Abstract:
A flat spring deflectable sign stand assembly principally intended for portable, temporary roadside signs. The flat steel spring allows for improved deflection strength to withstand forces caused by air turbulence from weather conditions and passing vehicles. The quick-release collapsible leg assembly allows for easy storage and on-site assembly of the stand. Telescopic legs allow for proper positioning and stability of the stand under varying roadside conditions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of resiliently deflectable sign stand assemblies capable of receiving an upright mast. More particularly, the present invention pertains to such sign stand assemblies of improved strength used for holding masts with sign panels displaying traffic warnings or providing notice that a worksite has been established in a particular area, capable of quick deployment and removal, yet collapsing into a compact package for storage and transport. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Signs providing warnings and other information are often needed alongside paths of traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian. Message panels conveying a suitable warning or other notice must be of substantial size in order to attract attention. It has been observed, when such signs are located out of doors, that forces developed by wind gusts and air turbulence caused by nearby vehicles is substantial. Accordingly, it has been recognized that, by providing a resilient deflectable mounting located at the base of the sign panel it will be able to absorb at least a portion of the wind energy imparted against the surface of the sign panel, preventing overturning of the sign panel. 
         [0003]    Various structures have been devised to accommodate temporary deflection of signs, posters, and the like. For example, French Patent No. 1,181,967 discloses an upright sign post supported by a pair of resilient foldable base members. Resilient support for a poster board is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,482, and an adjustable flexible mast is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,836. In addition, deflectable mountings are shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,863,138; 4,865,288; and 4,886,232. Although these and other arrangements have met with commercial success, improvements are continually being sought. For example, there is an increasingly popular use of folding warning devices which are compact so as to be stored in the trunk of a passenger vehicle, or otherwise made to fit in a relatively small space. Warning devices of these types are typically employed only for brief periods of time, and the occasion of their deployment oftentimes cannot be predicted in advance. For example, emergency personnel working near a roadway can benefit from traffic warning signs alerting motorists to expect a nearby emergency scene. Accordingly, it is important that warning signs be quickly and easily erected without requiring tools or special knowledge. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,686,264 depicts a quick-release mechanism suitable for this purpose and is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application in its entirety. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,463 depicts a releasable coupling assembly suitable for quickly erecting and removing the sign panel and is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application in its entirety. Further, it is becoming increasingly important that such warning devices be made of light weight, low maintenance, especially non-corrosive materials. 
         [0004]    One device that addresses some of the aforementioned concerns is U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,001, entitled “Deflectable Mounting for Upright Mast.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,001 is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application in its entirety. 
         [0005]    Still, improvements to the materials, releasable coupling assembly, and support base assembly are possible. Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved deflectable sign stand assembly for warning signs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is directed to a deflectable sign stand assembly capable of holding an upright mast to be used in displaying traffic or other roadside warnings. 
         [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a sign stand assembly with a support base which can be collapsed into a compact package for storage. 
         [0008]    A deflectable sign stand assembly according to the present invention includes a flat steel spring for superior strength and durability in order to withstand the forces imposed by wind gusts. 
         [0009]    These and other objects according to principles of the present invention are provided in a resilient support assembly capable of supporting a mast which carries a message panel and which has a lower end extending below the message panel, a preferred embodiment of the deflectable support assembly comprising: 
         [0010]    releasable coupling assembly; 
         [0011]    a flat steel spring; 
         [0012]    a support base; and 
         [0013]    hollow, telescoping legs pivotably mounted to the support base and equipped with a quick-release mechanism for easy set-up and removal. 
         [0014]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the sign stand assembly. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation, shown partly broken away, of a releasable coupling assembly according to the principles of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the quick-release mechanism; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view similar to that of  FIG. 5  but showing the actuator in a different stage of operation; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of a leaf spring shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    The present invention is directed to a portable, temporary stand for display of roadside signs. Use of a spring in the mounting mechanism between the mast and base allows for deflection of the sign panel in response to wind gusts due to air turbulence from passing vehicles or weather conditions. In the preferred embodiment the spring is a flat steel spring for improved strength and durability. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an exploded perspective view of the sign stand assembly is shown. The sign stand assembly includes a releasable coupling assembly  10  mounted to a flat steel spring  51  which is in turn mounted to a support base  52 . At least one leg  64  is mounted to the support base  52 , each leg preferably hollow and can be dimensioned to telescopically receive a smaller dimensioned tubular leg  61  capable of extending the length of the leg portion. 
         [0024]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , spring  51  is supported by a support base assembly  52  including an L-shaped vertical mounting piece  54  supported between side plates  94 . Side plates  94  include ear portions  56  having holes  58  to receive a bolt fastener  92  which provides pivot support for ground engaging legs  64 . Ears  56  further include holes  68  which define an extended or operational configuration of the legs. Ear portions  56  also include holes  72  which define a collapsed storage position for the legs  64 . 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2-4 , a releasable coupling assembly is generally indicated at  10 . The coupling assembly  10  is shown for use with an upright mast  12  of the type which supports flexible sign panels, such as those employed at roadside locations to provide advance warning of nearby work site activity. As will be appreciated from studying the coupling assembly described herein, mast  12  could be replaced with any number of elongated structural members, such as wooden slats, aluminum tubing, or lengths of structural steel having a variety of cross sections. Further, the coupling assembly described herein could also be readily employed with members having a circular cross section. Coupling assembly  10  includes a body  14 , preferably in the form of a hollow tubular member having a square cross-section. Body  14  has opposed forward and rearward walls  16 ,  18  and sidewalls  20 ,  22 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , for example, there are a number of cooperating components located internal as well as external to body  14 . In the preferred embodiment, body  14  is formed of conventional tubular steel, although a number of other materials and cross-sectional shapes could be used for body  14 . When employed as a roadside warning system, it has been found helpful to enclose moving components, shielding them from salt, dirt and other contamination which may be stirred up by traffic passing the work site. In the preferred embodiment, body  14  is made hollow so as to enclose working components to be described herein. 
         [0026]    As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , mast  12  is nested within a mounting channel  28  having end walls  30 ,  32  and an intermediate wall  34  against which a major face  12   a  of the mast is pressed. In the preferred embodiment, the sidewall  32  is secured to sidewall  20  of body  14  using conventional fastening means, preferably a welded joinder. In the preferred embodiment, body  14  is secured to a ground engaging base (not shown) so as to assume a self-standing upright position. The present invention also contemplates a coupling between a body member, such as the square tubing  14  shown in  FIG. 2  and an elongated member such as the mast  12  shown in the same figure. Other uses for the coupling assembly are possible. For example, sign stand assemblies are sometimes provided with adapters so that one type of ground support can be engaged with different types of upright sign supports. For example, the mast  12  could extend below body member  14  to a ground-engaging support, with a coupling assembly  10  providing a convenient transition to a rigid tubular upright system. As mentioned, body  14  is preferably hollow and can be dimensioned to telescopically receive a slightly smaller tubing functioning as an upright support, such as a vertical sign panel support member, In another alternative, mast  12  could comprise a spring member extending above a ground-engaging base. A mast-shaped spring member could be made of conventional metal or non-metallic laminate constructions, for example. Such elongated spring members would be less expensive and weigh less than sets of conventional coil springs which are found in many existing sign stand assemblies. 
         [0027]    Releasable coupling assembly  10  provides a carefully defined engagement with mast  12 . For example, engagement systems could be provided which encircle mast  12  with a girdling constriction. As a further possibility, a pair of opposed jaws could be made to engage opposed faces of mast  12  with both jaws being drawn toward one another, so as to pinch the mast therebetween. The preferred embodiment of the present invention employs a different type of engagement where the mast is compressed between a stationary support surface (herein the intermediate channel wall  34 ) and a movable press plate  40  having a pressing surface  40   a  disposed generally parallel to the intermediate channel wall  34 . This type of arrangement has been found to provide substantial advantages in at least two different respects. First, it has been found important to control the surface abrasion which results when clamping forces are applied to masts. The coupling assembly of the present invention also provides improved protection of the mast while allowing the performance needed under conditions which cause mast  12  to vibrate. It has been found important to provide a continuous stationary support for one face of mast  12 . By continuously supporting a major face of the mast with a stationary support surface or wall, a maximum protection against deterioration of the mast surface contacting the support wall is provided. It is important that the clamping pressure applied to the face of the mast opposite the support wall is adequate to support the coupling engagement against static as well as vibrational forces, such as those associated with gusting wind conditions. The clamping pressure should not be so great, however, that the exposed mast face is subjected to forces by members which might intrude into the matrix of mast  12  or otherwise cause the mechanical integrity of the mast to degrade. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the releasable coupling assembly  10  includes a manually graspable knob  46  carried on a threaded shaft  48 . Shaft  48  threadingly engages body  14 . In the preferred embodiment, a threaded nut fastener  50  is secured to body wall  18  with a welded joinder. Other conventional types of engagement between shaft  48  and body  14  can also be employed. Threaded shaft  48  of the preferred embodiment carries a swivel-mounted pad  54  at its free end, with the forward face of pad  54  contacting a channel-shaped lever arm  60 . Referring briefly to  FIG. 3 , lever arm  60  has a V-cross-sectional shape with sidewalls  62 ,  65  and an intermediate wall  67  contacted by pad  54 . Pad  54  is connected by a conventional ball and socket arrangement (not shown) with threaded shaft  48 . 
         [0029]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , lever arm  60  is pivotally mounted at its upper end to the sidewalls  20 ,  22  of body  14 . Preferably, a pivot pin  70  extends through the upper arm of lever arm  60  to provide the pivotal mounting with opposed walls  20 ,  22 . In the preferred embodiment, press plate  40  is fixedly joined to a mounting pad  74  which is swivel mounted (with a conventional ball and socket arrangement, not shown) to mounting shaft  76 . The forward end of mounting shaft  76  is, as mentioned, swivel coupled to press plate  40 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the opposed rearward end of mounting shaft  76  is slidably supported in a conventional journal member  80 . The journal member preferably has a mounting portion in the shape of a conventional washer which is secured to wall  18  of body  14  by welding or the like conventional attachment means. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the lower end of lever arm  60  is linked to mounting shaft  76  so that, as the lever arm  60  is pivotally swung toward the mast, press plate  40  will in turn be advanced toward the mast, for pressing engagement therewith. As shown in the cut-away portion toward the bottom of  FIG. 2 , lever arm  60  and mounting shaft  76  are coupled together by inter-connected notched portions such that the lever arm and mounting shaft  76  are captively engaged one with another. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the lower end of lever arm  60  is slotted at  84  so as to receive a reduced cross-sectional portion of mounting shaft  76 . In the preferred embodiment, pad  54  is permanently joined to lever arm wall  67  by welding or other securement. Thus, as knob  46  is turned so as to extract threaded shaft  48  from the interior of body  14 , the upper end of lever arm  60  is moved toward body wall  18 , that is, in a rearward direction away from mast  12 . Due to the coupling of lever arm  60  and mounting shaft  76 , mounting shaft  76  is moved in a rearward direction, causing press plate  40  to move away from mast  12 . As shown in the figures, mounting pad  54  is fixedly engaged with lever arm  60  and the lever arm is inter-locked with the mounting shaft  76 . If desired, as an alternative, the rearward movement of press plate  40  could be made to be a permissible rather than a positive operation. For example, pad  54  would not be joined to lever arm  60  and the recessed portion of mounting shaft  76  could be elongated along the axis of the mounting shaft so as to allow a freedom of movement of press plate  40 . When clamping pressure is desired, knob  46  is rotated in a direction so as to move threaded shaft  48  within the interior of body  14 , causing lever arm  60  to move to the left, that is, toward mast  12 . Since lever arm  60  is pivotally connected at its upper end, the bottom end of the lever arm is also moved to the left, bringing press plate  40  into engagement with mast  12 . Eventually, mast  12  is compressed between press plate  40  and channel wall  34 . As mentioned, it has been found important that the wall  34  be made stationary with respect to press plate  40  and that the clamping action be applied to mast  12  in the manner shown so as to avoid mechanical degradation of the mast. As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the force applying operator (herein comprised of knob  46 , threaded shaft  48  and swivel-mounted pad  54 ) is located along lever arm  60  so as to be closer to pivotal mounting  70  than the interconnection with mounting shaft  76 . As a result, the mechanical advantage which can be applied to the lever arm is limited in a carefully defined manner controlled by the manufacturer. The amount of torque which can be applied to knob  46  by a human operator&#39;s manual grasp can be determined empirically or perhaps by reference to previous studies. By carefully selecting the thread pitch of shaft  48  and the attachment position of mounting pad  54  along lever arm  60 , the maximum compression applied to the mast member can be reliably defined, i.e., limited by the manufacturer of the coupling assembly. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the length of press plate  40  is less than half the length of channel wall  34  contacted by mast  12 , and the press plate is disposed adjacent one end of channel wall  34 . These relative arrangements can be varied as desired to provide, for example, operation optimized for static conditions, or for vibrating conditions, or for a compromise operation yielding satisfactory performance results under both stationary and vibrational conditions. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5-7 , actuator  110  forms part of a locking mechanism for moving locking tip or pin  128  between an extended or locking position illustrated in  FIG. 5  and a retracted or unlocked position illustrated in  FIG. 6 . Locking pin  128  is preferably carried at the free end of a shoulder pin  66 , and has a body  68  dimensioned larger than locking pin  128  and having an enlarged head  126 . Pin  66  further includes an annular recess for receiving a bifurcated portion  96  of a leaf spring  120  shown in  FIG. 7 . As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , leaf spring  120  includes an elongated slot  78  which receives the annular depression of pin  66  thus, in the arrangements shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , leaf spring  120  is held captive with pin  66 . In  FIG. 5 , spring  120  is in its relaxed position, urging locking pin  128  to the extended, locking position so as to protrude beyond the opposite surface  17  of leg  64 .  FIG. 6  shows leaf spring  120  in a depressed position storing spring force which, when allowed to release, urges pin  66  in a downward direction to assume the position illustrated in  FIG. 5 . In the unlocked or retracted configuration shown in  FIG. 6 , locking pin  128  is retracted beneath opposite surface  17  of leg  64 . 
         [0031]    Referring again to  FIG. 7 , leaf spring  120  includes a slotted free end  82  which, with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , is held captive to the through-bolt fastener  92  which pivotably mounts leg  64  to ear  56  of support base  52  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). In the arrangement illustrated, locking pin  128  is shown in alignment with a locking hole  72  which secures the leg in an upright storage position. With the locking pin  128  in the extended position illustrated in  FIG. 5 , leg  64  is locked in an upright position parallel to upright mast  12 . With the locking pin  128  retracted as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , leg  64  is free to pivot about bolt  92 , so as to bring locking pin  128  into alignment with the locking hole  68 , thereby securing the leg in an open or extended position. 
         [0032]    Referring again to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , with the spring  120  in a relaxed position indicated in  FIG. 5 , locking pin  128  protrudes beyond leg  64 , while the shoulder portion of pin  66  engages the leg wall so as to prevent further extension of the locking pin, beyond its designed point. The enlarged head  126 , with the remainder of pin  66 , is biased in a downward direction under the force of spring  120 , thereby causing rotation of actuator  110  in a counterclockwise direction about fulcrum portion  114 , bringing pin engaging portion  116  toward leg  128 . In the preferred embodiment, with pin  66  fully extended, further extension of the locking pin is prevented by engagement of the shoulder portion of pin  66  with leg  64 . 
         [0033]    The drawings and the foregoing descriptions are not intended to represent the only forms of the invention in regard to the details of its construction and manner of operation. Changes in form and in the proportion of parts, as well as substitution of equivalents, are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient; and although specific terms have been employed, they are intended in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being delineated by the following claims.