U.S. patent number 3,552,702 [Application Number 04/790,289] was granted by the patent office on 1971-01-05 for sign holder.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Heyer Inc.. Invention is credited to Edward M. Springer.
United States Patent |
3,552,702 |
Springer |
January 5, 1971 |
SIGN HOLDER
Abstract
Sign holder comprising bracket with vertical leg attachable with
screws to supporting structure and horizontal leg with vertical
post upstanding therefrom and spaced from vertical leg, and base of
extruded aluminum having bore slidably engaging vertical leg and
grooved to clear heads of screws and outer end channeled to form
central vertical rib for abutting engagement with inner edge of
sign to assure proper alignment and opposed arms spaced from each
other to receive and frictionally engage opposite surfaces of sign
to alone secure base to sign, whereby sign and base are firmly
mountable on and readily removable as a unit from the bracket.
Inventors: |
Springer; Edward M. (Chicago,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Heyer Inc. (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25150236 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/790,289 |
Filed: |
January 10, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/316.7;
40/658; 40/611.12; 40/607.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F
7/18 (20130101); G09F 2007/1847 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09F
7/18 (20060101); G09f 007/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/466,475,479,316,224,229 ;160/369 ;40/152,156,11 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Frazier; Roy D.
Assistant Examiner: Foss; J Franklin
Claims
I claim:
1. A holder for a relatively thin sign having parallel opposed
front and rear surfaces and an edge extending normally
therebetween, comprising a base channeled to define arms spaced
from each other to receive said sign and frictionally engage said
opposed surfaces to alone retain said base thereon and a surface
disposed between said arms for abutting engagement with said edge
to insure proper alignment of said sign on said base, a bracket
having a vertical leg attachable to a wall, a horizontal leg, and a
vertical post upstanding therefrom in spaced relation to said
vertical leg, said base having a bore for slidably receiving said
post to mount said sign on said bracket.
2. A sign holder according to claim 1, wherein said base is
provided with an inner end spaced from and parallel to said bore to
slidably engage the vertical leg of said bracket when mounted
thereon.
3. A sign holder according to claim 2, wherein said bracket is
attachable to a wall by screws with heads engaging said vertical
leg, and said inner end of said base is grooved vertically to clear
the heads of said screws during relative sliding movements of said
base and said bracket.
4. A holder for a relatively thin sign having parallel opposed
front and rear surfaces and an edge extending normally
therebetween, comprising a base channeled to define arms spaced
from each other to receive a said sign and frictionally engage said
opposed surfaces to alone retain said base thereon and a surface
disposed between said arms for abutting engagement with said edge
to insure proper alignment of said sign on said bad base, wherein
said base comprises a main body portion, said arms extend outwardly
therefrom and terminate in opposing vertical flanges for
frictionally engaging said sign, and said surface for abutting
engagement with said sign edge is defined by a vertical rib
extending outwardly from said main body portion intermediate said
arms.
5. In a sign holder according to claim 4, a bracket having a
vertical post upstanding therefrom, said main body portion of said
base having a bore for slidably receiving said post.
6. A sign holder according to claim 5, wherein said bracket
comprises a vertical leg spaced from said post, and said main body
portion of said base terminates in an inner end spaced from said
bore to slidably engage said vertical leg when said base is mounted
on said bracket.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to signs, and more particularly to
thin signs, such as those made from laminates of plastics or the
like, and novel means for holding and supporting the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Signs made of relatively thin strips of metal or plastic, such as
"Formica," laminated "Bakelite,-- or "Lucite," have been fastened
flat to doors or walls, provided with a permanently attached base
or pedestal for desks or counters, and hung perpendicularly to a
wall dependingly from an angle bracket. The hanging signs may
display the desired indicia on one or both sides and are visible
over a much greater range than flat-mounted signs with the same
indicia. However, they swing freely, are relatively insecure, and
are not readily removable and replaceable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention comprises novel base means firmly attachable to such
relatively thin signs solely by frictionally engaging opposite
sides of the sign and having a sign edge-engaging surface for
insuring proper angular alignment of the sign relative thereto. The
invention also includes bracket means comprising a vertical leg
attachable to the wall by screws and a horizontal leg carrying an
upstanding post spaced from the vertical leg, with the base means
having a bore slidably mountable on the post, and an inner end
slidably engaging the vertical leg of the bracket and groove to
clear the heads of the screws, whereby the sign and its base means
are firmly mountable on the wall-mounted bracket means and readily
removable therefrom for replacement purposes.
IN THE DRAWING:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a sign holder embodying the
invention, with a portion of the wall supporting the same shown in
section;
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the base alone;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the sign and holder mounted as in
FIGS. 1 and 2, with the supporting wall in horizontal section;
and
FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing a sign and its base separated
from the supporting bracket.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference numeral 11 indicates in general a relatively thin sign
made in well-known manner from a strip of metal or plastic, such as
"Formica," laminated "Bakelite," or "Lucite," one or both of the
opposed sides 12 of which are provided with engraved or otherwise
formed indicia 13 which it is desired to display. The inner end of
the sign 11 terminates in a vertical end or edge 14 (FIG. 4)
extending at right angles to and between the front and rear sides
12.
Base means, preferably in the form of an aluminum extrusion and
indicated generally by reference numeral 15, is provided for
frictional engagement with the sign 11 and comprises a main body
portion 16 having a bore 17 extending vertically therethrough. The
outer vertical edge portion of the main body 16 is channeled to
define spaced arms 18 which terminate in opposing vertical flanges
19 spaced from each other slightly less than the thickness of the
sign 11 between its sides 12 for frictionally engaging those
opposed sides 12 when the sign 11 is forced therebetween to alone
retain the base 15 thereon. The channeling of the outer vertical
edge portion of the main body 16 of the base also is such as to
define a vertical rib 21 extending outwardly from the main body
between the arms 18 to define an outer surface 22 for abutting
engagement with the end edge 14 of the sign 11 to insure proper
alignment of the sign and its base 15 when assembled, as in FIGS.
1, 2, 4 and 5.
A bracket, indicated generally by reference numeral 23, for
mounting the sign 11 and its base 15 on a wall, or any other
desired vertical surface, is provided which comprises a vertical
leg 24 having apertures for receiving screws 25 for attaching the
bracket to the wall, and a horizontal leg 26. Upstanding from the
horizontal leg 26 in spaced parallel relation to the leg 24 is a
post 27 of a diameter to slidably engage in the bore 17 of the base
15, the upper end of the post being chamfered to facilitate
mounting of the base thereon. The axis of the post 27 is spaced
from the outer surface of the vertical leg 24 the same distance as
the axis of the bore 17 is spaced from the inner end surface of the
main body 16 of the bracket 15, as best seen in FIG. 4, so that
these surfaces slidably engage each other to facilitate mounting of
the base 15 on the bracket 23 and engagement of the post 27 in the
bore 17 and to insure against tipping, twisting or swinging of the
sign relative to the bracket when mounted thereon, as in FIGS. 1, 2
and 4.
Since the heads of the screws 25 normally extend beyond the
base-engaging surface of the bracket leg 24, the inner end of the
base 15 is grooved vertically, as indicated at 28, to provide
clearance for the screw heads during sliding assembly of the sign
11 and its base 15 onto the bracket 23 and separation thereof, as
to their positions of FIG. 5.
From the above it will be appreciated that the sign 11 is rigidly
secured solely by friction to the base 15, with engagement of its
inner edge 14 with the edge-abutting surface 22 of the base
assuring proper alignment of the sign on the base. These two
members 11 and 15 thus constitute a unitary assemblage which may
very readily be slidable assembled on a wall-mounted bracket 23 to
provide a firm and substantially rigid support for the sign in
outstanding relationship to the wall. At the same time, the
relationship between the sign base 15 and the bracket 23 is such
that the sign is readily removable from the bracket for
repositioning on another bracket or replacement purposes.
* * * * *