Quick set-up sign stand

A quick set-up sign stand comprising first and second leg structures each having a non-circular circumferential locking central portion and ground-engaging portions, the leg structures pivotally mounted to face plates, the face plates secured in spaced apart relationship for receiving the sign and a leg-locking latch secured in moveable relationship to the plates for selectively locking the legs in a support position is disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to sign stands for display and warning purposes, 
such as those used at constructions sites along or near highways, 
constructions sites in or near building projects, or in buildings where 
repair is taking place, in parking lots and in parking structures, in 
merchandising, and generally where it is desired to provide a conspicuous 
display which can be put in place and removed or moved about without great 
difficulty. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There are hundreds or thousands of signs and displays and many ingenious 
devices for supporting a sign in a particular location to accomplish a 
particular purpose. Not withstanding the enormous effort that has gone 
into this field, one of the problems which has plagued and continues to 
plague the sign and display industry is the problem of storage of signs 
when they're not in use and, in conjunction with the need for storage, to 
provide signs and sign stands which can be moved about easily and set up 
or dismantled for storage easily. 
The problem of moving and storing signs presents a severe economic burden 
on some industries where the signs are taken down and erected frequently 
or moved about frequently. For example, in merchandising, it is often 
desirable to erect the sign in the front of the store or on the sidewalk 
in the morning and take it down in the evening, or to move it about, 
depending upon where the point of principal interest is. In construction, 
it is often necessary to place signs at particular locations to mark a 
hazard, for example, and to move these signs about frequently and to store 
them on occasion, as hazards are created and removed. In highway 
construction, it has become a major cost in the overall construction to 
provide signs and markers which will warn motorists of construction or a 
particular hazard or circumstance ahead in the highway. All of these 
problems cry out for a sign and a sign stand which are easily portable, 
easily stored in a minimum of space, and are easily erected and folded up 
for storage or for movement. 
The traditional older prior art indicates a common usage of solid base sign 
stands, such as heavy circular bases, or heavy rectangular frames. These, 
of course, present serious difficulties in moving. 
In spite of the many efforts to solve the economic and practical problems 
which are so extremely evident to those in the art and to those who rely 
upon portable signs for warning the public or otherwise, fully 
satisfactory solutions have yet to be provided. 
One of the features of this invention is in the provision of a sign stand 
and a sign which is easily dismantled for storage and for movement, which 
occupies a minimum of space in storage and is easily and quickly erected 
for display. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a quick set-up stand for supporting a sign which 
has formed therein an opening. A supporting base is provided which 
comprises first and second leg structures, each having a central portion 
and ground-engaging portions. The central portion is so constructed and 
configured as to form a non-circular-circumferential locking portion. The 
non-circular-circumferential portion of the leg is preferably constructed 
and configured in a generally cylindrical configuration having one flat 
side; i.e. a tubular section having one side flattened. The stand 
comprises first and second face plates and means securing the face plates 
in spaced apart relationship, spacing being provided by a spacer plate, 
for receiving therebetween the sign to be supported. Means are provided 
for mounting the leg structures relative to the respective face plates in 
pivotally movable relationship therewith. Leg-locking means are secured in 
moveable relationship to the plates for selectively locking the legs in a 
support position or for permitting the legs to pivot to a folded position. 
The leg-locking means preferably comprises a latch moveable to a first 
position in engagement with the non-circular-circumferential portion of 
the respective legs for preventing pivotal movement thereof and locking 
the legs for supporting the sign and to a second position to permit the 
respective legs to be folded adjacent the respective plates. 
The leg-locking means may comprise a U-shaped leg-locking latch mounted and 
constructed to move relative to the legs between a first position in 
engaging relationship with the non-circular-circumferential portions on 
the first and second legs for locking the first and second legs, 
respectively, in the support position extending outwardly from the 
respective face plates and a second position out of engagement with the 
flats on the legs to permit the legs to pivot to a folded position 
approximately parallel with the respective plates. The U-shaped 
leg-locking latch comprises first and second arms and a central portion 
connecting the first and second arms and extending approximately 
perpendicular thereto, and the leg-locking means may include at least one 
guide pin extending through the plates and outwardly from the respective 
face plates. The first and second arms of the leg-locking latch are 
constructed and configured to define openings therein, said openings in 
the respective arms being so constructed and arranged as to receive the 
respective ends of the pin for guiding the sliding movement of the 
leg-locking latch. An operator extension may be formed as part of or 
secured to at least one of the arms of the leg-locking latch to permit the 
user to grasp the extension for moving the leg-locking latch. 
The face plates may be so configured and constructed as to form therein a 
notch, the notches being in alignment with one another and disposed 
between the non-circular circumferential portions of the legs. The face 
plates may also be configured and constructed to define an opening 
therethrough, the openings in the sign and the face plates being in 
alignment when the sign is inserted between the face plates. In this 
embodiment, sign locking means are provided which comprise a handle having 
a grasping portion and at least one sign-locking extension. The handle is 
mounted for movement relative to one of the face plates, the sign-locking 
extension being mounted so as to be disposed adjacent the openings in the 
face plates and sign for selective movement into the respective openings 
for locking the sign between the plates or out of the respective openings 
for permitting the sign to be removed from between the face plates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The preferred embodiment of the invention is exemplary only and is 
described in its exemplary form. It is to be clearly understood that many 
variations and modifications of the various elements and constructions may 
be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as 
defined herein. 
According to this invention, a quick set-up stand, as generally depicted in 
FIGS. 1 and 2, is provided for supporting a sign. The sign stand comprises 
a supporting base 10 which, in turn, comprises the combination of the 
following structural elements or their mechanical equivalent, so arranged 
and configured as to perform the indicated functions. 
A first U-shaped leg structure 20, generally formed of a bent tube is 
provided. The leg is preferably in the configuration of an elongate, 
linear, tubular central portion 22 and ground-engaging portions 24 and 26, 
respectively, extending approximately perpendicular from the respective 
ends of the central portion 22, the central portion 22 having formed 
therein a non-circular-circumferential portion such as flat 28. 
A second U-shaped leg structure 30, generally similar to the first leg 
structure, is also provided. The second leg structure in configured to 
have an elongate, tubular, linear central portion 32 and ground-engaging 
portions 34 and 36, respectively, extending approximately perpendicular 
from the respective ends of the central portion 32, the central portion 32 
having formed therein a non-circular-circumferential portion such as flat 
38. Thus, a first generally planar face plate 40, a second generally 
planar face plate 44, and a generally planar spacer plate 42 are provided 
along clamping means for securing the plates to the leg assemblies. A 
first clamping assembly is provided comprising opposed elongate, linear, 
partially cylindrical brackets 54, 62 and fastener means 56, securing the 
brackets 54, 62 against the respective face plates 40, 44, said brackets 
forming a partially generally cylindrical recess, configured and 
dimensioned to receive a first part of the central portion 22, 32 of the 
respective leg structures 20, 30 therein for pivotal rotation therein. In 
like manner, but generally in mirror-image configuration and orientation, 
a second clamping assembly is provided comprising opposed elongate, linear 
partially cylindrical brackets 50, 60 and fastener means 52 securing the 
brackets 50, 60 against the respective face plates 40, 44, said brackets 
forming a partially generally cylindrical recess configured and 
dimensioned to receive a second part of the central portion 22, 32 of the 
respective leg structures 20, 30 therein for rotation therein. 
In a convenient, and currently preferred embodiment, the face plates and 
spacer plate 40, 42, 44 having formed therein a notch, the flats 28, 38 of 
the legs 20, 30 and the notch being in alignment with one another, the 
notch being disposed between the flats. Means are provided for locking the 
first and second legs in a support position and, respectively, in a 
storage position. The preferred leg-locking structure comprises a pair of 
guide pins 72, 74 extending through the plates 40, 42, 44 and a U-shaped 
leg-locking latch 80 having a first arm 82 disposed in slidable relation 
to the first face plate 40, a second arm 86 disposed in slidable relation 
to the second face plate 44, a central portion 84. The central portion 
extends through the notch 70 in the plates 40, 42, 44 and an operator 
extension 88 is secured to one of the arms 82, 86 of the latch 80. The 
first arm 82 defines therethrough a first slot 90 and a second slot 92, 
and the second arm 86 defining therethrough a third slot 94 and a fourth 
slot 96. The first and fourth slots 90, 96 are in alignment with each 
other and receive one of the guide pins 74 and the second and third slots 
92, 94 being in alignment with each other and receive the other guide pin 
72. 
The leg-locking latch is movable relative to the plates between a first 
position in engaging relationship with the non-circular-circumferential 
portions, e.g. the flats, on the legs for locking the first and second leg 
assemblies, respectively, in the support position extending outwardly from 
the respective face plates and a second position out of engagement with 
the flats on the legs to permit the legs to fold to a closed position 
substantially parallel with the plane of the plates. 
A sign S which has formed in it an opening or passage, as will be 
described, is, in use, received between the face plates 40, 44 in a space 
defined therebetween by the spacer plate 42. 
Means 100 are provided for locking a sign S between the face plates. The 
plate-locking means preferably comprises a U-shaped handle 102 having a 
central grasping portion 104 and, at respective ends of the grasping 
portions, arm portions 106, 108. A generally U-shaped mounting bracket 110 
having a central portion and mounting extensions 112, 114 extending from 
the central portion is mounted to one of the face plates by a weldment 
116, or any other fastener means. Pivotal mounting means 120, 122 
pivotally mount the handle 102 to the bracket 110. 
The sign S and the face plates 40, 44 having formed therein aligned 
apertures 132, 134, 136 defining a first passage 130 through the sign and 
another generally similar aperture spaced from apertures 132, 134, 136 
defining a second passage 140 through the sign and the plates, the second 
aperture being shown only generally. 
Sign-locking extensions 150, 160 extend from the handle 102 and are 
disposed adjacent the passages 130, 140 for being moved into the 
respective passages for locking the sign between the plates or for being 
moved out of the respective passages for permitting the sign to be removed 
from between the face plates by pivotally moving the handle from a locking 
position to an unlocking position. 
The various elements of the base may be formed of sheet metal by 
conventional bending, punching, forming and machining methods. Generally 
speaking, it is most economical to use steel components, but for lighter 
weight, aluminum may be used. Titanium may also be used, but it is quite 
expensive and difficult to handle. The materials may also be selected from 
various plastics, or more properly polymers, and formed by well-known 
plastic forming methods, such as vacuum forming, injection molding, etc. 
Obviously, a combination of metal and plastic elements may be used. 
Generally speaking, again, where long life and ruggedness are important, 
steel plates and tubing are most preferred, but the nature of the material 
of which the sign stand is formed is not particularly critical. Likewise, 
the sign itself may be formed of any desired material. Greater strength 
and ruggedness is provided by the use of steel sheets, but aluminum sheets 
are quite satisfactory in many applications, and sheets of rigid or 
semi-rigid polymer may also be used. The sign itself may be formed of a 
flexible polymer with a frame, with a bar or other structure which has an 
opening formed in it as described above. In other words, the material and 
construction of the sign is of no importance whatever, except to the 
extent that it will be received in and locked in the sign stand as 
described. 
In a preferred embodiment, the legs are steel tubing bent to form a 
U-shaped configuration, as described and depicted in the drawings, and in 
the central portion to define a non-circular-circumferential portion, such 
as a flat. It is convenient to form a flat, and the flat provides a very 
convenient locking mechanism, but other non-circular configurations may be 
used. For example, a depression may be formed in the tubing in which the 
locking device will engage. 
With respect to the leg-locking mechanism, it is presently preferred to 
provide pins for guiding the locking latch in its movement, but other 
guide means would be equivalent, since the nature of the guide means is 
not critical. Indeed, no guide means at all needs to be provided, but 
guiding is preferred for smooth operation. Guide means such as 
protuberances or attachments on the sides of the latch may, for example, 
be provided. 
One of the significant advantages of the sign-locking mechanism is that it 
is in the form of a handle which is rugged, easily grasped, difficult to 
deform and also provides a handle for carrying the base when moving the 
sign stand about. It is also convenient to provide double locking of the 
sign, as described, but single locking is also satisfactory. 
When preparing the sign stand for use, assuming the user is removing the 
sign stand from a storage container or from storage or a vehicle for use, 
all that is necessary is to place the sign stand on the ground, allow the 
legs to unfold and lay on the ground, grasp the handle or the sign stand 
generally, and lift it. When the sign stand itself is lifted, the legs 
will pivot to their support position at which time the locking latch will 
slide into the space provided by the flat on the central portion of the 
legs and lock the legs in the support position. All this can be done with 
one hand. With the sign stand being supported on the ground or other 
surface which would be equivalent, the user simply lifts the sign and 
drops it down into the slot between the two face plates. The handle is 
moved up by the action of the sign on the arcuate portion of the sign 
locking extensions and then falls back with the extensions in the openings 
or passages through the sign, locking the sign into the sign stand. 
Thereafter, the sign and the sign stand can be moved about, turned for 
orientation, etc., simply by lifting the sign. 
Dismantling the sign is equally simple. The user simply lifts the locking 
handle, removes the sign, and lifts the leg-locking latch and folds the 
legs so that the legs lie substantially parallel to the face plates. 
Among the economies accomplished by the present invention is the economy in 
storage. Several hundred of the present sign stands can be stored in the 
same space now required for a dozen or so of the more traditional sign 
stands. 
Another economy, which is quite apparent from the preceding description of 
the manner of use, is in the very small amount of time and effort required 
to set up or dismantle the sign stand. Labor, being a very important 
economic factor in all operations, is saved, and great cost savings 
overall are accomplished. 
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION 
This invention finds application in the sign stand, parking, construction, 
and merchandising industries.