This application is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2019/074191, filed on Sep. 11, 2019, and claims benefit to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2018 122 985.2, filed on Sep. 19, 2018. The International Application was published in German on Mar. 26, 2020 as WO 2020/058056 under PCT Article 21(2).
The invention relates to a luminous advertisement assembly including an in particular opaque side wall, a transparent and/or translucent front plate and a profiled connecting element for connecting the front plate to the side wall, the profiled connecting element having a first connecting region to which the front plate is fixed, and a second connecting region to which the side wall is fixed, the first connecting region being configured as a receptacle having a first leg and a second leg between which the front plate is received. The receptacle may in particular be U-shaped or V-shaped.
For labeling or advertising purposes, luminous advertisements are often used in the form of strikingly illuminated images, such as letters, words and/or logos, which are attached to the inside and/or the outside of walls, objects or supports.
The luminous advertisements are composed of a luminous advertisement assembly which forms a suitably shaped housing having a transparent or translucent front cover that is connected to a side wall of the assembly. Typically, the luminous advertisement also has a rear wall connected to the side walls, so that electronics and light sources are located in an enclosed inner space of the assembly, where they are protected from weather conditions, contamination and other environmental influences.
The front cover is connected to the side wall using a profiled connecting element which is glued to the edge region of the front plate and is generally referred to as trim cap.
From EP 2 997 565 A1, for example, it is known that the trim cap can have a contact region that rests on an outer surface of the front cover, or that the trim cap can be configured in the form of a so-called F-section and have a slot for receiving the edge region of the front cover. In either case, it is necessary and usual to glue the trim cap to the front plate or to (chemically) weld it thereto using a solvent.
This is a disadvantage because, in addition to the additional material consumption in the form of glue, special gluing devices are needed to spread a certain amount of glue over the lower surface of the U-shaped or V-shaped receptacle in a controlled manner so that, after bonding to the front plate, the glue will not be pressed back onto the visible surface of the front plate and a stable and uniform bond is created between the front plate and the trim cap. In the process, the surface provided with glue must be pressed onto the desired surface of the front plate to be connected until the glue is cured and the surfaces are bonded together. This is aggravated by the fact that the trim cap must be laid along curved and angled contours with acute and obtuse angles, as is the case with the letters “a” and “x”, for example. In this connection, the trim cap must hold stably to the side wall and front plate at each point along the contour of the body and ultimately yield a visually appealing appearance by being laid as continuously as possible along the contour of the body, without discontinuities due to cuts.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a luminous advertisement assembly which includes a side wall, a transparent and/or translucent front plate and a profiled connecting element. The profiled connecting element has a first connecting region to which the front plate is fixed, and a second connecting region to which the side wall is fixed. The first connecting region is configured as a receptacle having a first leg and a second leg between which the front plate is received. A latching hook is disposed on the first leg and is configured to fix the front plate in the receptacle. A recess is disposed in the front plate, and the latching hook of the profiled connecting element engages in the recess of the front plate.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. All features described and/or illustrated herein can be used alone or combined in different combinations in embodiments of the present invention. The features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following:
Embodiments of the present invention provide a luminous advertisement assembly and a luminous advertisement that overcome the above disadvantages.
The above disadvantages are overcome according to an embodiment of the present invention by a luminous advertisement assembly, in which a latching hook is provided on the first leg to fix the front plate in the receptacle formed by the first and second legs, the ends of the legs bounding an entry opening. Thus, the front plate is interlockingly connected to the profiled connecting element, and thus to the side wall, without the use of glues. The latching hook may be disposed directly at an end of the leg or slightly set back therefrom within the receptacle formed by the two legs. The latching hook may extend in the longitudinal direction along the entire length of the profiled connecting element, and may therefore be configured as a latching lip, or may only be provided at discrete points of the profiled connecting element. If the latching hook extends along the entire length of the profiled connecting element, it also provides for sealing and thus for protection against weather conditions.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the luminous advertisement assembly has a recess, such as a groove, in the front plate, and the latching hook of the profiled connecting element engages in the recess of the front plate. The recess may be formed into the front plate in a simple manner using a tool, such as by milling. Due to the engagement of the latching hook, a particularly secure connection is created between the profiled connecting element and the front plate.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching hook of the luminous advertisement assembly is disposed in a barb-like manner. To this end, the latching hook may in particular have an angle of less than 90° with respect to the direction of insertion of the front plate into the receptacle. The direction of insertion may be defined in particular by the orientation of the front plate and/or legs and may be substantially parallel to the front plate and legs. The direction of insertion points into the interior of the receptacle and, therefore, corresponds to the direction of movement of the front plate during insertion into the receptacle. The direction of the latching hook is defined to be from its end that is fixed at the leg toward the free end. The angle between the latching hook and the direction of insertion is therefore defined such that an angle of 0° corresponds to a parallel arrangement and an angle of 180° corresponds to an antiparallel arrangement. Thus, the latching hook is directed at an acute angle into the interior of the receptacle. During insertion of the front plate into the receptacle, the latching hook is moved by the front plate in the direction of insertion and thus pivoted out of the area of the front plate. If the front plate is moved in the opposite direction, such as occurs when the front plate is withdrawn from the receptacle, the latching hook is pivoted in a direction opposite to the direction of insertion and thus pressed against the front plate. This prevents, or at least hinders, the removal of the front plate and, therefore, the front plate is firmly held in the receptacle.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one leg of the receptacle is disposed parallel or inclined to the front plate. Parallel legs provide for particularly precise alignment of the front plate and fit snugly and compactly against the surfaces thereof. In contrast, if the, or one of the, legs are/is inclined to the front plate, the legs touch the front plate only at one end and thus clamp the front plate in the receptacle. At least one of the legs may also be curved so that the legs fit around the front plate and fix it in the manner of a gripper.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a stiffening insert, in particular a metal foil, preferably an aluminum foil, is provided in the profiled connecting element. This provides a more stable profiled connecting element and prevents or limits a thermally induced dimensional change of the profiled connecting element, which may otherwise occur, for example, due to the heat released by a light source during operation of the luminous advertisement. The stiffening insert may be disposed, for example, between the first and second legs and thus provide a stronger clamping force between the first and second legs. The front plate is thus held particularly firmly in the receptacle.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the stiffening insert extends from the first connecting region to the second connecting region. In particular, the stiffening insert may extend through the outer leg of the first connecting region and into and through the second connecting region. The stiffening insert may be curved within the leg to provide for a particularly efficient application of force on the front plate and thus for a stable clamping of the front plate between the legs.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a second latching hook is provided on the second leg. Thus, the holding force generated by the latching hook is produced on both sides of the front plate and provides for particularly secure holding of the front plate in the receptacle. In particular, a separate recess may be provided in the front plate for each latching hook, the recesses being disposed on opposite sides of the front plate, respectively.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the profiled connecting element is at least partially made from cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). This material has a particularly high resistance to chemicals and stress cracking and is particularly suitable for technical applications, in particular luminaires. The material is extremely impact-resistant, has good transparency and a high surface gloss. In addition, it is very weather-resistant and has good electrical insulation properties.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching hook includes the same material as the profiled connecting element and/or contains an elastic material, an anti-slip material and/or a thermoplastic elastomer. If the hook is made of a different material than the remainder of the profiled connecting element, then the profiled connecting element can be produced particularly easily in a co-extrusion process.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one leg is provided with an anti-slip coating on its side facing the front plate. Since this leg rests with the anti-slip coating against the front plate, the front plate is fixed in the receptacle between the two legs. In particular, if the leg and the latching hook are arranged such that the front plate is pressed against the anti-slip coating, a very high holding force is generated and the front plate is securely held. The anti-slip coating may have a substantially constant thickness, be serrated, round and/or formed integrally with the latching hook and may rest against the front plate in areal or point contact therewith or along a contact line. Depending on the location of use and material combination, the shape of the anti-slip coating can be selected such that a particularly strong holding force is generated.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the front plate is received with its edge region, in particular with its peripheral edge, in the receptacle of the profiled connecting element and is connected via the profiled connecting element to the side wall along substantially its entire perimeter. Therefore, the luminous advertisement assembly forms a housing for a luminous advertisement that can be readily assembled from a few parts.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the side wall is fixed to the second connecting region by gluing, by means of a double-sided adhesive tape, by means of a magnetic adhesive tape, by chemical welding, latched engagement, screwing or riveting. A suitable joining technique for the connection between the profiled connecting element and the side wall can be selected depending on the location of use.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the side wall is latched to the second connecting region by a hook of the second connecting region engaging with a folded edge or a nose of the side wall. Such a mechanical connection can be readily made and, in particular, is reversible. The front wall and the side wall can therefore be easily separated for repair purposes.
In another particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the second connecting region is configured as a receptacle having a first leg and a second leg between which the side wall is received. A latching hook for fixing the side wall is provided on the first leg and/or on the second leg of the second connecting region. Therefore, the second connecting region may be configured substantially as described above for the first connecting region.
An embodiment of the invention is also achieved by a luminous advertisement including a luminous advertisement assembly as described above, a rear wall connected to the side wall of the luminous advertisement assembly, the front plate, the side wall and the rear wall forming a substantially enclosed inner space, and a lighting device disposed in the inner space. The lighting device may be directed toward the front plate, the side wall and/or the rear wall.
The details of the connection are apparent from the enlarged detail B shown in
When inserting front plate 2 into the recess 26 formed by leg 6a and leg 7a, front plate 2 presses against latching hook 8a, thereby causing it to flex away toward leg 6a and thus clear the space for insertion of front plate 2 into receptacle 26. Once front plate 2 is completely received in receptacle 26, latching hook 8a can spring back into recess 9 of front plate 2, whereby front plate 2 is securely held in receptacle 26. Second leg 7a is provided on its side facing front plate 2 with an anti-slip coating 10 which rests against the front plate and thus prevents displacement of front plate 2. Latching hook 8a and first leg 6a are arranged in such a way that they press front plate 2 against second leg 7a and thus against anti-slip coating 10, so that a particularly good holding force is generated.
In
Provided within profiled connecting element 4a is a stiffening insert 11 which is preferably in the form of an aluminum foil and which extends within profiled connecting element 4a integrally through second connecting region 12 to first connecting region 5 and into first leg 6a. First leg 6a and the stiffening insert 11 disposed therein have a curved structure so that first leg 6a and stiffening insert 11 together exert a spring force against front plate 2 and thus against second leg 7a. Due to the integral connection of stiffening insert 11 between first connecting region 5 and second connecting region 12, first connecting region 5 is stiffened with respect to second connecting region 12, thus preventing the possibility of movement between front plate 2 and side wall 3 being caused by bending of profiled connecting element 4a.
In
The second embodiment of a profiled connecting element 4b, shown in
A profiled connecting element 4c of a third embodiment is shown in
A profiled connecting element 4c of a fourth embodiment is shown in
A profiled connecting element 4e of a fifth embodiment is shown in
A profiled connecting element 4f of a sixth embodiment is shown in
In a twelfth embodiment of the invention, shown in
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments.
The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “A and B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise. Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2018 122 985.2 | Sep 2018 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2019/074191 | 9/11/2019 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2020/058056 | 3/26/2020 | WO | A |
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20080259573 | Besserer | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20110285177 | Flammer | Nov 2011 | A1 |
20130074384 | Fenkart et al. | Mar 2013 | A1 |
20140321105 | Meyer | Oct 2014 | A1 |
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828309 | Jan 1952 | DE |
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102004050498 | Aug 2006 | DE |
202008016217 | Apr 2009 | DE |
102017000924 | Aug 2018 | DE |
2119864 | Nov 2009 | EP |
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20140024991 | Mar 2014 | KR |
20160091713 | Mar 2016 | KR |
2560311 | Aug 2015 | RU |
20440 | Apr 1931 | SU |
2014186434 | Nov 2014 | WO |
Entry |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210350728 A1 | Nov 2021 | US |