Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Sign support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-09
2001-05-29
Green, Brian K. (Department: 3628)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Sign support
C040S612000, C248S160000, C267S166000, C267S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237268
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to sign and sign stand devices and more particularly to an improved resilient member for coupling an upright member to a base.
2. Discussion
Numerous sign stand devices have been designed for displaying advertisements and information to the public. These signs are typically positioned on an upright member that is either anchored in the ground, held in place by sand bags or other heavy objects, or spring-mounted on bases which allow the upright member to bend or deflect relative to the base, without tipping over, under high wind forces. Several spring-mounted sign stands are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,548,379; 4,569,499; 5,725,186 and co-pending patent application entitled “Improved Sign Stand For Flexible Traffic Control Signage”, Ser. No. 09/133,107, filed Aug. 12, 1998, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Some prior art sign stands have a single spring as the resilient member for coupling the upright member to the base. Such prior art sign stands are susceptible to damage from prolonged exposure to high winds. This damage typically results from a torque moment created by the force of the wind acting against the sign which would twist the upright member relative to the resilient member. In prior designs where the resilient member is coupled to the upright member and/or base by one or more threaded fasteners, the action of the wind against the sign can produce a moment that will work against these fasteners, causing them to loosen. The loosening of these fasteners causes a corresponding reduction in the clamping force exerted by these fasteners, thus allowing relative movement at the interface between the upright member and/or base and the resilient member. The relative movement between the resilient member and upright member and/or base can damage the fastener as well as the abutting surfaces. In some extreme cases, the upright member carrying the sign could literally unscrew from the base.
In view of this problem, several designs were developed which utilized dual springs, or in the case of a single spring, welded connections wherein the resilient member would either be welded directly to the upright member and/or base or to a structural member, such as a length of square tubing, which would receive the upright member or couple to the base. While the welded connection provided improved resistance to the torque moment produced by the wind, the welded connection was susceptible to fatigue and fracture due to the cyclic nature of wind forces. Additionally, the welded connection prevented the servicing of worn or damaged components, requiring instead the wholesale replacement of significant assemblies rather than just the damaged components.
With respect to the sign stand design which utilizes two springs, this design allows the moment produced by the wind forces to be absorbed by the two springs which are laterally offset from the axis of the upright member. While this design has significantly reduced the occurrence of damage to sign stands resulting from prolonged exposure to high winds, several drawbacks have been noted. These drawbacks include increased weight, increased size, additional fabrication labor and additional cost which are a byproduct of the duplication involved by including the second spring assembly.
Consequently, there remains a need in the art for an improved resilient member which is easily fabricated, relatively low in weight, compact in size and easily serviced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved resilient member for a sign stand which includes a single coil spring to dissipate the torque and tipping moment created by wind forces acting against the sign stand.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a resilient member which includes at least one mounting bracket which is coupled to a coil spring in a manner which substantially limits or prevents relative rotation therebetween.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved resilient member which reduces the cost, weight, and overall size of a sign stand.
To achieve these objects, a sign stand is provided which utilizes the improved resilient member of the present invention to dissipate the torque and tipping moments created by wind forces acting against a sign stand. The resilient member includes a coil spring, at least one plug having a helical protrusion, and at least one mounting bracket. The plug is threaded into an end of the coil spring and the mounting bracket is fastened to the plug. A locking tab on the mounting bracket engages a flat ridge machined into at least one coil on the coil spring. This configuration eliminates relative rotation between the coil spring and the mounting bracket and as such, permits the effective transmission of torque into the coil spring while eliminating the potential for failure at the spring/bracket joint due to fatigue, fracture or mechanical loosening. The design of the resilient member also permits the servicing of each component as well as substantial weight reductions in the base of the sign stand.
REFERENCES:
patent: 245665 (1881-08-01), Scott
patent: 1432604 (1922-10-01), Lang
patent: 2085161 (1937-06-01), Kraus
patent: 2160676 (1939-05-01), Richard
patent: 2254566 (1941-09-01), Cornell, Jr.
patent: 2646950 (1953-07-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 3662482 (1972-05-01), Sarkisian
patent: 4033536 (1977-07-01), Hillstrom
patent: 4548379 (1985-10-01), Seely et al.
patent: 4569499 (1986-02-01), Seely
patent: 5442871 (1995-08-01), Sarkisian et al.
patent: 5725186 (1998-03-01), Hillstrom et al.
patent: 5878519 (1999-03-01), Huyck, Jr. et al.
Green Brian K.
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Marketing Displays International
LandOfFree
Sign stand with single spring base assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Sign stand with single spring base assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sign stand with single spring base assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2454094