GB2339319A

GB2339319A - Motor Vehicle Number Plate Holder

Info

Publication number: GB2339319A
Application number: GB9814642A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johannes Torp Pedersen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-07-07
Filing date: 1998-07-07
Publication date: 2000-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2018-07-07
Also published as: DE29908234U1; GB9814642D0; GB2339319B

Description

2339319 Motor Vehicle Number Plate Holder The present invention relates to

a number plate holder for a motor vehicle.

Number plates, also called licence plates, are usually affixed to a motor vehicle by a holder. The holder can be integral with the vehicle, for example being moulded into a plastic bumper, but is more commonly a separate holder, itself affixed to the vehicle prior to the number plate being affixed to the holder, Such a separate holder is often formed from an injection moulded plastics material.

Conventional number plates have a variety of constructions. For example, in the United Kingdom these are made in a multilayer laminated plastic construction, about 3 mm thick and generally about 120 mm by about 525 mm in outline. In most European Union states and in North America, licence plates are made from stamped and painted aluminium sheet which may have a raised rim about 2 mm high.

Number plates are usually fixed in position in a number plate holder, either by using adhesive pads which fix the back of the plate to a corresponding surface within the holder, or by screws which pass through holes drilled in the plate, into drilled or pre-prepared tapped holes in the vehicle bodywork behind the holder. Both these methods require a degree of care to ensure a proper fixing. With adhesive pads, it is possible to incorrectly position the plate relative to the holder. Once the pads have adhered, it is difficult and time consuming to remove the plate and start again. Also, if removal is necessary, P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 possibly after damage to the plate, the adhesive can be difficult to remove and can hinder the attachment of a new plate into the same holder.

When screws penetrate the number plate itself, the act of piercing the plate provides a point at which water and road dirt can enter between the laminations of the plate which then becomes discoloured. Also, the presence of a hole creates a point of weakness where cracks in the plate can start.

Accordingly the invention provides a number plate holder for a motor vehicle, comprising a base of a size substantially the same as the surface area of the number plate it is to hold, a peripheral wall surrounding the base, and a plurality of lips projecting inwardly from the top of the wall to overhang the base.

The lips allow a number plate to be snap-fitted into the holder with the plate in position against the base, surrounded by the wall and retained in the holder by engagement of the lips with the front of the plate.

The holder is preferably moulded from a plastics material.

Polystyrene is particularly suitable, and the holder is a suitable component for manufacture from recycled plastics.

Although references will be made in the following to rectangular number plate holders, as this is the most likely shape to be made, the invention is not restricted to this shape.

The base may be flat or formed with internal features. it P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 is necessary for the base to have landing points at a number of positions to support the back surface of a number plate and to locate this relative to the lips. The base may however be formed with a variety of features, for example holes by which the holder can be secured to a vehicle, and these features will normally be located behind the plane which the rear face of the number plate will occupy, when this is in position.

The corners of the base are preferably radiused, to follow the shape of the corners of the number plate.

The peripheral wall will preferably be continuous around the base, but it is within the scope of the invention for the wall to be a non-continuous wall, as viewed around the periphery of the holder.

The height of the wall preferably corresponds to the thickness of a number plate to be held in the holder.

The walls at the corners of the holder preferably follow the outline of the base.

Lips may be provided at regular intervals around the wall. 25 It is preferred for the lips to occupy less than 50% of the length of the wall, and preferably less that 25%.

About 10% is a preferred proportion of length of lips to length of wall, but a smaller proportion than this is also possible. The lips preferably extend from the inner surface of the wall only, and are preferably moulded from the same plastics material as the rest of the holder.

The corners of the plate may be retained behind lips positioned on either side of each corner of the plate, P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 close to and equidistant from the corner. The lips are preferably placed opposite one another on opposite sides of the holder.

The lips may have a wedge-shape, when seen in crosssection. The small end of the wedge will extend over the base while the large end is integral with the wall. This can ensure that the number plate is held firmly against the base, and will allow for some tolerance on the number plate thickness.

In order to form such lips as part of a single injection moulding, the base can have apertures through its thickness where the lips are located, so that retractable moulding pins can be introduced to allow the lips to be moulded. The pins would be withdrawn after moulding, before demoulding.

The number plate holder may be integral with a motor vehicle, for example, it may be part of a plastics material bumper. In most cases it will however be nonintegral, for example, a separate unit or moulding attached to a vehicle after the vehicle has been delivered to a motor dealership.

The terms front and behind as used herein are with reference to the direction in which a number plate or temporary plate is intended to face, whether at the front end or a rear end of a motor vehicle.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a number plate holder in accordance P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 with the invention, with a number plate fitted therein; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a central portion of the rear side of the number plate holder of Figure 1, with the plate removed; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line III-III from Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, but showing a number plate in place.

Figure 1 shows a number plate holder 10 with a rectangular number plate 12 fitted in the holder. The edge of the number plate can be seen at 14, and the plate is retained in the holder 10 by snap fitting the edges 14 of the plate 12 under a number of peripheral lips 16. The lips are all that is required to retain the number plate firmly and securely in the holder.

The holder itself is shown in more detail in Figure 2. The holder has a base 3 which has a large flat area but also has, sunk below the base 3, fastening areas 5, 7 with a variety of through holes such as 9, 11 through which fastenings can pass to secure the holder to a vehicle. The depth of the recesses 5, 7 will allow sufficient space for the heads of fasteners to be accommodated without upsetting the positioning of a number plate which will lie flat against the surface 3.

Two opposite lips 16 are shown in Figure 2. As can be seen, they project across the interior space of the holder, from the top edge of a wall 13.

P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 Figures 3 and 4 show a cross section on line III-III from Figure 2, f irst with no number plate inserted in the holder, and secondly with a number plate inserted. In Figures 3 and 4, the height of the walls 13 is somewhat exaggerated relative to the width of the holder.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the lips 16 are wedge-shaped, and the tips of the wedge shapes face each other across the holder.

Figure 4 shows how a number plate 12 can be fitted between and underneath these lips, to be held in place by the lips. In Figure 4, a clearance is shown between the number plate and the lips, but in practice the ideal situation will be where the edges of the plate 12 are an interference fit between the base 3 and the lips 16.

To insert the number plate in the holder 10, the plate will be tilted so that one edge can be tucked behind the lips 16 on one side, and then the plate will he forced past the lips on the opposite side. The material of the lips will be sufficiently resilient to allow the number plate to be snap-fitted in this way, but the lips will then be robust enough to return to their initial position as shown in Figure 4, where they retain the number plate. It has to be remembered that the number plate will be fitted after the holder 3 has been secured on a vehicle, so it will not generally be possible to distort the holder 3 to allow the number plate to be clipped or snap fitted in place.

of course it may be the walls 13 which resiliently yield when the number plate is snapped in past the overhanging P2215.Al 7 July, 1998 7 lips 16.

To aid moulding of the holder as a single item, the base 3 is provided with apertures 15 which allow mould pins to enter the injection mould at the positions where the lips 16 are to occur. The mould pins can then mould the under surfaces of the lips 16 before being withdrawn in a later stage of moulding.

The lips can be designed so that the number plate cannot easily be removed after it has been inserted.

In some applications, the number plate holder may take up a slight curve when it is fixed in place on a vehicle, and the lips can be constructed so that they will allow a number plate inserted in the holder to follow that curve.

It may be desirable for the upper edges of the number plate 12 to be chamfered to cooperate precisely with the under surfaces of the lips 16, to provide the best possible retention of the number plate in the holder.

In Figure 1, the ends of the holder 10 each have a single, central lip. In place of this, each end could have two lips, spaced an equal distance from the corner as the lips 16a, and this may help to retain the corners of the number plate in the holder.

With a number plate holder as described, the number plate (and number plates are standard sizes) can be fitted in the holder without the use of any tools. There is no disfigurement to the front face of the plate, and very little skill is required to ensure a perfect fitting of the plate in the holder. It may even be possible for the P2215. Al 7 July, 1998 number plates themselves to have a narrow black rim so that the lips 16 blend into the black rim and then can hardly be seen once the plate is fitted.

P2215.Al 7 July, 1998

Claims

1. A number plate holder for a motor vehicle, comprising a base of a size substantially the same as the surface area of the number plate it is to hold, a peripheral wall surrounding the base, and a plurality of lips projecting inwardly from the top of the wall to overhang the base.

2. A number plate holder as claimed in Claim 1 moulded 10 from a plastics material.

3. A number plate holder as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 moulded from polystyrene.

4. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base is flat.

5. A number plate holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the base is formed with internal features. 20

6. A number plate holder as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the base has landing points at a number of positions to support the back surface of a number plate and has holes by which the holder can be secured to a vehicle.

7. A number plate holder as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the holes are formed in a part of the holder which is located behind the plane which the rear face of the number plate will occupy, when this is in position.

8. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the corners of the base are radiused.

9. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding P2215.Al 2 March, 1999 claim, wherein the peripheral wall is continuous around the base.

10. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the height of the wall corresponds to the thickness of a number plate to be held in the holder.

11. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the walls at the corners of the holder follow the outline of the base.

12. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein lips are provided at regular intervals around the wall.

13. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips occupy less than 50% of the length of the wall.

14. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips occupy less than 25% of the length of the wall.

15. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips occupy about 10% of the length of the wall.

16. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips extend from the inner surface of the wall only.

17. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips are moulded from the same plastics material as the rest of the holder.

P2215.Al 2 March, 1999

18. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the corners of the plate are retained behind lips positioned on either side of each corner of the plate, close to and equidistant from the corner.

19. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips are placed opposite one another on opposite sides of the holder.

20. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lips have a wedge-shape, when seen in cross-section.

21. A number plate holder as claimed in Claim 20, wherein the small end of the wedge will extend over the base while the large end is integral with the wall.

22. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base has apertures through its thickness where the lips are located, so that retractable moulding pins can be introduced to allow the lips to be moulded.

23. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, which is integral with a motor vehicle.

24. A number plate holder as claimed in any preceding claim, which is an integral part of a plastics material bumper.

25. A number plate holder substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

P2215.Al 2 March, 1999