Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Sign support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-15
2002-05-28
Butler, Douglas C. (Department: 3613)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Sign support
C040S611050, C248S464000, C248S165000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06393748
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sign support system for use at, for example, athletic games, track and field events, road races, and marathons. The sign support system provides a stable, easily assembled and disassembled multi-unit sign installation that may be expanded horizontally and vertically.
2. Prior Art
Numerous sign stands, poster display devices, structures for exhibitions, for use, for example, at trade shows, conventions, athletic events, indoor races, marathons, etc, are known for holding and displaying signs for providing advertisement and other information to the public. Generally, they comprise a plurality of upright support members between which a number of panels are mounted for easy assembly or disassembly by means of screws or equivalent fastening means. As there are many such events and shows in different places, it is highly advantageous that these structures be easily and inexpensively be broken down, shipped from one place to another and reassembled into a structure suitable for the venue. Generally, when these structures are shipped in unassembled form, the bulk or volume occupied by the various component parts is considerably larger than desired, difficult to pack and often incur unnecessarily high shipping charges. Additionally, the required layout of signage in one venue may be completely different than the previous one, requiring a higher, shorter, and/or longer signage layout.
Still further, sign and stand apparatuses designed for outdoor use must be sturdy to withstand the wind and elements. Typically the known stands are positioned on supports or posts that are anchored in the ground, held in place by sandbags or other heavy objects, or spring-mounted on bases which allow them bend or deflect without tipping over under high wind forces. Although such sign stand units are well known, it is still desirable to provide a light, portable and wind-resistant sign and stand apparatus which employs a minimum number of parts or components, has a unique and attractive appearance, is inexpensive to manufacture, and may be used in many different applications, including point-of-purchase displays, pedestrian or vehicular traffic messages or barriers, commercial advertisements for athletic games, track and field events, road races, and marathons, and the like, etc.
Several prior art references that relate to sign holders are:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,378 to Stocker describes an apparatus for attaching a sign element to a base with a frameless magnetically attractive support system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,928 to Soporowski describes a sign holder used to display prices and to advertise special sales. This sign holder assembly may be mounted to elevated wires, easel supports, or shelf brackets and reduces the number of sign parts the store owner is required to keep on hand. The holder is rectangularly-shaped and has slots adapted to be slidably mounted on various supports.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,926 to Friedman describes a knock-down exhibition panel assembly for use at exhibits. The system comprises a panel system of flanged members with thumb screws and latching mechanisms to join a plurality of members. The system includes a plurality of upright rigid supporting members with generally planar members releasably connected on opposite sides to two adjacent supporting members. Each panel has an intermediate portion and along the two opposed edges are respective flange portions extending in opposite directions from the intermediate portion. This panel configuration enables the panels to be stacked in nesting fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,448 to Cobb describes a post sign having a message panel supported by one or more posts. Each post has an elongated channel connected to an outer side of the post by an elongated slot. The message panel is mounted on the post or posts by an interconnecting support member which fits in the channel, leaving exposed an upper terminal portion of the channel and slot. The open upper end of the support member is covered by a spacer cap, and the open upper end of the post is covered by a post cap having a tab which fits into the open terminal portion of the channel and slot in the post.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,344 to Seely describes a lightweight, portable, wind resistant sign and stand apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of ground-engaging legs secured to a longitudinally-extending elongated base assembly. The base assembly includes clamping members for clampingly anchoring a thin, flat sign panel protruding generally upwardly therefrom. The sheet material of which the sign panel is composed is sufficiently rigid that the sign panel is self-supporting in its protruding relationship with the base assembly. The sign panel is sufficiently flexible and resilient to bendably deflect in high winds, without yielding.
Other prior art references of interest are:
U.S. Pat. No. 67,347 to Reef, Jr. describes a scaffold and trestle support that can extend in length and height through the use of slidably interconnected horizontal and vertical members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,860 to Fry describes a sawhorse comprised of rectangular metal tubes and “I” beams that are attached to and contained within a main beam. Side mounted tubes swing out and extend tubular members contained within them. “I” beams extend from the main beam and extend channel beams transverse to the longitudinal axis. Through a series of holes and pins the beam extensions and the supporting legs are adjustable over a wide range.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,425 to Hou describes a folding stand for an office chair stand that has an annular frame to hold the upright shaft of an office chair. A plurality of radial lugs are horizontally spaced around the annular frame and have a plurality of legs hinged to the radial lugs that are supported on a wheel assembly. The wheel assembly can be turned between a working position in line with the respective lug and a collapsed position perpendicular to the respective lug. A retainer spring is retained in each leg to lock the leg in the working position or the collapsed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,962 to Carter describes a collapsible support that includes a cross member and a pair of collapsible support brackets having pairs of generally tubular legs extending therefrom. Each support bracket includes a generally planar base member secured to the cross member and a pivotally attached leg carrier. The leg pairs are secured to the leg carrier and are pivotable therewith from extended load bearing positions to collapsed storage or transport positions. A spring lock mechanism is provided which engages a portion of the leg carrier in the extended load bearing position and secures it in a releasable attachment in the load bearing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,003 to Carty describes a collapsible sawhorse having rotatable leg sections for holding the legs and hinges to enable each pair of legs to collapse against the underside of the horizontal rail. The leg sections are outwardly angled to provide increased sawhorse stability. Tabs at the top of the leg sections insert into tab slots on the bottom of a hinged top plate for providing a stable sawhorse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,365 to Derecktor describes a portable work bench that includes a track having a structural body, and four collapsible legs for supporting the track in an elevated position above a surface. The work bench further includes a dual purpose accessory releasably attachable to the track. The dual purpose accessory has a body, a rail member for slidably mounting the body on the track so that the body is movable along the length of the track, a locking member for locking the body at a desired position along the length of the track. An extension is also described for extending the overall length of the work bench.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the sign support system of this invention is to secure signs to an associated stable base fixture which is easily assembled, and disassembled and when disassembled is relatively portable. The
Butler Douglas C.
Zall Michael
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