US3900979A

US3900979A - Plate holder, particularly a license plate holder

Info

Publication number: US3900979A
Application number: US453081A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert Eggenschwiler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-31
Filing date: 1974-03-20
Publication date: 1975-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 1992-08-26

Abstract

A plate holder, particularly for holding license plates on automobiles, having a middle section and end sections removably attached thereto, each of said sections having a wall portion and at least one frame portion, the frame portions of the assembled sections forming a closed frame running round a plate inserted into the holder, the frame portions of all sections forming but joints between each other so that the frame has the same cross section and appearance along the full circumference of the holder and plate respectively. The plate holder may preferably be made of plastic material.

Description

United States Patent 1 Eggenschwiler [451 Aug. 26, 1975 PLATE HOLDER, PARTICULARLY A LICENSE PLATE HOLDER [76] lnventor: Herbert Eggenschwiler,

Rugangstrasse 1034, 3280 Murten, Switzerland [22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 453,081

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 285,446, Aug. 31, 1972,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 40/209 [51] Int. Cl. G09f 7/00 [58] Field of Search 40/10, 16, 155, 152, 209

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,319,513 10/1919 Colegrove 40/155 X 1,886,703 ll/1932 Logan 40/209 X 2,192,561 3/1940 Secley 40/209 Fishrnan 40/209 Reed 40/209 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant ExaminerWenceslao J. Contreras Attorney, Agent, or F irmMurray Schaffer 5 7 ABSTRACT 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures [fi fl-N PLATE MULDER, PARTICULARLY A LICENSE PLATE HGLDER This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. ZilSAMld filed Aug. 31, 1972 and which is now abandoned for which all equitable and legal rights are claimed.

This invention relates to a plate holder, particularly to a plate holder for automobile-license plates. More specifically, this invention relates to a plate holder, consisting of a middle portion and end portions removably attached thereto, assembling or disassembling of this plate holder being simple and allowing easy insertion of a plate into the holder or removal of a plate from the holder.

A plate holder of the above type is known in US. Pat. No. 2,192,561. This prior plate holder is made of sheet metal, and frame portions of the end sections thereof are telescoped onto frame portions of the middle section, whereby the wall portions of the end sections also overlap the wall portion of the middle section. Obviously the frame portions of the end sections have to be of a bigger cross sectional size than the frame portions of the middle section in order that the end portions may be slid or telescoped over the middle section. The frame portions of the end sections overlapping the frame portions of the middle section are unaesthetic. Moisture and dirt may collect and corrosion may occur in the space between overlapping frame portions so that it may be extremely difficult to remove the end sections from the middle section after the holder has been used for some time.

it is an object of this invention to remove the above drawbacks and to provide a plate holder of perfect aesthetic appearance and which may be made of noncorrosive material such as plastic material. The plate holder according to this invention has a middle section having a wall portion between two frame portion having each an internal groove adapted to receive a rim of the plate, two end sections having each a wall portion and a frame portion having an internal groove adapted to receive a rim of the plate, said end sections being removably attached to the middle portion, engageable fixing means being provided at each end of said middle section and at each of said end sections such that said frame portions of the end sections and the frame portions of said middle section form a bu tjoint. Since the rim portions but against each other, the cross-section of all rim portions may be the same such that a frame of uniform size and appearance surrounds the plate. The fixing means for assembling the holder sections are preferably located entirely inside the frame portions on said wall portions. While manufacture of such a structure would be quite complicated in sheet metal, this structure lends itself particularly for manufacture in plastic material.

This invention will now be explained in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example, one embodiment of the plate holder.

FlG. l is a front view of the holder,

FIG. 2. is a rear view of the holder,

FIG. 3 is a partial section along line llL-lll in FIG. l, on a larger scale.

FlG. 41 is a section along line lV-lV in FIG. it, on a larger scale and FIG. 5 is a section along line VV in FIG. 1, on a larger scale.

The plate holder has a middle section 1 and two similar end sections 2. The middle section has a wall portion 3 and two parallel frame portions 4 having each an internal groove 5 adapted to receive a rim portion of a plate, for instance a license plate 6 as indicated in dashdotted lines in FIG. 3. Grooves 7 of limited length are formed inside the frame portions 4 between a staggered rim portion 8 and the wall portion 3. Fixing holes 9 are formed in the rim portion 8 in the corners of middle section 1. Further fixing holes may be distributed on the wall portion 3 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, such holes being adapted to the distribution of fixing holes provided on particular types of automobiles. The wall portion of the middle section further has fixing slits 10 adapted to receive bolts for fixing the plate holder on an automobile. The wall portion 3 has a rib 11 in its center, supporting the center of plate 6 inserted into the holder. The top of rib 11 is slightly higher than the inner surface of rim portion 8 whereon the rim of a plate inserted into the holder rests, such that the plate is slightly curved outwardly as indicated in FIG. 3.

Each of the end sections has a wall portion 13 and a frame portion 14. As is seen particularly from FIGS. 4 and 5, the cross section of the frame portions 4 of the middle section is exactly the same as the cross section of the frame portion 14-. Each end section has a lug 16 extending inwardly from its wall portion 13 into one of the grooves 7 of the middle section. Each of the lugs 16 has a rib 17 engaging the inner face 8 of rim portion 8, thereby maintaining the end sections in an accurately centered position relatively to the middle section. Each end section further has a pair of lugs 18 extending inwardly and defining between them a slit 19 having a narrow portion between projections 20 of lugs 18. As shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. 1, where the end section 2 is fully engaged, the pair of lugs 18 forms a kind of tongs engaging with its projections 20 an anchoring pin 21 formed at the front side of Wall 3. Hold down members 22 are formed at each side of pin 21 by which the lugs 18 are maintained substantially parallel to and in contact with the wall portion 3 of the middle section 1.

As will be clear from the drawing, the end sections which are fully engaged with the middle portion are firmly connected to the same and held in a predetermined position by lugs 16 and ribs 17 engaging grooves 6 and surfaces 8' respectively, and by lugs 18 engaging the anchoring pins 21. With the end sections 2 fully engaged, the frame portions 14 form a butt joint with the frame portions of the middle section 1, so that a frame portion of uniform section is formed along the full circumference of the holder. Therefore, the joints between the middle section and the end sections are hardly seen from the front side when a plate such as a license plate is inserted into the

grooves

5 and 15 respectively such that all elements serving for fixing the end sections on the middle section are hidden behind the plate.

Each of the end sections may be removed from the middle section by outward pull, whereby the lugs 18 are slightly spread appart and allow passage of the projections 20 at the side of anchoring pin 21. Similarly, the end sections may be attached to the middle portion by introducing lugs 16 into grooves 7 as shown on the left F168. 1 and 2 whereafter the lugs 18 engage the anchoring pin 21, and snap over the same into the engaged position as shown on the right in FIG. 1.

As stated above; the plate holder may preferably be made of plastic material. This may be a coloured material, or a metallic coating may be applied at least to the visible frame portions of the holder in a manner well known in the art.

The holder described above may be modified in many details. As an example, a screw 23 is indicated in FIG. 2 which is only accessible from the rear side of the frame portion 4. This screw may be pressed with its inner end against the plate inserted into the groove 5 of frame portion 4 in order to secure the plate in the middle section of the holder. Theft of the plate, for instance of a license plate, by simple removal of an end section and pulling out of the plate, is thus efficiently hindered.

What I claim is:

1. An assembly including'an automobile license plate and a holder therefor, said holder comprising a middle section having a back wall portion between two frame portions each having an internal groove adapted to receive the rim of the license plate, and two end sections each comprising a back wall portion and a frame portion having an internal groove adapted to receive the rim of the license plate, said middle and end sections having the same cross-sectional configuration, terminating in abutting ends, and having the grooves extending about the circumference of the holder, said middle section and said end sections having cooperatingly engageable fixing means for joining said respective sections such that said frame portions form a butt joint, and said fixing means being disengaged by pulling said middle section and end sections apart and being disposed respectively between said intemal grooves and said back walls such that said fixing means are adapted to be hidden behind said license plate when placed within said internal groove.

2. A holder according to claim 1, wherein said fixing means are disposed on said wall portions of the middle section and end sections respectively adjacent the corners thereof.

3. A holder according to claim 2, wherein said fixing means comprise grooves formed in said middle sections and fixing lugs on each of said end sections slidably engaging said grooves.

4. A holder according to claim 3, wherein each end section has a pair of lugs forming a resilient tong and said middle section has a pin located at each end cooperatingly engaging said tong to removably secure said end sections to said middle section.

5. A holder according to claim 4, wherein each lug of said pair of lugs is held substantially in contact with the wall portion of the middle section and in engagement with said anchoring pin respectively by means of holding down members.

6. A holder according to claim 1, made of plastic ma

Claims

1. An assembly including an automobile license plate and a holder therefor, said holder comprising a middle section having a back wall portion between two frame portions each having an internal groove adapted to receive the rim of the license plate, and two end sections each comprising a back wall portion and a frame portion having an internal groove adapted to receive the rim of the license plate, said middle and end sections having the same cross-sectional configuration, terminating in abutting ends, and having the grooves extending about the circumference of the holder, said middle section and said end sections having cooperatingly engageable fixing means for joining said respective sections such that said frame portions form a butt joint, and said fixing means being disengaged by pulling said middle section and end sections apart and being disposed respectively between said internal grooves and said back walls such that said fixing means are adapted to be hidden behind said license plate when placed within said internal groove.

6. A holder according to claim 1, made of plastic material.