Abstract:
Campaign signs utilize a display envelope mounted on U-shaped frames. The U-shaped frames are folded prior to shipment so that leg sections of the frames overlie at least one another. The frames are generally sold as kits, each kit having a plurality of folded frames for ease of shipment. The kits may include a stack of bundle of folded frames alone or may include a stack or bundle of folded frames with a number of envelopes which are preferably folded or rolled in order to conserve shipping space. In one embodiment the kit contains a single folded frame and a single display envelope.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to campaign sign kits and frames for use therewith. More particularly, the present invention relates to campaign signs wherein the signs are panels configured as envelopes, which envelopes receive a frame that is embedded in the ground as well as to frames for supporting such signs.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     During political campaigns, it is the practice to distribute a large number of campaign signs which are easily erected for display on areas such as lawns, flower beds or other areas into which supports for the signs may be embedded. In one type of campaign sign the supports are U-shaped and are received within envelopes formed by a pair of panels which are joined along three sides thereof with one side open, the open side receiving the wire support frame.  
         [0003]     The support frames are usually shipped in lots of twenty-five or more. These frames are various sizes, for example, 14 inches by 22 inches up to, for example, 26 inches by 40 inches. Consequently, a shipment of these frames consumes a substantial area since the frames themselves enclose substantial space. This increases the cost and inconvenience of shipment whether the frames are shipped separately, or in kit form with the envelopes of which the signs are configured.  
         [0004]     Once an election is held and a campaign is over, it is necessary to collect and dispose of almost all campaign signs since the signs no longer have a use. Preferably, there is an organized effort to collect both the frames and the display panels for disposal. If the display panels are configured as bags or envelopes then they consume very little room when collected, however the wire supports are U-shaped and therefore consume considerable area when collected. In addition, if the wire supports are preminently U-shaped, they are more difficult to dispose of by residents or property owners.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     In view of the aforementioned considerations, the present invention is directed to a campaign sign kit comprising first and second panels configured as envelopes having campaign indicia thereon. The kit further includes a rod comprising a horizontal beam section and first and second leg sections, each having a free end for insertion into the ground to support the horizontal beam in spaced relation to the ground. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second leg sections of the rod are joined to the beam section by respective first and second unitary bends. The rod is in a folded configuration while part of the kit and has the first and second legs extending in substantially the same direction as the beam section. The legs are in an overlapping relationship with at least one another, with the bends or with the beam section.  
         [0006]     In a further aspect of the invention the first and second unitary bends are U-shaped with curved bights that have end portions disposed at substantially 180° with respect to one another when the rod is in the folded configuration and at 90° with respect to one another when the rod is in an unfolded configuration.  
         [0007]     In still a further aspect of the invention, the rod freely maintains the first folded configuration until unfolded to a U-shaped configuration in which the first and second leg sections extend substantially perpendicular to the beam section. The unfolded, U-shaped configuration is freely maintained to provide a support frame for the envelope formed by the first and second panels when the envelope is slid over the support frame.  
         [0008]     In still a further aspect of the invention the panels are made of polymer sheet material.  
         [0009]     In still a further aspect of the invention the rod is made of malleable metal such as steel or iron having a rust resistant coating.  
         [0010]     In still a further aspect of the invention the kit comprises a plurality of envelopes formed by the first and second panels and a plurality of continuous rods in the folded configuration.  
         [0011]     In still a further aspect of the invention, the campaign sign kit comprises a single envelope formed of the first and second panels and a single continuous rod in the folded configuration.  
         [0012]     In still a further aspect of the invention, the kit is limited to a plurality of the rods in the folded configuration. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an assembled campaign sign configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an exploded front view of the campaign sign of  FIG. 1  showing an envelope portion of the sign and a frame portion;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view of  FIG. 1  with the envelope shown in elevation;  
         [0017]      FIGS. 4A-4C  are first, second and third folded configurations for the unfolded frame of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a front view of the frame shown in  FIG. 2  which results from unfolding the folded frames of  FIGS. 4A-4C ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a view of several frames comprising a frame kit;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a view of a frame and a folded envelope providing a single campaign sign kit, and  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a view of a campaign sign kit having numerous frames and numerous display envelopes. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0022]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  there is shown a campaign sign  10  configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The term “campaign sign” refers to a type of sign which is widely used in political campaigns as a “lawn sign” because it is easily erected and easily removed. However, this type of sign may be used in other campaigns or activities such as advertising campaigns for goods or services, such as but not limited to, real estate, yard sales, automobiles or any other type of item or service. These signs may be used by groups or individuals to express points of view and may be used by individuals in lieu of other forms of communication. The signs  10  have two surfaces having indicia  12  thereon, which indicia may be of any form. The indicia  12  may be supplied by the supplier of the sign or may be placed there by the user of the sign when the sign is being supplied to a customer with a blank surface.  
         [0023]     As is seen in  FIG. 1 , the frame  16  has end portions  17  which are inserted into the ground to support the campaign sign  10  in a vertical orientation. Many campaign signs are placed in yards of homes adjacent streets and are held in a vertical orientation by penetration of the ends  17  in the soil of lawns, gardens and the like.  
         [0024]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3  as well as  FIG. 1 , the campaign sign  10  comprises a display envelope  14  and a frame  16  which fits into the display envelope  14 . As is seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the display envelope has a first rectangular panel  18  and a second rectangular panel  19 . The indicia  12  is on outwardly facing surfaces  20  and  21  of the first and second panels  18  and  19  respectively, with the inwardly facing surfaces  22  and  23  having the frame  16  received therebetween. Preferably, when the sign is used in a campaign such as a political campaign, the indicia  12  is on both outwardly facing surfaces. In other embodiments, the surfaces  20  and  21  may be blank so the users of the sign may provide their own indicia, or the indicia may be on only one surface. The display envelope  14  is configured by joining the panels  18  and  19  along first, second and third edges  26 ,  27  and  28  of the panels while keeping the fourth edges  30  and  31  of each of the panels separate to form an opening  32  through which the frame  16  is inserted. The edges  26 ,  27  and  28  define the sides of the display envelope with the edge  26  being the top edge. The edges of the panels may be formed by attaching the panels  18  and  19  to one another in someway, such as adhering or welding, or by flattening tubular material to form the edges.  
         [0025]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  4 C, it is seen that the frame  16  is folded from the U-shape shown in  FIG. 2  into a folded configuration  40 , which may for example assume the shapes  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c . When folded, the frame  16  consumes far less area so that it is in a compact form and can be packaged and shipped to customers more conveniently and less expensively.  
         [0026]     The frame  16  is configured from a rod  42  that has a beam section  44 , a first leg section  46  and a second leg section  48 . The first leg section  46  is joined to the beam section  44  by a first U-shaped bight  50  while the second leg section  48  is joined to the beam section  44  by a second U-shaped bight  52 . As is seen in  FIGS. 4A-4C , the U-shaped bight  50  has a first end portion  56  which joins the beam section  44 , and a second end portion  58  which joins the first leg section  46 . The second U-shaped bight  52  is joined to the beam section  44  by a first end portion  60  and to the second leg  48  by a second end portion  62 . In  FIG. 4A  the end portions  56 ,  58  and  60 ,  62  extend at an angle slightly less than 180° with respect to one another. In  FIG. 4B  the end portions  58 ,  56  and  60 ,  62  are substantially at about 180° with respect to one another, and in  FIG. 4C , the end portions  56 ,  58  and  60 ,  62  extend at angles which are at least slightly greater than about 180° with respect to one another. The term “end portions” as used in this description, defines those portions of the U-shaped bights  50  and  52  which join the straight, or substantially straight portions  65 ,  66  and  67 , of the beam section  44  and the first and second leg sections  46  and  48  respectively.  
         [0027]     By having the U-shaped bight  50  and  52  shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C , persons erecting the signs  10  only have to bend the legs  46  and  48  outwardly so that the frame  16  is U-shaped as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 5 . The bights  50  and  52  therefore predetermine the width of the beam section  44  and lengths of the first and second legs  46  and  48  with respect to the entire length of the rod  42 .  
         [0028]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , when the folded configurations  40 A- 40 C are bent into the U-shaped frame  16 , the rod  42  fully maintains the U-shaped form shown in  FIG. 5 . This is because the rod  42  is made of a malleable material such as zinc coated, carbon steel having high ductility and low elasticity, which rod remains in whatever configuration it is bent and has sufficient rigidity to permit penetration of free end portions  70  into the ground (see  FIG. 1 ) with minimal bending and minimal effort and skill. Exemplary of such a carbon steel is steel having a 1006 carbon content. If the rod  42  is made of steel having a 1006 carbon content with a zinc coating (galvanized steel), then preferably the rod has a diameter of about 9-gauge, although other diameters may be suitable. The rod  42  can also be made of iron with a rust resistant coating. Preferably, the free end portions  70  are frustoconical so that the tips  72  of the end portions have a diameter less than the diameter of the rod  42  from which the frame  16  is formed.  
         [0029]     An example of suitable dimensions for the frame  16  are a beam section about 19 inches long and leg sections  46  and  48  of about 30 inches long, with U-shaped bights  50  and  52  that when bent at 90° having extents in the direction of the cross-beam of about 11/4 inch and extents in the direction of the first and second legs  46  and  48  of about 11/4 inch. However, it is pointed out that the frame  16  can have any dimension which is suitable for a campaign sign  10  with the aforedescribed frame being suitable for a display envelope  14  having a width of about 21 inches and a height of about 14 inches. The greater the height of the sign  10 , the longer should be the legs  46  and  48  of the frame  16 . For example, for a 21 by 14 inch display envelope  14 , the leg sections would be in the range of 30 to 34 inches and for a display envelope  14  having a height of about 26 inches, the legs  46  and  48  would have a range of 40 to 50 inches. These dimensions for the frame  16  are examples of frame dimensions for two display envelopes  14 , however the dimensions of the display envelope  14  and it&#39;s respective frame  16  are not limited to the dimensions used in the foregoing examples.  
         [0030]     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a kit  80  which has more than one or a plurality of rods  42 , i.e., any convenient number of rods  42  in any one, two or all of the folded configurations illustrated by the configurations  40   a - 40   c  of  FIGS. 4A-4C  or variations thereof wherein the leg sections overlap. For example, the kit  80  may include rods  42  in the folded configuration  40  wherein the kit  80  has twenty five frames  16 . Other numbers of folded rods  42  for the kit  80  may include more or less than 25 frames, for example, the kit  80  may include 10 frames or 100 frames. The frames  16  are preferably packaged in bundles when provided in kit form.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there is shown another kit  85  that includes a single rod  42  bent in a folded configuration  40  which may have any one, two or all of the folded configurations of  FIGS. 4A-4C  or variations thereof in which the leg sections overlap, plus one display envelope  14 . The display envelope  14  is preferably folded or rolled to consume less area, but in some circumstances may be flat. Preferably, the display envelope  14  is rolled around the folded rod  42 . The kit  85  is for a purchaser who needs only one campaign sign  10 . The outer surfaces  18  and  19  may be blank for users to provide their own indicia  12  or may have the indicia already thereon.  
         [0032]     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there is shown a kit  90  which includes a plurality of rods  42  (i.e. more than one or at least two) folded into any one, two or all of the configurations  40   a - 40   c  of  FIGS. 4A-4C  or into variations of those configurations in which the leg sections overlap, plus a plurality of display envelopes  14  which may be folded as shown, may be flat and arranged in a pile or may be rolled around the folded rods. It is preferable that the display envelopes  14  of  FIG. 8  are folded or rolled in order to conserve space in the kit  90 . Like the frame only kits  80  of  FIG. 1 , the frames  16  of the kit  90  may be packaged together in bundles.  
         [0033]     From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing form the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.