US3246413A

US3246413A - Legend board

Info

Publication number: US3246413A
Application number: US316208A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gary E Cockrell
Original assignee: R K MERRITT PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: R K MERRITT PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1963-10-15
Filing date: 1963-10-15
Publication date: 1966-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-19

Description

April 5 G. E. COCKRELL 3,246,413

LEGEND BOARD Filed Oct. 15, 1965 FIG. 2.

/2 20 I 24 I .ZZraB. N 22 INVENTOR. GARY E. COG/(BELL BY MAI /away, f/ALeaer &

HOEAIBAKEE Arraeve'ys United States Patent 3,246,413 LEGEND BOARD Gary E. Cockrcll, San Dimas, Califl, assignor to R. K. Merritt Products, Inc., Azusa, Calif, a corporation of California Filed Oct. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 316,208 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-140) This invention relates to a legend board and, more particularly to a legend board which is adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a plurality of legend cards of a demountable nature.

Legend boards of the character of that disclosed hereinbelow are utilized as price and menu boards. Conventional legend boards are characterized by the incorporation of a plurality of receptacles adapted to receive a corresponding plurality of resilient legend cards. The receptacles of the conventional boards usually incorporate retention means constituted by recessed ribs, or the like, provided in the walls of the legend card receptacles.

When the legend board is fabricated by vacuum forming processes the fabrication of the aforementioned receptacles entails the utilization of relatively complex dies which incorporate removable components necessitating considerable hand labor in the fabrication of the legend board.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a legend board which is adapted to be fabricated from a single piece of plastic material, such as polystyrene plastic, by a vacuum forming process and which is characterized by the elimination of the conventional recessed retention ribs, recesses, or the like, customarily utilized in association with the legend card receptacles to maintain the legend cards in operative relationship with the associated receptacles.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in a legend board of the aforementioned character, of legend card receiving recesses having arcuate rear Walls and being separated from one another by "a plurality of horizontal ribs, said horizontal ribs being formed by vacuum forming and being substantially normal to a vertical plane drawn through the legend board.

Because the legend board of my invention eliminates the conventional retention recesses characteristic of prior art devices, it is much simpler to manufacturer and much easier to utilize than conventional legend boards since it can be more readily removed from the forming mold and since the legend cards utilized in conjunction therewith can be readily installed in and removed from the associated receptacles of the legend board.

An additional object of my invention is the provision of a legend board of the aforementioned character which receives the resilient legend cards and maintains them in operative relationship with the associated receptacles without the use of additional retention means provided in the receptacles and which, further, maintains said legend cards in a concave, rather than convex, attitude so that the legends borne upon said cards may be more easily read.

Other objectsand advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, which is for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a legend board manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on the broken line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the broken line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

ICC

Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, I show a legend board 10 manufactured in accordance with the teachings .of the invention and fabricated from a single sheet of thermoplastic material, such as polystyrene, The fabrication of the legend board 10 is accomplished by the utilization of the vacuum forming process, which entails, in a manner well-known to those skilled in the art, the disposition of a sheet of material of appropriate size in a die where the sheet is exposed to heat and vacuum to causeit to assume the configuration of :the die.

The legend board 10 includes a perimetrical frame 12 which is formed integrally with the board 10 and which encompasses a space 14 for the reception of an appropriate legend and a plurality of legend card receiving receptacles 16. Each of the legend card receiving receptacles 16 is provided with a concave back wall 18 and elongtaed lands 20 at the upper and lower extremities of said back wall.

The receptacles 16 are each provided with horizontally oriented top and

bottom walls

22 and 24 which define the upper and lower limits of the receptacle 16. In the case of the uppermost receptacle the top wall 22 is defined by the upper edge of the rectangular opening which encompasess the receptacles l6 and the bottom wall 24 of the lowermost receptacle 16 is constituted by the lower edge of the rectangular opening 30.

The top and

bottom walls

22 and 24 of the intermediate receptacles 16 are constituted by the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of hollow ribs which are formed during the vacuum-forming process and which have their opposite extremities juxtaposed to the side Walls 41 of the rectangular recess 30. It will be noted that the upper and lower surfaces of the ribs 40 are disposed in horizontal planes substantially normal to a vertical plane drawn through the legend board 10. Therefore, it will be apparent that no grooves or other means of aflixing a legend card, such as the legend card 42, in operative relationship with the associated receptacle 1.6 is provided.

The absence of such grooves or other means of positive retention of the legend card 42 in operative relationship with an associated receptacle 16 results in ease of installation or removal of the legend card 42 into or from such operative relationship and, in addition, inaterially reduces the'cost of fabricating the legend board 10 since it eliminates the necessity for the utilization of complex dies which must be provided if grooves are to be formed in .the opposite edges or top and bottom walls of .the receptacles for the reception of the associated legend card. In addition, the time involved in the setting up of the dies and the disassemblying of the formed legend board 10 from operative relationship with the associated dies is materially reduced thus materially reducing the labor costs involved in the fabrication of the legend board 10.

The utilization of the legend board 10 to mount the flexible legend card 42 formed from any suitable type of plastic, such as polystyrene plastic and of rectangular shape, is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing. The legend card 42 will, of course, bear upon its face an appropriate menu item or such other designation as may be appropriate to the utilization of the legend board 10.

The legend card 42 is resilient and is of slightly greater width than the height of the associated receptacle 16. Therefore, when the legend card 42 is inserted into a corresponding receptacle 16 and the intermediate portion thereof pushed into contiguity with the concave inner surface of the rear wall 18 of 'the receptacle 16, the upper and lower edges of the legend card 42 are frictionally locked upon the corresponding top and

bottom walls

22 and 24 of the associated receptacle 16 to maintain the legend card 42 against inadvertent displacement from said receptacle.

Therefore, the necessity for time consuming insertion of the opposite edges of the legend card 42 into engagement with corresponding grooves or other means of positive retention is eliminated and the legend card 42 can be readily installed in and removed from the associated receptacle 16. Moreover, the legend card is disposed in a position which causes the front surface thereof to be concavely disposed in an arc corresponding to that of the front surface of the rear or back wall 18 of the associated recess 16. Therefore, the legend, which is centered upon the front surface of the legend card 42 may be more accurately read than is the legend upon conventional legend cards which are customarily positioned with the front surface thereof convexly disposed which causes a high-light to be created across the legend rendering said legend diflicult to read. The concave disposition of the front surface of the legend card 42 eliminates the highlight encountered in the utilization of customery legend boards and renders the legend upon the legend card 4-2 more readily readable.

The top and

bottom walls

22 and 24 of each receptacle 16 are adapted to flex slightly as the legend card 42 is inserted into operative engagement with the associated receptacle 16 and thus the top and

bottom walls

22 and 24 cooperate with the upper and lower edges of the legend card 42 to maintain said legend card in operative relationship with said receptacle. In addition, the elimination of the customary grooves or other positive means of locating the legend card 42 in operative relationship with an associated receptacle 16 eliminates these elements which are apt to act as receptacles for dirt and grease and which ultimately impart an undesirable and, sometimes, soiled appearance to conventional legend cards.

There is thus provided by my invention a legend board which can be fabricated as a single unit from a single piece of thermoplastic sheet material and which eliminates the customary positive means of affixing legend cards in operative relationship with the legend card receptacles incorporated in the legend board. In addition, the elimination of such positive means of aliixation greatly reduces the complexity of the dies which must be utilized in fabrieating the legend board of the invention and thus results in reduced die costs and reduced labor costs entailed in the utilization of such dies in fabricating the legend board of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a legend board, the combination of: a body formed from a single sheet of thermoplastic material, said body incorporating an integral perimetrical frame and a plurality of legend card receiving recesses, each of said recesses having a concave rear wall and horizontally oriented, flat top and bottom walls which are flexible to recess, the top and bottom walls of said recesses being flat from their outer extremities to the junction of said top and bottom walls with said concave rear wall; and a resilient legend card disposed in one of said recesses and having its upper and lower edges engageable with said top and bottom walls while the intermediate portion thereof is disposed in contiguity to said rear wall, said top and bottom walls of a respective recess permitting the free insertion of said legend card in said recess and its removal therefrom, said legend card being retained in operative relationship with said recess by the compressive eflect of the deflected areas of said flexible top and bottom walls.

2. In a legend board, the combination of: a body formed from a single sheet of thermoplastic material, said body incorporating an integral perimetrical frame and a plurality of legend card receiving recesses, each of said recesses having a concave rear wall and horizontally oriented, flat top and bottom walls which are flexible to permit their deflection by a legend card inserted in said recess, the top and bottom Walls of said recesses being flat from their outer extremities to the junction of said top and bottom walls with said concave rear wall, each of said recesses being separated from each other by an integral hollow rib incorporating the bottom wall of one recess and the top wall of the adjacent recess; and a resilient legend card disposed in one of said recesses and having its upper and lower edges engageable with said top and bottom walls while the intermediate portion thereof is disposed in c-ontiguity to said rear wall, said top and bottom walls of a respective recess permitting the free insertion of said legend card in said recess and its removal therefrom, said legend card being retained in operative relationship with said recess by the compressive effect of the deflected areas of said flexible top and bottom walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 533,335 1/1895 Ackley 40140 X 1,929,468 10/1933 Bales 4016 2,296,596 9/ 1942 Brown 40-154 X 2,576,983 12/1951 Walker 4014O 2,847,777 8/1958 Page 40--63 2,880,537 4/1959 Cygan 4063 X 2,966,754 1/1961 Orkin 40-140 FOREIGN PATENTS 844,685 7/ 1952 Germany. 187,079 10/ 1922 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, LAWRENCE CHARLES,

JEROME SCHNALL, Examiners.

CLYDE I, COUGHENOUR, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A LEGEND BOARD, THE COMBINATION OF: A BODY FORMED FROM A SINGLE SHEET OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID BODY INCORPORATING AN INTEGRAL PERIMETRICAL FRAME AND A PLURALITY OF LEGEND CARD RECEIVING RECESSES, EACH OF SAID RECESSES HAVING A CONCAVE REAR WALL AND HORIZONTALLY ORIENTED, FLAT TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS WHICH ARE FLEXIBLE TO PERMIT THEIR DEFLECTION BY A LEGEND CARD INSERTED IN SAID RECESS, THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS OF SAID RECESSES BEING FLAT FROM THEIR OUTER EXTREMITIES TO THE JUNCTION OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS WITH SAID CONCAVE REAR WALL; AND A RESILIENT LEGEND CARD DISPOSED IN ONE OF SAID RECESSES AND HAVING ITS UPPER AND LOWER EDGES ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS WHILE THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF ITS DISPOSED IN CONTIGUITY TO SAID REAR WALL, SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS OF A RESPECTIVE RECESS PERMITTING THE FREE INSERTION OF SAID LEGEND CARD IN SAID RECESS AND ITS REMOVAL THEREFROM, SAID LEGEND CARD BEING RETAINED IN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID RECESS BY THE COMPRESSIVE EFFECT OF THE DEFLECTED AREAS OF SAID FLEXIBLE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS.