Abstract:
A method for display including the steps of providing a sheet-like poster board substantially composed of a non-water absorbent material and including a first display surface and a second display surface. The first display surface and the second display surface lack any attachment structures located thereon. The method further includes the step of manually making non-soluble markings on the first surface to provide water-resistant markings on the first surface, and displaying the poster board in an environment having a significant likelihood of exposure to liquids.

Description:
FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention is directed to a poster board display system, and more particularly, to a waterproof poster board display system.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Business enterprises, individuals, schools and other organizations often use poster boards as a means of communication and decoration, as well as for advertisements, presentations and artwork. Poster boards are typically used for temporary display and are frequently attached to a mounting surface. Users may manually mark or draw on the poster boards to create a personalized or individualized display. However, many existing poster boards may be damaged by exposure to liquids, such as water.  
         [0003]     Accordingly, there is a need for a poster board that is waterproof or is not damaged by moisture.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     The present invention utilizes a poster board of polymeric or non-moisture absorbent or non-water absorbent material. In particular, one embodiment of the invention is a method for display including the steps of providing a sheet-like poster board substantially composed of a non-water absorbent material and including a first display surface and a second display surface. The first display surface and the second display surface lack any attachment structures located thereon. The method further includes the step of manually making non-soluble markings on the first surface to provide water-resistant markings on the first surface, and displaying the poster board in an environment having a significant likelihood of exposure to liquids. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front view of one embodiment of the poster board, shown on a mounting surface; and  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a back view of the poster board of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0007]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in one embodiment the poster board  10  includes a front surface  12  and a back surface  14  located on opposite sides of the poster board  10 . The front surface  12  and back surface  14  may be substantially identical in size and shape. A user may utilize the front surface  12 , the back surface  14  or both the front  12  and back  14  surfaces for marking. In one embodiment, both the front surface  12  and the back surface  14  of the poster board  10  have no attachment structures (such as hook-and-loop material (i.e., VELCRO®), adhesives clips, or the like) located therein. The front  12  and back  14  surfaces may also have no additional components or structures located thereon and thus may be cleanly presented so that they are entirely available to the user for marking thereon. This provides the user with the maximum surface area on which to create a display.  
         [0008]     The poster board  10  may be made out of sheet stock of any suitable plastic or polymeric material, such as a polyethylene. In one embodiment, the poster board  10  is entirely composed of STACON® plastic sheets, commercially available from CSP, Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. When the poster board  10  is composed entirely of a plastic, a non-water absorbent material, the poster board  10  may be effectively waterproof so that the poster board  10  may not warp, deform or wilt in intense humidity, damp conditions or even in direct contact with water. A user may utilize a permanent marker, grease pencil, non-water soluble marking device or other marking device intended for marking on non-absorbent materials to mark or draw upon the poster board  10 . In particular, markings  16  made by permanent markers and grease pencils are substantially unaffected by water.  
         [0009]     In addition, utilizing a plastic material for the poster board  10  provides a durable display system such that the poster board  10  may not easily tear or rip. In addition, many adhesives, such as tape, which may be used to attach the poster board to a mounting surface  18  may be removed from a plastic poster board  10  without damaging the poster board  10 . Also, if the poster board  10  becomes spattered or covered with mud, dirt or dust, a damp rag may be used to clean the front surface  12  and back surface  14  of the poster board  10  without adversely affecting the markings  16  or the poster board  10 .  
         [0010]     In one embodiment the poster board  10  is composed entirely of plastic material. Using only plastic materials for the poster board  10 , rather than using a layer of plastic covering water-absorbent materials, ensures that any cracks or gouges in the front or back surfaces  12 ,  14  of the poster board  10  will not affect the waterproof nature of the poster board  10 . When the poster board  10  is made of plastic through its entire thickness, a crack or disruption in the front or back surfaces  12 ,  14  would not compromise the non-absorbent nature of the poster board  10  to water.  
         [0011]     The poster board  10  may be rectangular in front view and may have a variety of sizes, for example about 11 inches×14 inches, about 22 inches×28 inches or about 24 inches×36 inches. However, the poster board  10  may be any size or shape suitable for display and communication of information. Because the poster board  10  may be entirely composed of plastic, the user may cut or trim the poster board  10  to a desired shape without the affecting waterproof nature of the poster board  10 .  
         [0012]     The front surface  12  and the back surface  14  of the poster board  10  may be white, colored or multi-colored. The poster board  10  may also be transparent, which allows a user to display the poster board  10  while minimizing obstruction of any mounting surface  18  or background in front of which the poster board  10  is displayed. A user may also utilize transparent poster board  10  to create one or more overlays for use with a non-transparent poster board  10  and other display.  
         [0013]     The poster board  10  may be a variety of thickness, including but not limited to, about 0.12 inches or less, 0.23 inches or less, 0.35 inches or less, 0.55 inches or less or about 0.75 inches or less. In one embodiment, the poster board  10  may be relatively thin, with a thickness of between about 0.010 inches and about 0.020 inches. The thinness of the poster board  10  may provide several advantages. Large quantities of the poster board  10  may be more easily stored and shipped. In addition, the relatively thin poster board  10  may have a relatively light weight, making it easy to mount or attach to a mounting surface  18 . For example, where an adhesive is utilized to attach the poster board  10  to a mounting surface  18 , a relatively small amount of adhesive may be required due to the light weight of the poster board  10 . Thus the strong nature of plastic allows the board to be thin yet durable.  
         [0014]     The poster board  10  may also be flexible. This would allow the poster board  10  to be rolled for shipment and storage. The thinness and resulting flexibility of the poster board  10  may also allow the poster board  10  to be mounted on non-planar or curved surfaces.  
         [0015]     To utilize the poster board  10 , a user may first write, draw or mark on the display surface  12  of the poster board  10  using a marking device that creates non-water soluble marks, including but not limited to permanent markers and grease pencils, thereby creating water resistent or non-water soluble markings  16 . The user may then display the poster board in a wide variety of ways. The poster board may be mounted to a wall, door or other mounting surface  18  using adhesives, magnets, push pins, nails and other methods widely known in the art. Alternatively, the user may attach the poster board to a support structure, or to one or more stakes inserted into the ground. The user may display the poster board such that both the front surface  12  and the back surface  14  are visible to those passing by. The user may also choose to display the poster board  10  by hand. For example, the poster board may be held by an individual advertising events such as car washes, where exposure to water is highly likely. Because of its durable and water proof nature the poster board  10  may be particularly useful for outdoor signs. The poster board  10  may be displayed outside, exposed to the elements such as rain, fog, snow, humidity and the like, while maintaining its shape and the markings  16  thereon. In particular, the poster board  10  may be utilized to create signs for garage sales, open houses and the like.  
         [0016]     In an alternate embodiment, the front surface  12 , back surface  14  or both may include pre-printed graphics located thereon. For example, the front surface  12  may be pre-printed with various text, drawings or indicia such as a calendar grid, common phrases such as “For Sale,” or a common design such as party balloons. The user may manually supplement the pre-printed indicia and manually add specific information such as event dates, prices or event information to the front surface  12 .  
         [0017]     The device and method shown herein allows a user to manually mark a poster board and display the poster board. The poster board is durable, waterproof and will be unaffected by humidity, damp conditions, rain, water spray and the like.  
         [0018]     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various additional changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.