracing engagement securely
maintaining the in square relationship of the signboard and stake.
The rear face of the signboard 12 bears on the front surface of the
head of the T-section stake and with the flanges 33 bearing on the
rear faces of the flanges 15, 16 while the rearwardly extending
bracket portions 32 bear on the side edges of the flanges 15, 16 at
both the top and bottom of the signboard it will be seen that a
sliding guideway is formed on the signboard for receiving the stake
in closely guided sliding relationship.
The inwardly directed flanges 33 at the bottom of the signboard
come to rest on the supporting stop members 19 on the stake 11 to
position the signboard at the top end of the stake where it will be
properly spaced above the ground level when the pointed bottom end
17 of the stake is driven into the ground. The signboard slides
freely on the upper end stake portion so that it may readily be
removed and slides easily onto the stake where a group of stakes
has been set up to restrict a particular area. When the stakes have
been driven into the ground and the line cord installed in the
notches on intermediate stakes and secured at the end stakes by
entering the cord through the opening 22 and then double the end of
the cord back through the notch at each such stake it is only
necessary then to select one or more signboards bearing the desired
inscriptions and slide the guide brackets over the top end of the
selected stakes where the signboards will be supported at the
proper height above ground by the support members 19 on the
stakes.
From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a
restrictive signboard kit most useful on golf courses including
readily driven stakes and easily mounted removable signboards and a
connecting line cord all made from suitable plastic materials which
may be in color and which may easily be set up for use in any
grouping desired and just as easily taken down when the need
therefor no longer exists.
* * * * *