AU1320199A - A method of joining signage - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01il Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patentsv Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: A method of joining signage The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: FIIP. YD)CFA\NATP(Xl2\'))22)2 9

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A Sign and A Method of Joining Signage Field of the invention The present invention relates to updateable, or changeable signage, and methods of assembling such signage such as may be found on notice boards, directory boards, tenancy boards, direction boards, agency boards, registered office boards, direction boards and other such signs, all of which require changing from time to time.

Background art Signs such as directory boards and others as mentioned above, require changing from time to time due to circumstances affecting the accuracy or effectiveness of the signs.

The changing of boards can take a considerable time and entail considerable expenditure. The time can be taken while engraving and possibly other processes are conducted to produce the necessary sign element. Such boards as are presently available in the prior art are thus not readily changed. This can, to many people who need to read the signs, cause a great inconvenience.

Further such boards tend to be very bland as colour, company logos and scripted names are generally not able to be used, unless extremely costly procedures are performed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sign and a method of assembling or joining S pieces or segments of a sign, which will ameliorate, at least in part, at least one disadvantage of the prior art.

Summary of the invention 20 The invention provides a method of assembling a sign from a base board and at least two sign elements, said method including the step of: removably placing a first and second element on said board so that a first periphery of said first element is flush with or abuts with a first periphery of second element; said elements being characterised by having colours or background colours applied to them which are different, "25 whereby any separation line formed by the abutment of the elements is substantially obscured to a viewers eye when viewed at a designed for viewing distance, due to the adjacently located different coloured first and second elements.

The invention provides a sign including a base board and at least two sign elements, said sign including a first and second element positioned on said board so that a first periphery of said first element is flush with or abuts with a first periphery of second element; said elements being 2 characterised by having colours or background colours applied to them which are different, whereby any separation line formed by the abutment of the elements is substantially obscured to a viewers eye when viewed at a designed for viewing distance, due to the adjacently located different coloured first and second elements.

Preferably in said method or sign, said separation line includes any one or more of the following: a horizontal line; a vertical line; a curved line; a line at an angle to the vertical and or horizontal.

Preferably in said method or sign, said separation line is made up of matching or complementary straight lines.

Preferably in said method or sign, said separation line is made up of matching or complementary non straight lines.

Preferably in said method or sign, the readable surfaces of said first and second elements are at substantially the same distance away from a surface of said base when said first and second elements are attached thereto to form said sign or a portion thereof.

Preferably in said method or sign, when said sign is positioned at an upper location so that the designed viewing location is such that a viewer must incline their line of sight, said surfaces thereon having a difference in height which will form a surface perpendicular to said surfaces, and whereby said perpendicular surface is not discernible from a designed for viewing distance and or direction or location.

Preferably in said method or sign, said elements are removably attached to said board, by any one 20 of the following: adhesives which provide on one side forces of adhesion to contact said board which will not be removable form said board by the detachment of said elements from said adhesive, with the adhesives providing a lesser force of adhesion between it and the elements, so that said elements can be removed as required without the need to replace the adhesives; magnetic means to be attracted by said board when manufactured from a ferromagnetic; said 25 board includes a surface having a hook and loop construction which is adhered to said element or from which said element is manufactured.

The invention provides a method of assembling a sign from a base board and at least two sign elements, said method including the steps of: applying a line over a readable surface of a first element, said applied line being applied to said first element at or adjacent to a first periphery thereof which is to have a second sign element positioned adjacent thereto when said first and second elements are assembled onto said board; said applied line extending across a substantial portion of said periphery; said applied line being of a colour which is different to, a background or other colour on said readable surface of said first element; applying to a readable surface of said second element a background colour which is different to said colour of said applied line; applying said applied line with a predetermined thickness or width; assembling said first and second elements on said base board so that while a separation line may be formed between said elements, said applied line on said first periphery is, when assembled on said base board and when viewed front on, substantially abutting said first periphery of said second element so as to form said separation line adjacent to said applied line, so as to be invisible at the designed for viewing distance, due to the adjacently located applied line applied on the first element.

Preferably said substantial portion of said periphery is the whole of said periphery which is to contact the adjacent second element.

Preferably said peripheries are joined so as to be any one or more than one of the following: horizontal, vertical, curved, at an angle to the vertical and or horizontal.

Preferably said peripheries include or are matching straight lines.

Preferably said peripheries include or are matching non straight lines.

Preferably said applied line has a thickness or width whereby said applied line is visible at the 99 S 20 designed for viewing distance.

Preferably said applied line, when separated from said periphery of said first element is separated S• by a distance such that when said applied line and said periphery are viewed from a designed S viewing distance, said periphery is not visible.

Preferably the readable surfaces of said first and second elements are at substantially the same distance away from a surface of said board to which said first and second elements attach to form said sign or a portion thereof, when said first periphery of said first element is adjacent said first Speriphery of said second element.

Preferably when said sign is positioned at an upper location so that the designed viewing location is such that the viewer must incline their line of sight, said adjacent surfaces have a difference in height which is not discernible from the designed for viewing distance or direction.

Preferably said applied line is of a width of at least 10 to 50 times wider than the width of the joint between said first peripheries of said first and second elements.

Preferably said elements and said board re removably attached to each of them, by any one of the following: adhesives which provide on one side forces of adhesion to contact said board which will not be removable from said board by the detachment of said elements from said adhesive, with the adhesives providing a lesser force of adhesion between it and the elements, so that said elements can be removed as required without the need to replace the adhesives; magnetic means on said elements to be attracted by said board when manufactured from a ferromagnetic material; said board includes a surface having a hook and loop construction said element including a material having a hook and loop construction The invention further provides a sign assembled from a base board and at least two sign elements, said elements including: a line over a readable surface of a first element, said applied line being applied to said first element at or adjacent to a first periphery thereof which is to have a second sign element positioned adjacent thereto, when said first and second element are assembled into said sign; said applied line extending across a substantial portion of said periphery; said applied line being of a colour which is different to a background colour of said readable surface of said first element; Ssaid second element including a readable surface with a background colour which is different to 20 the colour of said applied line; said applied line being printed with a predetermined thickness or width; whereby said first and second elements are assembled onto said sign so that said applied line on said first periphery is, when assembled on said board so that while a separation line may be present between said elements, when said elements are viewed from a designed for viewing *0000: 25 distance, and said elements are substantially abutting, said separation line is not visible due to the *0 adjacently located applied line on said first element.

S. Preferably said substantial portion of said periphery is the whole of said periphery which is to contact the adjacent second element.

Preferably when said peripheries and separation lines are joined they include any one or more of the following: a horizontal line; a vertical line; a curved line; a line at an angle to the vertical and or horizontal.

Preferably said peripheries and separation lines include or are matching or complementary straight lines.

Preferably said peripheries and separation lines include or are matching or complementary non straight lines.

Preferably said applied line has a thickness or width whereby said applied line is visible at a designed for viewing distance.

Preferably said applied line, when separated from said periphery of said first element is separated by a distance such that when said applied line and said periphery are viewed from a designed viewing distance, said periphery is not visible.

Preferably the readable surfaces of said first and second elements are at substantially the same distance away from a surface of said base when said first and second elements are attached thereto to form said sign or a portion thereof.

Preferably when said sign is positioned at an upper location so that the designed viewing location is such that a viewer must incline their line of sight, said surfaces of which will carry information 9• thereon have a difference in height which will form a surface perpendicular to said surfaces, and 0099 0 whereby said perpendicular surface is not discernible from a designed for viewing distance and 20 or direction or location.

•oo•• S. Preferably said applied line is of a width of at least 10 to 50 times wider than the width of a •;separation line between said first peripheries of said first and second elements.

.4 0• Preferably said elements are removably attached to said board, by any one of the following: adhesives which provide on one side forces of adhesion to contact said board which will not be S 25 removable form said board by the detachment of said elements from said adhesive, with the adhesives providing a lesser force of adhesion between it and the elements, so that said elements can be removed as required without the need to replace the adhesives; magnetic means to be attracted by said board when manufactured from a ferromagnetic; said board includes a surface having a hook and loop construction which is adhered to said element or from which said element is manufactured.

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In the above summary and throughout the specification and claims, the word "applied' and any word derived from this word has the following meaning which is inclusive, and is not limited to the examples below, and can include other processes or methods not listed. The word "applied" includes application of readable or viewable material such as letters, words, logos, trade marks, signs, information, directions, notices photographic images, graphic images, or other images, by means of processes such as any one of or combination of one or more of, the following: indenting, marking, impressing, pressing, engraving, stamping, printing, adhering, embossing, exposing of photographic emulsions, lithographic processes, painting, drawing, writing, labeling In the above summary and through out the specification and claims, a reference to "different colour" encompasses colours which when compared, are the same basic colour but may be a different shade or a variation of that colour.

Brief description of the drawings An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates and assembled sign having five sign elements; Figure 2 illustrates two elements of the sign of figure 1 prior to their assembly to the sign board; Figure 3 illustrates a board of another embodiment of the present invention wherein alternate sign segments are of different colours; and Figure 4 illustrates an exploded view of some of the part s of the sign of figure 3 Detailed description of the embodiments Illustrated in figure 1 is an embodiment of a sign incorporating the present invention. The sign 2 includes a base board 4 with six sign elements 6, 8 10 (10A and 10B), 12, 14.

The base board 4 is preferably of a ferro-magnetic material so that magnetic material can attach to the base board 4.

Preferably the base board includes a frame (not illustrated) and may include such things as glass cover panels which may or may not be hinged to the board 4.

The sign elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 include in their final manufactured form, a base substrate of a magnetic material, such as some printed refrigerator magnets are manufactured from. Such a magnetic substrate is a generally flexible material to which can be printed, adhered, applied, embossed letters and information, photographic or graphic images.

The elements 6, 8 10, 12, each are made so as to have a line 18 across the width, or a substantial portion thereof. The line 18 is located at the lower periphery of each of the elements 6, 8,10, and 12. As the base line periphery of the element 14 does not have an adjoining element no line 18 is required.

The majority of the elements 6, 8, 10, and 12 include a background colour over which is printed, adhered, embossed or otherwise applied words, sentences, phrases or images or other communicating line work or graphic enhancement.

The board 4 and the elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 are illustrated as having what appears to be substantial depth. In figures 1 and 2 the illustrated depth of the elements is exaggerated for the purpose of ease of illustration.

While it is preferable to have each of the elements the same thickness or width, it is not essential that it be so. The best results are obtained from the embodiment which utilises elements which all have the same thickness or width.

The element 10 is a composite element made up of sub-elements 10A and 10B. When assembled into the final sign on to the board 4, the element 10 has a partition, which is formed by a vertical line 18A, which as can been seen from figure 2 is located on the right hand periphery of the subelement 10A. The sub element 10B on the other hand includes only a base line 18.

SWhen the elements are positioned on the base board 4 so as to have the base periphery of one element, such as element 6, in abutment with the top periphery of the adjacent element 8, a 20 separation line separating the two elements 6 and 8 will seem to disappear or lose recognition or be not discernible, by means of the presence of the adjacent line 18.

The same will occur with the vertical line of breakage or separation line between the two sub elements O10A and 10B, when they are appropriately positioned side by side on the board 4 as illustrated in figure 1. The placing of the line 18A adjacent the join line between the sub elements 25 10A and 10B, also ensures that the separation line will not be visible, except by very up close viewing of the line area. Such up close viewing is generally much closer than the designed for viewing distance of the sign.

The designed for viewing distance is that distance at which the sign is best viewed, and may be the distance at which all the information on the whole sign as it appears on the board 4, can be viewed with only eye movement by the reader.

The distance may also be a distance so as to absorb or have readable at any one time only a portion of the board, which can be viewed in part by eye movement alone, but which requires movement of the readers head to view the content of the other sections of the sign.

If desired each element 6,8,10,12 and 14 may have printed or other information at the rate of one image or one line per element. Alternatively, depending upon the final size of the elements 6, 8 12, 14 they may individually contain a group of information which may have a single theme or common theme.

While only horizontal and vertical lines 18 and 18A are illustrated in figures 1 and 2, it will be readily understood that the sign could be made up of elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 which have curved or wavy peripheries, and or a combination of straight line and non straight line peripheries. If this is desired, then matching peripheries will be required on the adjacent elements, that are on either side of the separation line.

The type of signs which can be constructed by the method of the present invention include those first mentioned in this document. Such signs generally are subject to relatively near scrutiny by readers, as the print on them can sometimes to too small to read from too far away. However, the present invention and embodiments thereof can be applied or built into signs which may be much larger, such as road signs in construction areas, which may have to change from time to time, or big event signage, which will be required for special events.

*2 In the preferred embodiment the lines 18 and 18A are located to cover the base area of the S 20 elements 6, 8 10, 12 so that a background or different colour, or shade or variant thereof, is not S visible between the side of the line 18 or 18A which is furthest from the area 16 on the same element. However, a relatively little amount of such background colour can be showing, but it has to be sufficiently thin so that at the designed for viewing distance, the separation line between the adjacent elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 cannot be seen.

If desired the element 6, 8 10, 12, 14 could have the lines 18 and 18A located on the opposite S• side of the separation line. If also desired, one element alone can have two lines 18 on the top and bottom peripheries thereof, with the top and bottom adjacent elements at the peripheries on the opposite side of the separation line, could be made with no line 18 or 18A thereon. However, a situation where two lines on alternate elements works best is when there is three or more elements.

The elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 are each represented with substantially even thickness or width through out. This will provide the best results, but if desired, the elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 need not be of the same cross section through out. How ever it is highly preferable that the periphery at the base of one element adjacent the separation line is substantially the same thickness or width as the periphery of the adjacent element on the other side of the separation line, with which it is to match. This will ensure that the separation line will remain hidden at all angles of from the viewing distance.

If it is desired to have the elements of adjacent peripheries at different levels to each other, so that a step of sorts is formed between adjacent elements, it is preferable that the step be hidden by the designed angle of view of the sign. By this it is meant, that for example the thicker element is located in a lower position than the thinner element, and with such a sign the designed angle of viewing should be such that the sign is to b e viewed from below. In this way the step is hidden.

The best colours to choose for the lines 18 and 18A are darker colours by comparison to the colour of the background segment 16. Other colours such as high contrasting colours could also be used. It is thought that any change in colour will suffice to hide the separation line. The combination of colours can also be one basic colour such a green, and a lighter shade thereof or a variant thereof, such as light green for the line and the background respectively, or alternatively the background and the line respectively.

While it is most preferable that each of the background regions 16 of each element 6, 8 10, 12, 14 20 be all the same colour, the present invention will also work with different colours on adjacently located elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14.

The thickness or width of the lines 18 and 18A are preferably somewhere in the region of 10 to 50 times greater than the width of the separation line. The lines 18 or 18A could extend the full width and over the whole surface of the element, as will be described with reference to figures 3 25 and 4 of the drawings. While the separation line may be nearly next to nothing in width, there is always a high probability that a perfect join is not made, as it is impossible to guarantee a perfect join, due to tolerances and many other factors.

S. While the above invention is described with reference to the use of a board 4 with a ferromagnetic material, and the elements formed with a magnetic material, these features are not essential to the invention. The embodiments of the invention can also be readily constructed from hook and loop ,materials, such as those known under the trade mark VELCRO. When made using this type of material the surface of the board 4 can be made or covered with a fabric having a hook and loop construction. Whereas the signage for the elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 can be attached or printed onto a substrate and subsequently have a hook and loop fabric attached to the rear surfaces thereof. Alternatively, the sign can be printed, applied or embossed directly onto elements having hook and loop construction at their rear surfaces. By this means secure but removable attachment of the elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 can be made to the board 4.

Another means of embodying the present invention is the use of double sided tape. Such tape will have on one side an adhesive which ensures that the tape remains stuck to the board 4 on which the sign is to be formed. The board 4 may alternatively be a window, wall door or other surface requiring a sign. The tape should remain sufficiently secured to the board 4 during and after the removal of an element which may be stuck to the other side of the double sided tape.

The other side of the double sided tape, that is the side to receive the elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14 is preferably of a reduced adhesive strength by comparison to the board side of the double sided tape. The element side of the double sided tape should be sufficiently strong so as to support the weight of the individual elements 6, 8 10, 12, 14, but should also be able to allow the element to be removed readily when it is desired to do so, but which allows said double sided tape to be reused.

Illustrated in figures 3 and 4 is another sign 2E, being another embodiment of the invention, in which alternate elements 6E, 8E and 10E have their background regions 16 each of different or alternating colours. By alternating the background colours on the readable surfaces of the 20 elements 6E, 8E and 10E, the separation line being the actual line between the sides of the respective adjacent elements, will appear invisible or will not be discernible to a person standing at or viewing the sign 2E from a designed for viewing distance.

It will be noted that the sign 2E is made up at its lower region by the element 12E being of the S embodiment described above in relation to figures 1 and 2, and interacting in the previously described manner with the element 14E.

S It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

The foregoing describes embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (4)

1. 31. A sign comprising: a backing sheet; at least two planar sign elements mounted in side by side abutment with each other to the backing sheet, the sign elements having a front face with markings thereon and a rear face in contact with and supported by the backing sheet; at least one of the sign elements having a distinguishing broad line marked along the edge thereof which is in contact with the other sign element so that in the assembled form, the broad line masks or disguises the abutting joint between the two separate sign elements.
2. 32. A sign according to claim 31 wherein the backing sheet is formed of a ferrous metal sheet material and the sign elements comprise a magnetic sheet material, said sign elements being magnetically held to said backing sheet.
3. 33. A sign according to either of claims 31 or 32 wherein said markings comprise a backing *o *colour or pattern and words and/or symbols printed over said backing colour or pattern, 15 said broad line being of a colour which contrasts with said backing colour.
4. 34. A sign according to any one of claims 31 to 33 wherein said broad line is parallel to the edge along which it is marked. A sign according to claim 34 wherein said edge is a straight edge. S36. A sign according to claim 35 wherein said sign elements are of rectilinear configuration. C09902201S.8 17 Dated this 22nd day of January 1999 4 Simple Soluti s Aust Pty Ltd by its attorneys Freeh ills Patent Attorneys