Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Adhesive attaching feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-12-04
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Adhesive attaching feature
C040S200000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324778
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to license plates of the sort affixed to the back, and often also to the front, of motor vehicles such as automobiles, trucks and motorcycles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the United States, all states require motor vehicle owners to purchase a standard sized, metal, license plate bearing alphanumeric indicia to be fastened to a mounting bracket at the rear of the vehicle. Many states also require a front license plate. Most other countries require that some sort of alphanumeric license plate be mounted on all motor vehicles. In some countries, the vehicle owner does not receive the plate from the governmental agency but must provide the plate by fastening numbers and/or letters to a panel and fasten the panel to the vehicle.
Many vehicles, particularly those of foreign manufacture, do not include a bracket to support a front license plate. In order to mount a required front plate on those vehicles, it is necessary to drill holes in the rounded bumper to mount a generally unsightly bracket. Many people do not mount the required plate, or a personalized plate where allowed, because of the absence of a reasonably attractive mounting bracket.
Many states have accommodated the desire to personalize vehicles by providing personalized or so-called “vanity” plates at considerably higher cost. However, these plates only provide six or seven selected letters or numbers to be used, severely limiting the degree of personalization. There is no convenient way, other than a license plate frame, to add slogans or the like supporting a particular athletic team (e.g. “Go Big Red”), a religious slogan, a city or neighborhood slogan or the like.
License plates are often stolen. Thieves will take plates having unexpired annual stickers to replace their own expired plates or to use on a stolen car to be used in a robbery or the like. Present metal plates fastened by bolts to a mounting bracket can be removed quickly and easily.
The metal plates presently being used are also subject to physical damage from impact with curbs, restraining posts or the like. Since the plates are relatively expensive to manufacture, they tend to be used for quite a number of years, with an annual sticker being attached to show payment of the annual fee. Over the years, the plates will rust, particularly in snow country where the roads are salted in winter, and fade, so that the plates become very unattractive and indica is not easily read.
Ducey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,400,079 describes a multi-layer license plate having a paper sheet bearing registration indicia, an overlying sheet having a cut-out area in alphanumeric shapes over the indicia and a transparent sheath containing the paper and overlying sheet. This license is rigid and complex and does not overcome the above-noted problems.
Another multi-layer license plate is disclosed by Croell in U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,571. Here, a temporary registration paper is bonded to a transparent sheet to protect the paper from the weather. This arrangement is not suitable for permanent license plates.
A holder for portable dealer license plates is described by de Greeve in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,965. A pocket receives the dealer plate and an advertising strip is provided on the holder adjacent to the plate. A strap is connected to the plate holder for carrying the holder. This plate holder is not suitable for plates permanently fastened to a vehicle.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved license plates and license plate replacement panels that are attractive, may be attached to vehicles without requiring a mounting bracket, that can be easily personalized over the entire plate or adjacent to any required alphanumeric indicia, that resist theft, rust and impact damage and that are inexpensive and easily replaceable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-noted problems are overcome in accordance with this invention by a plate or panel formed from a flexible plastic material, the panel having an approximately rectangular portion with a central extension extending from one of the longer sides of the rectangle. Predetermined alphanumeric information corresponding to that provided on conventional metal plates is provided on the front of the approximately rectangular portion. Information relating to state identification and year of registration may be applied to the extension, which may be in the form of a colored, printed, sticker. A hologram may be added for security. Typically, the extension may carry stickers showing the month and year of registration expiration. While the panel may replace a conventional metal permanent license plate, it may also be used in place of a temporary plate, a dealer plate, a parking permit plate or any similar indicia-bearing plate.
Between the alphanumeric information and the extension is proved a space across the rectangle for the purchaser to provide state imprinted personalized information. While this space is preferably above the alphanumeric license information, it could be below. This may, for example, be a slogan or picture relating to an athletic team, a college, a church or other information showing hobbies, such as fishing, hunting, golf, tennis, etc.
One of the front and back surfaces of the panel is coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive, covered by a removable protective cover sheet. Where the adhesive is on the back surface, the cover sheet may be removed and the panel quickly bonded to a front or back vehicle bumper or a vehicle body or exterior window portion. Where the adhesive is on the front, imaged, surface, the cover sheet may be removed and the panel bonded to the interior surface of a window, to be visible from outside the vehicle. Alternatively, a reverse cut of the indicia on back surface adhesive may be bonded to a window interior surface. The surface of the panel bearing indicia is preferably formed from a highly reflective material, such as the Scotchlite® material available from the 3M Corporation. This panel does not require that any mounting frame or bracket be fastened to the vehicle for mounting the license plate panel.
Any suitable flexible, reflective, exposure resistant, plastic may be used for the panel. For best results, a polyvinyl material having a thickness of from about 2 to 4 mil is preferred. The panel can be any selected base color, with the indicia thereon of any contrasting color.
To aid in applying the panel to a bumper or the like, a central adhesive free area may be provided in the adhesive coated side. Also, short slits may be provided in any desired side of the panel to aid in conforming the panel to a convex surface.
It is, therefor, an object of this invention to provide a license plate type panel of ideal shape for presenting alphanumeric license indicia, space for state identification and registration information and a second space for personalized information.
Another object is to provide a flexible license plate type panel with an adhesive coating and a highly reflective outer surface for easy mounting on vehicle bumpers, body or windows as desired.
A further object is to provide a panel that is mounted on a vehicle without requiring any mounting bracket or frame fastened to the vehicle.
Yet another object is to provide a panel that can carry personalized information both in the alphanumeric license indicia and in the space between the alphanumeric license indicia and the registration informational.
Still a further object is to provide a panel that is bonded to a vehicle in a manner highly resistant to theft of the panel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1073004 (1913-09-01), Wakeman
patent: 1660575 (1928-02-01), Overton
patent: 1833742 (1931-11-01), Gallogly
patent: 1864641 (1932-06-01), Davis
patent: 1946946 (1934-02-01), Phinney
patent: 2023099 (1935-12-01), Reiter et al.
patent: 2258754 (1941-10-01), Gill
patent: 2369549 (1945-02-01), Francescon
patent: 2400079 (1946-03-01), Ducey
patent: 2603899 (1952-07-01), Leander
patent: 2815598 (1957-12-01), Gazan
patent: 3252234 (1966-05-01), Goodman
patent: 3799829 (1974-03-01), Heatwole
patent: 3864855 (1975-02-
Baker Freling E.
Baker & Eddy
Browne Lynne H.
Thompson Kenn
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