Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~'7;~
This invention relates to signs which have flexible
sign sheet material secured in tension across the opening of
a frame.
Such signs may be relativel~ large, and problems
occur in the tensioning of the flexible sign sheet material
across the opening of the frame, it being difficult to
achieve a correctly tensioned sheet. In other words, it
is difficult to tension the sheet in such a manner that
it is wrinkle free and also such that it will withstand
varying winds, temperatures and rain when the sign is
outdoors and exposed to varying weather conditions.
Our earlier Patent ~o. 1,160,048 issued
February 17, 1984 concerns the use of a series of sheet
tensioning~devices spaced around the frame rearwardly of
the plane of the opening for tensioning the flexible sign
sheet across the opening, each tensioning device comprising
means for retaining the peripheral edge portion of the
flexible sign sheet and an adjustable bolt having a head
and threaded shank extending therefrom, the head abutting
the retaining means and the shank extending through an
aperture in the retaining means in a direction extending
rearwardly of the plane of the opening into threaded
engagement with the frame to enable the bolt head to be
rotated to screw the shank into further threaded engagement
with the frame with consequent rearward movement of the
retaining means independently of the retaining means of
the other sheet tensioning devices, while the retaining
means is holding the edge portion of the flexible sign
sheet, to cause the peripheral edge portion of the flexible
sign sheet to be pulled rearwardly across the front edge
.~
~. .
thereby tensioning the flexible sign sheet across the open-
ing.
The present invention provides an improved ten
sioning arranyement by providing the frame with a flange
with a free end defining the periphery of the opening,
said flange extending from the free end in a rearward and
inward direction relative to the opening, the flexible
sign sheet material having a peripheral edge portion
extending over the free end of the flange from the plane
of the opening and then extending from the flange free
end in a rearwardly and inwardly direction relative to the
opening, with there being a series of separate tensioning
devices spaced around the frame rearwardly of the plane
of the opening and inwardly of the periphery of the open-
ing, each tensioning device comprises means for retaining
the peripheral edge portion of the flexible sign sheet
material and means for adjusting the position of the retain-
ing means relatively to the frame to cause the peripheral
edge portion of the flexible sign sheet material to be pulled
xearwardly and inwardly from the free end of the flange to
tension the flexible sign sheet material across the opening.
Thus, the tensioning devices lie within the periphery
of the opening when the sign is viewed from the front, and
thus the sign may be frameless in front view thereby giving
the sign an enhanced appearance.
The adjusting means of each tensioning device
may comprise an adjustable bolt having a head and a threaded
shank extending therefrom, the head abutting the retaining
means and the shank extending through the aperture in the
retaining means in a direction extending rearwardly and
~ ~ ~24~8
inwardly of the periphery of the opening into threaded engage-
ment with the frame to enable the bolt head to be rotated to
screw the shank into further threaded engagement with the frame
with consequent rearward and inward movement of the retain-
ing means relative to the opening to tension the flexible
sign sheet material across the opening. The bolt shank of
each tensioning device may extend rearwardly and inwardly
at an angle of about 45 to the plane of the opening.
The frame may have an elongated recess with opposed
parallel side walls having ribs extending therealong, the
ribs receiving the shank of an adjustable bolt of a sheet
tensioning device in threaded engagement therewith at a pre-
selected position along the length of the recess.
The frame may have opposed sides with at least
one bracing means extending between the sides intermediate
their ends and behind the flexible sign sheet material rear-
wardly of the plane of the opening to brace the frame
against tension in the flexible sign sheet material. The
bracing means may comprise first and second bracing members
~0 extending from respective opposite sides of the frame in
directions inclined rearwardly from the plane of the opening,
and a third bracing member extending in parallel spaced
relationship to the flexible sign sheet material and secured
to the first and second bracing members
A sign assembly may comprise a longitudinally-extend-
ing housing and a plurality of signs as defined above secured
to the housing in adjacent side-by-side relationship with
the flexible sign sheet materials of the signs forming a
substantially continuous sign surface. Alternatively, a
sign assembly may comprise a housing having a pair of
~ 7~4~
sides extending at angle to each other, and a pair of signs
as defined above, each secured to a respective side, the
housing also having a corner member at the junction of the
sides, with the flexible sign sheet material of each sign
substantially abutting the corner member.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described,
by way of example, with reference to the accompanying draw-
ing, of which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sign assembly
in accordance with one embodiment,
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the sign and
adjacent portions of the housing taken
along the line 2-2 of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a fragmental perspective view of the
top of the sign and adjacent portions
of the housing,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a sign assembly
in accordance with another embodiment,
Figure 5 is a sectional view of adjacent signs
taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4,
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a sign assembly
in accordance with a further embodiment,
and
Figure 7 i5 a sectional view taken along the line
7-7 of Figure 6.
~eferring first to Figures 1 to 3, a sign assembly
comprises a re~tangular box-like housing 12 with an open front
14 and containing a series of fluorescent lamps 16 in known
manner. A sign 18 in accordance with the invention extends
over the open front 14 of the housing 12 and is hinged thereto
at the top. The sign 18 has a rigid rectangular frame 20 with
-- 4 --
4 ~3
four extruded sides secured together by appropriate brackets
~not shown) at the corners in a manner which will be readily
apparent to a person skilled in the art. The rear of the
frame 20 has a profile projection 22 which at the top is
hinged by U-shaped hinge members 24 to a profile projection
26 at the front and top of the housing 12, such a hinged
mounting being more fully described in our United States
patent No. 4,380,880, issued April 26, 1983.
The frame 20 has a flange 28 with a free end 30
defining the periphery of an opening 32, the flange 28
extending from its free end 30 in a rearward and inward
direction relative to the opening 32. A flexible sheet of
translucent sign material 34 extends across the opening 32
and has a peripheral edge portion 36 extending over the free
end 30 of the flange 28 from the plane of the opening 32
and then extending from the flange free end 30 in a rear-
wardly and inwardly inclined direction relative to the open-
ing 32.
A series of separation tensioning devices 40 are
spaced around the sides of the frame 20 rearwardly of the
plane of the opening 32 and also inwardly of the periphery
of the opening 32. Each tensioning device 40 has means for
retaining the peripheral edge portion 36 of the flexible
sign sheet material in the form of a retainer member 41
having a recess 42 in which a retainer bar 44 is slidably
retained. The peripheral edge portion 36 of the flexible
sign sheet material is wrapped around the retainer bar 44
and thereby retained by the retainer member 41. Each ten-
sioning device 40 has an individual retainer member 41 and
retainer bar 44 so as to be independent of the other ten-
sioning devices.
-- 5 --
J
~7Z~8
Each tensioning device 40 also has an adjustable
bolt 46 having a head 48 and a t~eaded shank 50 extending
therefrom. The bolt head 48 abuts the retainer member 41
and extends through an aperture therein in a direction
extending rearwardly and inwardly of the periphery of the
opening 32 into threaded engagement with the frame 20. For
this purpose, the frame 20 has an elongated recess 52 with
opposed parallel side walls 54 having ribs 56 extending
therealong. The ribs 56 receive the shank 50 of the adjust-
able bolt 46 of each tensioning device 40 in threaded engage-
ment, so that each tensioning device 40 can be positioned at
any desired position along the sides of the frame 20.
Thus, to secure the flexible sign sheet material
34 to the frame 20, the peripheral edge portion 36 is wrapped
around each retainer bar 44 in turn, and the retainer bar
44 is then slid into the recess 42 of the retainer member 41
of its tensioning device 40. The bolt 46 of the tensioning
device 40 is then screwed into engagement with the ribs 56 in
the frame recess 52 at an appropriate position along a sid~
of the frame 20. Af~er each tensioning device 40 has been
attached to the peripheral edge portion 36 of the flexible
sign sheet material 34 and has been secured to the frame 20
at an appropriate position, there then being tension devices
40 at spaced intervals along all four sides of the frame 20,
the bolt 46 of each tensioning device 40 is screwed into the
frame recess 52 to tension the sign sheet material 34 across
the opening 32. Since each tensioning device 40 is independent
of the others, the sign sheet material 34 can be tensioned
in a wrinkle-free manner across the opening 32.
Also, because of the location of the tensioning
devices 40 behind the frame flange 28, the ~ensioning devices
~7~8
40 a~e within the periphery of the opening 32 when the sign
is viewed from the front. In front view therefore, the sign
is completely frameless, that is to say the sign material
34 extends to the periphery of thesign on all four sides.
After the sign sheet material 34 has been tensioned, the
tensioning devices 40 can be hidden from top, side and
bottom view by four cover plates 58, one for each frame
side, which each extends from the flange free end 30 rear-
wardly to the rear of the frame 20 and are secured to the
profile projection 22 thereof by screws 60.
To reinforce the frame 20 against forces caused
by the tension of the flexible sign sheet material 34, a
series of spaced bracing means extend between opposed
top and bottom sides of the frame 20. Each bracing means
comprises a first bracing member 62 extending from the top
side of the frame 20 in a direction inclined rearwardly
from the plane of the opening 32, the first bracing member
62 having a profiled end 64 slidably engaged in a corres-
pondingly profiled recess in the frame 20. A similar
second bracing member 66 with profiled end 68 extends from
the bottom frame side, with the inner ends of the first
and second bracing members 62, 66 being bolted by bolts 69,
70 to opposite sides of a tubular third bracing member 72
which extends in parallel spaced relationship to the sign
sheet material 34.
It has been found that such a bracing construction
is advantageous in that it does not cause any significant
shadow to be thrown onto the sign material 34 by the fluores-
cent lamps 16.
` 30
-- 7 --
~t`~2~
The embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 illustrate
how a number of signs 18 in accordance with the invention can
be mounted on an elongated housing 12a in adjacent side-by-
side relationship with the flexible sign sheet material 34
of each adjacent pair of signs 18 forming a substantially
continuous sign surface, thereby enabling a long sign of
advantageous appearance to be provided. Adjacent sides of
the frame 20 of adjacent sides 18 are aligned by a vertical
channel-shaped member 74 extending vertically in the housing
12a, the channel-shaped member 74 receiving the profiled
projections 22 of adjacent frames 20.
Figures 6 and 7 show how four signs 18 in accord- .
ance with the invention can be mounted one on each side of
the rectangular housing 12b, thereby providing a four-sided
sign assembly of attractive appearance. The four corners
may be completed by securing a corner post 76 to each adjacent
pair of cover plates 58.
Other embodiments of the invention will be readily
apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the
invention being defined in the appended claims.
