US2540221A

US2540221A - Transparent display holder

Info

Publication number: US2540221A
Application number: US626808A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hoeve Marinus Ten; Lawn Fair; Hoeve Edward Ten; Korte Peter De
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-11-05
Filing date: 1945-11-05
Publication date: 1951-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 1968-02-06

Description

Feb. 6, 1951 M. TEN HOEVE ET AL TRANSPARENT DISPLAY HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1945 gnaw/WW4); Edwa rd Y'en Hoar e, Marin/us Ten [/06 V6 i, Feier fleliorie,

Patented Feb. 6, 1951 TRANSPARENT DISPLAY HOLDER Marinas Ten .Hoeve, Fair Lawn, Edward Ten Hoeve, North Haledon, and Peter De Korte, Fair Lawn, N

Application November 5, 1945, Serial No. 626,808

7Claims. 1

Our invention relates to the art of display and more particularly to changeable exhibitors.

In. the merchandising of various commodities, for instance, gasoline, signs or price tags are employed for denoting the prices thereof and which signs are usually displayed in the open by being attached to the product dispenser or other appropriate support for observation. Inasmuch as the signs or tags areusually con- .s-tructed of paper, cardboard or the like, it has been the practice to enclose them in holders to protect them from the weather and other elements. So far as we are aware, the construction of any available holder for this purpose comprises a metal bracket on which is mounted a display assembly having a metallic frame disposed about a pair of glass plates for holding the plates together in spaced relation to accommodate therebetween the sign, the bracket being provided with means for detachably securing the frame thereto to permit the assembly to be detached for changing the sign or tag in accordance with the prevailing price of the product. It has also been the practice to protect other types of signs or tags, for instance, automotive license plates or markers, by the use of similar holders to preclude rusting of the markers, which are usually constructed of metal, and damage to or obliteration of their numerals or other indicia.

In the use of holders of the foregoing described type, the frames, in many instances, become rusted from weather exposure, while the marginal faces of the frames, adjacent the glass plates, provide means whereby dirt and other foreign matter accumulate thereabout. The rusting of the frames and/or the accumulation of dirt or other foreign matter results in the glass becoming streaked, smudged, or the like when subjected to weather elements and thus attenuate the sign indicia or render the same wholly or partially illegible. Furthermore, the glass plates often become cracked or broken due to their inherent fragility with the result that the sign is damaged and necessitates not only replacement of the sign but often the glass plates or the entire assembly.

Our invention overcomes the foregoing difficulties and disadvantages, it being one of the objects thereof to provide a sign holder wherein a fram'eless transparent member or body is employed for accommodating the sign or tag in lieu of metallically framed glass plates thereby precluding the aforementioned smudging, Streaking or the like.

Another object of our invention is to provide a sign holder having a sign displaying body constructed of relatively tough transparent material highly resistant to breakage or shattering.

A further object of our invention is to provide a holder of the foregoing described character wherein the transparent body is detachably connected to a supporting bracket without the use of a frame or the like disposed about the. body.

An important object of our invention is to provide a device or holder of the foregoing described character which is maintained within a transparent body in a sealed condition and thus protected from weather, dirt or other foreign matter.

Another important object of our invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character equipped with means whereby the transparent body may be expeditiously detached and attached from and to the bracket to permit quick sign changing.

A special object of our invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character which is attractive in appearance, simple in construction, durable and efficient in use, economical in manufacture, possessed of a high degree of aesthetic appeal and which lends itself to high production and quick assembly and disassembly.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is an elevation of our invention, partly in section.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

'3 and 4 are diagrammatic elevations of the invention illustratin steps in assembling the components.

Figure 5 is an e evation of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 an elevation ofanother modified form of the invention. 7

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 6.

In practicing our invention. as i'llrstratedin Figures 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings. wepro- 'vide a bracket comprising a relatively long and narrow member 5 of rust proof material, for instance, brass, and which member is formed with end and interjacent sections 6 and I respectively. The end Sections 6 are disposed in right angular relation to the interjacent section I and are formed with laterally extending end portions 8 provided with openings 9 for accommodating bolts or the like for securing the bracket to an appropriate support, for instance, a gasoline pump or a similar dispenser.

Adjacent the end sections 6, the interjacent section I is formed with openings I accommodating therethrough anchoring screws I I or the like for a purpose hereinafter more fully described. Mounted on the interjacent section is a gasket I2 having its ends provided with openings for the reception of the screws II, the latter being threaded or otherwise anchored in sockets I3 formed in the end face I4 of a sign displaying one-piece body or member I5. The member I5 is constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material, for instance, plastic and which may be of the type known as Lucite. The member I5 is formed with a pocket I6 opening through the end face I4 to permit a price card, tag or sign H to be loosely inserted into the pocket, the card being provided on opposite faces with indicia I8 denoting the price of the product. When the device is in assembled condition, the member i5 is seated on the gasket I2 and with screws I I extending through the gasket and bracket and having nuts I9 threaded thereon to effect clamping of the member relative to the bracket.

The surface of the gasket I2 which engages the end face I l of the transparent body I5 is treated the sign ii contained in the pocket is protected against moisture and dirt.

When it is desired to replace the sign II, the nuts [9 are removed from the screws II, the member or body withdrawn from the bracket and the sign removed from the pocket. In assembling the device, the sign is inserted within the pocket and a finger F of the operator is pressed about the face I4 to hold the sign in the pocket as illustrated in Figure 3, it being understood that the screws II are of a sufficient length to permit the insertion of their ends through the openings in the gasket and bracket while the finger of the operator is still retained in the above described position. When the ends of the screws are thus inserted, the operator's finger'is removed whereupon the edge of the sign wiil engage the gasket and its major portion thus retained in the pocket, as illustrated in Figure 4, until the body I5 is lowered to completely enclose the sign and to dispose the face It in appressed relation with the gasket and sealed therewith by application of the nuts I9.

While the foregoing described form of the invention has been disclosed in connection with the display of a price tag or sign, for instance, in connection with the sale of gasoline or a similar product and which sign is constructed of cardboard or the like having price indicia printed on each side for dual display purposes, it is to rubber 4 be understood that a similar structure may be employed wherein an automotive license plate or the like may be retained in the pocket for display and that the license plate may carry appropriate indicia on one or both sides.

In the modified form illustrated in Figure 5,

vthe ends of the bracket 20 are pivotly supported in bearings 2I for limited rotation to permit selective display of the opposite faces of a sign contained within the transparent member 22 and which faces may bear different indicia. In this form, if desired, a pair of signs each having indicia on one face may be placed back-toback within the transparent member 22 for selective display, for instance, automotive license plates of different states which are carried by motor vehicles engaged in interstate commerce and which are required to display only the plate of the state being traveled.

In the modified form illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, we provide a bracket comprising a relatively long and narrow member 3| provided with end and interjacent sections 32 and 3 3 respectively. The longitudinal marginal edges of the interjacent section 33 are formed with inclined flanges 34 extending inwardly towards each other and which flanges define a dove-tailed configuration.

Disposed between the flanges 36 is an inverted V-shaped clamping bar or member 35, the latter being provided with a seat in which is accommodated the end of a clamping screw 36 threaded through the section 33. The flanges 34 overlie and engage a pair of similar outwardly diverging flanges 3T integrally formed on the face of the transparent body or member 39 which face confronts the section 33, access to the pocket 40 which is formed in the body, being had between the flanges 3'1. The bar 35 extends between the flanges 3? and coacts with the flanges 35 to clamp the flanges 33 between the bar and the flanges 34 when the bar is actuated in a direction away from the member 3| by the screw 3G. Loosening of the bar, by operation of the screw 36, permits thebody 39 to be disassembled endwise from the bracket whereby the sign M may be withdrawn from the pocket 4i! and another inserted therein. When the sign is thus changed the body is again inserted into the bracket and clamped therein against displacement. One end of the section 33 is provided with a stop '52 to limit the movement of the body relative to the bracket during assembly thereby insuring proper positioning of the body on the bracket.

Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully explain the invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined to the herein described use therefore as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction as illustrated and described as the same is only illustrative of theprinciplesof operation, which are capable of extended application in various forms, and the invention comprehends all construction within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: r

l..In a device of the character described, a one-piece body formed with a pocket for accommodating indicia displaying means therein and with said pocket being defined by spaced walls, said body having an end face formed with an opening communicating with said pocket between said walls, said body being constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material highly resistant to fracture, support means traversing said face for supporting said body and closing said opening, and attaching means extending into at least one of said walls and cooperating with said support means for clamping said body to said support means.

2. In a device of the character described, a one-piece body formed with a pocket for accommodating indicia displaying means therein and With'said pocket being defined by spaced walls, said body having an end face formed with an opening communicating with said pocket between said walls, said body being constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material having a high degree of resistance to fracture as distinguished from the relatively low degree inherent in glass, support means traversing said end face and closing said opening, attaching means anchored into some of said walls and extending from said face and through said support means to effect clamping of said bod to said support means, and means carried by said attaching means and engaging said support means and operable for rendering said attaching means effective.

3. In combination, a one-piece frameless body formed with a pocket for accommodating indicia displaying means and with the body having an end face formed with an opening communicating with said pocket, said body being constructed wholly of a transparent and relatively tough ametallous material highly resistant to fracture and having side and end walls defining said pocket and said opening, said body being equipped with spaced side flanges extending outwardly from said face and entirely from one end of said face to the other to provide a channel having open ends; body supporting means extending through said open ends and traversing said face through an end face of said body, said body being 55 constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material highly resistant to fracture, screws carried by said body and extending from said face and through said support to effect clamping of said body to said support, and means carried by 0 said screws and engaging said support and operable for rendering said screws effective, and sealing means interposed between said face and said support for sealing said pocket to protect indicia displaying means therein from extraneous 5 matter.

5. In a device of the character described, a support provided with a pair of oppositely disposed inclined flanges, a one-piece body formed with a pocket for accommodating indicia dis- 7 playing means therein and with said pocket being accessible through an end face of said body, said body being constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material highly resistant to fracture, said face of said body being structurally in- 75 2,317,123

tegrally formed with a pair of diverging flanges disposed between and within the confines of said inclined flanges, a clamping member extending between said diverging flanges and effective for clamping the pairs of flanges together, means carried by said support and engaging said clamping member to render the latter effective, said last mentioned means being operable to render said bar ineffective to permit withdrawal of said diverging flanges from within the confines of said inclined flanges and thus effect disassembly of said body from said support.

6.In a device of the character described, a support provided with a pair of oppositely disposed inclined flanges, a onepiece body formed with a pocket for accommodating indicia displaying means therein and with said pocket being accessible through an end face of said body, said body being constructed of a transparent and relatively tough material highly resistant to fracture, said face of said body being structurally integrally formed with a pair of diverging flanges disposed between and within the confines of said inclined flanges, a clamping member extending between said diverging flanges and effective for clamping the pairs of flanges together, means carried by said support and engaging said bar to render the latter effective, said last mentioned means being operable to render said clamping member bar ineffective to permit withdrawal of said diverging flanges from within the confines of said inclined flanges and thus effect disassembly of said body from said support, said body being frameless and constituting the sole medium extending from said support and in which said indicia displaying means is confined.

'7. In a device of the character described, a support formed adjacent its end with openings, a gasket carried on said support and provided with openings registering with said first mentioned openings, a one-piece transparent body having an end face engaging said gasket and formed with a pocket for accommodating therein an indicia displaying member inserted into said pocket through said face, screws anchored within said body laterally of said pocket, said screws extending through said face and disposed through said opening, means carried by said screws and operable against said support for clamping said body to said support and'sealing said member within said pocket by said gasket, said screws being of a suflicient length outwardly of said face to permit entry of their outer end sections into said openings While said face is disposed a sufficient distance from said gasket to enable the finger of an operator to be retained across said face for holding said member in said pocket during an initial assembly stage of said body and support.

MARINUS TEN I-IOEVE.

EDWARD TEN HOEVE.

PETER DE KORTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 214,339 Wimer Apr. 15, 1879 519,256 Greene May 1, 1894 1,475,025 Newman et al Nov. 20, 1923 1,968,209 Irby July 31, 1934 2,124,143 Long July 19, 1938