U.S. patent number 3,740,881 [Application Number 05/153,641] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-26 for placard holding display assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Display Corporation International. Invention is credited to Otto R. Finger.
United States Patent |
3,740,881 |
Finger |
June 26, 1973 |
PLACARD HOLDING DISPLAY ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A display assembly includes a vertical panel having horizontal
guides between which removable display placards are held and a base
which holds the panel in an upright position during normal wind
conditions. The base has side walls constructed from a resilient
material, such as a thermoplastic material. When the panel is
subjected to abnormal winds, the base side walls are distorted from
their normal shape and the panel is allowed to tip over in the
direction of the prevailing winds. This tipping of the panel
reduces the assembly's resistance to wind, and hence, its
vulnerability to wind damage. When the wind decreases to a normal
level, the side walls spring back to their normal shape and the
panel is returned to the upright position.
Inventors: |
Finger; Otto R. (Mequon,
WI) |
Assignee: |
Display Corporation
International (Milwaukee, WI)
|
Family
ID: |
22548088 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/153,641 |
Filed: |
June 16, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/609;
40/606.18; 40/608; 40/611.05; 116/63P; 248/160 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F
7/22 (20130101); G09F 7/002 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09F
7/18 (20060101); G09F 7/00 (20060101); G09F
7/22 (20060101); G09f 007/00 (); G09f 007/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;40/125H,125J,125N,145A,138 ;248/160,204,25A ;116/63P |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Michell; Robert W.
Assistant Examiner: Pitrelli; John F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A display assembly comprising
a normally vertical sign panel having a bottom portion;
a base having a top portion supporting said panel bottom portion
and including a pair of laterally spaced feet positioned on the
opposite sides of said panel and resilient side sections extending
between each of said feet and said top portion and having a
normally generally curved shape, said base side sections retaining
said normal shape and maintaining said panel in a vertical
position, when wind forces acting on said panel are below a
predetermined level, said base side sections distorting from said
normal shape with the one on the down wind side of said panel
tending to become more curved and the one on the upwind side of
said panel tending to straighten to thereby permit said panel to
tip over from the vertical in the direction of the wind, when said
wind forces exceed the predetermined level, and said base side
sections returning to said normal shape to return said panel to a
vertical position, when said wind forces fall below said
predetermined level, said base top portion and said base side
sections are elongated and extend substantially along the entire
length of said panel.
2. The display assembly according to claim 1 wherein said base side
section are bowed towards each other.
3. The display assembly according to claim 1 wherein said panel
includes a plurality of horizontal, vertically spaced, oppositely
directed, channel-shaped guides adapted to hold a display placard
therebetween.
4. The display assembly according to claim 3 wherein said panel
includes retainer means located at the vertical edges of said panel
for preventing said placards, after installation, from sliding
horizontally out of said guides.
5. The display assembly according to claim 1 wherein said base and
panel are of a one-piece construction.
6. The display device according to claim 1 wherein said base and
said panel are separate components and said base top portion
includes a generally U-shaped guideway for snugly receiving said
panel bottom portion.
7. The display assembly according to claim 1 including means for
connecting said assembly to a mounting surface.
8. The display assembly according to claim 7 wherein
said connecting means comprises a strip of adhesive material
located on the bottom of said feet.
9. A display assembly comprising
a normally vertical sign panel including a bottom portion extending
substantially along the length thereof and a plurality of
horizontal, vertically spaced, oppositely directed, channel-shaped
guides adapted to hold a display placard therebetween;
an elongated base having a top portion supporting said panel bottom
portion and extending substantially along the length of said base
bottom portion and including a pair of laterally spaced feet
positioned on the opposite sides of the said panel and elongated
resilient side sections extending between each of said feet and
said base top portion, being normally bowed towards each other, and
extending substantially along the length of said top portion, said
base side sections retaining said normal bow and thereby
maintaining said panel in a vertical position, when the wind forces
acting on said panel are below a predetermined level, said base
side sections distorting from said normal bow with the one on the
down wind side of said panel tending to become more bowed and the
one on the upwind of said side panel tending to straighten and
thereby permitting said panel to tip over from the vertical in the
direction of the wind, when said wind forces exceed said
predetermined level, and said base side sections returning to said
normal bow and thereby returning said panel to a vertical position,
when said wind forces fall below said predetermined level.
10. The display assembly according to claim 9 wherein said base and
said panel are of a one-piece construction.
11. The display assembly according to claim 9 wherein said base and
said panel are separate components and said base top portion
includes a generally U-guideway for snugly receiving said panel
bottom portion.
12. A display assembly according to claim 11 including a strip of
adhesive material located on the bottom of said seat.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a display assembly, and more
particularly, to a display assembly for holding removable display
placards.
Display assemblies holding removable display placards are widely
used for point-of-purchase advertising. Such display assemblies are
frequently used outdoors, such as by service stations to advertise
gasoline prices, new products, etc., and are therefore subjected to
prevailing winds. The generally vertical display placards offer
considerable resistance to the wind thereby making the display
assembly vulnerable to damage by high winds, e.g. being bent
completely over or badly distorted. In order to overcome this
problem, one prior art approach has been to attach the display
placard to a frame assembly in a manner so that they are free to
"swing in the breeze." Typically, the display placard is either
mounted at its upper end in a holding fixture which is swingably
attached to an outer frame assembly or includes several segments,
each of which is swingably attached to an outer frame assembly.
U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 96,914, filed on Dec. 10, 1970 by
the applicant and assigned to present assignee, discloses another
approach for overcoming this problem. That application discloses a
self-righting placard holding assembly which is counterbalanced in
a manner to maintain the placard in a upright position during
normal wind conditions but allows the placard to tip over in the
direction of the prevailing wind.
Although display assemblies arranged in any of these manners are
quite acceptable, the multiplicity of parts and types of materials
required for the fabrication thereof add to their overall cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of this invention is to provide a simple,
inexpensive placard holding display assembly which is capable of
withstanding severe wind conditions.
The display assembly of this invention includes a normally vertical
panel holding one or more display placards mounted on a base. The
base is constructed from a resilient material and arranged in a
normal shape, preferably having bowed sidewalls, to maintain the
panel in an upright position during normal wind conditions. When
the wind exceeds a predetermined normal level, the base flexes or
distorts from its normal shape, e.g. one sidewall becomes more
bowed and the other tends to straighten out, and allows the panel
to tip over from the vertical in the direction of the prevailing
wind. As the wind decreases to a normal level, the base springs
back towards its normal shape and the panel is returned to the
upright position. This tipping of the panel during strong winds
substantially eliminates the vulnerability of the display assembly
to wind damage.
The panel and base can be fabricated as an integral unit or can be
made as separate parts and assembled at the point of usage. The
panel and base are preferably constructed from a lightweight,
inexpensive plastic material so they can be fabricated by
inexpensive molding techniques.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective, partially exploded, view of a display
assembly embodying the present invention shown mounted atop a gas
pump.
FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the display assembly of FIG.
1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Display assembly 10 includes a vertical panel 12 and a base 14.
Panel 12 has a plurality of horizontal, channel-shaped guides 16,
18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30. Removable display placards 32, 34, 36,
and 38 are held between guides 16 and 18, 20 and 22, 24 and 26 and
28 and 30, respectively. Guides 22 and 30 form a bottom portion 40
of panel 12. Edge members 41,41, which snap on over the ends of the
guides, prevent the display placards from slipping out of the
guides during use. If desired, one of the edge members can be
permanently installed to panel 12, such as being made an integral
part thereof, with the other one being removably attached to panel
12 for installation and removal of the display placards, such as
being a snap on as shown, hinged to the panel, etc.
Panel 12 is constructed from a lightweight material, preferably
from a plastic material so that it can be fabricated by
conventional molding techniques. The guides can be formed as an
integral part of the panel as shown or can be separate components
which are mounted to the panel by conventional means, such as with
rivets, nuts and bolts, etc. Any number of guides can be provided
depending upon the number of placards desired to be displayed. For
instance, if only a single placard is to be displayed on each side
of panel 12, guides 18, 20, 26 and 28 would be deleted. Also, the
guides, particularly those mounted intermediate the top and bottom
of panel 12, can be removably mounted to the panel, such as by
bolts or snap-in fasteners extending through aperatures provided in
the body of the guides and the panel at appropriate locations, so
that the number and size of the display placards can be varied. In
lieu of the guides, the display placards can be mounted to the
panel by conventional fastening means.
Base 14 has a generally U-shaped, upper section 44 arranged to
receive and hold bottom portion 40 of panel 12 and a pair of bowed
sidewalls 46,48 extending outwardly and downwardly from upper
portion 44 to form a generally triangular cross-section. L-shaped
side members 50,50 and bottom member 51 of upper section 44 are
arranged so that bottom portion 42 of panel 12 fits snuggly into
the guideway provided therebetween. Flanges 52,52, provided on the
upper edge of side members 50,50 engage the top edge of guides
22,30 to minimize the upward movement of panel 12. With this
arrangement, the display assembly can be easily shipped in an
unassembled condition and assembled at the point of use by simply
slipping the bottom portion of the panel into the guideway of the
upper portion of the base. If desired, the panel and base can be
fabricated as a single, integral unit.
Each sidewall is provided with a foot 54 extending horizontally and
inwardly therefrom for supporting the display assembly on another
structure, such as atop a gas pump 56. Display assembly 10 can be
held in place by any convenient means, such as a strip of contact
adhesive material 58 mounted to the bottom surface of each foot 54
as shown, a weighted member positioned on top of each foot, clamps,
and the like.
Base 14 is constructed from a resilient material and sidewalls
46,48 are configured so that they are capable of being distorted in
a manner to allow panel 12 to tip over in the direction of the
prevailing wind and yet spring back to their normal shape when the
wind decreases to a normal level to return the panel to an upright
position. Although the sidewalls are preferred bowed inwardly as
shown in FIG. 1, any other configuration which allows a sufficient
distortion of the sidewalls to permit the panel to tip over, so as
to substantially reduce its resistance to the wind, can be used.
For example, each sidewall can be provided with two sections which
are connected together along one longitudinal edge at an obtuse
angle with the connection therebetween being a molded hinge
section.
As shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the tipping moment imposed on
panel 12 by a high wind causes downwind sidewall 48 to become more
bowed while the upwind sidewall 46 tends to straighten out to allow
panel 12 to tip over. As the wind returns to a normal predetermined
level, sidewalls 46,48 spring back towards their normal shape and
panel 12 is returned towards its normal upright position. Sidewalls
46,48 are preferably constructed of thermoplastic material, such as
butyrates and polyvinyl chloride material, because of the light
weight and inexpensiveness of these materials and the ease at which
they formed into the desired bowed shape by conventional molding
techniques.
The wind velocity level at which panel 12 tips over is dependent
upon several factors. Of course, the tipping moment imposed on the
panel at any particular wind velocity is dependent upon the height
and width of the panel. The force level at which the base allows
the panel to tip over is controlled primarily by the type of
material of which the base is constructed and the thickness, shape
and height of the sidewalls. The amount of force required to tip
the panel over is increased as the rigidity of the material and
sidewall thickness is increased and is decreased as the height and
amount of bow is increased. For any particular application, these
parameters are adjusted to obtain the desired tip over
characteristics. The display placards and the panel can be
fabricated from a flexible material with an appropriate thickness
so that they are also capable of bending to some degree when
subjected to high winds. This provides an even further capability
for the display assembly to withstand severe wind conditions.
From the above description, it can be seen that the invention
provides an extremely simple arrangement for a display assembly
which can be used in severe wind conditions without damage. Also,
the display assembly of this invention requires a minimum number of
components and permits the use of lightweight, inexpensive
materials. The inert characteristic of most plastic materials,
which can be used, permit the display assembly to be used for
extended periods of time in adverse weather conditions without
maintenance, while still retaining its aesthetic appeal.
* * * * *