US3315393A

US3315393A - Display sign standard

Info

Publication number: US3315393A
Application number: US429483A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louft Rosemary
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-02-01
Filing date: 1965-02-01
Publication date: 1967-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 1984-04-25

Description

Aprifi 25, 1967 N. LOUFT DISPLAY SIGN STANDARD Filed Feb. 1, 1965 INVENTOR NATHAN LOUFT United States Patent 3,315,393 DISPLAY SIGN STANDARD Nathan Louft, Washington, D.C.; Rosemary Louft, executrix of the estate of Nathan Louft, deceased, assignor to Rosemary P. Louft and Doris J. Louft, both of Silver Spring, Md.

Filed Feb. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 429,483 4 Claims. (Cl. 40-145) This invention generally appertains to improvements in the construction of display signs and more particularly relates to novel improvements in outdoor sign-holding or supporting assemblies which are employed to support advertising or other information containing display sign placards.

The sign-holding assembly of the present invention is intended to support in the most optimums many possible outdoor display sign placards containing any type of information desired to be placed before the public, for example, advertising sign placards of the type used in the real estate profession to indicate the offering for sale or rental of real property.

Generally stated, the display sign construction of the present invention is primarily intended for outdoor usage and is of the general type embodying a standard adapted to be supported in an upright position, usually by having means on its lower end for establishing ground support, and to which a panel member is removably attached in a vertical position, the panel member having advertising or other information imprinted or otherwise suitably formed on one face thereof.

Several serious drawbacks have become apparent in conventional display sign constructions of this type. First,

- the conventional sign constructions usually consist of means for supporting only a single sign placard which has an outer exposed face on which the advertising material or other information is visible only when one is facing toward the outer face of the sign placard. Thus, relating this to outdoor signs used by the real estate profession, the advertising value of the sign is greatly diminished because the rapidly passing public cannot quickly see the information on the face of the sign placard.

To obviate this drawback, one important object of the present invention is to provide common means for mounting sign placards in back-to-back positions on a single standard, with each sign placard having the same advertising material or other information on its exposed outer face. This permits the mounting of the sign assembly, again, by way of example, with regard to outdoor real estate advertising usage, in such a way that the sign placards are disposed normal to the street in front of the property and the information on the sign placards can be read by anyone traveling in either direction in front of the property.

Another important object of the present invention, in connection with the foregoing, is to form the standard in such a way so that it can be driven into the ground and will not be subject to torsion or rotation under wind conditions and also to attach the dual sign placards to the standard in such a way to avoid the foregoing, whereby it is ensured that the outer faces of the sign placards will maintain their positions in the desired facing directions.

Another drawback of conventional sign constructions of this type, is that they are unduly complicated for assembly and installation by inexperienced personnel and are not durable for repeated outdoor use. A further object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback by providing a very simple standard which can be easily and quickly driven into the ground to be positioned in an upright position and by providing :a very simple but eflicient fastening means for securing the sign placards in back-to-back positions on the standard, the fastening means commonly attaching the sign placards to the stand ard and being easily manipulated to elfect a sturdy con nection between the standard and the sign placards.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sign-holding assembly which can be quickly fabricated from inexpensive material and which consists of relatively few and simple parts resulting in low production costs for the manufacture and in a low purchase price for the user. This last point is of importance because such outdoor signs are subject to vandalism and are quite apt to be stolen, necessitating repair or replacement.

The foregoing and ancillary objects and other advantages are attained, the desired results realized and the drawback of conventional display sign construction overcome by the present invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description, succintly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sign construction in assembled relation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the sign-hold ing assembly, without the sign placards, and with the fastening means shown in unattached relation, and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the assembled sign construction with the sign placards shown in broken lines.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the display sign construction 10 includes a standard 12, which is of right angled form and may be made from metal, such as aluminum, steel or the like. The standard has integral, right angularly

related flanges

14 and 16 that terminate at their lower ends in a V-shaped formation 18 which enables the standard to be easily forced into the ground and thereby supported in an upright position. Due to the angular cross-sectional formation of the standard, it will resist torsion or turning in the ground, avoiding the drawbacks to which a standard of round or flat stock would be subject.

The outer face 20 of the flange 14 is flat so that a thin flat sign placard 22 can be placed flat thereagainst. In connection with the mounting of the sign placard 22, a hole (not shown) is formed therethrongh and a hole 24 is drilled through the flange 14 to be aligned with the hole in the sign placard. Preferably, a pair of holes are formed in the-flange 14 at longitudinally spaced points and, similarly, a pair of spaced apart holes are formed in the sign placard. This is done to ensure that the sign placard will not twist or turn on the standard, with the holes in the sign placard land the holes in the flange 14 being aligned to receive the fastening means.

Another or companion sign placard 26 may be provided, the sign placards being formed from sheet material, such as wood, heavy cardboard or sheet metal such as aluminum, tin or the like,- and having advertising material 28 or other information imprinted or otherwise placed on their outer exposed faces 30 to be visible when the sign placards are mounted on the standard in back to-back relation, as shown in FIG. 1. The sign placards are mounted on the standard by means of a common fastening means 32 comprising an elongated bolt 34 having exteriorly threaded

end portions

36 and 38. The length of the bolt is relative to the width of the flanges, for example, the width of the flange 16 of FIGS. 2 and 3 so that the threaded end portions extend beyond the outer face 20 of the flange 14 and beyond the free edge 40 of the flange 16.

An important feature of the fastening means to achieve the back-to-back placement of the sign placards on the standard is the provision of a spacer member to cooperate with the right angled standard in the mounting of the :sign placard 26. While the spacer can be in theforrn of a sleeve or the like having a length at least equal to the depth of the flange 16, the preferred spacer member 42, best shown in FIGS. 2and 3 is a one-piece right angled member having right angularly related,

integral flanges

44 and 46. The flange 44 is formed with a flat outer face 48, against which the sign placard 26 is adapted to abut, and is provided with a centrally disposed internally threaded opening 50 to be threaded on the bolt which passes through a hole (not shown) in the sign placard 26. The inner side of the free edge 45 bears on the-edge 40 of the flange 16, and flange 44 is disposed in a position parallel to and confronting in spaced relation the flange 14 of the standard by the positioning of the flange 46 normal to the flange 14, and with the free edge 51 hearing against the inner face of the flange 14 of the standard.

The flange 46 of the spacer member is of a width at least equal to the width of the inner face of the standard flange 16, that is, from the point of the connection of the inner face of the standard flange 16 with the inner face of the standard flange 14. Preferably, it is of a width to complement the width of the inner face of the standard flange 16 so as to dispose the flat outer face 48 of the flange 44 parallel with the outer face 20 of the flange 14 of the standard. Thefastening means 32 further includes nuts 52, preferably wing nuts, which are adapted to be threaded onto the end portions of the bolt 34 to secure the sign placards in place.

As previously indicated, it is desired, in order to properly center the

sign placards

22 and 26 on the standard and to prevent movement thereof relative to the standard, to provide the flange 14 with a pair of spaced holes 24 and to provide a pair of correspondingly spaced holes in each sign placard and to provide, for cooperation therewith, a pair of fastening means 32.

It is believed that the manner of assembling the sign construction and mounting the sign placards in back-toback relation on the standard 12 is clearly apparent from FIG. 2. First, the spacer member is threaded on the end 38 of the bolt and the other bolt end 36 is passed through the hole 24 in the flange 14. Then the sign placard 22 is placed on the extending end portion 36 of the bolt and the wing nut 52 is manually threaded onto the end portion of the bolt until the wing nut firmly clamps the sign against the flange 14. The spacer member properly locates the end portion 36 of the bolt beyond the standard flange 14 and the threaded engagement between the spacer member and the bolt properly locates the spacer member in position, as shown in FIG. 3. Then the sign placard 26 is placed on the extending end portions 38 of the bolts and the other wing nut 52 is threaded on the end portion 38 until it clamps the sign placard 26 against the flange 44.

' adapted to be in face to While a specific embodiment of the display sign construction has been disclosed herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it will be understood that various modifications may be made as come within the spirit and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A display sign construction for supporting a pair of flat sign placards comprising a right angled standard having right angularly related integral flanges, one of said flanges having a flat outer face formed with a hole therethrough and against which one said sign placards is face relationship, a spacer member of a width of the inner face of the other of said flanges and having an opening aligned with the hole in the one flange, a bolt passed through the aligned hole and opening, said spacer member having a flat outer face against which the second of said flat sign placard is adapted to lie in face to face relationship, said bolt having threaded end portions projecting beyond the outer face of the one flange and the outer face of the spacer member, and nut means detachably attached to said end portions and adapted to lock the sign placards against the said faces, said spacer member being a one piece right angled member and having right angularly related integral flanges, one of said spacer member flanges having a free edge abutting the inner face of said one standard flange and the other of said spacer member flanges having the flat-outer face and opening and being disposed in spaced parallel relation with said one flange of the standard.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the opening in said spacer member is interiorly threaded for threaded cooperation with one of said threaded end portions of said bolt.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein said standard has a pointed lower end adapted to be driven into the ground.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the one of said flanges of the standard has a pair of holes disposed in spaced relation along its length and a pair of spacer members are provided to be aligned with the holes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,763,431 6/1930 Johnson 40 2,022,160 11/1935 Sarensen et al 40 -145 X 2,559,302 7/1951 Louft 40--125 2,942,366 6/1960 Pfaff 40-125 FOREIGN PATENTS 806,242 12/ 1958 Austin.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. HERBERT F. ROSS, Assistant Examiner,

Claims

1. A DISPLAY SIGN CONSTRUCTION FOR SUPPORTING A PAIR OF FLAT SIGN PLACARDS COMPRISING A RIGHT ANGLED STANDARD HAVING RIGHT ANGULARLY RELATED INTEGRAL FLANGES, ONE OF SAID FLANGES HAVING A FLAT OUTER FACE FORMED WITH A HOLE THERETHROUGH AND AGAINST WHICH ONE SAID SIGN PLACARDS IS ADAPTED TO BE IN FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP, A SPACER MEMBER OF A WIDTH OF THE INNER FACE OF THE OTHER OF SAID FLANGES AND HAVING AN OPENING ALIGNED WITH THE HOLE IN THE ONE FLANGE, A BOLT PASSED THROUGH THE ALIGNED HOLE AND OPENING, SAID SPACER MEMBER HAVING A FLAT OUTER FACE AGAINST WHICH THE SECOND OF SAID FLAT SIGN PLACARD IS ADAPTED TO LIE IN FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP, SAID BOLT HAVING THREADED END PORTIONS PROJECTING BEYOND THE OUTER FACE OF THE ONE FLANGE AND THE OUTER FACE OF THE SPACER MEMBER, AND NUT MEANS DETACHABLY ATTACHED TO SAID END PORTIONS AND ADAPTED TO LOCK THE SIGN PLACARDS AGAINST THE SAID FACES, SAID SPACER MEMBER BEING A ONE PIECE RIGHT ANGLED MEMBER AND HAVING RIGHT ANGULARLY RELATED INTEGRAL FLANGES, ONE OF SAID SPACER MEMBER FLANGES HAVING A FREE EDGE ABUTTING THE INNER FACE OF SAID ONE STANDARD FLANGE AND THE OTHER OF SAID SPACER MEMBER FLANGES HAVING THE FLAT OUTER FACE AND OPENING AND BEING DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION WITH SAID ONE FLANGE OF THE STANDARD.