GB2226681A - Signboard - Google Patents

Abstract

The signboard has a pair of parallel rail members 11 mounted between upright supports 10 in spaced apart relation to holdingly receive a sign plate 13. The rails are relatively moveable to increase or decrease the spaced apart distance between them and enable location of the sign plate thereon, and thereafter returned to their spaced apart relation to holdingly secure the sign plate. The rails 11 are interconnected by a length adjustable connector 12 which is actuated externally of one rail to move the other rail towards or away from said rail. The adjustable connector incorporates to support member 21 to support the surface of the sign plate. The sign plate may be fixed directly to the rail 11 or to a distance piece (50, 56 Figures 12-14) mounted on the rail. <IMAGE>

Description

8inboard Construction Description This invention relates to signboards.

According to the present invention there is provided a signboard wherein at least one pair of parallel rail members are mounted on support means in spaced apart relation to holdingly receive a sign plate, said rail members being relatively moveable to increase or decrease the spaced apart distance between them and enable location of the sign plate thereon, and thereafter returned to their spaced apart relation to holdingly secure the sign plate.

Preferably, one rail member is fixedly secured to upright supports and the other rail member is adjustably located thereon.

Preferably also, the rail members are interconnected by a length adjustable connector which is actuated externally of the fixed rail to move the other rail towards or away from said fixed rail.

Preferably also, the adjustable connector incorporates a support member to support the surface of the sign plate.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of signboard according to the invention: Fig. 2 is an end view: Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a profiled post: Figs. 4 to 6 are plan views illustrating erected signboards.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of means for mounting rails of the signboard in a profiled rail.

Figs. 8 to 10 illustrate various signboards; and Figs. 11 to 14 are sectional side elevations of signboards.

Referring firstly to Figs 1 and 2, the signboard is formed by a pair of upright supports 10, only one of which is shown, a pair of horizontal parallel rails 11 mounted on the upright 10 in a spaced apart relation, a connector 12 connecting the rails and a sign plate 13 for hooked location on the rails 11. In this embodiment, two sign plates are provided, one for each side.

The rails 11 have flat outer horizontal faces 15 and are profiled internally of the faces 15 to provide a part cylindrical bore 16 located on the inner side of the rail.

The supports 10 have holes 17, 18 thorough which a bolt (not shown) passes to locate in each of the bores 16. One of the holes 17 is circular but the other hole 18 is elongated to allow for movement of one rail 11 towards or away from the other.

Each rail 11 has a profiled flange 19 along each side by which a sign plate 13 can be attached to the rails, the sign plates having hooked ends 20 to hook over the profiles 19.

The rails 11 are interconnected by the connector 12 which is parallel and co-planar with the upright supports 10. The connector is threaded and one end holdingly engages the upper rail. The other end locates in the lower rail and its end face is exposed by an opening on the lower face of the lower rail. The connector 12 can thus be rotated via its lower end face in order to adjust the spacing between the rails.

In one example, best illustrated in Fig 2, the distance between the upper and lower rails 11A, llB is reduced and the hooked ends 20 of each signboard locate over the profiled rails 11. The distance between the rails is then increased, to bring the profiles 19 into tight and holding engagement with the hooked ends 20 of the sign plates 13.

The connector 12 may be a single bar but preferably, as shown in Fig 1, a support block 21 is provided to support the surfaces of the sign plates. Thus the connector comprises a pair of bar members 22, 23 which engage a rail 11 and the support. One of the bars 23 is threaded and its end face is exposed for rotating. The connector may be arranged so that on rotation of the lower bar 23, the lower rail rises or lowers relative to the support block 21 while the upper rail 11 remains stationary.

The connector 12 may be operated by means other than screw threading, eg it may be cam-operated or toggle operated.

The or each support 10 may be in the form of a profiled post 30 (Fig 3) having one or a series of profiled channels 31 for selective location of the rails 11. For example two, three or four such posts 30 can be provided so that flat, triangular or square signboards can be erected as illustrated in Figs 4 to 6.

In order to connect the horizontal rails 11 to such profiled posts 30, triangular carrier blocks 33 are provided to locate in the profiled channels 31 and be connected, eg by bolts, to the rails 11.

Fig. 7 illustrates such an arrangement. Each carrier block 33 has a (vertical) spine 34 which locates in the slot 31. One means of retaining the spine therein is to locate bolts through a pair of (horizontal) bores 35 in the block so that the heads lie against the spine. The heads have opposed flats so that when aligned with the spine they can pass through the narrow opening of the channel and then be rotated through 900 to lock the block in the channel.

The bolt head can be screwed tightly against the channel wall or only lightly so that one block, the lower block can be securely held while the upper block can be slidably held to allow movement along the channel.

Each block 33 has a (horizontal) slot 36 which engages a slotted face 37 of the respective rail 11 so that a portion 38 of the block locates within a channel 39 of the rail 11. The rails 11 carry end blocks 40 of the connector 12 via spines 41 which locate in the channel 39 and the threaded connector member (not shown) includes the support block 21.

Fig. 8 illustrates a sign board having a single sign plate 13.

Fig. 9 illustrates a sign board having two plates 13, one below the other. In this structure, there are three rails, the centre rail being stationary and the upper and lower rails being moveable towards and away from the centre rail, as required, for mounting and demounting a plate.

Fig. 9A illustrates a signboard supported at one side only.

Fig. 10 illustrates a sign board having a variety of sign plates. The board has six pairs of rails, one rail of each pair being adjustable towards or away from the other. Sufficient space eg 15 to 20 mm is provided between adjacent pairs of rails to enable a key to operate the connector of the relevant pair of rails.

The sign board carries a square plate which is mounted by adjusting the rail of the fourth pair of rails and attaching the plate to that rail and to the topmost rail.

Short narrow plates are attached to each of the first four pairs of rails and narrow long plates are mounted below the square and four short plates.

The rails in the described embodiments are disposed horizontally, in vertical alignment, but the alignment may be other than vertical and the rails may be other than horizontal.

The sign plates can be secured to the rails directly as in Figs. 1, 2 and 11 or indirectly via distance pieces as in Figs. 12 to 14.

In Fig. 11 two different sign plates 13 are illustrated having flanges 43 or 44 extending inwardly to engage horizontal slots 45 or 46 in the profiled rails 11.

In the left hand side arrangement, the rails are moved relatively together to enable the flanges 43 to locate in slots 45. In the right hand side arrangement, the rails are moved apart to allow location of the flanges 44 in slots 46.

The rails are moved by rotating threaded bar 23 from below the lower rail 11, the bar 26 extending upwards to engage a threaded bore 47 in the upper rail 11.

In the sign board illustrated in Fig. 12 profiled distance pieces 50 locate in slots 45 of the profiled rails 11 and the sign plates 13 hook over the pieces 50.

The illustrated piece 50 has a root 51 which locates on the rail and curves outwards to terminate in a vertical limb 52 over which the sign plate 13 hooks. Two versions of sign plates are illustrated.

Another distance piece 50 is illustrated in Fig. 13, at the top right hand corner thereof. It is similar to that shown in Fig. 12 but has no limb, the sign plate simply hooking over the outer end of the root 51.

Fig. 13 further illustrates that when a pair of rails are correctly spaced a sign plate 53 having internally directed pairs of flanges 54 can be slid along the profiled rails 11 assuming the sign board has an open or openable end. A full plate 13 is shown on the left hand side and a half plate shown at the lower right hand side.

In Fig. 14, the distance piece extends beyond the sign plate and forms a trim. The distance piece 55 is of substantial H shape with one half 56 of one limb outwardly curved. A flat sign plate 57 is held captive between the cross members 58 and outer limbs 59 of upper and lower distance pieces whose inner limbs are engaged in profiled slots of the rails. In order to mount or demount the sign plate the rails are moved relatively apart.

The distance piece is reversible to provide different spacings to accommodate sign plates of different thicknesses, as illustrated in Fig. 14 where the left hand side plate is eg 3 mm thick while the right hand side plate is 5 mm thick.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A signboard wherein at least one pair of parallel rail members are mounted on support means in spaced apart relation to holdingly receive a sign plate, said rail members being relatively moveable to increase or decrease the spaced apart distance between them and enable location of the sign plate thereon, and thereafter returned to their spaced apart relation to holdingly secure the sign plate.

2. A signboard as claimed in claim 1, in which one rail member is fixedly secured to upright supports and another rail member is adjustably located thereon.

3. A signboard as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the rail members are interconnected by a length adjustable connector which is actuated externally of the fixed rail to move the other rail towards or away from said fixed rail.

4. A signboard as claimed in claim 3 in which the adjustable connector incorporates a support member to support the surface of the sign plate.

5. A signboard as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the support means comprises a profiled channel support member into which a slide block is mounted, said block carrying a rail.

6. A signboard as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the support means comprises a single support member supporting one end of each rail.

7. A signboard as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the support means comprises a pair of support members to supporting both ends of each rail.

8. A signboard as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 in which a distance piece is carried by each rail for engagement in the sign plate.

9. A signboard as claimed in claim 8 in which the distance piece is of substantially H shape and moulded on the rail so that one limb of the distance piece is spaced laterally of the rail.

10. A signboard as claimed in claim 9 in which the distance piece is projected for use in two dispositions whereof in one disposition the limb spaced from the rail is at a distance which is greater or smaller than achieved by the other disposition.

11. A signboard substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.