US2976634A

US2976634A - Changeable display sign

Info

Publication number: US2976634A
Application number: US806024A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard J Ashley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-04-13
Filing date: 1959-04-13
Publication date: 1961-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 1978-03-28

Description

March 28, 1961 H. J. ASHLEY CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN 4 Sheets$heet 1 Filed April 15, 1959 JEJLG. 1L

Howzird J. Ashkay INVENTOR.

BY W

FiledApril 1a, 1959 Mar h 2 19 H. J. ASHLEY 2,976,634

CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Howard J. Ashley INVENTOR.

March 28, 1961 H. J. ASHLEY CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN 4 Sheets-Sheeii 5 Filed April 13, 1959 mm In Tm J m w .W H 7 v B ATTORNEY.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 13, 1959 INVENTOR. I Howard J. Ashle I BY AT TOENEY.

CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN Howard J. Ashley, 28 Mirabel Ave., Mill Valley, Marin County, Calif.

Filed Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 806,024

4 Claims. c1. 40-125 This invention relates to display signs of the type having novel supporting means for a plurality of interchangeable letters, characters, and numerals.

In operating various businesses, it is frequently desirable to post useful information by means of an attractive display where it may be seen by interested customers or others. In stores, particularly, it is desirable to post the names and prices of various articles of merchandise in conspicuous locations in view of customers patronizing such a store. Since the informative material of a display sign of this kind is changed from day to day, the supporting medium for the letters, characters, and numerals making up the sign should not only be capable of enlargement or contraction in accordance with the amount of information to be displayed, but it should embody a construction which makes it possible easily to replace, reassemble, or change the relative positions of such letters, characters, and numerals.

The present invention provides a display sign embodying a novel supporting frame or rack for a plurality of cut-out letters making up a display, such rack comprising a number of sections which are detachably secured one to another. The frame is capable of being increased in area by the addition of vertical and also lateral extensions, thereby making it possible to add to the material making up the display. The frame embodies a construction which not only securely supports the cut-out letters of the display, but it permits the convenient removal, substitution, and addition of cut-out letters when the informative material of the display is changed.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be pointed out hereinafter or will be indicated in the appended claims or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the present disclosure. For the purpose of this application, I have elected to show herein certain forms and details of a changeable display sign representative of my invention; it is to be understood, however, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for purposes of illustration only and is not to be regarded as exhaustive of the variations of the invention in the art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top, front perspective view of one of the rail supporting sections, or links, showing parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a top, rear perspective view of the rail supporting section or link, showing parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the joint connecting one rail supporting section with another, showing parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the horizontal plate supporting rails, showing parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of portions of a horizontal rail and a vertical rail supporting section, showing the means by which the rail is attached to the supporting section, the section being shown broken away and in section, and the rail being broken away;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a display sign embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a typical indicia-bearing plate-in the form of a cut-out letter, such plate being one of several used in preparing a display supported on and between two (2) of the horizontal rails;

Fig. 8 is a front view of a display sign embodying my invention;

Fig. 9 is a front view showing a rack or frame comprising a number of joined vertical sections and horizontal rails; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing an arcuate rack or frame.

The frame or rack embodying the principles of the present invention comprises two (2) or more laterally spaced vertical supports 10 to which the ends of two (2) or more vertically spaced intervening rails 11 are detachably connected. The vertical supports each corn.- prise one or more vertical sections 12 joined end to end to provide an upright supporting member of suitable height.

The vertical sections 12 making up the vertical supports of the frame embody substantially the same form and construction, so a description of one will suffice for all of them. Each vertical section is .made from a suitable length of structurally rigid but flexible plastic or other material, the upper end of which is formed with a male member 13 having two (2) laterally spaced resilient tenons 14 extending rearwardly in parallel relationship to one another, such tenons having latch members 15 projecting outwardly in opposite directions at their rear ends. The male member 13 is provided with a vertical shoulder 16 at its rear side, such shoulder being positioned forwardly with respect to the rear vertical side of the section and below the tenons. The male member 13 is formed with similarly shaped horizontal open end grooves 17, the upper sides 18 of such grooves being arranged in upwardly converging relationship to each other. At points below the male member 13 the section 12 is formed with two (2) laterally spaced parallel apertures 19 extending horizontally through such section. The section 12 is formed with a female member 20 at its lower end, such female member having a cavity 21 extending therethrough which is of sufiicient size to receive the upper male member 13 of a similar section when such sections are joined together. The forward portion of the cavity 21 is larger than its rear portion, and such forward portion is adapted to receive snugly the male member of a joined section while the rear portion of the said cavity is of suitablesize for receiving the tenons 14 and .the latch members 15. The female member 20 is formed internally within its cavity with a vertical shoulder 22 which is adapted to abut the shoulder 16 of the male member of another connected section when two (2) of such sections are joined together. The female member as, within its cavity 21, is formed with two (2) laterally spaced inwardly protruding locking projections 23 of suitable size and shape for entering and snugly fitting Within the grooves 17 of the male member 13 of another joined section 12. In connecting one section 12 to another to increase the height of a vertical support 10, the male member 13 of the lower section is inserted forwardly into the cavity 21 of the upper section. The tenons 14 of the lower of the two (2) sections are adapted to flex sufficiently toward each other to permit their latch members 15 to pass through the smaller rear end portion of the cavity 21 of the upper of the two (2) sections. When the male member 13 of a lower section has been projected sufliciently into the cavity 21 of the upper section, the

shoulders

16 and 22 of such sections will be in abutting relationship with each other and the latch members of the male member of the lower section will be in locking engagement with the rear 'side of the female member of the upper section. The latch members 15 are preferably formed with curved cam surfaces at their "rear ends, such oam surfaces being adapted to engage with the lateral sides of the cavity 21 of an upper section when joining two (2) sections together. The latch members 15 of the lower joined section being wider than the cavity 21 of the upper section causes the tenons 14 of such lower section to flex sufficiently to permit the male member 13 of the lower section to enter the cavity 21 of the upper section, and when such male member has been projected fully within the said female member, the latch members emerging from the cavity will spring outwardly to lock against the rear side of such female member.

The frame, in addition to two (2) or more vertical supports 10, comprises two (2) or more vertically spaced elongated rails 11 which are adapted to support a plurality of indicia-bearing plates 24 that may be in the form of cut-out letters, characters, or numerals or in the form of a plate with the letter, character, or numeral painted thereon or otherwise applied thereto. The elongated rails 11 are structurally rigid but are adapted to be bent into arcuate shapes as shown in Fig. 10. The rails are each somewhat S-shaped in crosssection, and elongated

open grooves

25 and 26 are provided at their upper and lower sides. The ends of the rails have opposed projecting substantially parallel resilient tenons 27 which have latch members 28 on their free ends. The tenons 27 are adapted to extend through and fit snugly into the apertures 19 of the sections 12, and the latch members 28 are adapted to engage with the sides of the sections to prevent the detachment of the rails from the upright supports 10. The support sections 12 may each have one or more vertically spaced pairs of apertures 19, depending upon how high the display sign should be and the number of rows of the indicia-bearing plates 24 that are to be used in the display. It will be noted that the tenons 27 being resilient and bendable, particularly at points adjacent the latch members 28, will permit the temporary deformation thereof to allow their insertion into the apertures 19. The tenons upon returning to their normal shape after the latch members 28 emerge from the apertures, cause such latch members to spring inwardly toward each other and thereby move into locking engagement with the sections. It will be noted that the apertures 19 are in pairs so that the adjacent ends of two (2) rails arranged in horizontal alignment may be connected to and supported by a singlesection 12. While it is advisable from a production and cost standpoint to have the upright sections 12 made alike, it is also feasible to have those sections at the front and rear end of the frame formed with only one (1) aperture 19.

The indicia-bearing plates 24 are made from structurally rigid, but flexible and bendable sheets of plastic or other suitable material. Preferably the plates 24 are in the form of cut-out letters, characters, and numerals. The plates are preferably formed with one or more narrow projecting tongues 29 at their lower and upper edges as shown in Fig. 7, such projections being adapted to fit in the upper and

lower grooves

25 and 26, respectively, of two (2) vertically spaced parallel rails 11. Narrow indicia-bearing plates 24 may require only one (1) tongue 25 at each of its upper and lower edges, but where such plate is comparatively wide, as when formed with such letters as N or 0, it is preferable that two (2) spaced tongues 25 be provided on both of its upper and lower edges. It will be noted from an examination of Fig. 6 that the indicia-bearing plates 24 may embody different sizes. Those plates which extend between widely spaced rails must flex outwardly so as to extend in front of any intermediate rails, and such plates will then assume somewhat semi-cylindrical shapes. By having the narrow tongues 25 of such plates extending into the

grooves

25 and 26, the frame may assume an arcuate or other shape as shown in Fig. 10, without having the plates resist appreciably the forming of the frame into such shape and without having the plates becoming detached from the frame.

The open construction of the frame and the spacing of the letters constituting the display, makes the display sign particularly well adapted for use in store windows where it is desirable that the merchandise behind the frame be partially visible. Although it is usually desirable that the supported letters, characters, and numerals be supported by equally spaced horizontal rails, it is evident that such rails may be arranged in various positions with respect to each other so that different size plates may be used to make up the display sign, as shown in Fig. 8. Although the display sign, and particularly the supporting frame, is usually of substantially rectangular shape, it is also feasible to arrange the rails and the vertical supports in various relative positions to provide unusual shapes and designs, as shown in Fig. 9. Although the frame and the display supported thereby are usually arranged in flat planes so the display sign may be suitably supported alongside vertical wall surfaces, it is possible by reason of the bendability of the material of the frame and particularly the rails and the supported indicia-bearing plates that such frame and the supported display may embody suitable curvatures, as shown in Fig. 10.

What i claim is:

1. In a display sign, a plurality of laterally spaced upright supporting members arranged in substantially parallel relationship to each other, the said supporting members each having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal apertures arranged in corresponding positions with respect to one another, a plurality of vertically spaced substantially horizontal rails detachably supported by and extendingbetween the upright supporting members, the rails each having resilient tenons extending from its ends at substantially right angles to such rails, the tenons extending through the apertures of the supporting members and the tenons having enlarged locking members at their outer ends engaging with the supporting members externally thereof, the rails each having longitudinal open grooves extending along its upper and lower sides, and a plurality of indicia-bearing plates detachably supported on and between the rails and having upper and lower projecting portions extending into the grooves of the rails.

2. In a display sign, a plurality of laterally spaced upright supporting members arranged in substantially parallel relationship to one another, the supporting members each embodying a plurality of sections detachably joined end to end, each section having a pair of substantially horizontal apertures positioned in vertically spaced relationship to one another, the apertures of each pair being laterally spaced from one another, a plurality of vertically spaced substantially horizontal rails interposed between and supported by the supporting members, the rails having resilient tenons at their ends extending at substantially right angles to such rails, the tenons extending through the apertures of the sections, the rails each having longitudinal open grooves extending along its upper and lower sides, and a plurality of indicia-b'earing plates detachably supported between and by the rails, and having upper and lower projecting portions extending intothe grooves.

3. In a display sign, a frame for supporting a plurality of indicia-bearing plates, the frame comprising a plurality of upright laterally spaced supporting members each having one or more sections joined end to end, each section having a male member and a female member at its ends, the male member of each section having a pair of resilient tenons formed with enlarged outer ends, the female member of each section having a horizontal open cavity adapted to receive the male member of an adjoining section, the enlarged outer ends of the tenons being normally but displaceably locked against an outer side of the female member, and each section having one or more vertically spaced apertures, and a plurality of vertically spaced substantially horizontal rails extending between and supported by the upright supporting members, the rails having tenons at their ends extending into the apertures of the sections, the rails each having upper and lower open longitudinal grooves in its upper and lower sides.

4. In a display sign, a frame for supporting a plurality of indicia-bearing plates, the frame comprising a plurality of upright laterally spaced supporting members, each having one or more sections joined end to end, each section having a male member and a female mernher at its opposite ends, the female member having a cavity for receiving the male member of an adjoining section, and the male member having resilient tenons formed with enlarged ends normally engaging externally with a side of an adjoined female member, whereby the sections are normally but detachably maintained in joined relationship, the sections each having one or more pairs of laterally spaced apertures arranged in similar laterally spaced relationship to each other, and a plurality of substantially horizontal vertically spaced rails extending between the supporting members and having resilient tenons at their ends fitting in the apertures and arranged in locking relationship to the sections, the rails each having upper and lower longitudinally extending open grooves in its upper and lower sides.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 99,675 Howell -2 Feb. 8, 1870 193,006 La France July 10, 1877 1,400,438 Iacquette Dec. 13, 1921 1,779,190 Send Oct. 21, 1930 2,001,115 Shaw May 14, 1935 2,541,460 Bugh Feb. 13, 1951 2,615,268 Hamilton Oct. 28, 1952 2,869,263 Dillen Jan. 20, 1959 2,876,560 Henley Mar. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 137,737 Austria May 25, 1934 583,153 Germany Aug. 29, 1933 813,255 France Feb. 22, 1937