US2271456A - Sign - Google Patents

Description

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 SIGN Cornelius Hendricks, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

signor to Applied Arts Corporation, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corpor ation of Michigan Application May 9, 1940, Serial No. 334,207 5 Claims. (Cl. 40-140) This invention relates in general to signs and particularly to a novel construction for house numbers, which may be either secured directly to a house or which may be connected to the upper end of a rod or post extending into the ground. While in the preferred embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein I have shown ner in which the figures are mounted upon a main support. The support is provided with an off-set central portion which results in a forward- 1y extending ledge therearound spaced from the,

edge thereof. A plurality of plates are provided each of which has an opening therein of the con- 'tour of the figure to be mounted thereon. The

figure itself is provided with a rearwardly and then outwardly extending flange around the periphery thereof. The figure is inserted through the opening in theplate from the rear side thereof so that .the outwardly extending .fiange abuts against the rear side of the plate. "The disk is provided with rearwardly extending ears some of which are bent downwardly against the outwardly extending flange on the figure to hold it in place and others of said ears are adapted to rest onthe ledge of the support. A

rimor frameis then secured to the resulting structure at the front sidethereof having a rearwardly and then inwardly extending flange thereon which bears against the upper and-lower sides ofthe plates to hold them in place. Another phase of the invention is the novel clamping means I have provided by means of which they sign. may beconnected to apost in the ground.v e. f Y

Other objects l.and .purposes of the invention which have not been specifically mentioned here- Y in will appearmore fully as the description prol. ceeds.

y To-the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter-fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims. -ing and l certain means for carrying out my invention, sa1d r means constituting, however, but one of the varia The annexed drawfollowing description set forth in detail ous ways in which the principle of theinvention may be employed. Y

In said annexed drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the sign as it appears attached to the upper end of a rod inserted in the ground.

Fig. 2 is a part elevational, part sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the sign.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of one of the disks having a gure mounted thereon, with parts broken away to more clearly show the structure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line 5--5 of Fig. 2, and Y Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through the connecting means between the sign and the post, showing part of the assembly in side elevation. f

Referring now more particularly to the drawfing,the main supporting part of the sign comprises a rear support having a centrally and forwardly off-set portion I which provides the upper and lower ledges 2 and 3 and the end ledges 4. From these ledges,LV the metal is then bent outwardly as at 5 and terminates in a forwardly extending flange 6r which extends around vthe periphery of the support and is slightly convex.

A plurality of plates 1 is provided uponwhich l the various figures are mounted and each of which is provided at its upper and lower edges and at the corners thereof with rearwardly extending ears 8. In the assembly of this portion of the structure, the ears 8 are adapted to bear againstthe respective upper and lower ledges 2 and 3 as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Each plate is provided with an opening therein substantially of the same contour as the figure Vwhich is to be mounted thereon.A In'the particular assembly shown in Fig. 4, the numeral 'l is mounted on the plate and in this figure the disk will have an opening therein of the shape of the'l which it is to receive. self, indicated .at 9, is shown as being formed of The number ita light reflecting material particularly of a char- `acter referred to hereinbefore although" it is to be understood that any other suitable material y maybe used if desired.` Each figure is provided f with arearwardly extending flange IIJ around the periphery thereof which, in turn, terminates in the outwardly extending ange ll.` In the assembly of this part of the structure, the figure is inserted through the opening in the plate I from the rear side thereof so that it will protrude a distance from the front side. The outwardly extending flange II then abuts against the rear side of the plate I to prevent its removal therefrom from the front side of the structure.

The plate I is also provided with other ears I2 which extend rearwardly from the upper and lower edges thereof and which are bent downwardly from the top or upwardly from the bottom against the rear side of the fiange I I to hold the ligure in place. Obviously, the particular location .and number of these ears I2 will depend upon the shape of the figure mounted on the plate. For example, as shown in the drawing, for the numeral 1 there is required two ears at the upper edge of the plate and one at its lower edge, while for the cipher only one ear is necessary at the upper and lower edge thereof. and number of these ears will also vary with other numerals or letters but the function thereof remains the same.

To complete this part of the structure, a front rim or frame I3 is provided which, at itsv inner edge extends rearwardly for a distance as at I4 and then terminates in the flange I5. The outer edge thereof extends rearwardly to form the flange I6 also slightly convex. The fiange 6 on the support is of the same contour as the.`

flange I6 on the front rim and is adapted to be telescoped therein to secure the rim in place. When the various plates I have been located and mounted on the support so that the ears 8 thereof res-t on the respective ledges 2 and 3,.

and the figures mounted thereon as above described, the inwardly extending flanges I will bear against the upper and lower edges of the front side of the plates to hold them in place and prevent any displacement thereof. To se-1 curely hold the frame or rim I3 in place, it is provided with downwardly extending ears II from the rear edge of the ange I6, which ears are received in the openings I8 in the upper flange 6 of the support. This construction is more clearly shown in Fig. 3.

It is contemplated -that these signs will be made in standard sizes and will accommodate from one to any desired number of figures and plates. herein, the sign is adapted to receive a maximum of five figures, although only four are actually used. In order to use a lesser number of figures than the sign is capable of receiving one or more of the blank plates I9 are utilized at each end,r

of the series of figures. These blank plates yare merely to ll in the unused space. At each end of the structure, and extending forwardly from the end ledges 4 of the rear support are the ears which provide stops against which the end blank plates I9 may bear to prevent any longitudinal movement of the assembled numbers in either direction. The plates I9, are valso provided with rearwardly extending ears 8 as previously described with respect to the plates which have figures mounted thereon. I'his structure is the same at each end so that the iigures may be centrally located and the blank spaces at each end thereof may be filled in with the plates I9.

If it is desired that the sign be secured directly to the house, I have provided the rearwardly extending members 2I on the portion I in the rear support having the openings 2Ia therein. One of these near eachv end of the structure will The location g In the particular embodiment shown be sufficient, although any other desired number may be used if deemed necessary.

In some cases it may be preferable to mount the sign on a post or rod placed in the ground and to accomplish this I have provided novel connecting means as particularly shown in Fig. 6. The post 22 is provided at its lower end with the smaller rod 23 which extends through the post and has each end thereof turned upwardly as in Fig. 1 to prevent removal of the post from the ground. The upper end of the post is preferably made somewhat smaller and is attened slightly as at 24. I then provide a clamp which consists of two similar front and rear portions 25 which are recessed vertically at their lower sides and are also recess-ed horizontally at the upper side thereof. The upper horizontal portion of the clamp is indicated at 28 and has a contour and recess therein adapted to receive the lower edge of the sign, which includes the flanges 6A and I6 and the portions 5 and I3. In the assembly of this clamp, the front and rear portions thereof, which are similar, are clamped around the portions of the sign just mentioned and the upper end of the post. A screw-threaded bolt 2I is then inserted through the lower portion of the clamp and through an opening provided for that purpose in the upper end of the post and is then secured in place by the nut 28. It will be seen that this novel means of securing the sign to the post will' be simple as well as very effective.

It is to be noted that with this novel construction the rearwardly extending flange I0 on the figures can be made sufliciently wide so that the figures themselves will extend forwardly from their supporting plates a considerable distance. From this structure, then, it will be evident that light will be reflected from the various figures even though such light is directed yat the sign from either end thereof. If the rays of light reaching the sign are substantially parallel thereto, some of the rays will be reflected by the forwardly extending edges of the figures so that` the sign may be viewed regardless of the angle at which the light reaches it.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be used instead of the one here explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed, provided, however, that the means stated by any of the `following claims or the equivalent ofsuch stated means be employed.

1. A sign of the class described comprising, a support, upper and lower ledges on said support extending longitudinally and forwardly thereof, plates having rearwardly extending flanges on opposing edges thereof adapted to contact the upper side of the upper ledge and the lower side of the lower ledge respectively on said support to thereby support said plates, a' figure mounted on each plate, and relea'sable clamping means mounted on the margin of saidsupport and overlying said plates to prevent movement of said plates forwardly from said support.

2. The combination of elements vdefined in claim 1 combined with means at each end of said support bearing against the vertical edges of said plates to prevent movement of said plates longitudinally of said support.

3. A sign of the class described comprising, a rear support havinga forwardly extending flange around the periphery thereof,the central part of the support being offset toprov-de a forwardly extending ledge spaced from said `flange, .a pluplates having l'reajiwardly projecting ears thereon to Contact said ledges, a frame connected to said support at the front side thereof, and a rearwardly turned flange on said frame adapted to bear against said plates to prevent forward movement thereof.

5. The `combination of elements dened in claim 4, combined with forwardly extending ears at each end of said support against which the end plates bear to prevent longitudinal movement thereof.

CORNELIUS HENDRICKS.

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