Abstract:
A visor sign is disclosed having a sign with a hole and an elastic band secured to the sign through the hole. The elastic band is selected to have a length and elasticity sized for retaining the sign in a secured position on visors of vehicles, unless the driver or an occupant moves the sign to a raised storage position or a lowered display position. The sign may provide a space for writing user information or may be a permit, such as a permit for parking.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The field is automobile signs that are displayed through the front windshield of an automobile.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     It is known to hang signs from the rearview mirror mount that display through the front windshield of an automobile. However, signs dangling from the rearview mirror obscure the driver&#39;s view of traffic, requiring the sign to be removed and replaced only when needed and not while driving. Often the hanging signs are misplaced when removed from the rearview mirror, causing the driver to hunt through all of the storage compartments in the car to locate the misplaced sign, which may have fallen between the seats or in an area not easily accessible to the driver.  
         [0003]     Storage compartments that clip or are strapped to a visor are known that allow a driver or occupant of a vehicle to store items frequently used by the driver or occupant. Such a system would allow the driver to store a hanging sign, but such storage compartments inevitably collect an array of papers and signs and other items that make locating of a particular item, such as a sign, increasingly difficult.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     A visor sign includes a sign to be displayed through the front windshield of an automobile and an elastic band with a length selected such that the elastic band fits snugly around visors in vehicles. The elastic band passes through a hole formed in one end of the sign. The elastic band may be secured on the visor such that the sign is displayed when the visor is either open or closed.  
         [0005]     One advantage of the visor sign is that the sign may be lowered merely by pulling on the sign which slides on the elastic band or allows the elastic band to slide on the visor, deploying the sign such that the sign is visible through the front windshield of the automobile. Another advantage of the visor sign is that the sign may be stored in a position that does not block the view of the driver during driving of the vehicle by merely pushing the sign upwards towards the visor. Again, the sign slides on the elastic band or the elastic band slides around the visor, removing the sign from the field of view of the driver. Furthermore, the sign remains positioned where the driver or occupant of the vehicle pushes the sign, when the elastic band is sufficiently taut to keep the sign from slipping back into the field of view of the driver. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES:  
       [0006]     The drawings and detailed description provide specific examples of the invention, but the invention should not be limited merely to the examples disclosed. Instead, the invention should be limited only by the claims that may eventually issue. Many variations in the system, changes in specific components of the system and uses of the system will be readily apparent to those familiar with the field of the invention based on the drawings and description provided. The examples are not intended to limit the scope of any claims that issue. The scope of the claims should be limited only by the language of the claims themselves.  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of the present invention; however, only a portion of the elastic band is shown.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  shows one example of an elastic band that has a retainer connecting the ends of an elastic to form a loop.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4   a  shows one cross-section of the band of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 4   b  shows another cross-section of the band of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4   c  shows a tab for securing a sign to an elastic band having a cross-section of  FIG. 4   a.    
         [0013]      FIG. 4   d  shows another tab for securing the sign to an elastic band having a cross-section shown in  FIG. 4   b.    
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates yet another embodiment with only a portion of the elastic band shown. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of a visor sign  10  having a handicap parking permit  12  and an elastic band  14 . The elastic band  14  is secured to the handicap parking permit  12  by tab  15 . Tab  15  has a hole  16  and a slot  18  leading from one edge of tab  15  to the hole  16 .  FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of a sign  10  used in picking up a child from school. Only a portion of the elastic band  14  is shown.  
         [0016]     Any known elastic band  14  or other stretchable line, rope or band may be used to secure the visor sign  10 ,  20  to a visor in an automobile. In  FIG. 3  the elastic band  14  is made of elastic connected at its two ends by a retainer  32 . In one embodiment the elastic band  14  is made of elastic having a circular cross-section, such as shown in  FIG. 4A . In this case, the tab  15  has a circular hole  16  and a slot  18 , as shown in  FIG. 4C , for example. The slot  18  is shown in  FIGS. 4   c  and  4   d  as having a finite width; however, the slot may be merely a slit made in the tab  15 , which allows a continuous, untied loop of elastic  14  to be inserted through the slot  18  and positioned in the hole  16  of tab  15 . A slit is merely a cut in the material of the tab  15  that does not remove any material from the tab  15 , leaving no gap between the hole  16  and the edge of the tab  15 .  
         [0017]     In an alternative embodiment, tab  15  has no slot  18 , and the elastic band  14  is inserted through the hole  16  and secured by a retainer  32 , a knot, or in any other way known in the art. A retainer  32  may be any device used to secure two ends of elastic into a loop of an elastic band  14 , such as shown in  FIG. 3 . In one example, the retainer is metal and is mechanically crimped to fasten each end of an elastic rope or band into a closed loop. In another example, a flexible retainer is formed from a polymer that binds the two ends of the elastic into a loop. The polymer may be formed of an elastic material or of an epoxy resin, for example.  
         [0018]     More preferably, a continuous elastic band  14  is manufactured in the form of an elastic loop  14  without the use of any retainer  32  and is used as shown in  FIG. 1 . A continuous elastic band is uninterrupted by a retainer in the loop. A continuous band  14  allows the sign  10 ,  20  to move freely on the elastic band  14 , and the elastic band  14  to move freely on the visor, without becoming snagged on any retainer  32 . Also, a continuous loop of elastic  14  is believed to be more durable and less likely to break than a band  14  that includes a retainer  32 , such as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0019]     If a continuous band  14  is used, then the hole  16 ,  17  for securing the band  14  to the sign  12 ,  13  may have a slot  18 , which allows the band  14  to be inserted into the hole  16 ,  17 . In this case, it is preferred to have a tab  15 , which allows the slot  18  to be disposed in the side of the tab, as shown in  FIGS. 4   c  and  4   d . Thus, when the sign is pulled in order to lower the sign or is pushed in order to raise the sign, the elastic band  14  is not pulled free from the hole  16 ,  17  through the slot  18 .  
         [0020]     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a slot  18  may extend across a portion of the width of the sign  50 , itself. In either case, the sign  10 ,  20 ,  50  and/or the tab  15  may be made of any material with a thickness that makes the sign acceptably rigid, having a stiffness and strength that prevents the elastic band  14  from being removed accidentally from the hole  16  during raising and lowering. In one alternative, the tab  15  is made of a rigid thermoset polymer and is fixedly attached to the sign  10 ,  20 . In this case, the material of the sign may be made of a more flexible material.  
         [0021]     In yet another alternative, a continuous elastic band  14  may be inserted into a hole  16  without a slot by passing one portion of the band  14  through the hole  16  and forming a half hitch knot  62 , for example such a knot  62  prevents the sign  13  from sliding on the band  14 , but the band  14  is capable of sliding on the visor without catching on any knot in the band  14 .  
         [0022]     The sign  50  or both the sign  12 ,  13  and the tab  15  may be made of plastic sheet. Any type of plastic may be used but it is preferable to use a type of plastic that may be screen printed or otherwise processed to display an image or to impart a message, such as shown in In one example the plastic used was a polyester. The thickness of the polyester was ______, which provided a rigid sign capable of being raised and lowered while remaining the elastic band  14 . Alternatively, a high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene or low-density polyethylene may be used. In yet another example card stock may be used that is either protected by a plastic film or not. In yet another example, polystyrene is used. When polystyrene is used, it is preferred not to use a slot  18  or a tab  15 . Instead, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a hole  4  may be paced in the sign.  
         [0023]     In the example of  FIG. 2 , the sign  20 , itself, is formed in the shape of a vehicle. The vehicle could be any vehicle including the shape of a car, truck, sports utility vehicle or any other vehicle. In the example of  FIG. 2 , space is left for the user of the sign  20  to insert user information  22 ,  26 . For example, the sign  20  may be made of a material that allows the user to enter a name using a marker. The sign  20 , itself, may suggest the information to insert based on labels  24 ,  28  if applicable. The labels  24 ,  28  may be text, illustrations or both, which indicate the information that should be entered on the sign  20  by the user. In one example, a first label  24  may request a child&#39;s grade, and a second label  28  may request a child&#39;s name. By inserting the grade  22  and the name  26  on the sign  20 , a parent may identify a particular child and grade for pickup at a local school, for example.  
         [0024]     By merely pulling on the sign  20 , the sign is lowered such that a school official may identify the child to be picked up by the parent. When the child is securely in the vehicle, the parent or another occupant may merely push the sign  20  back up to be held by the elastic band  14  against the visor, where the sign  20  does not obscure the driver&#39;s view of the road.  
         [0025]     The length of the elastic band  14  is selected such that the elastic band  14  securely retains the sign  10 ,  20 ,  50  on the visor of the automobile in both the raised and the lowered positions. For example, it is believed that a circumferential length of between about seven inches to about eleven inches is capable of holding a sign  10 ,  20 ,  50  on the visor of nearly all vehicles that have visors. In one example, the circumferential length of a continuous elastic loop  14  was ten inches. This loop  14  securely fastened the signs  10 ,  20 ,  50  on the visor of vehicles, without overstretching the elastic material of the loop  14 . It is believed, without be limiting, that overstretching the elastic band  14  may cause premature failure of the elastic band  14 , either by breakage or by rapid loss of elasticity. Increasing the length of an elastic band  14  having a circular cross-section greater than eleven inches may cause the band  14  to have insufficient tension to securely hold the sign  10 ,  20 ,  50  on automobile visors with smaller visor widths and thicknesses.  
         [0026]     Band cross-sectional shape may be selected for the elastic band  14 , such as shown in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , so long as the hole  16 ,  17  is shaped to accommodate the cross-section of the elastic band  14 .  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  illustrate two typical cross-sections for elastic bands in an enlarged cross-sectional view; however the cross-sectional shape is not limited to these examples. Preferably, the size of the holes  16 ,  17  are selected to be equal to or larger than the cross-sectional size of the elastic band  14 , allowing the sign  10 ,  20  to slide on the band  14 .