Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Check – label – or tag – Holder
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-25
2001-05-22
Green, Brian K. (Department: 3628)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Check, label, or tag
Holder
C040S661060, C040S658000, C040S665000, C040S607060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233858
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to methods and structures for displaying advertising. In particular, this invention concerns a clamp and advertising structure for attaching, e.g., multimedia information, coupons, or advertisements, to a gas pump hose, and a method of providing advertisement on a gas pump hose.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of advertising at gasoline service stations is well known in the art. Most service stations have standalone signs that can be lighted and seen up close or from a roadway. Advertising also appears on the face of the gasoline pump, on smaller signs that stand alone on the ground, and even on the squeegee handles that protrude from the water bins in the service station.
A problem with these types of advertisements is that they do not take advantage of the time at which a customer pumps gasoline into a vehicle, which is probably the largest span of time in which the customer is present at the service station. This is especially true since the advent of credit card accepting gasoline pumps, which can severely limit the potential to sell “impulse” items at the cashier's stand. Accordingly, there is a need to provide advertising that is readily visible to the customer while the customer is pumping gasoline into a vehicle.
An additional problem with known gas station advertisements is that they are, typically, permanent signs that are not removable from the structure to which they are attached. For example, the advertisements on the gas pump are usually imprinted on the face of the pump and cannot be easily interchanged with other advertisements. Standalone signs are sometimes painted and are very large, which prevents easy interchanging of advertising on the signs. Accordingly, there is an additional need to provide advertising at a gas station that is easily interchangeable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,209 to Wilder discloses a typical advertising structure for a gasoline pump. The advertising is built into the handle of the gas pump and provides a small surface in which advertising indicia can be placed. This small advertising surface is not located at eye level and does not allow a significant amount of information to be communicated to the customer at the gasoline pump. In addition, this advertising surface requires a great deal of modification of the gas pump handle to accept placement of advertising.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,155 to Becker discloses a fuel delivery information device. The device is attached between the cap and the outer cap end of a fuel tank inlet to provide an information bearing surface which will be seen whenever the cap is removed. The objective of the Becker device is to provide fueling information to a person filling a fuel tank. The information bearing surface is not provided or adapted to be provided on a gasoline fuel hose.
The industry lacks a sturdy, inexpensive advertising structure that is designed to take advantage of the time in which a customer is pumping gasoline. No gas hose advertising structure is known that is easily interchangeable and at eye level throughout the gas pumping process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One apparatus for providing advertising on a gasoline pump hose includes a frame that comprises two frame halves that are held or clamped together to secure an advertisement structure between the frame halves. The frame can slide onto a hose connector collar, which is attached to or clamped onto the hose.
A hinge, for example, a living hinge, can be provided to connect the two frame halves together, and a series of indents and outdents located on each of the frame halves can lock the frame halves together. Slide halves run along the length of a side portion of the frame that is opposite the hinge. The slide halves may include a molded portion on each of the frame halves and a slide cutaway to allow a slide housing on the hose connector collar to slide with respect to and lock onto the combined slide halves. Slide locking indents can be provided on the slide and mate with slide locking outdents in the slide housing to allow the frame to be locked onto the hose connector collar regardless of the longitudinal orientation of the hose connector collar.
The hose connector collar may include a slide housing for receiving and locking the combined slide halves of the frame onto the hose connector collar. The slide housing includes a slide chamber in which the slide halves are inserted and has slide housing cutaways to reduce the amount of material used and to facilitate manufacture of the hose connector collar. In addition, the slide housing cutaways facilitate the manufacture of the slide locking outdents onto the wall of the slide chamber. A semi-cylindrical portion attached to the slide housing mates with the gas pump hose and stabilizes the advertising device on the hose.
The hose connector collar can be attached to the hose by any known clamping means or attachment means. In a preferred embodiment, flanges are provided on the edges of the hose connector collar and work in cooperation to provide a clamp runway at each end of the hose connector collar.
In embodiments, the hose connector collar can be connected to the hose by inserting a clamp or attachment device through clamp insertion throughways located at either end of the slide housing.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose is disclosed in which an advertising display structure is connectable to a gas pump hose by a connecting structure.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus for interchangeably providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose is disclosed in which a frame encloses an advertising media and is slidably connected to a hose connector collar. The hose connector collar includes a clamp structure for connection to a gas pump hose.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, a method for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose is disclosed which includes connecting an advertising structure onto a gasoline pump hose.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose is disclosed which includes enclosing an advertising media within a frame structure, sliding the frame structure onto a hose connector collar, and clamping the hose connector collar onto a gas pump hose.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1410598 (1922-03-01), Reeves
patent: 1490882 (1924-04-01), Anderson
patent: 1499169 (1924-06-01), Gill
patent: 1848950 (1932-03-01), Hammes
patent: 1949180 (1934-02-01), Rettich
patent: 2242331 (1941-05-01), Sprung
patent: 2678707 (1954-05-01), Finkelstein
patent: 2930155 (1960-03-01), Becker
patent: 3605200 (1971-09-01), Vallinotto et al.
patent: 4079530 (1978-03-01), Atherton et al.
patent: 4292749 (1981-10-01), Thomas
patent: 4465209 (1984-08-01), Wilder
patent: 4777750 (1988-10-01), Garfinkle
patent: 4805331 (1989-02-01), Boggess et al.
patent: 5199199 (1993-04-01), Garfinkle
patent: 5335889 (1994-08-01), Hopkins et al.
patent: 5412547 (1995-05-01), Hornblad et al.
patent: 5864977 (1999-02-01), Alvern
patent: 2224152 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 2228355 (1990-08-01), None
Brach, Jr. Philip L.
Mead Robert
Green Brian K.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
LandOfFree
Apparatus for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for providing advertisement on a gasoline pump hose will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2440475