GB2039406A - Signs and mounting means therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A sign, such as an L-plate, for a vehicle consists of a flat bag (10) having "L" markings (16, 18) on its opposite faces (15, 17) inverted with respect to one another. The sign (10) is mounted on the vehicle by attachment means (20) comprising a wire frame (21) over which the bag (10) is slipped and manually deformable wire elements (25) which are bent into conformity with parts of the vehicle. The attachment means (20) also comprises hook- shaped wire members (27) to hook over the edge of a panel or bumper of the vehicle. Attachment means (20) may be mounted on the vehicle with the frame (21) optionally in a vertically upstanding or depending disposition, and the relatively inverted, duplicate markings of the sign (10) permit of correct positioning of the sign (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Signs and mounting means therefor This invention relates to signs and means for attaching such signs to motor vehicles. The most common sign which requires attachment to a motor vehicle is the so-called L-plate for use by learner drivers and learner motorcyclists. In the past such L-plates have been of two forms. One form comprises thin white plates of plastics material marked in red with the regulation-sized letter That were attached by string to the car bumper or the motorcycle forks. These plates tended to be fractured by the wind and/or be blown away from the vertical plane so as to be unsuitable (if not illegal). Furthermore these plates can not readily be attached to modern cars having rubber bumpers flush with or protruding directly from the car body.Also, such string attachment is difficult to effect to the front radiator grill of a car and can not be effected to the rear of the car. The other form of prior art L-plate overcomes such attachment problems by comprising an adhesivebacked sheet that is adhered to the body of the car. It is almost impossible on modern cars to find a vertical body surface at the front of a car for such adhesive attachment and, in any event, the sign can not be readily removed without damaging the body paint work. Furthermore any removed adhesivebacked sign can not be readily re-used.

Accordingly it is desirable to provide apparatus comprising a sign and means for its attachment to a vehicle, which apparatus can overcome one or more of the above-described and/or other disadvantages of the prior art and can be readily detached from off a vehicle and be readily re-attached, e.g. when the sign is an L-plate and the vehicle is to be used by respectively a qualified motorist and a learner.

According to this invention there is provided apparatus comprising a sign and means for its attachment to a vehicle, wherein the attachment means comprises a generally planar frame for relative sliding co-operation with the sign and further comprises manually deformable elements that can be bent by hand into conformity with portions of a vehicle.

Advantageously the sign is of generally planar form and has similar markings on opposite major surfaces, the markings on one surface being inverted with respect to the markings on the other surface.

Preferably the sign comprises a flat open-mouthed bag of plastics material slidable over said frame.

Preferably the sign is dimensionally of the order of 7 inches square, the sign marking consisting of the letter L in red on a white background.

Advantageously said manually deformable elements comprise two spaced apart lengths of wire extending from one end of the frame, preferably coplanar with the two respective sides of the frame.

Preferably said frame is formed of one or more bent wire lengths.

Advantageously the attachment means additionally comprises hook-shaped members for cooperation with the free edge of part of a vehicle.

Conveniently said hook-shaped members are constituted by appropriately bent extensions of a length of wire forming said one end of the frame and said elements are constituted by elongate extensions of another length of wire forming the remaining three sides of the frame, the two lengths of wire being joined (e.g. soldered) together adjacent the hookshaped members.

By way of example, one embodiment of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a sign 10 and means 20 for attaching the sign 10 to a vehicle; and Figures 2, 3 and 4 are schematic sectional views illustrating alternative modes of attaching the sign 10 to a vehicle using the attachment means 20.

It will be appreciated that although this illustrated embodiment relates to an L-plate type of sign, other types of sign (e.g. military vehicle signs, temporary motor traders registration plates and the like) are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the sign 10 is a flat, white-coloured polythene bag approximately 7 inches square formed by heat sealing two superimposed polythene sheets along a top edge 12 and the two side edges 13 to leave an open mouth 14.

Alternatively the bag may be formed from a single elongate sheet folded in two at 12 and heat sealed merely along the side edges 13. The front face 15 of the white-coloured bag is marked (as at 16) in red with a letter "L" having a maximal length 31/2 inches, a maximal height 4 inches and a width 19 inches (in accordance with the appropriate regulations). The rear face 17 of the bag (not shown) is similarly marked as at 18 with an inverted letter "L", i.e.

upside-down with respect to the letter "L" at 16.

The attachment means 20 comprises a generally square, wire frame 21 having a top piece 22, two side pieces 23 and a bottom piece 24. The top piece 22 and two side pieces 23 are integral with one another and formed from a length of wire approximately 14 inches longerthan that required to form them thereby to form extension elements 25 projecting from the ends of the side pieces 23 remote from the top piece 22 by a distance of about 7 inches each.

These two spaced apart elements 25 are bent back as at 26 to lie generally alongside the side pieces 23 and rearwardly of the vertical plane containing said pieces 22, 23 and 24. The bottom piece 24 is formed from another length of wire that is some 4 or 5 inches longer than necessary, the end portions of the wire being bent into hook-like formations 27. The two lengths of wire are soldered or otherwise joined to one another as at 28 such that the hook-like formations 27 are directed forwardly then rearwardly of the vertical plane containing said pieces 22,23 and 24.

Several methods may be adopted to mount the sign 10 on a vehicle using the attachment means 20.

For example, to mount the sign 10 on the vehicle front or rear bumper or fender 30 (Figure 2) the frame 21 is disposed above the bumper, the hooklike formations 27 inserted over the upper edge of the bumper 30 and the extension elements 25 are manually deformed to wrap them around the bumper and form their free ends into hooks inserted internally of the underside of the bumper as at 29 (see Figure 2). With the attachment means 20 thus secured to the bumper 30, the bag forming sign 10 is slipped downwards over the frame 21 with the bag's surface 15 facing away from the vehicle so as to display the letter "L" designated 16 to the viewer.

Alternatively if bumper-mounting of the sign is not desired or is not possible (e.g. when the bumper is not spaced from the body of the vehicle) the attachment means can be mounted to suspend from the upper edge of the vehicle's front grille panel or rear body panel against which the bonnet or boot lid (trunk lid) co-operates. This arrangement is illustrated in Figure 3 where said front grille panel or rear body panel shown at 31 has an upper edge 32 over which the elements 25 are manually bent to lie behind the panel 31 coplanar with the side pieces 23 of the frame 21. The frame is held in position upon closure of the bonnet or boot lid (trunk lid) referenced 33, the hook-like formations 27 being redundant in this mounting arrangement.The bag constituting the sign 10 is then slipped upwardly over the frame 21 with the bag's surface 17 (opposite surface 15) facing away from the vehicle so as to display the letter "L" designated 18 to the viewer.

A modification of the mounting-arrangement just described with reference to Figure 3 is illustrated in Figure 4. In Figure 4 the frame 21 is disposed above the panel edge 32 and the elements 25 are manually bent down to extend behind the panel 31, the elements 25 being trapped in this position upon closure of the bonnet or boot lid (trunk lid) 33. The bag constituting the sign 10 is then slipped downwardly over the upstanding frame 21 with the bag's surface 15 facing away from the vehicle to display the letter "L" designated 16 to the viewer.

The mounting arrangement of Figure 3 or Figure 4 is considered particularly suitable for the rear of estate and "hatchback" motor cars.

It will be appreciated that with each of the above-described exemplary mounting arrangements the sign 10 is retained in a vertical plane (as required by law), is readily removable when not required (e.g. when the vehicle is to be driven by a qualified driver) and that the attachment means 20 can be readily removed (without damage to the vehicle) when the vehicle is no longer required for use with a learner driver.

Similar advantages can be obtained where the sign 10 and attachment means 20 are to be used on a motorcycle or the like. For this the elements 25 are manually bent around the most suitable part of the motorcycle (e.g. the handlebars and/or the forks) in a manner such that the number plates and lamps are not obscured. For example, two holes (e.g. of 2mm diameter) may be drilled at the bottom of the rear number plate 7 inches apart and the elements 25 threaded therethrough.

If it is feared that the bag forming sign 10 will in use slip off the frame 21, this can be avoided by closing the open mouth of the bag by a clip or by an adhesive tape.

It is reiterated that although the above-described and illustrated embodiment of this invention relates to an L-plate type of sign, other types of sign (e.g. the envisaged "P" sign for a provisionally qualified motorist, or a military vehicle sign, or a "motor trade plate" type of sign) are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. Apparatus comprising a sign and means for its attachment to a vehicle, characterised in that the attachment means comprises a generally planar frame for relative sliding cooperation with the sign and further comprises manually deformable elements that can be bent by hand into conformity with portions of a vehicle.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the sign is of generally planar form and has similar markings on opposite major surfaces, the markings on one surface being inverted with respect to the markings on the other surface.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the sign comprises a flat open-mouthed bag of plastics material slidable over said frame.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that said manually deformable elements comprise two spaced apart wire filaments extending from one end of the frame.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterised in that said filaments are coplanar with the two respective sides of the frame.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that said frame is formed of one or more bent wire lengths.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the attachment means additionally comprises hook-shaped members for cooperation with the free edge of part of a vehicle.

8. Apparatus according to Claims 4 and 7, characterised in that said hook-shaped members are constituted by appropriately bent extensions of a length of wire forming said one end of the frame and said elements are constituted by elongate extensions of another length of wire forming the remaining three sides of the frame, the two lengths of wire being joined (e.g. soldered) together adjacent the hook-shaped members.

9. Apparatus comprising a sign and means for its attachment to a vehicle, said apparatus being substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.