US1498601A - License-plate holder - Google Patents

Description

June 24 1924.

J. R. ZIPAY LICENSEA PLATE HOLDER Filed July 30 Patented' .lune 24, 1924.

. yD sr l V.TOHN MPP ZIAY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

LICENSE-PLATE HOLDER.

Application led July 30, 1923. Serial No. 654,577.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN RAPP ZIPAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Licenses Plate Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tag holders, and

particularly to an improved holder for automobile license tags. It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and highly efcient in operation.

Special objects are to provideV a license tag holder so constructed as to. eifectively the license tag for suspending and gri holding the same aganist bodily movement with respect to the holder, one which can be readily actuated forattaching and detaching the tag but which is equipped with locking means to prevent unauthorized removal, one equipped with locking means in a unique manner so as to obvia-te tampering, one which not only firmly grips the tag but also engages the same to preclude rocking or pivotal movement of the tag after attachment, one which oEers substantially no obscuring parts hiding the face of the tag, and one in which both the fastening means for the lock and the fastening means for anchoring the holder to its support are hidden within the interior of the tag holder and protected thereby.

These and other objects of the invention will more fully appear when taken in conjunction with the following description an the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating the license tag in suspended position; Fig. 2 a view corresponding to Fig. 1 with the front plate unlocked from and swung away from the back plate; Fig. v3 a 'side elevation of the arts shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the method of attaching the holder to its supporting bracket; and Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken substantially midway of the parts as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The holder comprises a back plate 1 and a front plate 2 pivotally attached to the back plate by a suit. ble hinge such as indicated at 3, and the two plates correspond in shape and size throughout substantially their entire extent as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Located along the lowerv margin of the back platel 1 are a plurality of spaced rojecting lugs 4, 4', 4, and spaced sliglitly` above these lugs are threaded recesses 5, 5. Intermediate the threaded recess 5, 5 is one portion of a lock indicated at 6. This portion of the lock is mounted within a suitably formed recess 7 provided in the'back plate and is adapted to be held in place by means of fastening devices in the form of screws or stud bolts shown at 8, the lock part 6 referably fitting within the opening in the ack plate so that its surface lies flush with the inner face of the plate.

Rigidly attached to the back plate and covering yhe several openings therein is a block 9 having integrally formed therewith a yoke or loop 10, the loop being adapted to receive the upper end of a supporting bracket 11 rigidly attached to a suitable portion of the vehicle, as by riveting indicated at 12. The back plate and block are attached to the bracket by means of screws 12 which project through openings provided therefor, the heads of the screws lying flush with the inner face ofthe back plate 1, and the threaded extremities thereof being adapted to engage with threaded openings in the upper end of the bracket, as clearly indicated in the drawings.

The front plate 2 is provided with a transversely extending groove 13 disposed in its inner face adjacent its lower margin, and has also formed therein between the said groove and itslower edge a series of d spaced depressions 14, 14', and 14 these depressions being located so as to receive the projecting lugs4, 4 4, when the two plates arel moved to closed position, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The front plate 2 is also equipped with three openings indicated at 15, 15 and 16. Each of the openings 15, l5', has mounted therein a specially formed binding screw 17. The screw 17 is provided with the customary slotted head 18, an inner threaded extremity 19, and an intermediate plain cylindrical portion 20, the portion 20 being adapted to lie within and fill the aperture while the inner spaced interiorly of the inner vface of the plate, so that after the screw has been inserted in operative position, as indicated at Fig. 3, the same can be rotated bodily within its 1n the -front plate, threaded extremity 19 is4 aperture without eausinfi longitudinal vement with respect to the iront plate.l 'llhe openings 15, 15', however, are internally -threaded correspondingly to the threaded portion 19 so as to'prevent the screws from falling-out of the apertures when the front plate is moved toits open position, as shown in Fig. 2, while adording means for ready removal when desired. The inner threaded portions 19 of the screws are adapted to be received by the thred openings 5, 5', in the back plate, and are adapted to serve as forcing means for selectively binding the two plates into irm contact and gripping relation with the license tag 21 when interposed between the plates.

'lhe tag 21 is positioned between the plates by passing the lugs 4l, 4,4" throu h correspondingly spaced apertures forme at the upper margin of the tag, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the form of tag illustrated is equipped with the raised marginal strengthening rib .22 which is adapted to seat within the transverse groove 13 formed in the inner face of the. plate 2.

Mounted within the opening 16 of the front plate is the remaining portion 6 of the lock device, this portion oi the lock being tted within the opening in the plate' and' anchored in place by fastening means 23 similarly to the manner of mounting the lock portion 6, previously described, that is, 'the main body of the lock portion 6 lies vat the inner face of the plate.

Hush with the inner face of the plate 2 and the fastening means 23 are located entirely Otherwise than has been described, the details of the lock mechanism form no part of the presen-t invention, any convenient form of lock, provided it is mounted and attached in place in the manner described, falling within the contemplated scope of the invention, it'being understood that the lock portion t is equipped with the usual bolt 24C operatively engaging with suitably formed parts on the lock portion 7 and adapted to be actuated by a key insertable in the key slot shown at 25. l

The method of using the holder is obvious from the above description. The lock' mechanism being moved to unlocked condition, and the binding screws 17 being rotated so as to disengage their inner threaded ends from their cooperating apertures` in the back plate, the front plate may be swung outwardly on its hinge 3 so as to separate the plates. The relative position of the two plates when separated is clearly shown b the full lines in Fig. 2 and by the dotted lines shown in Fig. 4. With the plates thus separated, the holder may be attached to its supporting bracket 11 by projecting the upper end of the bracket within the opening formed by the loop 10, the screws 12 being rted to bind the p in plane.

nceaeoi 'lhe license tag may then be placed, as shown in Fig. 2, with the lugs d, a, 4J",

projecting through the lug-receiving apertures formed therein, after which the front plate 2 is swung downwardly,`and the binding screws 17 rotated so as to bind the two key, in obvious manner, so as to maintain` the parts in operative position. v

lt is noted that the fastening screws. 12 for attaching the holder to its supporting bracket, as well as both sets of fastenmg means 8 and 23 for anchorin the lock mechanism to the plates, are isposed in such position as to be entirely hidden when the plates are closed, and are actuable only from the inner faces of the plates. llt 1s thus obvious that after the plates have been moved to their closed position, all oi the fastening means are not only hidden from view but are inaccessible, and thus obviate any possibility of unauthorized tampering with these parts.

' llt is also noted that the arrangement ol the lugs on the back plate with the a ertures in the license tag precludes any bodi y rockin movement with respect to the holder, 1n adition to firmly holding the license tag in suspended condition by means of the binding action between the two plates. Both the lock mechanism and the binding screws for forcing the plates into intimate contact are located above the upper edge of the tag, so that a very small area of the tag'is covered by the holder thus producing substantially no obscuring of the tag itself.

While the holder has been illustrated and described in a form specially adapted for suspending a license tag equipped with a raised marginal rib such as shown at 22, it is obvious that the holder is equally adapted for suspending plain tags not having such strengthening ribs, in which -case bodily rocking movement is prevented by the engagement of the lugs of the back plate with Y the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore not intended `to limit the invention beyond that particularly deiined by the ap-v pended claims.

lt claim:

1. An automobile license tag holder comprising a back plate, a iront plate pivotally supportedv thereon, means on one of said roe llt?

' neeaeci plates adapted to engage a license tag interposed therebetween for positively holding the same against pivotal movement with respect to the holder, and means for' binding the two plates into intimat'e'gripping contact with the said ta l 2. An automobile icense tag holder comprising a back plate, a front plate pivotally supported thereon, spaced lugs on one of the saidv plates, the remaining plate being provided with depressions for receivng the said lugs, and means for binding the two plates into intimate gripping relation with an interposed tag. l

3. vAn automobile license tag holder-comprising a back plate, a front plate pivotally supported thereon, the inner face of said front plate having a vgroove and a series ofdepressions formed therein, the inner face of said back plate having a series of lugs pro'ecting therefrom cooperating with the sai depressions, means for selectively forcing the two platestowards each other, and means for locking the plates 'against unauthorized actuation.

4. An automobile license tag holder come prising a back plate, a front plate pivotally l supported thereon, the inner facel of the fronti-plate having a groove formed therein, said nt plate' havin a recess, a lock mounted in. said recess, astening means for anchoring the lock disposed and actuable only from the inner face of the plate, and

from the inner face thereof.

5. An automobile license tag holder comprising a back plate, a front plate pivotally supported thereon, the inner face ofA the front plate having a groove and a series of depressions formed therein, the back plate having a series of inwardly projecting -lugs cooperating with said depress1ons,'said front plate having a recess, a lock having its body mounted in said recess, fastening means for anchoring the 'lock disposed and actuable only from the inner face of the plate, means for securing the holder to a supportin bracket mounted within the back plate an actuable only from the inner face thereof, and lmeans for selectively forcing the two plates towards each other, b'oth sa1d forcing means and said lock being spaced to one side of the said groove, depressions, and lugs.

6. An automobile license tag holder comprising a back plate, a -frbnt plate attached thereto, means adapted to enga e a license tag interposed therebetween'for' ocking the same against the plates 'an means for forcing the said plates into binding contact with the said tag.

v In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

JOHN Rare ZIPAY. v

Witness:

e EDWIN O. JOHNS.

ivotal movement relative to

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