US2961787A - Banner mounting construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 29, 1960 155 2,961,787

BANNER MOUNTING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

By Elliol'l' .IKies E; film, MW9 W ATTORNEYS E. J. KIES BANNER MOUNTING CONSTRUCTION Nov. 29, 1960 Filed May 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. Y ElliOtZ JKies B ATTORNEYS United States PatentO 2,961,787 BANNER MOUNTING CONSTRUCTION Elliott J. Kies, Massillon, Ohio, assignor to The Massillon- Cleveland-Akron Sign Company, Massillon, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,596

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-128) This invention relates to a mounting construction for banners and signs. More particularly it pertains to improvements in suspension and tensioned supports for flexible banners or signs, such as shown in Patents Nos. 2,764,830 and 2,882,630, which pertain to a pair of banners or signs mounted on opposite sides of a single ole. p The banner mounting construction for mounting on a single pole includes suspension and tension means for holding the banners in parallel planes forming a boxlike structure which yields slightly to varying weather conditions such as the wind. The suspension and tension means disclosed in said patents permits the entire assembly of the banners to rotate slightly on the pole in response to strong gusts of wind so that the disclosures --.of said patents are well adapted for mounting the banners on a single pole or standard for supporting a permanent sign.

Currently there is a tendency to use two poles or standards for supporting a permanent sign. For example, on filling station lots a permanent sign may be mounted on a single pole which is particularly adapted to the temporary campaign type of advertising involving flexible banners or signs such as disclosed in said patents. More recent tendencies involve the use of two closely spaced poles for the support of a permanent sign.

One difficulty with existing mounting means for banners and signs of flexible sheetlike material is that the suspension and tension means for one pole are not readily adapted for two pole banner mounting constructions. It is therefore necessary to provide a different arrangement whereby flexible sheetlike banners or signs may be mounted in pairs on opposite sides of pairs of spaced poles without minimizing the adaptability of the sheetlike banners to Withstand changing weather conditions such as the sun, rain, and strong gusts of wind.

It has been found that upper and lower suspension and tension means must be modified in order to provide adequate support for holding the sheetlike banners on two poles in a taut, flat, unfluted condition at all times except for permitting the sheetlike banners to yield temporarily under strong winds to prevent their permanent destruction.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide banner mounting construction for maintaining a flexible banner or sign in tension and for holding the banner in a flat, sheetlike condition on a pair of spaced permanent poles.

It is another object of this invention to provide a pair of flexible banners or signs having spaced upper suspension means on separate spaced poles and lower tension means between the poles.

It is another object of this invention to provide banner mounting construction in which a pair of flexible sheetlike banners are mounted on opposite sides of a pair of spaced upright poles in a boxlike manner and'in which the poles serve as spacers for holding and maintaining the banners parallel to each other.

2,961,787 Patented Nov.. 29, 1960 It is a further object of this invention to provide banner mounting construction having suspension and tension means on spaced upright poles which hold the banners in flat sheetlike status under varying Weather conditions, yielding only temporarily to strong gusts of wind.

Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a mounting construction for temporary sheetlike flexible signs having the foregoing features that is simple to install and inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects and advantages apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims may be obtained, the stated results achieved and the described difficulties overcome by the discoveries, principles, apparatus, parts, combinations, subcombinations, and elements which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following statement, preferred embodiments of whichillustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles-are set forth in the following description, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof. h

The nature of the present invention may be stated in general terms as including a pair of upright standards, two banner components composed of flexible sheetlike material, suspension and tension means mounting the banner components on opposite sides of the standards, the suspension means including brackets secured on each spaced upright standard, each bracket having banner component engaging hook means on opposite sides of the standard, the hook means of the brackets on corresponding sides of the standards being disposed in the planes of'the banner components, each bracket having portions interconnecting the hook means on opposite sides of each standard, said connecting portions being engageable snugly with the sides of the corresponding standards, the tension means including an elongated flexible pole band extending around and between the standards, spring means extending between the flexible pole band and the lower ends of the banner components, and the distance between the lower ends of the banner components and the flexible pole band being slightly greater than the length of the contracted spring means.

By Way of example, preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a permanent sign supported on a pair of upright poles, and showing banner components mounted on the poles;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the banner components;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the banner components showing the banner mounting means in greater detail; 7

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on a line above the banner components;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the banner components taken on a line below the banner components;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on a line similar to that of Fig. 5 and showing the use of poles of round rather than rectangular cross section;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the U-shaped hooks used on the rectangular poles; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the U-shaped hooks used on poles having a round cross section. 7

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various figures of the drawings.

A permanent sign 1 is mounted on a pair of spaced upright poles or standards 2 and 3, the lower ends of which are secured to a base 4 as shown in Fig. 1. A pair of flexible banner components or signs and 6 (Figs. 2 and 3) are mounted on the poles 2 and 3 on opposite sides thereof and substantially parallel to each other. The banners or signs 5 and 6 are preferably rectangular members having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis. Each banner 5 and 6 is composed of a sheetlike material or cloth and upper and lower ends of the banners are provided with similar hcmlike borders or sleeves such as upper and lower sleeves 7 and 8. A stiffener member or pull bar 9 is inserted in and extends through the sleeves 7 and 8 as shown in Fig. 2. The members or bars 9 may be composed of wood, metal or other suitable rigid material which is adapted to sustain the flexible banner components 5 and 6 in flat, taut, vertical planes when mounted on the poles 2 and 3.

The banner components 5 and 6 are mounted on the poles 2 and 3 by upper mounting means generally indicated at 10 and lower mounting means generally indi cated at 11 which combine to maintain the sheetlike banner components in flat, taut planes between the upper and lower pairs of pull bars 9. The upper mounting means 10 for each pole includes a pole band 12, a band clamp 13, and a U-shaped bracket 14. The lower mounting means 11 is a tension means which includes a pole band 15, a clip 16, a pair of springs 17 and 18, and an S-hook 19 by which the springs are attached to the clip 16.

As shown in the drawings, the pole band 12 encircles each pole 2 and 3 and is secured tightly in place by tightening the clamp 13. Each bracket 14, as more clearly shown in Fig. 7, is composed of heavy gauge wire material and includes a transverse portion 20, lateral portions 21, downturned sides 22, and end hooks 23. Each bracket 14 is held in place by a pole clamp 12 which engages the downturned sides 22 directly below the transverse and lateral portions 20 and 21 to hold said portions and sides snugly in place against the sides of the pole. The length of the transverse portion 20 is substantially equal to the side of the pole 2 or 3 so that the transverse portion provides a connection between opposite pairs of hooks 23 and reinforces maintenance of the position of the bracket 14 on the pole. The particular configuration of the bracket 14 including the transverse and lateral portions 20 and 21 together with the downturned sides 22 cooperates with the pole band 12 to maintain the bracket 14 rigidly on the pole. Accordingly, the brackets 14 constitute the upper mounting means for the two banner components 5 and 6 by providing hooks 23 on opposite sides of each pole 2 and 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, the upper pull bars 9 are provided with apertures 24 which are spaced from each other by a distance equal to the spacing between the hooks 23 on the spaced poles 2 and 3. In addition, the banner components are provided with apertures 25 aligned with the holes 24 in the pull bars 9 whereby the assembled banner component and pull bar are secured to the hooks 23 by setting the apertures 24 and 25 on the hooks. Both pairs of brackets 14 thus provide upper mounting means for the banner components 5 and 6.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lower mounting means 11 include the pole band 15 having a thumb-tightened clamp 26 extending between and around the poles 2 and 3 where the band is held tightly in place. The clip 16 encloses the central portions of the pole band 15 and together with the 8-hook 19 provides connecting means for the lower ends of the springs 17 and 18. The upper ends of the springs 17 and 18 include similar hooks 27 which engage aligned apertures 28 and 29 in the lower pull bars 9 and banner components 5 and 6 in a manner similar to the hooks 23 and apertures 24 and 25 at the upper ends of the banner components. The distance between the upper ends of the S-hooks 19 and the lower end of the banner components 5 and 6 is slightly greater than the length of the springs 17 and 18 including the upper hooks: 27 and lower hooks 30 engaging the S-hook 19 so that the banner components 5 and 6 when mounted are under tension created by the springs.

Inasmuch as the upper ends of the banner components 5 and 6 are preferably symmetrically mounted on the hooks 23 with respect to the outer ends of the pull bars 9, it is preferred that the springs 17 and 18 likewise be symmetrically mounted with respect to the lower pull bars 9, that is, the apertures 28 and 29 in the pull bars 9 and banner components 5 and 6 are centrally disposed with respect to the ends of the lower pull bars 9.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outer extremities of the lower pull bars are secured together by interconnecting spacers 31 which together with the lower mounting means 11 facilitate the maintenance of the boxlike assembly of the banner components 5 and 6 and provide reinforcement in and between the spaced lower ends of the banner components.

Where the upright poles have circular cross sections as shown at 32 and 33 in Fig. 6 rather than square as in Figs. 1-5, a U-shaped bracket 34 (Fig. 8) having a configuration diiferent from that of the bracket 14 of Fig. 7 may be provided. The bracket 34 is modified to include a circular portion 35 which connects spaced sides 36 and 37 which extends downwardly from the circular portion. Like the bracket 14,. the lower ends of the sides 36 and 37 are provided with similar hooks 38 for engagement with the upper ends of the banner components in a manner similar to the hooks 23 as shown in Fig. 3. The configuration of the circular portion 35 corresponds with the outer radius of the poles 32 and 33 so that the circular portion is held snugly in place by pole bands in a manner similar to the pole bands 12 and thereby prevents the lower hooks 38 from being moved such as by twisting accidentally out of place.

The boxlike structure of the banner components 5 and 6 is maintained by the upper and lower mounting means 10 and 11 in combination with the spaced upright poles 2 and 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the lower ends at least of the banner components 5 and 6 are in contact with the poles which serve as spacer means for the banner components. The spacers 31 combine with the poles 2 and 3 and lower mounting means 11 to hold the lower ends of the banner components tightly against the poles 2 and 3 in spaced relationship. As a result of the foregoing construction, the banner components 5 and 6 may yield either individually or together in response to strong gusts of wind against the force of the springs 17 and 18. For example, either or both of the banner components 5 and 6 may be blown into innumerable curved shapes temporarily out of flat surface in response to strong gusts of wind. However, the springs 17 and 18 together with the upper mounting means eventually correct the shape by pulling the banner components 5 and 6 back into fiat surfaces which are best adapted for reading the advertising matter on the banner components. Finally, the upper and lower banner mounting components permit the banner components to expand and contract due to varying weather conditions such as the sun and rain.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom as such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown.

Having now described the features, constructions, and principles of the invention, the characteristics of the new banner mounting construction, and the advantageous, new and useful results provided; the new and useful discoveries, principles, parts, elements, combinations, subcombinations, structures and arrangements, and mechanical equivalents obvious to those skilled in the art are,

set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

In banner mounting construction of the type in which two flexible sheetlike banner components are mounted on opposite sides of upright pole means, in which upper suspension means and lower tension means are secured on the pole for holding the banners tautly in place, and in which the upper suspension means includes an elongated flexible pole band tightly encircling the pole means, the improvement in the suspension means including at least one bracket composed of an elongated wirelike member, the bracket having a central portion, intermediate portions, and hooked end portions, the central portion being disposed in a plane perpendicular to that of the intermediate and hooked end portions, the central portion having a configuration corresponding to a portion of the outer surface of the pole means, the intermediate portions being held against and on opposite sides of the pole means by 6 the pole band with the central portion snugly secured against the outer surface of the pole means for preventing movement of the bracket with respect to the pole, and each hooked portion engaging an aperture in the upper end portion of a banner component.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 614,799 Dodson Nov. 22, 1898 2,764,830 Frey Oct. 2, 1956 2,882,630 Frey Apr. 21, 1959 2,893,147 Mollet III July 7, 1959 2,894,657 Griffin July 14, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 716,287 France Oct. 6, 1931

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