Sign

Details Sign Sign

2000-01-24

2002-11-19

Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3679)

Card, picture, or sign exhibiting

Illuminated sign

Lamp box

C040S541000, C040S611050

Reexamination Certificate

active

06481132

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates to signs and, in particular, to an improved directional sign which can be employed for purposes other than directing the traffic flow of customer vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fast food stores make efficient use of space with the building and parking lot occupying all of the useable land. The signage for a typical national franchise fast food store consists of a large elevated structure displaying the name of the franchise and two or more smaller structures positioned at the access drives for the parking facilities to designate the entrance and the exit.
Such stores benefit from national and local television and newspaper advertisements of specials which are intended to attract customers away from competitors. Local stores, however, often do not have signage facilities for touting the “specials” being offered from the parent franchiser and, therefore, local stores generally promote such specials by hanging sheets of signage along the inside of windows in the store. The use of the store windows as advertising surfaces, however, detracts from the general appearance of the store.
The two smaller directional signs designate the entrance and exit of the parking facilities and are generally positioned along the forward boundary of the property where they are readily visible to passengers in cars on the adjacent roadway. Such directional signs consist of a rectangular shaped enclosure with lighting fixtures therein mounted on a pedestal. The forward surface of the enclosure has signage painted thereon designating the direction in which vehicles are to enter or exit.
Although it is important to designate the entrance and exit of the fast food store, the patrons of such stores quickly become familiar with the traffic pattern such that the signs serve little purpose. Furthermore, since the signs are positioned close to the roadway, they are easily vandalized with spray paint and the like discharged from passing vehicles. The result is that directional signage often detracts from the appearance of the store and does not perform the intended function of directing drivers accessing the parking facilities. On the other hand, with the exception of the elevated signage designating the name of the franchiser, the directional signage is often the only dedicated signage approved by the municipality and the rectangular enclosure and supporting pedestal have been well constructed at considerable cost to the proprietor.
In all likelihood, the proprietors of many fast food stores have desired to use the space of directional signage to promote specials and the like offered by the franchiser rather than hanging signs within the windows of the store, but directional signs are not readily accessible because they are adapted to be opened only when the lighting fixture therein requires service. Also, the graphic material displayed by such signs is painted or printed on the forward panel of the enclosure which is retained and sealed into a frame so that water and contaminants do not enter the enclosure. The graphic display material in such signs, therefore, cannot be easily changed, rendering such signs unsuitable for displaying promotional material.
Also, because the graphic display material is printed or painted on the forward surface of the enclosure, the vandalizing of such signs with spray paint requires the proprietor to replace expensive graphic material.
It would be desirable to provide an improved directional sign for which the signage material would be more readily replaceable, such that alternate signage can be used to promote specials and the like. It would also be desirable to provide directional signage for which the graphic display material would not be destroyed when the forward surface of the sign is vandalized with spray paint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention is embodied in a directional sign having an enclosure, a forward panel, and plurality of sides and perhaps a mounting pedestal. In accordance with the invention, the forward panel of the sign is made of a transparent material such as plastic or glass. The enclosure may also have a back panel which is not transparent, or the enclosure may have two opposing faces each of which has a transparent surface behind which is a removable panel of signage. A mounting is provided within the enclosure, behind the forward panel for removably retaining a planar panel of signage oriented to be visible through the transparent forward panel.
In the preferred embodiment, the enclosure has an opening in one side through which a panel of signage can be inserted into tracks mounted on the top and bottom surfaces of the enclosure. The panel of advertising material will be visible through the transparent forward panel and will be illuminated by the lighting fixture with the enclosure.
In another embodiment of the invention, the replaceable signage is printed on a panel of flexible material such as plastic, paper, or cloth and the flexible panel is retained to a stiff or partially rigid member, such as a sheet of plastic or a frame, to form a cartridge. The sides of the cartridge are adapted to fit in the tracks within the enclosure. To replace the signage material for a directional sign in accordance with this embodiment, the cartridge containing the existing signage is removed from the enclosure and the existing signage is disconnected from the rigid panel of the cartridge. Thereafter a flexible sheet of replacement signage is attached to the panel and the cartridge is reinserted into the tracks of the enclosure.


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