Patent Grant
7373746
The present invention relates to information and advertising signs and more particularly to a new arrangement for supporting one or more display sign assemblies that include a vertical post, installed in or on the ground, concrete, macadam, or other surface material.
One result of our societies dependence on the automobile is the growing popularity of drive-through and parking facilities for all kinds of services including convenience stores, fast food services, fueling stations, banking, etc. Designs of these facilities, by choice or by law, include many safety devices intended to avoid or reduce the consequences of automobile impact on walls, curbing, auto stop blocks, and equipment such as automatic vacuum tube canister delivery systems, gasoline dispensers, fast food ordering speaker and communications systems, etc. To avoid or reduce auto collision efforts, designers commonly install bumper guard pipes to protect facilities and equipment from impact. These guards commonly include 4 to 8 inch steel or aluminum pipe painted white or red, capped or filled with a concrete plug, and installed on or into or adjacent the driving surface and standing 3 to 4 feet above the surface. Although these guards provide some degree of impact protection, they provide poor visual protection to the contiguous facility or equipment. In addition, these standard guards provide no advertising value for the facility or services or products provided there.
Some progress and improvements have been made by the present inventor and assignee hereof in combining the U-shaped pipe guards in front of fueling dispensers with a sign assembly mounted on the center leg thereof. See U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/333,230, filed Jun. 14, 1999 owned by the present assignee.
However, the need exits for a sign assembly that can easily and efficiently mount to a vertical pipe guard regardless of the spacing between adjacent vertical pipe guards or alternately reliably mount in stand along fashion with the same elements used to secure the sign assembly to a pipe guard.
The present invention satisfies the foregoing need and provides other advantages and benefits as well.
One exemplary embodiment includes a hinge-post assembly secured in or on the supporting surface for rotatably supporting one or two of oppositely facing hinge-mounts, each hinge-mount being connected to a respective side-frame. The hinge-post assembly enables the angular adjustment of the one or two sign frames supported by the hinge-post assembly so that the opposite side frames can be spaced from each other to accommodate the spacing of adjacent sign supporting pipe guard or posts.
One of the exemplary embodiment includes a post-mount for connection to a vertical post or pipe guard already installed on or pre-installed in the supporting surface. The post-mount also connects to and supports the respective vertical side frame opposite the respective hinge-mount. The post-mount can also be rotated on the post to select the proper mounting angle and sign orientation prior to securing the post-mount to the vertical post. A lateral bar or beam member extends from the hinge-mount to a post-mount or other hinge-mount connected to the opposite side frame of the respective sign frame to strengthen and stabilize the sign assembly. Another post-mount can be connected to a similar pre-installed post or a second hinge-post second hinge-mount can support the opposite side frame. The vertical locations of the post-mounts and hinge-mounts assure that the sign frame bottoms are spaced suitably above and oriented with the supporting surface.
Another exemplary embodiment includes a third sign frame having hinge-mounts connected to the outer side-frames and being supported by a third hinge-post instead of a pre-installed post. In this embodiment the three signs frames and transverse bars form a strong triangular shape in horizontal section to resist wind and impact forces. The sign frames preferably enable display boards to be quickly installed or changed by opening the front frame side channels and closing the same to secure the board edges. Elements of the present frame assemblies are simply and inexpensively made and install with ease. The hinge posts can be fitted with footings and installed with surface bolts.
It is preferred to form or weld the post-mount, lateral member, and hinge-mount into a single mounting assembly unit for ease of handling and installation.
Other and further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with the following detailed description when taken in view of the appended drawings, in which:
With reference to
Assembly 10 includes sign frames 12, 14 each having a top frame 16, 18 and bottom frames 20, 22 respectively and side frames 24, 26 and 28, 30, respectively. Sign frames 12, 14 are preferably rectangular in shape and preferably have a height greater than its width, generally as shown, and includes front channels that can be opened to enable a plastic or poster display board, poster, or sign to be removed and/or placed into the frame and closed to secure the sign near its edges. Frames such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,828 are suitable for this function. A metal or plastic backing sheet 2 stiffens the replaceable poster sheet 4.
Sign frames 12, 14 are mounted to be partially supported by posts 13, 15 by post mounts 17, 19. As better seen in
Post mount 17 also includes a laterally extending flange plate 25 welded, molded, or otherwise connected to tube 21. Flange plate 25 includes two or more vertically aligned openings to accommodate screws or bolts 29 that secures flange plate 25 to the respective frame side 24 and frame side stiffening bar 31. A laterally extending metal U-channel, L-channel, or box (shown) strengthening beam 27 serves to strengthen the sign assembly and resist impact and torque forces caused by wind, impact, etc. The left end of box beam or strengthening beam 27 is also welded or connected to flange plate 25. Strengthening beam 27 extends laterally to and is welded or otherwise connected to the opposite hinge plate 44 described below. It is preferred that the post-mount, strengthening beam, and hinge-mount be welded together as a single mounting assembly unit 60, 70 in
Hinge post assembly 40 includes a metal base plate 41 with bolt holes for mounting to the support surface, an outer plastic or metal support tube or hollow post 42 welded to or resting on base plate 41 and a hinge rod 43 threaded into and extending from the base plate 41 to suitably above the distal open top of tube 42. Advantageously, the top of tube 42 and one end of rod 43 can be cut at the installation site to select the optimum predetermined height of the hinge plates 44, 45 even if the supporting surface portion near post 13, 15 is not at the same level as the supporting surface portion near hinge post assembly 40. Each hinge plate 44, 45 includes a vertical piece 33 that overlies the respective side stiffening bar 31, which piece 33 defines two vertically aligned openings to accommodate mounting screws or bolts 49 that thread into the respective side frame or mounting pieces therein (not shown) to secure hinge plate 44, 45 to the side frames of respective sign assemblies. Hinge plate 44 (
One benefit provided by the present invention is that various sign assembly configurations can be employed with the use of parts made according to the principles of the present invention. For example, the two pre-installed posts, two-sign configuration of
A single pre-installed post 13, single sign configuration is shown in
For those configurations requiring a sign frame supported between two hinge-post assemblies 40, a mounting assembly with two hinge plates can be used instead of one hinge plate and one post mount. For example, for the configuration of
It will be understood that various modifications and improvements can be made to the herein disclosed exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2790258 | Freshour | Apr 1957 | A |
| 3204689 | Howell | Sep 1965 | A |
| 4221086 | Berman | Sep 1980 | A |
