CA1191027A - Adjustable price display signs - Google Patents

Adjustable price display signs

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Publication number
CA1191027A
CA1191027A CA000392681A CA392681A CA1191027A CA 1191027 A CA1191027 A CA 1191027A CA 000392681 A CA000392681 A CA 000392681A CA 392681 A CA392681 A CA 392681A CA 1191027 A CA1191027 A CA 1191027A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
double
flange
panel
display device
series
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000392681A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
James L. Gebhardt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mead Corp
Original Assignee
Mead Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mead Corp filed Critical Mead Corp
Priority to CA000392681A priority Critical patent/CA1191027A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1191027A publication Critical patent/CA1191027A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention relates to adjustable price display signs particularly for use as gasoline price displays in automobile service stations and comprising one or more display areas in which information is presented by means of adjustable information strips. The strips are retained and guided on a support panel in the display areas by means of flanges integrally formed from and spaced along the support panel and, in use, are fixed in selected positions by means of locking devices.

Description

ADJUSTABLE PRICE
DISPL~Y SIGNS.

This invention relates to adjustable display signs for pricing goods or presenting other information such as those used for automobile service station price display signs, score-boards for athletic events and pricing/brand name displays.
The infonnation displayed may be changed readily by means of adjustable information strips which can be adjusted to pre~ent for viewing a variety of numerals or other data.

In such devices it is known to provide a display area in which information carried by adjustable strips or tapes is presented. In order to ensure adequate retention of the strips within the device and to provide means for guiding the strips durin~ ~dju~ment it i~ u~ual for ~UCll devic~s to include spaced flanges within the display area for overlying and res-training the opposite edye~ o~` tlle in~orlllation YtripY. Such 15 f langes in known constructions have been provided by separata element~ as~erllbled into ~lots fonned in the di~play area of the device and also have been provided by forming the diRplay .~

area itself from a series of connected elongate "~ ~" shaped components. In the latter construction the turned-over end parts of the " ~" provide the retaining flanges of the device. Both these prior constructions have the disadvan-tage that the flanged display areas are formed from amultiplicity of components which complicates the assembly and increases manufacturing costs. Moreover, the information strips have a tendency to move from their selected positions particularly as a result of temperature chanaes.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a display device comprisinq adjustable information strips and a support panel for retaininq and guiding the adjustab]e information strips, characterized in that the panel comprises a surface having a series of double-flange elements upstanding therefrom and spaced apart in parallel relationship therealong, each double-flange element com-prising a pair of elongate flanges of 'L'-shaped cross-section and an integral interconnecting web, said 'L'-shaped flanges being disposed in back-to-back relationship and spaced apart by said interconnecting web, each adjacent pair of facing '~'-shaped flanges of successive double-flange elements in that series providing guide means for retaining and guiding an information strip located therebetween and in that a second series of said double-flange elements is upstanding from the opposed surface of said panel, the double-flange elements of said second series beina disposed intermediate said double-flange elements of the first mentioned series.

Some specific examples of display devices are now set forth in detail taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings by way of illustration only, in which:-Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pair of adisplay sign according to the invention, Figure 2 is a cross-section of the support surface of the sign illustrated in Figure 1 shGwing the construction and arrange-ment of the retaining flanges, Figure 3 is a perspective vi2w of one type of display sign formed by utilizing the retaining flange construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modified display sign incorporating an attachment unit and also utilize~ the retaining flange construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 5 is a perspective vi~w of a further display sign which is free_standing and also utilizes the retaining flange construction shown in Figures l and 2 of the drawings.

~hile the display device in accordance with ~his inven-tion may take many different forms, it will now be described with reference to an automobile service station price sign in which information is displayed on both sides of the sign.

Referring first to Figure l of the drawings, there is shown an exploded perspective view of a pair of an automobile service station price sign lO which includes a support panel ll formed from sheet metal and having opposed ~upport surfaces 12, 13 provided by the opposite sides of panel 11. The support panel ll retains and guides a series of adjuqtable information strips which are arranged in ~ide_by_side relationship in the sign as shown in the display signs illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings. The information strips are made from a material having a tendency to form coils at its opposite ends when unrestrained. Such a material is knuwn in the art, e.g.
the heat treated polyethelene terephtalate disclosed in U.S.

patent No. 3,426,115 ~Taber) which is a material having the tendency to form coils at opposite ends when unrestrained.
One such material is sold under the registered trade mark "Spring Roll." These information strips provide an ideal indicia carrying material for movable indicia displays since their self_coiling property dispenses with the need for providing feed mechanisms for adjusting the information dis-played by the strips. However, it is envi~aged that the information strips could comprise endles~ belts or alternatively tapes rolled on to a pair of spools.

In order to retain and guide the information strips the support pane`l 11 is formed with a series of double_flange elements such as those designated by the reference numerals 14, 15. Double-flange element 14 compri~e a pair of 'L'shaped components 14a, 14b which are deformed portions of the sheet metal support panel 11 and integral therewith. The required deformation can be achieved easily, e.g. by cold stamping so as to produce the pair of 'L'shaped flanges 14a, 14b dispo~ed in back_to_back relationship and connected together by an integral web 14c of the sheet metal material. As ~hown in Figure 1 the foot portions of each of the flanges 14a, 14b are spaced from the front surface 12 and overlie the apertures produced by the cold stamping process. Similarly, the double_flange elements 15 comprise 'L' shaped flange 15a and 'L' shaped flange 15b disposed in back_to_back relationship. Thus, each double_ flange element is of top_hat (J!L) cross-section.

~ he pair of flanges 14b and 15a face Gne another to provide guide means for the opposite longitudinal edges of an adjustable informatioh strip located between them and thus define a display area 16 on the front surface 12 of support panel 11. Similarly, the 'L' shaped flange 15b of double-flange element 15 defines together with the 'L' shaped flange 17a of double-flange element 17 a further display area 18. It will be appreciated that any required number of di~play areas thus can be formed by providing the appropriate number of flange pairs.

In a similar manner the double_flange elements 19, 20 can he formed so that pairs of retaining flanges are upstanding from the opposite (back) surface 13 of the supp~rt panel 11.
As best shown in Figure 2 of the drawings each of the double_ flange elements 14, 15, 17 and 19, 20 comprise two retaining flanges of generally 'L' shaped config~ration disposed bacX-to-back and connected by an integral web of material coplannar with the support panel 11 thereby providing a 'top_hat' section element. The opposed pair of flanges of adjacent double-flange elements face one another to define the guide means ~or locating the opposite edges of an information strip located between the opposed flange pair and provide a display area on the panel 11 The double_flange elements are stamped from the panel 11 such that successive double_flange elements project from opposite sides of the panel. For example, the double-flange element 20 is disposed intermediate the double-flange elements 14 and 15.
Hence, the displays are as provided on the front surface 12 of the support panel are out of register with the display areas provided on the rear surface 13~ Such an arrangement of course makes the best use of the availa~le material thereby producing an economical and compact display device.

The support panel 11 may be formed from material other than sheet metal, for example, a plastics material. In con-structions having a plastics support panel the flange element may be integrally moulded in ~itu.

The support pan~l 11 is mounted within the display sign so that both its upper and lower longitudinal edges lla, llb respectively are located at the mouth of a chamber for accommodating the coiled ends of the information strips. The lowermost such chamber is designated the reference numeral 21 and i5 formed by front and rear panels 22, 23 respectively wnen the display sign is assembled. A similar chamher 24 is formed at the uppermost end of the sign adjacent the other longitudinal edge lla of the panel 11, although for the sake of clarity the front panel of that chamber has been removed.
The mouth of the chamber 21 is defined by lips 22 , 23 res-pectively between which the lower longitudinal edge llb of panel is located. Moreover, in constructions in which the support panel is made from sheet metal the retaining flanges may be welded or otherwise secured to the panel to provide an integral panel and flange assembly.

When the device is assembled the opposite coiled ends of the self_coiling information strips are accommodated within chambers 21, 24 respectively with the uncoiled portions of the strips extending across respective display areas of the panel 11.
To complete the construction of the display sign so as to provide an enclosed cabinet, top wall and side wall channel elements 25, 26 respectively are fitted to overlap the front and rear chamber panels it being understood that similar bottom wall and opposite end wall channel elements (not shown) also are provided. me various channel element sections of the display sign may be connected together by welding, riveting or other suitable fastening elements. An example of the completed construction is best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings there is ~hown a gasoline price display sign 27 having two tiers of display areas 28, 29 respectively. It will be appreciated that the cabinet 27 is formed from components similar to those illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. However, in this construction a pair of support panels 11 is utili ed whereby the top tier of display areas 28 comprises four display areas 30, 31, 32 and 33 in which uncoiled portions of the self-coiling information strips are displayed each presenting indicia relating to the price of gasoline for sale. The display areas 30,31:3l,32 and 32, 33 are separated by double_ flange elements 34, 35, 36 respeotively, constructed as previously described.

The construction of the lower tier of disp~ay areas is similar to that described above. m e central chamber 37 is sized to receive the coiled ends of both the upper and lower tier information strips. The self-coiling strips can of course be adjusted 80 that the indicia or other characters are sequentially displayed in the non_coiled section merely by applying finger pressure and moving the strip in a manner tending to transfer a length of the strip from one coiled end to the other. Locking devices 'L' may be provided to fix each coil strip in any desired p~sition within its display area. Such a locking device may simply comprise a flat-tipped screw and a pair of spaced dimples 'd' formed ~n thesupport panel ll. The screw is adjustable externally of the display to apply pressure against a portion of the strip and thereby pinch the strip between the screw's flat tip and the dimples 'd' of the support panel 11.

c~ 27 Referring now to Figure 4 of the drawings there is shown a gasoline price display sign 3~, the upper portion 40 of which is constructed from the components sh~wn in the exploded view of Figure l. Upper portion 40 ~ncludes a display windcw 41 comprising three display areas accommodating self-coiling information strips 42, 43, 44 in side_by_side relationship.
The strips are guided by double_flange elements 45, 46. The coiled ends 42l, 43 , 441 respectively, of each of the information strips can be seen in the open base of the lower coil retaining chamber 21'. In order to mount the top portion of the gasoline display sign 38 on to a gasoline pump there is provided an attachment unit 47 which basically consists of an element of channel section having resilient ribs 48, 49 extending along the top edge of the limbs of the channel element and which are slightly divergent so as to provide a force fit between the attachment unit 47 and the open base of the top portion 40, In order to mount the gasoline price display sign 38 onto a gasoline pump (not shown) the attachment unit 47 is provided with spaced adhesive strips as at 50, Alternatively, the base of the channel element may be drilled with a series of fastener receiving aperture~ (not ~hown) whereby the attachment unit 47 may be scre~-fastened or riveted to the top ~urface of a gasoline pump. The top price portion 40 may then be forced into the open mouth of the channel element so that the resilient lips 48, 49 are forced apart and resiliently engage the lower roll retaining chamber panels 22', 23' respec_ tively. The outer side walls of the channel element may be provided with a shallow 'C'-shaped guide members each 51, 52 of which guides slidingly receives and retains a card insert 53, 54 respectively, Each insert is formed from paperboard or other suitable printable material such as plastics and is mounted by being slid into the 'C' shaped element. The front face of each insert i~ provided with information e.g, a description of the goods to be sold. The attachment unit 47 may be formed from a sheet metal or a plastics material as desired.

Figure 5 illustrates a further gasoline price sign 55, in which the basic construction of the display area windGw areas 56 is as pre~iously described with reference to Figure 1 in that a series of side_by-side display areas are provided each area having a self coiling information strip which is retained and guided within the display area by means of flanges struck from the support panel of the device. The sign 55 comprises a pair of spaced legs 56, 57 which are bridged by the sign board 55' and are of sufficient length so as to provide a stable free_ standing display sign. The d~wnwardly turned terminal ends of the legs may be formed with feet 58, 59 respectively, each of - which is provided with ground engaging spikes (not shown) to enhance the stability of the stand. Upper and lower areas 60, 61 of the stand adjacent the central display area 56 may be formed with retaining lips in order to receive changeable copy inserts such as lower area 61 or alternatively such are as may be directly printed with information relating to the goods such as upper area 60.

ModificationQ of the present invention are envisaged within the scope o~ the claims. For example, a pair of gaso-line price display signs such as that designated reference numeral 27 in Figure 3 of the drawings may be mounted one atop the other and connected together by suitable fasteners. One type o fastener could comprise channel brackets secured at each side of the signs at the point of connection.

It is further envisaged that the attachment unit 47 shown and described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings could be used in combination with display ~igns o~er than /~f ~ 7 those constructed in accordance with the present invention.
For example, the attachment unit 47 is thought to be suitable for use with numerous existing display signs of appropriate dimensions and provides means for detachably connecting such signs to the top surface of a gasoline pump.
Of course, it is not necessary for the attachment unit to be constructed with the 'C'-shaped guide members which can be eliminated if desired.

Claims (6)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A display device comprising adjustable information strips and a support panel for retaining and guiding the adjustable information strips, characterized in that the panel comprises a surface having a series of double-flange elements upstanding therefrom and spaced apart in parallel relationship therealong, each double-flange element comprising a pair of elongate flanges of 'L'-shaped cross-section and an integral inter-connecting web, said 'L'-shaped flanges being disposed in back-to-back relationship and spaced apart by said interconnecting web, each adjacent pair of facing 'L'-shaped flanges of successive double-flange elements in that series providing guide means for retaining and guiding an information strip located therebetween and in that a second series of said double-flange elements is upstanding from the opposed surface of said panel, the double-flange elements of said second series being disposed intermediate said double-flange elements of the first mentioned series.
2. A display device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said information strips are self-coiling tapes.
3. A display device according to claim 1 or claim 2 further characterized in that each double-flange element is integral with and displaced from said panel surface such that the foot of each 'L' overlies the aperture remaining after the material to form the flange has been displaced.
4. A display device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said panel surface is formed from a sheet metal, said double-flange elements being cold-stamped from the panel surface.
5. A display device according to claim 4, further characterized by locking means to retain each of the information strips in a selected position within its respective display area.
6. A display device according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 4, further characterized by an attachment unit for releasably attaching the device to a support surface, said attachment unit comprising a channel shaped element into which a base portion of the device is received, said channel shaped element having resilient wall portions spaced apart so as to provide a close push fit between said base portion of the device and the attachment unit, and having means for attachment to said support surface.
CA000392681A 1981-12-18 1981-12-18 Adjustable price display signs Expired CA1191027A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000392681A CA1191027A (en) 1981-12-18 1981-12-18 Adjustable price display signs

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000392681A CA1191027A (en) 1981-12-18 1981-12-18 Adjustable price display signs

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1191027A true CA1191027A (en) 1985-07-30

Family

ID=4121656

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000392681A Expired CA1191027A (en) 1981-12-18 1981-12-18 Adjustable price display signs

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1191027A (en)

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