Abstract:
A signage system comprising: a sign holder with a slot located along a length of the sign holder; a wall; and where the sign holder is attachable to a top surface of the wall.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The present non-provisional application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/539,085, filed on Jan. 26, 2004. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to signage, and more specifically to sign holders such as nameplates and other means of identification.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     It has been well known to provide a sign or nameplate suitable for placement on desks, tables, and other pieces of furniture. Many such signs or nameplates were supported on holders that were of expensive construction, but that still did not serve to display such sign in an attractive or easily viewable manner.  
         [0004]     In recent years, the use of cubicles, instead of traditional offices, has achieved prominence in the business environment. However, the use of known signs and nameplates for identifying the location and identity of the person or thing located in a particular cubicle is problematic. For instance, when looking down an aisle-way formed by a plurality of cubicles, it is difficult to read signs or nameplates that are placed against a cubicle wall because that sign or nameplate may be about parallel to the line of sight down the aisle-way, or may not be visible at all from that point of view.  
         [0005]     Thus a need for signs or nameplates that are easily readable in the modern cubicle environment has been identified that overcomes the above listed disadvantages.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The disclosed embodiments relates to a signage system comprising: a sign holder with a slot located along a length of the sign holder; a wall; and where the sign holder is attachable to a top surface of the wall.  
         [0007]     Additionally, the disclosed embodiments relate to a sign holder that is attachable to a top surface of a wall. Where the sign holder comprises: a vertical face; a slot located within the vertical face; a base in communication with the vertical face; and where the base has a base width that is about equal to the width of the wall. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the disclosed sign holder;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed sign holder;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the disclosed signage system;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed signage system; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed sign holder. 
     
    
       [0014]     References in the detailed description correspond to like references in the figures unless otherwise indicated.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of the disclosed system for signage. A sign holder  10  is shown. The sign holder has a length “L” and a width “W”. The sign holder  10  has a vertical face  12  and a slot  14  running through the vertical face  12 . The slot may be used to slide a sign into the sign holder  10 . The slot  14  will run the length L of the sign holder.  
         [0016]     The base  18  of the sign holder  10  will have a width “W”. The dimension of W may vary depending on the use of the disclosed system. Referring to  FIG. 2 , in one embodiment the disclosed signage system is used to identify locations in an office cubicle environment. However, the signage system may be used in other environments such as, but not limited to indoor or outdoor warehouses, grocery store aisles, or any storage or housing facility. The dimension W may be equal to or less than the width of a cubicle wall  22 , the width of the cubicle wall is designated by “W c ”. The base  18  of the sign holder  10  may be attached to the top of the cubicle wall  22  via a number of attachment methods, including, but not limited to: Velcro, hook and loop, magnet(s), adhesive, screws, snaps, double-sided tape, pins, brackets, clips, clamps, suction cups and buttons. Additionally, the sign holder may simply sit on a surface.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the disclosed sign system. In this embodiment the sign holder  10  is slideable onto the cubicle wall  22  via the base  18 . Thus, it should be noted that the base  18  may be made to accommodate different cubicle wall widths W c  and that W may be about slightly larger than W c .  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  shows yet another embodiment of the disclosed sign system. In this embodiment, a flat base sign holder  26  is shown attached to a cubicle wall  22 . The flat base sign holder  26 , has a flat base  30 . The width of the flat base, “W”, may be equal to or less than the cubicle wall width, W c . The flat base sign holder may be attached to the top of the cubicle wall  22  via a number of attachment methods, including, but not limited to: Velcro, hook and loop, magnet(s), adhesive, screws, snaps, double-sided tape, pins, brackets, clips, clamps, suction cups and buttons. Additionally, the sign holder may simply sit on a surface.  
         [0019]     In another embodiment, the upper portion of the sign holder  26 , may comprise an upper part  31  that is connectable to the base portion  30 . The upper part  31  may be removably or permanently connectable to the base  30 . The upper part  31  may be connectable to the base via a variety of means, including but not limited to: Velcro, hook and loop, magnet(s), adhesive, screws, snaps, double-sided tape, pins, brackets, clips, clamps, suction cups and buttons.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the disclosed sign system. A separate sign holder base  34  is shown. The base  34  is shown with a upper surface  38 . In this embodiment, the surface  38  is curved. However, in other embodiments, the surface  38  may be flat, or have a stepped cross-section, or any number of other cross-sectional shapes. Proximal to the surface  38  are two projecting edges, referred to as lips  42 . An upper sign holder member  46  is slideable onto the base  34 . The upper sign holder member may have a curved bottom surface  50  that allows it to fit flush against the curved surface  38 . Alternatively, a flat base sign holder  26  may be used, so long as the flat base of the sign holder  26  is flexible enough to conform to the surface  38 . In addition, if other cross-sectional shapes are used for the surface  38 , the bottom surface  50  may have a complimentary shape such that a flush fit between surfaces  38  and  50  is provided. The lips  42  hold the edges  54  of the upper sign holder member to the base  34 .  
         [0021]     The separate sign holder base  34  has a width designated by W sb . The width W sb  may be equal to or less than the width W c  of a cubicle wall. The sign holder base  34  has a lower surface  58  which may attach to a top of a cubicle wall  22  via a variety of methods, including, but not limited to: Velcro, hook and loop, magnet(s), adhesive, screws, snaps, double-sided tape, pins, brackets, clips, clamps, suction cups and buttons. Additionally, the sign holder may simply sit on a surface.  
         [0022]     The various sign holders and bases discussed herein may be made from, but not limited to the following: clear acrylic; Lexan; polycarbonate; acrylic; plexiglass, PETG; various metals, wood, and plastics. Additionally, the sign holders and bases may be transparent, translucent, or any color or material desired by the end user. The materials used for the signage system may be non-glare. Additionally the thickness of the material may vary according to the needs of the end user.  
         [0023]     Methods of fabricating the sign holder and/or base include, and are not limited to: molding; die-casting; extruding; and piece by piece heat form manufacturing.  
         [0024]     Although the disclosed signage system has been discussed with respect to cubicle office systems, the signage system may be used for work stations; work spaces; frames; partitions; storage areas; and other situations where signage is helpful. Additionally the sign that is to be put into the slot  14 , may be single sided, or double sided. Additionally, a variety of colors and materials may be used for the sign. The signage system may be configured to be distributed in a knock-down configuration, or may be knock-downable for storage.  
         [0025]     While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims