Patent Application
20070209261
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to multi-chambered extrusions which are to be utilized for rigid support of a display poster or substrate from a ceiling or an overhead support or the like.
2. Prior Art
The prior art cites the use of rollers in a holder arranged at the top of a substrate. The present invention relates to how an assembly is modified to allow the holder to also work on the bottom of the substrate. The key to using rollers with a bottom holder is to ensure their interaction with the substrate. The present invention, from a user's perspective, is passive, the support arrangement functioning similarly on both the top and bottom of the substrate being supported from an overhead or on a wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,512,094 to Dilworth relates to a textile hanging system which requires many steps, including opening and closing a banner textile holder over the textile substrate and the pushing end caps on, while holding the textile substrate in place. U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,259 to Krapf et al. relates to a transparent hanger bar for documents. The assembly is difficult because the user must roll strips of acetate and insert them into a hollow chamber. No suggestion is made for use as a bottom holder. U.S. Pat. No. 2,056,878 to Wineholt shows a substrate holder. Two opposing rollers are sprung against one another, working only at the top of a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,430 to Anderson et al. relates to a hanger rail assembly. The substrate must be treated to work, and the assembly may only be utilized as a top support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,782 to Dudley covers a hanger for sheet material. This device uses rollers which are connected together longitudinally within a space. To remove a supported substrate, one side of the housing must be moved. It will not work as a holder on the bottom of a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,974 covers a display clip structure. It may be utilized only as a holder on the top of a substrate.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a poster gripping assembly which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a poster gripping assembly which may be utilized in a poster-holding configuration by itself or with a second assembly for lower support of the poster.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a poster gripping assembly which simplifies the manufacturing operation over the prior art.
The present invention relates to an elongated, multi-chambered extrusion support arrangement which is configured to support a large poster substrate from a wall or an overhead support, such as a ceiling rail or the like. The support arrangement of the present invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, comprises an upper elongated multi-chambered housing and a second or lower, elongated multi-chambered housing. The poster substrate is fixedly carried between the upper and the lower elongated housings. The upper housing may be attached to an overhead support such as a ceiling rail by a pair of overhead support lines connected therebetween. The lower end of each overhead support line is attached to a support clip which slidably engages a support clip channel arranged on one elongated side of each of the elongated housings.
Each elongated housing is comprised of an elongated first side wall of generally C-shape in cross-section, facing a second elongated sidewall of generally C-shape in cross-section. The first side wall of the housing has an elongated upper edge which is spaced apart from an elongated upper edge of the second side wall. The first side wall of the housing has an elongated lower edge which is spaced apart from the lower edge of the second side wall of the housing. The first and second side walls are extruded as a unit, with a bridging member connecting the two side walls. The bridging member, together with the first and second side walls, defines an upper first chamber. The first side wall and the second side wall each have a first elongated lip and a second elongated lip respectively, extending from a mid-portion thereof, each facing towards its respective opposed sidewall. The first elongated lip and the second elongated lip are spaced apart from one another so as to provide a narrow elongated gap therebetween. The first elongated lip on the inner side of the first side wall and the second elongated lip on the inner side of the second sidewall define between them and the connecting bridge, a second elongated chamber between the first and second sidewalls, designated as an intermediate chamber. The first elongated lip extending on the inside of the first sidewall and the second elongated lip extending inwardly on the second sidewall together with the lower portions of the lips on the first sidewall and the second sidewall define a lower chamber of the elongated extruded housing.
A pair of elongated, flexible, hollow tubular roller members having a serrated or smooth outer periphery are each rotatably disposed within the lower chamber of the elongated extruded housing. The elongated internally disposed rollers, preferably made of a soft rubber or plastic, have a somewhat curvilinear or helical configuration thereto. The curve of the internal rollers is non-linear in at least two planes, so each roller may not lie in a single plane.
In one preferred embodiment, such non-linear configuration of the internal roller may be established by inserting a helically curved wire or tube fed through the central opening or bore of the flexible roller, so as to impart and transfer that non-linear configuration to the tubular roller.
The “heightwise” dimension of the lower chamber, that is the dimension between the chamber side of the elongated lips, and the lowermost edge adjacent the opening of the first and second sidewalls, is intended to be less than twice the diameter of one of the internal rollers to limit their movement and transverse tolerance.
In utilization of a pair (an upper and a lower housing) of elongated extruded support housings of the present invention, a poster or substrate material is inserted longitudinally through the gap between the lowermost edges of the first sidewall and the second sidewall, so as to pass between the pair of elongated convoluted rollers arranged within the lower chamber of the support arrangement. The preferred invention also includes a similar elongated extruded support housing disposed on and similarly capturing the lowermost side of the poster substrate, so as to act as a stiffener and a lower support keeping that poster or substrate weighted downwardly and flat. The elongated extruded support arrangement may be held to an overhead or ceiling rail by a pair of support clips, slidably arranged in the support clip channel on the upper edge of the uppermost elongated extruded housing. A wire or cable, or any other holding or mounting method of course, may be attached to each support clip and is fixed therefrom to the ceiling rail of a ceiling. Adhesive or other holding means may also be used to mount directly onto a surface such as a wall or window.
Insertion and removal of a poster or substrate from the pair of upper and lower elongated extruded support housings is accomplished by longitudinal movement of that poster substrate relative to the pair of elongated extruded support housings. It is the combination of the round cross-sectional shape of the rollers and the converging angled geometry of the space that prevents removal of a substrate by a force perpendicular to the extrusion on the substrate. The multiple plane nonlinearity of the rollers guarantees their interfering contact with the substrate. The rollers are free to rotate towards the opening, and as they do so rotate, the space (wedge) gets tighter, thus providing an increasingly stronger grip on the substrate.
An end cap is disposed on each end of the elongated extruded housing members. Each end cap has a pair of tabs which extend inwardly into the end openings of the intermediate chamber of the elongated support arrangement so as to hold the end caps snugly thereagainst.
The lowermost elongated chamber in the elongated extruded support arrangement has a pair of opposed facing walls which are tapered inwardly with respect to one another. These walls define a lower side against which each respective internal roller is maintained and pressed. Such tapered walls prevent removal of the substrate and its falling or being pulled transversely out from the elongated housings.
In a further embodiment of the present arrangement, the internal flexible rollers are provided with a multi-dimensional convolution by being slightly longer than the length of the extruded elongated housing in which they are placed. When the end caps are pressed against the ends of the internal rollers once they are inserted within the lower chamber, the end caps will put a compressive force on those pair of internal rollers forcing them to twist/convolute and become nonlinear, ensuring interaction with the substrate to be held.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the elongated extrusion support housings may be curved somewhat, so as to provide a slight curve to the poster or substrate being held between a pair of elongated supports, and also, to eliminate the need for a pre-curved wire or insert within each internal roller. In fact, in such a case, the internal rollers are shorter longitudinally than the arc length of the curved elongated extruded support arrangement.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the internal rollers are supported along their longitudinal length by a separate extrusion which is slidably inserted within and thus fitted in the lowermost chamber of the elongated extruded support housing(s). The additional extrusion is needed if the inner walls of the third chamber in the extruded support housing are not tapered. The elongated insert comprises a lowermost arrangement of opposed tapered walls each having lowermost lips which are spaced apart from one another, to define an elongated opening for a poster or substrate to be inserted therebetween. The tapered walls are spaced apart and define the chamber in which the internal flexible rollers reside. The insert has an elongated uppermost chamber which accepts the edges of the substrate being held by the extrusion arrangement. Such an insert with its tapered lowermost sides, would be available to be inserted into a number of different housing configurations comprised of various shaped elongated extruded support housing outer sidewalls. These sidewalls may be flat with rigid right angles to define their uppermost and lowermost edges, or they may be curved in an opposed C-shaped configuration, or they may have any desired decorative shape. Each of those shell-like arrangements have the bridging connector and the first side lip and the second side lip as identified hereinabove, which would thus define a space in the elongated housing into which the separate elongated roller-containing extrusion would be placed in the absence of the tapered walls of the third chamber.
Thus the present invention shows a hollow, elongated extruded poster grasping housing which is capable of lockably supporting a large poster or substrate, also having a lowermost housing extrusion to support and hang down upon the lower edge of that poster or substrate therebetween. The rollers arranged within each elongated extrusion are dimensioned such that they do not pass over each other and that, arranged into a pair of interacting convolutions, must interfere with the space in line with the center slot arranged between the sidewalls of the elongated support housing(s). This interference prevents the poster or substrate from becoming loose from each elongated support housing when it is pulled upon or set in place, thereby denying gravity its affects on that substrate.
The invention thus comprises a support arrangement for supporting a poster from an overhead member, comprising: an elongated first extruded housing having an elongated first side wall and an elongated second side wall. Each of the first and second side walls have an upper edge and a lower edge spaced apart from each other. A bridging member is spaced between and connecting the first and the second sidewalls. The bridging member and the upper edge of the sidewalls define an elongated first chamber. A first and a second elongated lip extend along an inner side of the first and second sidewalls respectively, the first and second lips and the bridging member define an elongated intermediate second chamber. The first and second elongated lips and the lower edge of the sidewalls define an elongated holding third chamber. A pair of elongated, flexible rollers are arranged within the elongated holding third chamber. The rollers are preferably non-linear in two planes. The rollers may have an irregular outer surface. The rollers may be hollow. At least one of said rollers may have a bendable wire arranged therethrough. The wire may be arranged in at least one roller in a generally non-linear configuration. The rollers may be arranged in an insert disposed in the lower chamber in the housing. The third chamber preferably has tapered walls to support the rollers therein. The third chamber has a longitudinal slot defining one edge thereof. The poster is preferably received through the elongated slot in the third chamber. The elongated housing preferably has end caps on each end thereof. The elongated housing may be curved. The rollers in one embodiment may be shorter than the elongated housing. The rollers may be longer than the elongated housing in another embodiment. Two end caps may be utilized to compress the rollers into being oriented non-linearly in two planes within the third chamber. A second elongated housing may be utilized to engagably receive a second edge of the poster parallel to the first elongated housing.
The invention also includes a method for supporting a poster from an overhead support, comprising one or more of the steps of: receiving a poster within a lower chamber through a slot of an elongated first housing; attaching a support arrangement between the elongated first housing and the overhead support; and pinching the poster within the lower chamber of the first housing between a pair of convoluted flexible rollers to keep the poster from falling out from the housing. The method may include one or more of the following steps: inserting a twisted wire into the rollers to effect the convolution of the rollers; placing the rollers into the lower chamber, the rollers having a longer length than the elongated housing; placing end caps on the housing to longitudinally compress and distort the rollers into the convoluted shape; curving the elongated housing along its longitudinal axis; placing the rollers in an elongated insert; placing the insert into the lower chamber of the housing; and attaching a second elongated housing to a second edge of the poster being supported.
The objects and advantages of the present invention would become more apparent when viewed in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to
Each elongated housing 16 and 18 is comprised of an elongated first side wall 26 of generally C-shape in cross-section, facing a second elongated sidewall 28 of generally C-shape in cross-section, as represented in
A pair of elongated, flexible, hollow tubular roller members 52 having a serrated (or smooth) outer periphery 54 are each somewhat rotatably disposed within the lower chamber 50 of the elongated extruded housings 16 and 18. The elongated internally disposed rollers 52, are preferably made of a soft rubber or plastic, have a somewhat curvilinear configuration, a configuration being spiral or non-linear in multiple planes, as is represented in
In one preferred embodiment, such non-linear configuration of the internal roller 52 may be established by inserting a curved wire or tube 56 fed through the central opening or bore 58 of the flexible roller 52, so as to impart that non-linear configuration thereto, as represented in
The “heightwise” dimension “H” of the lower chamber 50, as represented in
In utilization of a pair (an upper and a lower housing) of elongated extruded support housings 16 and 18, (as represented in
Insertion and/or removal of a poster or substrate 12 from the pair of upper and lower elongated extruded support housings 16 and 18 may be accomplished by longitudinal movement of that poster substrate 12 relative to the pair of elongated extruded support housings 16 and 18, as represented by arrow “L” shown in
An end cap 66 is disposed on each end of the elongated extruded housing member 16 and 18. Each end cap 66 has a pair of tabs 68, as shown in
The lowermost elongated chamber 50 in each elongated extruded support housing 16 and 18, in one preferred embodiment, has a pair of opposed facing walls 70 and 72 which are tapered inwardly with respect to one another. These walls 70 and 72 define a lower side against which each respective internal roller 52 is maintained and pressed. Such tapered walls 70 and 72 allow each roller 52 to rotate slightly and provide a tighter grip when the substrate is pulled transversely away from the elongated extrusion 16 or 18.
In a further embodiment of the present arrangement, the internal flexible rollers 52 are provided with their multi-dimensional twist or convolution thereto, by being slightly longer than the length of the extruded elongated housing 16 in which they are placed, as represented in
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the elongated extrusion support housings 16 and 18 may be curved somewhat, along its longitudinal axis “X”, as represented in
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the internal rollers 52 are supported along their longitudinal length by an extruded, hollow insert 80 as represented in
Thus the present invention shows a hollow, elongated extruded, poster grasping housing which is capable of lockably supporting a large poster or substrate, also having a lowermost housing extrusion to support and hang down upon the lower edge of that poster or substrate therebetween. The rollers arranged within each elongated extrusion are dimensioned such that they do not pass over each other and that, arranged into a pair of interacting convolutions, must interfere with the space in line with the center slot arranged between the sidewalls of the elongated support housing(s). This interference ensures contact with the substrate, thus preventing the poster or substrate from becoming loose from one or each elongated support housing when it is pulled upon or set in place, thereby denying gravity its affect on that substrate.
