Device to support and protect documents

A device to support and protect documents, which may be damaged when contacted with water, uses a tubular body constructed of a material sufficiently transparent to allow visual observation when the documents are disposed within a chamber in the body. The body has first and second ends and a wall extending between the first and second ends so as to circumscribe the chamber. Attaching apparatus is connected to the tubular body for attaching the tubular body to a support member. A first stopper is connected to the body for preventing moisture from gaining access through the first end into the chamber in the body. A second stopper is selectively connected to the body for preventing moisture from gaining access through the second end into the chamber in the body when connected to the body and for permitting access to the chamber in the body when inserting the documents into the body when the second stopper is disconnected from the body. The second stopper has a blocking wall and at least one side wall connected to and extending away from the blocking wall. The side wall is sufficiently flexible to engage and slide over an exterior surface of the body. The wall of the body is made from a material and has a tickness chosen to provide sufficient resiliency so that the wall will not tear when the second stopper is connected to the body.

When selling non-commercial real estate, such as a house and yard, it is 
common practice to place a sign announcing such sale and identifying the 
real estate agent having the listing in the yard. To allow documents 
containing information about the property to be obtained by an interested 
potential purchaser without the necessity of such potential purchaser 
going to the real estate agent's office, a device was developed that 
supports such documents. This prior art device includes a tubular body 
constructed of a material sufficiently transparent to allow visual 
observation of the documents when disposed within a chamber in the body. 
The body has first and second ends and a wall extending between the first 
and second ends and circumscribing the chamber. The wall has an interior 
surface facing a chamber of sufficient size to support documents having a 
size of 81/2.times.11 inches and an exterior surface facing outwardly of 
the chamber. An attaching strap is connected to the body for attaching the 
body to a support member, which may be a sign advertising real estate for 
sale. The attaching strap is a metal strap having a width sufficiently 
small to permit viewing the documents around the strap and through the 
body and being elongated with a length sufficient to encircle said body, 
to be connected to itself and to be clamped on each side of the support 
member. A bolt extends through the metal strap and a nut is threadedly 
connected to the bolt to urge the ends of the strap into engagement with 
and attachment to the support member when turned relative to the bolt. A 
first stopper has a plugging wall and a side wall in the shape of a 
circular tube having one end connected to the plugging wall and the other 
end open. The open end of the side wall of the first stopper has an inside 
diameter sufficient to fit over an outside diameter of the wall at the 
first end of the body and is supported thereon. A second stopper is 
selectively connected to the body to permit access to the chamber in the 
body when inserting the documents into the body when the second stopper is 
disconnected from the body. The second stopper has a plugging wall that 
forms a shoulder to butt against the end of the wall forming the body and 
a side wall in the shape of a circular tube haivng one end connected to 
the plugging wall and the other end open. The open end of the side wall of 
the second stopper has an outside diameter sufficient to fit within an 
inside diameter of the wall at the second end of the body and is supported 
therein. A nylon string retains the second stopper with the body to 
prevent loss of the second stopper when the second stopper is disconnected 
from the body and has a sufficient length to allow the second stopper to 
move past the second end of the body and become connected to the body. 
Although the prior art device works well in sunny weather, when there is a 
rain storm, the prior art device will allow water to pass into the chamber 
in the body thereby allowing any documents disposed in the chamber to 
become wet. Should the documents become wet, a prospective purchaser will 
not take one of the documents and the prior art device will not work. 
Further, the wet documents are thrown away and replaced or reprinted, 
which is wasteful. This problem is made worse after the prior art device 
has been used for a period of time because the wall of the body cracks and 
splits along its length. It is believed that these cracks and splits are 
caused by the thin wall thickness and choice of material used in making 
the body. Further, the design of the second stopper is contributing to 
this problem in that when inserting the second stopper into the body, the 
body wall is urged towards its exterior so as to generate shear stresses 
therein. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device 
to support and protect documents, which may be damaged when contacted with 
water. 
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a device to support and 
protect documents, which may be damaged when contacted with water. A 
tubular body is used in the device and is constructed of a material 
sufficiently transparent to allow visual observation of the documents when 
disposed within a chamber in the body. The body has first and second ends 
and a wall extending between the first and second ends and circumscribing 
the chamber. Attaching apparatus is connected to the body for attaching 
the body to a support member. A first stopper is connected to the body for 
preventing moisture from gaining access through the first end into the 
chamber in the body. A second stopper is selectively connected to the body 
for preventing moisture from gaining access through the second end into 
the chamber in the body when connected to the body and for permitting 
access to the chamber in the body when inserting the documents into the 
body when the second stopper is disconnected from the body. The second 
stopper has a blocking wall and at least one side wall connected to and 
extending away from the blocking wall. The side wall is sufficiently 
flexible to engage and slide over an exterior surface of the wall of the 
body. The wall of the body is made from a material and has a thickness 
chosen to provide sufficient resiliency so that the wall will not tear 
when the second stopper is connected to the body.

Turning to the drawing, there is shown in FIGS. 1-3 a device 10 to support 
and protect documents, which may become damaged when contacted with water, 
constructed according to the present invention attached to a support 
member 12, such as an advertising sign used in advertising real estate for 
sale. 
A tubular body 14 is used in device 10 and is constructed of a material 
sufficiently transparent to allow visual observation of the documents when 
disposed within body 14. The material of body 14 is, preferably, chosen 
from a thermoclear tenite butyrate polymer. Body 14 has a first end 16, a 
second end 18 and a wall 20 disposed in the shape of a circular tube and 
extending between first and second ends 16 and 18, respectively. Wall 20 
has an interior surface 22 facing a chamber 24 of sufficient size to 
support documents having a size of 81/2.times.11 inches and an exterior 
surface 26 facing outwardly of chamber 24. It has been found that a 
tubular body made of thermoclear tenite butyrate polymer and having a 
length of 12 inches, an inside diameter of 2 and 29/32 inches, an outside 
diameter of 3 inches and a wall thickness of 3/64 inch (the wall thickness 
being the distance between exterior surface 26 and interior surface 22) 
has worked well in accordance with the present invention. 
An attaching device 28 is connected to body 14 for attaching body 14 to a 
support member 30, which is preferably a sign advertising real estate for 
sale. Attaching device 28 includes a metal strap 32 having a width 
sufficiently small to permit viewing of the documents around the strap and 
through body 14. Metal strap 32 is elongated with a length sufficient to 
encircle body 14, to be connected to itself and to be clamped on each side 
of support member 30. Also, included in attaching device 28 are a threaded 
member 34 extending through metal strap 32 and a wing nut 36 threadedly 
connected to threaded member 34 for urging the ends of strap 32 into 
engagement with and attachment to support member 30 when turned relative 
to threaded member 34, and a rivet 38 for securing strap 32 to body 14. To 
assist in preventing tubular body 14 from becoming unbalanced and have one 
or the other end 16 or 18 move closer to support member 30, metal strap 32 
is disposed substantially equidistant of first and second ends 16 and 18, 
respectively, of body 14. It has been found that, when tubular body 14 has 
an outside diameter of 3 inches, a metal strap 32 made from aluminum, 
having a length of 14 inches, a thickness of 0.040 inches, a width of 3/4 
inch, and with a first set of holes for receiving threaded member 34 are 
provided at 3/4 inch from each end of the strap and a second set of holes 
for receiving rivet 38 are provided at 2 and 1/4 inches from each end of 
strap 32 has worked well in accordance with the present invention. 
A first stopper 40 is connected to body 14 for preventing moisture from 
gaining access through first end 16 into chamber 24. First stopper 40 has 
a plugging wall 42 and a side wall 44 in the shape of a circular tube 
having one end 46 connected to plugging wall 42 and the other end 48 open. 
Open end 48 of side wall 44 of first stopper 40 has an inside diameter 
(the distance between facing surfaces of side wall 44) sufficient to fit 
over exterior surface 26 of wall 20 at first end 16 of body 14 and is 
connected thereto. It has been found that, when tubular body 14 has an 
outside diameter of 3 inches, a first stopper 40 made from polyethlene 
material and having an inside diameter of approximately 2 and 15/16 inches 
and an inside length of 1 inch (the inside length being the length of side 
wall 44) has worked well in accordance with the present invention. 
A second stopper 50 is adapted to be selectively connected to body 14 for 
preventing moisture from gaining access through second end 18 into chamber 
24 when connected to body 14 and for permitting access to chamber 24 in 
body 14 when inserting the documents into body 14 when second stopper 50 
is disconnected from body 14. Second stopper 50 is made in the shape of a 
truncated cone having a blocking wall 52 forming the truncated portion of 
the cone and at least one side wall 54 connected to the blocking wall and 
disposed to form the conical portion of the cone. Side wall 54 is 
sufficiently flexible to engage and slide over exterior surface 26 of body 
14 and to be disposed over and supported on first stopper 40 when second 
stopper 50 is disconnected from second end 18 of body 14, as best seen in 
FIG. 3. If desired, a shoulder 56 may be connected to side wall 54 away 
from the connection with blocking wall 52 to assist a user of device 10 in 
attaching or removing second stopper 50 to second end 18 or in attaching 
or removing second stopper 50 to first stopper 40. It has been found that, 
when tubular body 14 has an outside diameter of 3 inches, a second stopper 
50 made from polyethlene material and having a lateral inside length (the 
distance between blocking wall 52 and shoulder 56) of approximately 1 
inch, an inside diameter of 3.041 inches at shoulder 56 and an inside 
diameter of 2.915 at blocking wall 52 has worked well in accordance with 
the present invention. 
A flexible, inelastic retainer 58 may be used in device 10 for retaining 
second stopper 50 with body 14 to prevent loss of second stopper 50 when 
second stopper 50 is disconnected from body 14. Retainer 58 has one end 
connected to attaching device 28 at rivet 38 and another end connected to 
second stopper 50 at the center of blocking wall 52. Preferably, flexible 
retainer 58 is a nylon string of sufficient length to allow second stopper 
50 to move past second end 18 of body 14 and become connected to body 14. 
It has been found that, when tubular body 14 has a length of 12 inches, a 
retainer 48 having a length of 12 inches has worked well in accordance 
with the present invention. 
In operation, a real estate agent would take a device 10 along when 
inspecting a new listing. After the sign advertising the real estate for 
sale is driven into the ground, wing nut 36 is rotated relative to 
threaded member 34 by an amount sufficient to allow the ends of strap 32 
to be separated and placed on each side of sign 30. Device 10 is then 
fastened to sign 30 by rotating wing nut 36 relative to threaded member 34 
by an amount sufficient to tighten the ends of strap 32 into engage with 
each side of sign 30. Second stopper 50 is removed from tubular body 14 
and attached to first end 40 or allowed to be supported by retainer 58. 
Advertising documents, such as a floor plan, when the property will be 
built, and other specifications, is disposed in chamber 24 in body 14. 
Second stopper 50 is then positioned with shoulder 56 facing second end 18 
and moved into engagement with body 14, the flexibility of side wall 54 of 
second stopper being used to secure second stopper 50 to body 14. From 
time to time, the real estate agent may drive past the property to inspect 
it and at the same time the agent can inspect device 10 to determine 
whether anybody has taken the advertising documents. If no documents are 
present in body 14, the agent can take a fresh supply of the correct 
advertising documents to device 10 and place them inside.