Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02765594 2012-01-17
Atty. liockoot No.: u~~r!i.21241 C:A
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Patent
STRUCTURE FOR COUPLING ITEMS SUCH AS SIGNS AND CAMERAS
TO A FIXED SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Related Applications
This application claims the benefit of
co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No.
13/094,539; filed 26 April 2011.
Background of the Invention
This invention relates to structures used
for holding or carrying items in place, such as signs
(For Sale, For Rent, Beware of Dog, No Trespassing, No
Hunting), birdhouses, bird feeders, trail cameras, or
anything else that desired to be mounted in a fixed
position.
Signs such as these often are meant to be
displayed at or near eye-level on various support
structures. Often metal sign poles are used, as well
as fences, fence posts, wood posts, or trees. Signs
are often exposed to weather, and therefore a sturdy
holder is desired to hold signs in place during
weather. It is also desired to have a sign holder that
easily permits installation of the sign into the sign
holder, and easily permits installation of the sign
holder onto the support structure. It is also
desirable to have a sign holder capable of being
coupled with a variety of support structures to be more
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universal in application.
Also, signs nailed to a tree without
sufficient support allows the wind to tear them off.
Many people purchase plywood or lumber, cut it slightly
larger than the sign and staple or nail them to the
wood. This procedure is labor intensive, and many
people do not have the skills or tools to do this, and
the wind tears these off as well.
Summary of the Invention
Disclosed is a one-piece sign holder that
will quickly and easily accept signs of various sizes
and shapes, and the sign holder can be easily attached
to various support structures, such as flat surfaces,
metal sign poles, "T" shaped fence posts, round posts,
fences, fence posts, wood posts, chain link fence, or
trees.
A series of void spaces are provided on the
base sign holder, some used for receiving the sign
itself, others used to secure the sign holder to the
various support structure. For instance, holes are
provided at the top and bottom and can be used for
nails or deck type screws, square void spaces and slots
can be used with carriage bolts for securement to any
posts, and tab-like structures are provided that can be
bent out if needed for the particular purpose employed.
Also, lanced "v" tabs can be supplied which allow for
mounting and centering on "tee" types of posts.
The ease of use, and universal adaptability
are evident. Sign holders of the present invention
also allow for easy removal and replacement of the
signs in the event that they become weathered, faded,
cracked, etc.
Also evident is that sign holders of the
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present invention have the ability to be formed into an
arc shape to allow for more visibility from the side
angles.
The sign holder can be used or modified to
hold additional items (other than, or in addition to
signs), such as birdhouses, bird feeders, trail
cameras, or anything else that is mounted in a fixed
position. These embodiments can be provided with
auxiliary features such as a brackets and shelves, to
add to the versatility of the sign holder.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a front view of a sign holder of
the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a front, in use view of a sign
holder of the present invention deployed on a metal
post-type support structure.
Fig. 3 is a rear, in use view of a sign
holder of the present invention deployed on a post-type
support structure.
Fig. 4 is a front, in use view of a sign
holder of the present invention deployed on a post-type
support structure with an alternate attachment means
provided.
Fig. 5 is a side, installation view of a
sign holder of the present invention being deployed on
a post-type support structure using the alternate
attachment means provided.
Fig. 6 is a front view of a sign holder of
the present invention deployed on a wooden post-type
support structure.
Fig. 7 is a rear view of a sign holder of
the present invention deployed on a chain-link fence
support structure.
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Fig. 8 is a front view of a sign holder of
the present invention deployed on a tree in a curved
deployment position.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate
embodiment of a sign holder of the present invention.
Fig. 10 is a plan view of a second alternate
embodiment of the present invention, the second
alternate embodiment used to carry a structure such as
a bird house.
Fig. 10a is a perspective view of the second
alternate embodiment of the present invention, secured
to a bird house structure;
Fig. 10b is a rear perspective view of the
second alternate embodiment of the present invention,
secured to a bird house structure and secured to a
support structure;
Fig. 11 is a front perspective view of a
third alternate embodiment of the present invention,
the third alternate embodiment used to carry a
structure such as a trail camera.
Fig. 12 is a rear perspective view of the
embodiment shown in Fig. 11.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed
and exact to enable those skilled in the art to
practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein
disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be
embodied in other specific structures. While the
preferred embodiment has been described, the details
may be changed without departing from the invention,
which is defined by the claims.
Referring now to Fig. 1, a front view of a
sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown. A
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series of 8 (more or less can be used) tabs or sign
retaining lances 14 are shown in raised position
relative the generally initially flat structure of base
material 12 of the sign holder 10. Preferably the sign
holder 10 is made of a flexible material such as sheet
metal (the device being formed by punching, cutting,
bending etc.) or plastic (the device being formed by
methods such as molding or cutting), but other
materials can be used. The tabs 14 are for receiving a
sign 28 as shown in Fig. 2. The sign 28 is placed
within the tabs 14 and the tabs 14 can be depressed
back into generally planar formation to hold the sign
28 securely.
In addition to tabs provided on the sign
holder to secure the sign, other types of securement
means for securing the sign to the sign holder could be
used. For instance, lances 18 could be employed, or
folded over edges (see Fig. 9, item 40) provided on the
sign holder 10, or a combination of them (folded top,
sides, and lances on the bottom; or other similar
arrangements). The sign holder can be made in various
sizes to accommodate signs of different sizes. Also,
one sign holder can be provided with a plurality of
sign securement mechanisms at various distances from
the center or various geometries, to hold different
sized or shaped signs.
Also evident from Fig. 1 are a variety of
additional void spaces used to secure the sign holder
to various support structures as will be described
later. Some of the void spaces, such as "C" shaped
slots, are designed for bending about support
structures to form post attaching tabs 16. Others are
circular or light-bulb shaped voids 22 and are designed
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for securement with nails or screws to wooden support
structures. Square void spaces 26 can be used with
carriage bolts (described later) for securement to
posts. Also, lanced "v" tabs 18 can be supplied which
allow for mounting and centering on "tee" types of
posts. Bolt on metal post mounts 20 can comprise a
hole and a slot, and chain link fence mounting holes 24
can also comprise a hole shape and a slot shape.
Referring now to Fig. 2, a front, in use
view of a sign holder 10 holding an illustrative sign
28 (with lance tabs 14) on a metal post-type support
structure 30 is shown. In this embodiment, as shown in
the rear view of Fig. 3, a pair of the circular or
square type void spaces 20 from Fig. 1 are used with
nuts and bolts 34 to deploy the sign holder of the
present invention to deploy on a post-type support
structure 30 after bending tabs 16 backwards.
Referring now to Fig. 4, a front, in use
view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is
shown deployed on a post-type support structure 30. In
this illustration, the alternate "C" shaped attachment
means forming post attaching tabs 16 have been bent
about a support structure 30 and secured thereto, with
nuts and bolts 34 provided through voids 26 within the
alternate "C" shaped attachment means itself, in the
manner illustrated by Fig. 5.
Referring now to Fig. 6, a front view of a
sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown
deployed on a wooden post-type support structure 30,
with traditional wood screws applied through a pair of
void spaces 22 at the top and the bottom of the sign
holder 10.
Referring now to Fig. 7, a rear view of a
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sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown
deployed on a chain-link fence support structure 32.
As can be seen, the sign holder 10 is secured to the
chain of the chain-link fence by deploying detachable
tabs 34 across and behind the chain 32, coupled to the
sign holder 10 with a bolt, through void spaces 24 in
front of the sign holder 10.
Referring now to Fig. 8, a front view of a
sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown
deployed on a tree in a curved deployment position.
This deployment position allows for increased lateral
visibility, and decreased exposed surface area to
minimize wind forces from dislodging the support
structure from the tree.
Referring now to Fig. 9, a perspective view
of an alternate embodiment of a sign holder 10 of the
present invention is shown. In this embodiment, bent
edges 40 are used as a sign retaining mechanism. These
edges 40 can be used in combination with sign retaining
lances 14, and the sign holder 10 can be provided with
similar void spaces and attaching mechanisms as shown
in the embodiment of Fig. 1.
Referring now to Figs. 10, 10a and 10B a
second alternate embodiment of a carrying structure 110
is shown, in this case the structure 110 coupling a
bird house 120 with a support structure 30. The
structure 110 can be provided in a flat condition, and
a user can bend tabs 16 up to attach the structure 110
to support structure 30. A flat initial condition
allows for better packaging, shipping and store shelf
usage,
Referring now specifically to Figs. 10a and
lOb, the structure 100 is shown first secured to a bird
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house structure 110, and the bird house 110 and the
structure 100 are both coupled to a support structure
or post 30.
Referring now to Fig. 10b, a rear
perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of a
carrying structure 110 is shown, the second alternate
embodiment used to carry a structure such as a bird
house 12. Like the previously described embodiments,
the holder 110 can be affixed to a support structure or
post 30. In this embodiment, fold out tabs 16 are
expressed outwardly to provide a secure surface against
which the bird house 110 can be coupled, for instance
by use of wood screws through void spaces 26 in the
fold out tabs 16.
Referring now to Figs. 11 and 12, front and
rear perspective views of a third alternate embodiment
210 of the present invention are shown, the third
alternate embodiment 21.0 used to carry a structure such
as a trail camera 220. In this embodiment, a shelf 212
is provided to provide additional carrying structure
for devices that are not readily susceptible to placing
screws or bolts into. A camera, for example, is better
suited to be carried by a belt or a shelf than to be
screwed into.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative
only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore,
since numerous modifications and changes will readily
occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to
limit the invention to the exact construction and
operation shown and described. While the preferred
embodiment has been described, the details may be
changed without departing from the invention, which is
defined by the claims.
