Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Automotive vehicle carried
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-10
2003-11-04
Green, Brian K. (Department: 3611)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Automotive vehicle carried
C040S594000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640477
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to advertising and informational devices, and more particularly, but not entirely, to a repositional and reusable advertising banner for conveying information on automobiles.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common practice to provide information about an automobile that is offered for sale, by placing the information on a window of the automobile. An automobile dealer is required to inform a potential purchaser of an automobile of certain information about the automobile by state and federal laws. Similarly, the arrangements between an automobile dealer and the manufacturer may require other information to be disclosed. Further, potential purchasers often wish to be informed of other information concerning the automobile, prior to talking to a salesman.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to provide these types of information to potential purchasers, by placing the information on the automobile windows. An example of such an attempt is the use of paint to place the asking price on the windshield of the car. Another is the use of a plurality of individual cards or stickers, each bearing a single character, to place the price of the car, or other information, on a car window. Disadvantageously, these methods do not allow for the information to be repositioned on the windows, and may block the view of one driving the car, requiring the tedious practice of removing and replacing the information after each test drive of the automobile. Further, the cards or stickers are in some cases discarded after each use, increasing the expense of conveying the information. The size limitations also reduce the amount of information that can be conveyed.
There are several other devices for conveying required information known in the prior art, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,067 to Langen (issued Mar. 1, 1994), which discloses a repositional window pricing label. The Langen device is a window pricing label, the label contains fixed indicia, and is then printed with information, strips of repositional adhesive are placed on the face of the sticker. The Langen sticker is then placed on a window of the automobile and may be repositioned. Once the auto is sold the adhesive strips are removed, and the sticker is retained by the purchaser as a receipt. While the Langen device allows more information to be conveyed, and enables repositioning, it is of a limited size, cannot be reused, and the information on the label once printed cannot be changed.
Other window stickers have been used with automobiles to convey information, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,912 to Noah (issued Nov. 29, 1977) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,003 to Vitol (issued Jun. 9, 1987). These stickers are typically used to convey non-sales information, such as a parking permit or fleet number, are small in size, and the information on them cannot be changed.
Another window sticker used with automobiles has taken the form of a banner applied at the top of the automobile windshield. These banners do not block the view of a driver and so allow the car to be driven, but they convey limited information, do not allow for the information on them to be changed and cannot be reused.
It is noteworthy that none of the prior art known to applicant provides simultaneously a large advertising banner, that is capable of conveying a large amount of information, that can be repositioned and reused, that allows for the information to be altered, and allows a potential purchaser to operate the automobile while the banner is in place.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present invention. The present invention minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a readily noticeable advertising banner, that does not block the view of the automobile driver when the banner is in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an advertising banner that is repositional.
It is a further object of the present invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to an advertising banner that is both repositional and reusable.
It is an additional object of the present invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof to provide an advertising banner that may be reused, and that allows for at least part of the information on the banner to be changed.
The above objects and others not specifically recited are realized in a specific illustrative embodiment of a multiple use automobile banner. The automobile banner is repositional and reusable, is configured to be placed at the top of the exterior surface of an automobile windshield and allows for at least some of the information on the banner to be altered.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention without undue experimentation. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2586039 (1952-02-01), Heggedal
patent: 4059912 (1977-11-01), Noah
patent: 4528232 (1985-07-01), Cliffe
patent: 4671003 (1987-06-01), Vitol
patent: 4671033 (1987-06-01), Smith
patent: 4864755 (1989-09-01), Owens
patent: 4940258 (1990-07-01), Cuba, Jr. et al.
patent: 5102171 (1992-04-01), Saetre
patent: 5248536 (1993-09-01), Du Katz
patent: 5252071 (1993-10-01), Hansard
patent: 5258214 (1993-11-01), Cooledge et al.
patent: 5290067 (1994-03-01), Langen
patent: 5318325 (1994-06-01), Ipsen
patent: 5334431 (1994-08-01), Longtin
patent: 5403025 (1995-04-01), Shanley
patent: 5466502 (1995-11-01), Wilkinson et al.
patent: 5525177 (1996-06-01), Ross
patent: 5628858 (1997-05-01), Petrou
patent: 5899010 (1999-05-01), Peck
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Declaration of Julienne R. Timpson and R. Brent Timpson regarding Non-Documentary Potential Prior Art.
Timpson Julienne R.
Timpson R. Brent
Clayton Howarth & Cannon, P.C.
Green Brian K.
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