1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a portable toilet advertisement display system, and in particular it relates to a portable toilet advertisement display system for use in conjunction with a plurality of existing portable toilets arranged in a side-to-side array, for allowing the toilets to be used to provide a substantially continuous advertising presentation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable toilets are frequently used during outdoor events, particularly ones which draw sizable numbers of people, such as concerts, plays, and sporting events. While portable toilets provide transitory restroom facilities to large numbers of people without the expense and commitment required to install water pipes and drainage pipes required for “fixed toilets”, they have a number of disadvantages. In particular, portable toilets are generally visually unattractive, and detract from the aesthetic appeal of the environment in which they are situated. A variety of portable toilet advertisement display systems, comprising bracket assemblies and advertising panel assemblies for insertion between the brackets, have been devised for masking the walls of an existing portable toilet with advertising panel assemblies having printed sheets bearing an advertising message. These systems have the additional advantage of generating revenue from the advertisements for the owner of the portable toilets. However, these systems are limited in their ability to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a plurality of portable toilets arranged in a side-to-side array, having a gap between the individual toilets, and are useless for obscuring the gap between the toilets. Accordingly, there is a need for a portable toilet advertisement display system having a plurality of different bracket assemblies which are mountable onto corners of each of the toilets in the series, wherein the bracket attached to an intermediary toilet in the series has a projecting portion extending laterally beyond the side wall of the toilet and into the gap between the toilets. An advertising panel assembly fits within a vertical channel within the projecting portion, thereby allowing the advertising panel assembly to project into the gap, thereby providing a system which furnishes a substantially continuous advertisement, which is visually attractive as well as effective in conveying its particular advertising message.
A variety of portable toilet advertisement display systems have been devised. My prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,426 describes a portable toilet advertisement system which employs a cylindrical portable toilet housing which creates an effective advertising display upon what is otherwise “wasted space”. Additionally, my prior U.S. Pat. No. D452,901 illustrates a portable toilet which is cylindrical in shape, and which can easily accommodate an advertisement on a much more pleasing shape than the conventional rectangular portable toilet.
While these systems may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to provide a portable toilet advertisement display system which enhances the appearance of a portable toilet housing. Accordingly, the present invention allows one or more panel assemblies to be attached to a portable toilet housing. The panels can bear an advertising message or simply a decorative image, and thereby enhances the appearance of the portable toilet housing.
It is another object of the invention to allow advertisement display on an existing, substantially rectangular, portable toilet housing. Accordingly, the present invention employs brackets which attach onto the existing portable toilet housing to allow the advertisement panel assemblies to be inserted therebetween.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an effective advertisement display which may also be used in conjunction with a row of portable toilet housings, arranged in a side-to-side fashion, having a gap between the adjacent sides of the toilets. Accordingly, the system comprises a plurality of intermediary brackets having vertical channels which extend substantially into the gap, so that an advertising panel assembly selectively inserted therein will also extend substantially into the gap, thereby providing an advertising display system which, although comprised of a plurality of discrete advertising panels, appears to be a single, continuous advertising panel.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an advertisement display system that is attractive and highly visible. Accordingly, the brackets are preferably made of clear acrylic so as to minimize obscuring the edges of each advertising panel so that they together provide a continuous appearance.
The invention is an advertisement display system, for use in conjunction with a plurality of existing portable toilets arranged in a side-to-side array with a gap between the toilets, for allowing the toilets to be used to provide a substantially continuous advertising presentation. The system comprises a plurality of bracket assemblies each of which are selectively vertically attached along a corner of the toilet, and a plurality of substantially rectangular advertising panel assemblies which are selectively inserted between adjacent pairs of the bracket assemblies. The bracket assemblies include a plurality of intermediary bracket assemblies which are selectively mounted to the corners of the intermediary toilets in the series. A projecting portion of the intermediary bracket assembly extends beyond the side of the toilet to which it is attached. Accordingly, the advertising panel inserted into a vertical channel within the projecting portion also extends into the gap, thereby allowing the advertising display system to appear to be a single, continuous advertising panel.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The toilet housings 12 include a first toilet housing 12F, a last toilet housing 12L, and an intermediary toilet housing 12I. All of the side walls 16S of the housings 12 face onto an adjacent side wall 16S of an adjacent housing 12, with the exception of the first side wall 16A of the first housing 12F, and the last side wall 16Z of the last housing 12L. The bracket assemblies 25 include two types of bracket assemblies 25, namely, a terminal bracket assembly 30 and an intermediary bracket assembly 50. The terminal bracket assemblies 30 are selectively mounted to the corner 15 between the first side 16A and its rear wall 16R, and to the corner 15 between the last side 16Z and its rear wall 16R. The intermediary bracket assemblies 50 are selectively mounted to the corners 15 between all of the other sides 16S of the plurality of toilet housings 12 and their respective rear walls 16R. A plurality of each type of the bracket assemblies 25 is provided with the advertisement display system 10. Moreover, the terminal bracket assemblies 30 are provided as two mirror image bracket assemblies—a left terminal bracket assembly 30L which is selectively mounted onto the left rear corner 15L of the first toilet housing 12F, and a right terminal bracket assembly 30R which is selectively mounted onto the right rear corner 15R of the last toilet housing 12L. Analogously, the intermediate bracket assemblies 50 are provided as two mirror image bracket assemblies—a left intermediary bracket assembly 50L which is selectively mounted onto all the remaining left rear corners 15L of the toilet housings 12, and a right intermediary bracket assembly 50R which is selectively mounted onto all the remaining right rear corners 15R of the toilet housings 12.
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An advertising panel assembly 80 extends between the left terminal bracket assembly 30L mounted onto the left rear corner 15L, and the right intermediary bracket assembly 50R mounted onto the right rear corner 15R of the first toilet housing 12F. An advertising panel assembly 80 extends between the left intermediary bracket assembly 50L mounted onto the left rear corner 15L, and the right intermediary bracket assembly 50R mounted onto the right rear corner 15R of all the intermediary toilet housings 12I. Finally, an advertising panel assembly 80 extends between the left intermediate bracket assembly 50L mounted onto the left rear corner 15L, and the right terminal bracket assembly 30R mounted onto the right rear corner 15R, of the last toilet housing 12L of the series of housings 12.
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The L-bracket 38 extends the entire length of the terminal bracket 32. The L-bracket 38 may be attached to the terminal bracket 32 by a variety of fasteners, including rivets. Returning to
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The system 10 is provided with a plurality of secondary fasteners 59 which extend through the L-brackets 38 through secondary holes 61 therein, for further securing the L-bracket 38 to the terminal bracket 32. The fasteners 59 may be a rivet or a threaded screw.
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After being mounted to a left rear corner 15L, the intermediary bracket 52 has a straight projecting portion 52P which extends from the first side 52S beyond the side wall 16S of the toilet housing 12 to which it is attached, and into the gap 17 between said toilet housing 12 and the adjacent toilet housing 12. The projecting portion 52P has an L-bracket 38 extending perpendicularly outward therefrom, in proximity to its edge 52E. The L-bracket 38 is substantially identical to the L-bracket 38 used with the terminal bracket 32. A vertical channel 44 is formed between the first side 52S of the intermediary bracket 52 and the L-bracket 38 extending therefrom. The channel 44 is used to selectively engage one of the vertical edges 80E of a panel assembly 80.
The attachment plates 42 used with the intermediary bracket assemblies 50 are substantially identical to the attachment plates 42 used with the terminal bracket assemblies 30. Moreover, the L-brackets 38 used in the intermediary bracket assemblies 50 are substantially identical to the L-brackets 38 used with the terminal bracket assemblies 30. Accordingly, no further discussion of either the attachment plates 42 or the L-brackets 38 is warranted.
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The brackets 32 and 52, and the L-brackets 38 extending perpendicularly therefrom, may be constructed from a variety of materials, including aluminum, and are preferably constructed from a transparent acrylic material, so that they do not obscure the view of the vertical edges 80E of the advertising panels 80. The attachment plates 42 are preferably constructed from a more durable material, such as aluminum, in order to withstand the stress involved with the repeated tightening and un-tightening of the retainer screws 56. The attachment plates 42 enhance the longevity of the terminal brackets 32, the intermediary brackets 52, and the L-brackets 38 extending therefrom, and thus minimize maintenance for the advertising display system 10.
Preferably, the outer panels 82 of the panel assemblies 80 are made of flexible clear polycarbonate sheets. The outer panels 82 must be flexible enough to allow them to slightly flex while being fitted between two vertical channels 44 of adjacent bracket assemblies 25, yet rigid enough to withstand years of exposure to the elements. Most standard portable toilets have walls which are substantially three and a half feet wide and seven feet tall. Accordingly, it is preferable that the advertising panel assemblies 80 are approximately three and a half feet wide and seven feet tall. However, the size of the advertising panel assembly 80 can be varied according to the portable toilet 11 it is to be used with and the desired effect.
When used in conjunction with a plurality of toilet housings 12 arranged in a side-to-side array, with a gap 17 between any two adjacent toilet housings 12, the printed sheets 84 can be configured so that each represents a vertical slice of one continuous image. Each sheet 84 can be installed on an adjacent portable toilet housing 12. For example, said sheets 84 can be installed on the rear walls 16R of several portable toilet housings 12, and those housing 12 can be placed immediately adjacent each other to create a continuous mural.
In conclusion, herein is presented an advertising display system for use in conjunction with a plurality of existing portable toilets arranged in a side-to-side array, for enhancing the appearance of the portable toilets, and for allowing the toilets to be used to provide a substantially continuous advertising presentation. The invention is illustrated by example in the accompanying drawing figures and the foregoing description. Numerous variations are possible, however, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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1452873 | Gifford | Apr 1923 | A |
3005277 | Sherron | Oct 1961 | A |
5181297 | Andrews et al. | Jan 1993 | A |
6763626 | Wieringa | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6920650 | Wieringa | Jul 2005 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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29921922 | Apr 2000 | DE |
10109626 | Oct 2002 | DE |