Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02245623 1998-08-25
TITLE: FLEX HOLDER FOR FLEXIBLE FACE SIGN
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to flex holders for retaining flexible face
material to a sign frame and more particularly, it pertains to a flex holder
having gripping capabilities in transversal and longitudinal directions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Flexible face signs of the type related to the present invention have
their face material stretched across an opening in a sign frame and
anchored to the periphery of the sign's opening. Holding devices are
attached at intervals along the face material and are generally made to
engage into a slot along the sign frame to affix the face material to the sign
1 o casing. The holding devices and the slot are covered with a cap or molding
that enhances the general appearance of the sign.
Examples of flex holders of the prior art are disclosed in US Pat.
5,255,459 issued on October 26, 1993, and in US Pat. 5,669,166, issued on
September 23, 1997, both to Normand Verret, the inventor of the present
invention. In the latter case, the flex holders are made of aluminum and
have lon~,ritudinal tongue and groove arrangement which is pressed over the
face material to squeeze and grip the face material between the tongue and
the ~oove. Several flex holders are installed along the edge of the flexible
face material, and are inserted into a serrated slot along the sign casing for
adjustably stretching the face material over the sign's opening and for
retaining the face material in a taut condition.
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A typical inconvenience with the flex holders of the latter case is
that they have a tendency to slip along the edge of the flexible sign face
material when struck sideways. Therefore, it becomes difficult to remove
wrinkles in a face material during the deployment and installation of the
flexible sign face material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, however, there is provided a flex holder
that has a tongue and groove arrangement and notches in the tongue thereof
for retaining the flexible sign face material in transversal and longitudinal
l0 directions relative to the edge of the flexible sign face material.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a flex holder for retaining a flexible sign face material to a sign
casing. The flex holder comprises a body having a longitudinal axis and
a hinge extending along the longitudinal axis. An elongated tongue is
connected to the hinge, and a groove is formed in the body along a
projection of the tongue about the hinge.
The tongue has a pair of notches therein such that when the tongue
is bent over a flexible sign face material and engaged in the groove, the
flexible sigm face material is held transversely relative to the body by an
engagement of the tongue and groove and is held longitudinally relative to
the body by a friction of the flexible sign face material between the notches
and the groove.
The flex holder can thereby be pushed sideways in the serrated slot
of a sign casing without slipping on the flexible sign face material. The
flex holder can thereby be pushed sideways for tightening the flexible sign
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face along the length of the sign casing and for removing any wrinkles that
may be present in the flexible sign face material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the flex
holder has a longitudinal abutment member for prying against a flexible
sign face material. The abutment member has rounded corners and
rounded edges between the rounded corners such that when the tongue is
bent over a flexible sign face material and engaged in the groove, the
flexible face material is held transversely to the body by an engagement of
the tongue and the groove, and the rounded corners and rounded edges
l0 reduce a concentration of forces applied against the flexible sign face
material. This feature is particularly advantageous when the sign is
installed in regions of high winds where the flexible sign face material is
exposed to severe stresses. This feature prevents the tearing of the flexible
sign face material in regions of high stresses along the flex holders.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiment of the invention will be further
understood from the following description, with reference to the drawings
in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a rectangular sign of the type related to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical method for removing transversal wrinkles in a
flexible face sign;
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FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section of a sign casing as viewed along line 3-3
in FIG.1, and illustrating the installation of a flex holder into the
serrated slot of the casing;
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section of a frameless sign casing wherein the flex
holder of the present invention is also usable;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flex holder of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a side view of a flex holder of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a front view of the flex holder of the present invention;
FIG. 8 shows an enlarged perspective view of a concave hollow notch in
l0 the tongue of the flex holder of the present invention as shown in
detail circle 8 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 shows a V-shaped notch in the flex holder of the present invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1-3, the sign 20 of interest herein has a
rectangular casing 22 defining a rectangular opening. The flexible face
material 24 is held to the casing 22 by a plurality of flex holders 26
installed at spaced intervals along the edge thereof. The flex holders 26 are
inserted in a serrated slot 28 and are adjustably movable along the serration
30 to stretch the face material in a transversal direction relative to the
edge
of the face material, across the opening of the sign. Upon completion of
the installation of the flexible sign face, the slot 28 is covered with a
decorating edging 32. The casing 22 of the sign may have a serrated slot
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28 facing straight forward as illustrated in FIG. 3 or a serrated slot angled
toward the exterior of the sign as illustrated in FIG. 4 and referred to in
the
sigm industry as a frameless sign casing.
The flex holder 26 of particular interest herein has an extruded body
26 and a longitudinal axis, and is made of aluminium or other malleable
material. It has a longitudinal tongue 34 which is bendable about a hinge
member 36 connected to the body, to engage into a longitudinal groove 38.
When a flex holder 26 is closed over the edge of a flexible sign face
material, the material is squeezed and gripped between the tongue 34 and
the groove 38.
In many sign installations and in longer signs in particular, there
may be wrinkles in the flexible sign face material. These wrinkles are due
to the fact that a sign face is normally delivered to a job site in a rolled
up
form, and is installed while workers stand on ladders, scaffolding or in
crane baskets. The installation conditions are therefore not always ideal
and the flex holders are not always equally spaced apart and evenly
inserted in the serrated slot 28. In all cases, these wrinkles must be
removed before a sign installation can be considered completed.
A common method for removing wrinkles in a flexible sign face is
illustrated in FIG. 2. The method consists of inserting a flat tool 40 in the
serrated slot 28, next to a flex holder 26 and to strike the tool 40 with a
rubber mallet 42 or a similar tool, for moving the flex holder 26 sideways
along the slot 28 to stretch the flexible sign face material in a longitudinal
direction relative to the casing. In order to facilitate the longitudinal
displacement of the flex holder 28 and the stretching of the flexible sign
face material 24 relative to the sign casing, there is provided one or more
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notches 44 in the tongue 34 of the flex holder 26. Each notch 44 preferably
has sharp edges 46 although this is not absolutely necessary. The shape of
a notch 44 should not prevent the closing of the tongue 34 into the groove
38 of the flex holder 26.
When the flex holder 26 is closed onto the edge of a flexible sign
face material, the flexible sign face material 24 is squeezed between the
tongue 34 and the groove 38. The flexible sign face material naturally
bulge into the notch 44 thereby providing an interference for gripping
against the edges of the notch and for preventing the flex holder from
l0 sliding along the flexible sign face material. The flex holder may thereby
be pushed sideways along a serrated slot 28 in a sign casing for tightening
a sign face material in a longitudinal direction relative to the axis of the
serrated slot 28.
Referring now particularly to FIG. 8 and 9, it will be appreciated
that the notch 44 needs not to be a round concave notch as illustrated in
FIG. 5 and 8. A square notch or V-shaped notch 48, longitudinal
ondulation or other type of deformation in the tongue have been found to
be equally appropriate for holding the flexible sign face material with
sufficient strength to allow a relatively forceful sideward movement of the
flex holder along the serrated slot 28 for stretching the flexible sign face
materi al .
Referring back to FIG. 5 and 7, there is illustrated therein another
aspect of the flex holder of the present invention. The segment or abutment
50 of the flex holder used for prying against the flexible face material 24
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has rounded corners 52, and a rounded edge 54 between both rounded
corners 52. These features have been found to be very important for
greatly reducing a concentration of forces and the associated possibilities
of tearing the flexible sign face material 24.
While the above description provides a full and complete disclosure
of the preferred embodiment of this invention, various modifications,
alternate constructions and equivalent may be employed without departing
from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve
alternate components, structural arrangements, operable features or the like.
Therefore, the above description and accompanying illustrations should not
be construed as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the
appended claims.
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