Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Trailer – wagon or cycle carried
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-30
2001-09-04
D., C. (Department: 3628)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Trailer, wagon or cycle carried
C040S603000, C160S394000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282822
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to advertising displays, and specifically, to an apparatus for displaying a visual image along the surface of a segmented door, such as a rear roll-up door of a truck, trailer, or van.
2. The Prior Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, segmented roll-up doors
110
are common in many industries, including the trucking and transport industries, and their typical designs are well known. A typical door
110
has a leading edge
112
, an opposite trailing edge
114
, a first edge
116
transverse to the leading edge
112
, an opposite second edge
118
, an exterior surface
120
, and an opposite interior surface (not shown). Many such doors consist of a plurality of elongated segments
122
linked to each other along their longitudinal sides
124
to form a substantially continuous door
110
. The leading and trailing edges of the door
110
correspond to the longitudinal side
124
of the elongated segments
122
that form the exterior segments of the door
110
, while the first edge
116
and second edge
118
correspond to the latitudinal edges
126
of the plurality of elongated segments
122
. Because of its linked construction, the door
110
is flexible along the axis corresponding to the direction of the longitudinal sides
124
of the elongated segments
122
. As a result, such doors
110
are suitable for roll-up applications. Roll-up doors are well known in the trucking and transport industries, and have been commonly utilized on the rear and sides of trailers and truck exteriors.
Systems for displaying advertising images on the exterior of moving vehicles such as vans, trucks, and trailers have been developed in response to ever-increasing demand for innovative advertising media. In addition to direct application of the advertisement to the vehicle exterior by painting or otherwise directly applying an adhesive film containing an advertisement, display systems have been developed wherein a sheet containing an advertisement is removably attached to the exterior surface of the vehicle. Such systems allow for removal of the advertisement without damage to the vehicle and allow rapid conversion between advertising displays. However, as most such systems utilize flexible advertising displays, maintenance of a consistent and controlled tension within the panel is critical, as excessive tension may cause failure of the panel or mounting hardware, and insufficient tension may allow sag, flutter, damage, or dislocation of the panel under use conditions.
Prior art mobile advertising display systems are not ideal for use in applications in which variations in tension across the panel are frequent. For instance, prior art systems are not tailored for use on a roll-up trailer door, such as one in which a segmented door that is substantially flat in the closed position is rolled along a curved path in reaching its open position. Prior art systems have the disadvantage that they were not designed to provide adequate release and restoration of tension within the display panel to allow retraction of the roll-up door without causing tearing or other damage to the display panel or failure of the mounting hardware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention which, in one aspect, is an apparatus for displaying images on a segmented roll-up trailer door. The door is defined by a leading edge, an opposite trailing edge, a first edge transverse to the leading edge, an opposite second edge, an exterior surface, and an opposite interior surface. A flexible display panel capable of carrying an image and having a first attaching area and a second attaching area is attached to the segmented door. A spline, affixed to the first attaching area of the display panel, is engaged by a receiving member that may be attached to the exterior surface of the door adjacent the leading edge. The receiving member defines a keyway which is complementary in shape to the spline. The second attaching area of the display panel is connected to an attaching structure, which may extend along the trailing edge of the door, by a plurality of spaced apart elastic members, which maintain and regulate tension in the panel throughout the range of motion of the door.
In another aspect, the invention includes an attaching member including a plurality of spaced apart eye-bolts, each affixed to the door along the trailing edge. The second attaching area of the display panel is defined by a plurality of spaced apart grommets passing there through. Each grommet defines an opening, engaging a plurality of elastic members, and has an elastic coupling capable of engaging a grommet. An S-hook engages each elastic coupling and connects the elastic coupling to an eye-bolt.
In yet another aspect, the invention includes an attaching member that is substantially L-shaped in cross section. The attaching member includes a first elongated plate attached to the door along the trailing edge and a second elongated plate transversely extending from the first elongated plate member. The second elongated plate defines a plurality of spaced apart holes extending there through, wherein each hole is capable of engaging an elastic member.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings. As would be obvious to one skilled in the art, many variations and modifications of the invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
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Color photographs of Mobile Media, Inc. advertising display; 5 pages, undated.
Childs Warren
Rinzler Lyons Keith
Worley Kenneth
Wright Robert
Aegis Mobile Marketing
D. C.
Needle & Rosenberg P.C.
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