Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-31
2001-02-13
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C040S607060, C248S074100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186454
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to devices for holding advertising or noncommercial signs. More particularly, it relates to an attractive sign holder that is releasably attachable to poles without requiring tools and which protects signs from the elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People holding yard sales, garage sales, and the like often attach posters or other informal signs to telephone poles or other post means to advertise their events. Certain sellers of computer memory and other goods or services also employ the same technique to avoid the high cost of formal outdoor advertising billboards.
Such handmade signs are somewhat unsightly and as a result many cities have passed ordinances banning them. The signs are also unprotected from the weather, so they become even more unsightly when rained upon. Moreover, since the signs are usually attached to the post means by very casual means, they are easily taken down by wind or passers-by.
More sophisticated sign holders are also well known, but have not gained consumer acceptance due to their complicated designs, their expense, and other factors such as aesthetics, the need to employ tools when installing them, and so on.
What is needed, then, is an inexpensive sign holder that is attractive in appearance, which may be installed and removed from a post means without tools, and which protects the sign from the effects of weather.
An arcuate compression clamp having utility as a sign holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,978 to Current. The clamp releasably engages an elongate cylindrical rod that forms a part of a horizontally disposed display rack and includes a radially extending base to which a sign may be engaged. The sign is always used indoors, and no means are provided or suggested for protecting the sign from the elements. Moreover, the device includes a card holder that engages a card or other sign along its lowermost edge only, i.e., the remaining edges of the sign or card are not secured by the card holder.
Three signs are attached to a parking meter by the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,196 to Sandahl, Jr. et. al. However, each sign must be bolted to a support plate, so changing signs is not easy. Nor are the signs protected from the elements.
Neuendorf et.al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,672, disclose a sign holder that is bolted to clamps that circumscribe a pole. No means are provided to facilitate sign changing and no means are provided for protecting a sign from the effects of weather.
A spring clip that lightly grips upstanding posts, trees and the like is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,262,873 to Wise. The Wise device includes no means for sheltering or protecting documents from the elements, and the light grip provided may be unacceptable in some applications.
What is needed, then, is a sign holder that eases the task of sign changing and which protects a sign from the elements. The needed device should also be attachable to a vertical or horizontal post, tree, or other suitable support surface in the absence of bolts and other tool-requiring fastening means. The device should also be attractive and professional in appearance to maximize its aesthetic appeal.
However, in view of the art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not perceived by those of ordinary skill in the field of this invention that the needed device should be provided nor was it obvious how the needed device could be provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The longstanding but heretofore unfulfilled need for an apparatus that overcomes the limitations of the prior art is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious sign holder.
The present invention includes a hollow sign housing having a preselected open edge for slideably receiving a sign into such hollow sign housing. The hollow sign housing has a transparent front wall so that a sign disposed inside the sign housing is visible to onlookers.
The sign housing further includes a flat base for supporting the hollow sign housing, and a post gripping main body integrally formed with the flat base; optionally, the hollow sign housing is rotatably connected to the flat base to enable positioning of the sign housing in any preselected position of rotational adjustment.
The post-gripping main body has a semi-circular first half part and a semi-circular second half part formed of a flexible and resilient material so that the first and second half parts may be transiently displaced away from one another to admit a post means therebetween and brought toward one another to cooperatively embrace a post.
A catch means is formed integrally with the first half part and a latch means is formed integrally with the second half part.
The catch means includes a radially outward part and a radially inward part that are radially spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance; the radially outward part and radially inward part have a substantially common circumferential extent.
The latch means includes a radially outward part and a radially inward part that are radially spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance; the radially outward part and radially inward part of the latch means have a substantially common circumferential extent.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a sign holder that is readily attachable and detachable from a vertical or horizontal support post in the absence of tools yet which provides a very firm, non-slip grip on such post.
Another very important object is to provide a sign holder that facilitates sign changing.
Still another important object is to provide a sign holder that protects signs held by it from the effects of weather.
Yet another object is to accomplish the foregoing objects in an aesthetically pleasing way.
These and other important objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 817061 (1906-04-01), Griffin
patent: 1205800 (1916-11-01), Schwartzberg
patent: 2262873 (1941-11-01), Wise
patent: 2616196 (1952-11-01), Sandahl, Jr.
patent: 2649632 (1953-08-01), Kessler
patent: 3119585 (1964-01-01), Austenson
patent: 3223467 (1965-12-01), Jafelice
patent: 3445582 (1969-05-01), Herrenkohl et al.
patent: 3503580 (1970-03-01), Levy
patent: 3561712 (1971-02-01), Newsome
patent: 4460142 (1984-07-01), O'Rorke
patent: 4801115 (1989-01-01), Heard
patent: 4840345 (1989-06-01), Neil et al.
patent: 4871141 (1989-10-01), Chen
patent: 4955574 (1990-09-01), Freier
patent: 5088672 (1992-02-01), Neuendorf et al.
patent: 5189822 (1993-03-01), Schmanski et al.
patent: 5277387 (1994-01-01), Lewis et al.
patent: 5305978 (1994-04-01), Current
patent: 5479735 (1996-01-01), Martin, Jr.
patent: 5590859 (1997-01-01), Lord
patent: 5595009 (1997-01-01), Rummer
Ramirez Ramon O.
Smith Ronald E.
Smith & Hopen , P.A.
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