EP0573422B1

EP0573422B1 - Signboard and accessories for use in such a signboard

Info

Publication number: EP0573422B1
Application number: EP91910580A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Verholt
Original assignee: PLATAAN BV
Current assignee: PLATAAN BV
Priority date: 1990-05-29
Filing date: 1991-05-29
Publication date: 1995-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2011-05-29
Also published as: WO1991019282A1; DE69112427D1; NL9001222A; DE69112427T2; EP0573422A1

Abstract

Signboard or similar device comprising circumferential sections and corner pieces interconnecting these sections, the circumferential sections comprising a provision on the side facing away from the board for inserting accessories (12), wherein the corner pieces are provided with passages to the insertion openings in the sections for passing accessories (12) therethrough, as well as an accessory (12) for use in the signboard comprising a portion (14) which is complementary to the corresponding section portion and an upwardly extending support portion (15).

Description

The invention relates to a signboard or similar device, comprising circumferential sections and corner pieces interconnecting said sections, the circumferential sections comprising a provision on the side facing away from the board for inserting accessories.
Such a signboard is described in GB-A-2 100 044 and is generally known but suffers from the disadvantage that the construction is such that the accessories must always be mounted in the circumferential sections before assembly of the whole, or that access openings are provided in the sections for mounting the accessories.
It is an object of the invention to remove this disadvantage.
To that effect, a signboard of the type described in the opening paragraph hereof is characterized in that the corner pieces are provided with passages to the insertion openings in the sections for passing accessories therethrough.
Preferably, the passages in the corner pieces are in alignment with the internal circumference of the insertion openings in the corresponding portion of a section, in such a way that an element that is being inserted is guided continuously.
The signboard is further characterized by an accessory comprising a portion which is complementary to the corresponding section portion, the accessory comprising an upwardly extending support portion which, in mounted position, extends along the "back" of the signboard in mounted position, whereby the attachment of the accessory is strengthened.
Said accessory of the sign board may, on the side facing away from said complementary portion, be provided with an insertion opening permitting ready insertion of objects from outside.
To facilitate the insertion or removal of these objects, the insertion opening may be bounded at the bottom by a resilient leg equipped with a locking projection.
In further elaboration of the invention, the signboard described can be mounted on a wall by means of wall attachment members each essentially consisting of an angular member whose side facing the wall is provided with a slotted hole, while the other wall is provided with an inwardly directed projection intended for cooperation with the corresponding section side.
By providing each wall attachment member with openings for passing a screw therethrough, in addition to the inwardly directed projection, proper securing can be accomplished in simple manner.
By virtue of this manner of attachment, the signboard can be readily removed, i.e. that one or more accessories, which after assembly are disposed between the wall attachment members, can readily be mounted therein.
To further explain the invention, one embodiment of a signboard with wall attachment members as well as accessories will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a reduced front view of a signboard in mounted condition;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wall attachment member used in the signboard according to Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-section of a signboard during mounting;
Fig. 4 is an elevational view similar to Fig. 3, after the signboard has been mounted;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an accessory;
Fig. 6 is a schematic view similar to Fig. 4 of an application of the accessory according to Fig. 5 with a channel mounted therein;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the device according to Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the corner piece;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2 of another wall attachment member;
Fig. 10 is an application of the wall attachment member according to Fig. 9; and
Fig. 11 is another application of the wall attachment member according to Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawing, a signboard 1 comprises circumferential sections 2 and corner pieces 3 interconnecting these sections by means of a simple click-fit connection.
Attachment of such a signboard to a wall 5 is effected by means of wall attachment members 6. The wall attachment members 6 are provided with a slotted hole 7 on the side facing the wall 5, while the side of the wall attachment member facing the signboard comprises an inwardly directed projection 8. The purpose of the slotted hole 7 and the projection 8 will appear from Figs 3 and 4. Further, in the side facing the signboard, on opposite sides of the projection 8, slots 9 are provided for mounting screws preventing displacement of the signboard 1 relative to the attachment members 6.
Fig. 3 shows the signboard 1 while it is being mounted between a lower wall attachment member 6 fixedly secured by means of a screw 10 and an upper wall attachment member 6, mounted likewise, but movably so, by means of a screw 10 in the upwardly shifted position. After the signboard 1 has been mounted in the manner shown in Fig. 3, the upper wall attachment member 6 is moved downwards, which is possible by virtue of the presence of the slotted hole 7 in each wall attachment member.
Because the corner piece shown in perspective in Fig. 8 is provided at the corners with a passage 11 of such size that the passage is in alignment with the internal circumference of the corresponding portion of section 2, it is possible to mount accessories onto section 2 even after it has been mounted on the wall.
Figs 6 and 7 show an accessory 12 which essentially consists of a U-shaped body having one leg 13 provided externally with a projection 14 corresponding with the corresponding portion of section 2. The other leg 15, which is of resilient design, comprises a locking protrusion 16. The back 17 of the U-shaped accessory is formed with an extension on the side of the projection 14, so that a proper attachment to the circumferential section of the signboard is possible.
Onto accessory 12, in turn, a next element can be removably mounted, e.g., as in the present case, a channel 18.
As will appear from Figs 6 and 7, the channel 18 has a form which is complementary to the inside of the U-shaped accessory 12, the channel 18 further comprising a U-shaped portion 24 with two extensions 19, 20. The extension 19 serves to embrace the front end of the leg 13 and can accordingly be regarded as the tilting point during insertion and removal of the channel.
The other extension 20 forms the channel proper which is arranged for receiving all kinds of articles and which at the front end thereof is provided with a bend 21, preventing the articles from falling from the channel.
For obtaining a secure attachment of the channel 18 to the accessory, the two legs of the U-shaped portion 24 are provided externally with protrusions 22 and 23, the protrusion 22 being adapted to cooperate with a recess in the leg 13 (not designated), while the other protrusion 23 can cooperate with the locking protrusion 16 of the resilient leg 15.
It is observed that after the U-shaped portion has been mounted in the desired position, no vertical displacement of the signboard relative to the wall attachment members 6 can occur anymore, i.e. in such a case the provision of screws in the slots 9, as described hereinabove, can be omitted, which constitutes a further reduction of assembly operations (see Fig. 6, screw 25).
The signboard with accessory according to the invention permits universal use of the signboard, most readily allowing changes to be made and accessories to be applied.
The embodiment of a wall attachment member shown in Fig. 9 is generally indicated at 30. The attachment member 30 comprises an L-shaped angular member 31 comprising two projections 32 and 33, which are comparable to the projection 8 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Provided between the two projections 32, 33 in the corresponding portion of the L-shaped member 31 is a threaded bore 34 for effecting therethrough an attachment by means of a cap screw 35.
In this way, a simple, firm attachment has been formed. On the one hand, the cap screw 35 is eminently supported and, on the other, eminent attachment of the section relative to the wall attachment member is obtained, in this case through retention.
Fig. 10 shows an application of the wall attachment member according to Fig. 9 in a signboard. It is clearly shown how by means of a cap screw 35 the wall attachment member 30 can be secured relative to section 2, so that a completely fixed attachment has been effected without the necessity of providing a bore or the like.
Fig. 11, finally, which shows a detail of the device according to Fig. 10, here equipped with an accessory, clearly shows how owing to the provision of a groove 36, an accessory can be fixedly retained in a framework of a signboard. It will be clear that within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims, modifications are possible.

Claims

A signboard or similar device (1) comprising circumferential sections (2) and corner pieces (3) interconnecting said sections (2), the circumferential sections (2) comprising a provision on the side facing away from the board for inserting accessories (12), characterized in that the corner pieces (3) are provided with passages (11) to the insertion openings in the sections (2) for passing accessories (12) therethrough.
A signboard according to claim 1, characterized in that the passages (11) in the corner pieces (3) are in alignment with the internal circumference of the insertion openings in the corresponding portion of a section (2).
A signboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by an accessory (12) comprising a portion (14) which is complementary to said provision of a corresponding section (2), the accessory (12) comprising support portion (17), which, in a mounted position, extends along the "back" of the signboard in a mounted position.
A signboard according to claim 3, characterized in that the accessory (12) comprises an insertion opening on the side facing away from said complementary portion.
A signboard according to claim 4, characterized in that the insertion opening is bounded at the bottom by a resilient leg (15) provided with a locking projection (16).
A signboard according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by wall attachment members each essentially consisting of an angular member (30) whose side facing the wall comprises a slotted hole, while the other wall comprises an inwardly directed projection (32) intended for cooperation with the corresponding section side.
A signboard according to claim 6, characterized in that each wall attachment member (30) comprises, in addition to the inwardly directed projection (32), openings for passing a screw (35) therethrough.