GB2286707A - Noticeboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A pinboard (1), is fitted with bar arrangements (2, 4) at the top and bottom edges which are secured by attachments (6) into the back of the pinboard. This pinboard and bar assembly is attached to a wall or other surface by capped screws (5) which pass through it. A plastics glazing panel (7) with returns (8) in the top and bottom is clipped over the top and bottom bars utilising the natural tension within the plastic material to create friction between the bars and the plastics holding the glazing panel in place. Each vertical edge of the pinboard can be butted flush to a similar pinboard using locating pins (10) on either side of the board and thus a noticeboard of any desired length may be assembled. The returns (8) may be angled inwardly towards one another. <IMAGE>

Description

NOTI CEBOARD This invention relates to a noticeboard.

Glazed noticeboards are well known items on which printed, drawn and written materials are publicly displayed. Conventional glazed noticeboards consist of a pinboard to which the material to be displayed is attached by pins or other fixings, surrounded by a frame. A second frame containing the glazing material is attached by hinges to the frame around the pinboard so that it forms a glazed door which protects the displayed material and allows access to the pinboard. The whole is affixed to a wall or similar surface.

US Patent Specification No. 4683670 describes a simpler noticeboard having a board adapted to carry replaceable letters screwed directly to a wall or the like, with a transparent cover having an upper peripheral lip which is adapted to be engaged over an upper edge on the board so that the cover will overlie the front surface of the board. However there are no fixing bars and the cover is easily knocked off.

An object of the present invention is to provide a glazed noticeboard which is cheap to manufacture, easy to use and stable once assembled.

Accordingly the present invention provides a noticeboard comprising a pinboard, bar means for extending along two opposite edges of the pinboard, fixing means for fixing the pinboard and bar means to an upright surface and a transparent glazing cover of an elastically deformable plastics material comprising a panel adapted to cover the front surface of the pin board and having two rearwardly extending opposite edges adapted to engage over the fixing bars, the cover being sized such that it will be held in place over the board and bars by friction and by elastic tension in the plastics material.

The cover is effectively snap fitted to the board and bars and is stable when attached but can be easily removed by elastic deformation of the cover Preferably each bar is of angle section to have one edge arm extending along an edge of the board and one arm extending along the adjacent back surface of the board and preferably the edge arm is angled both forwardly and outwardly. Preferably the rearwardly extending edges of the cover are angled both rearwardly and inwardly.

With advantage the fixing means, for example screws, extend through both the bars and the board.

The pin board may for example be made of compressed recycled paper and is not framed apart from the bars extending along two opposite edges, preferably the upper and lower edges.

Each vertical edge of the noticeboard can be butted flush to a similar noticeboard, using locating pins on either side of the board if required. Thus a noticeboard of any desired length may be assembled.

One embodiment of noticeboard, in accordance with the invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 shows, in perspective, viewed from the front left, an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system assembled as a multiple unit noticeboard, Figure 2 shows, in front elevation, an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit, Figure 3 shows, in rear elevation, an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit, Figure 4 shows, in section, viewed from the right hand side, an interlockable, plastic glazed3 modular noticeboard system unit with the plastic glazed front removed, Figure 5 shows, in section, viewed from the right hand side, an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular noticeboard system unit with the plastic glazed front removed, Figure 6 shows, in section, viewed from the right hand side, the top section of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit with the plastic glazed front in position, Figure 7 shows, in section, viewed from the right hand side, the bottom section of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit with the plastic glazed front in position, Figure 8 shows, in perspective, viewed from the front left hand side, the top section of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular noticeboard system unit with the plastic glazed front in place and with exploded view of the upper positioning pin and co-operable hole, Figure 9 shows, in perspective, viewed from the front left hand side, the bottom left hand side of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit with the glazing panel in position and with exploded view of the lower positioning pin and co-operable hole, Figure 10 shows, in perspective, viewed from the rear left hand side, the top right hand side of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit with the glazing panel in position and with exploded view of the upper right hand side positioning pin and Co- operable hole, Figure 11 shows, in perspective, viewed from the rear left hand side, the bottom right hand side of an interlockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system unit with the glazing panel in position and with exploded view of the lower right hand side positioning pin and cooperable hole, and Figure 12 shows, in front elevation, three noticeboard units of an interockable, plastic glazed, modular, noticeboard system in exploded view and assembled as a multiple unit noticeboard.

Referring to the drawings, each glazed noticeboard unit comprises a pinboard 1, preferably formed from compressed recycled paper, an angled top bar 2 with recesses 3 therein, an angled bottom bar 4, capped screws for fixing the pinboard assembly to an upright surface such as wall 5, holding screws 6 for attaching the top and bottom bars to the pinboard, a removable, transparent plastics material, glazing cover 7 having a panel for covering the front surface of the pinboard and rearwardly extending angled top and bottom extensions 8, a lateral positioning arrangement 9 in the upper extension 8 and positioning pins 10, co-operable with holes 11 in the vertical edges of the pinboard.

Each of the bars 2 and 3 is angled so that it has a back arm contacting the back surface of the pinboard and an edge arm contacting an upper or lower edge of the pinboard, with the edge arms angled both forwardly and at a small angle, for example about 109 (7 to 15 ) outwardly to the horizontal. The edge extensions 8 of the glazing cover are angled rearwardly and inwardly at a similar angle. The cover is made of elastically deformable plastics material for example high specification crystalisatable thermoplastic polyester polymer, which has been bent from a planar sheet form to provide the angled edges. The cover is sized so that it is a snap fit onto the pinboard with assembled bars. One or each of the bars may be provided with vertical slots through which the fixing means 5 and 6 extend so that the bar can be adjusted in a vertical direction relative to the pinboard to give fine adjustment of the vertical dimension of the assembled pinboard and bars and ensure that there is elastic deformation of the cover to retain the cover on the pinboard.

The pinboard assembly made up of the board and bars is attached to the wall or similar surface by the capped screws 5 being screwed through the board and bars into that surface. The plastics material glazing panel has the top extension inserted over the top bar so that the lateral positioning means 9 fit within the recesses 3 in the top bar. The bottom is then pushed over the bottom bar with some elastic deformation and is held in place by the natural elastic tension and friction. The positioning means 9 and recesses 3 are optional.

To assemble a multiple unit noticeboard system, positioning pins 10 may be placed in co-operable holes 11 in the vertical edge of the pinboard and adjoining unit or units abutted to the pinboard assembly so that the positioning pins are co-operable with holes within the edge or edges or adjoining board or boards.

Where the board is made of stronger material, the bars may be unnecessary and the edges of the board could be angled.

Claims (11)

1. A noticeboard comprising a pinboard, preferably bar means for extending along two opposite edges of the pinboard, fixing means for fixing the pinboard and bar means to an upright surface, and a transparent glazing cover of elastically deformable plastics material comprising a panel adapted to cover the front surface of the pinboard and having two rearwardly extending opposite edges adapted to engage over the fixing bars, the cover being sized such that it will be held in place over the board and bars (where present) by friction and by elastic tension in the plastics material.

2. A noticeboard according to claim 1 in which each bar is of angle section having one edge arm for extension along an edge of the board and one back arm for extension along the adjacent back surface of the board.

3. A noticeboard according to claim 2 in which each bar has its edge arm, when attached to the board, angled forwardly and outwardly.

4. A noticeboard according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the rearwardly extending opposite edges of the cover are additionally angled inwardly towards one another.

5. A noticeboard according to claim 3 or claim 4 in which the outward or inward angle is in the range 3 to 7".

6. A noticeboard according to any of claims 1 to 5 in which the dimension of the board with the bars fixed thereto is expandable through a small distance in the direction between said opposite edges so as to ensure that the cover when fitted thereto is under elastic tension

7. A noticeboard according to any of claims 1 to 6 in which the pinboard is formed of compressed recycled paper.

8. A noticeboard according to any of claims 1 to 7 in which the pinboard has no frame apart from the bars attached to its upper and lower edges.

9. A noticeboard according to any of claims 1 to 8 in which the bars and rearwardly extending opposite edges of the cover have interengaging part which prevent relative lateral movement.

10. A noticeboard comprising a plurality of noticeboard units, each according to any of claims 1 to 9, the vertical edges of adjacent noticeboard units being butted flush to one another, with the use of locating pins if desired.

11. A noticeboard substantially as described herein with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.