Abstract:
A bracket for securing a sign to a post, includes a clamp formed as a flanged open substantially cylindrical body having facing arms adapted to be brought together by a bolt for holding the sign, the tightening of the bolt being both effective for attaching the sign to the bracket and the bracket to the post. The sign defines a slot having an open end for allowing the sign to be inserted between the arms of the body without having to completely unscrew the bolt.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to signs and, more particularly, pertains to structures for holding signs, such as road and street signs. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Over the years, various systems have been developed for securing signs, such as road signs, to a post, a pole or the like. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,802,939 issued on Apr. 28, 1931 to Butler discloses a sign mounting system comprising a split sleeve adapted to be drawn together about an upstanding post by means of a first pair of bolts. Each sleeve section is provided with at least one sign-holder defining a socket within which one end of a sign may be secured by a second pair of bolts. Accordingly, to install a sign, one has to first tighten the first pair of bolts in order to secure the split sleeve to the post and then tighten the second pair of bolts to secure the sign to the sign-holder. Therefore, the installation of the sign necessitates a number of operations which are time consuming. 
     It has also been proposed, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,377 issued on Oct. 22, 1985 to Huel, to secure a sign to a post by means of a pair of straps effective for retaining the sign to a bracket as well as fastening the bracket to the. post. However, when it is desired to remove the sign, it is necessary to detach the bracket from the pole, as it is the straps which directly hold the sign in position with respect to the bracket. 
     Although the sign mounting systems described in the above mentioned patents are effective for attaching a sign to a post, it has been found that there is a need for a sign mounting system which facilitates the installation and removal of a sign from a support structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved sign mounting system which offers ease of assembly and disassembly. 
     It is also an aim of the present invention to provide such a sign mounting system which is relatively simple and economical to manufacture. 
     Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system for mounting a sign to a structural member, comprising a clamp adapted to be mounted about the structural member, said clamp including at least a pair of gripping members adapted to cooperate for holding the sign therebetween, and securing means adapted to be engaged with said clamp to retain said gripping members in gripping engagement with the sign, while at the same time securing said clamp to the structural member. 
     Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a combination mounting system and sign for mounting to a structural member, said mounting system comprising a bracket adapted to be mounted about the structural member, said bracket having a pair of gripping members displaceable between an open position for allowing said sign to be inserted therebetween and a closed position for holding said sign, actuator means extending transversely through said gripping members for displacing said gripping members between said open and closed positions thereof, and at least one slot defined in said sign, said slot having an open end to accommodate a portion of said actuator means located between said gripping members, thereby allowing said sign to be installed and removed from said bracket without having to disengage said actuator means from one of said gripping members. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sign mounting system installed on an upstanding post and holding a sign thereon in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1 a  is an enlarged view of a portion of the sign of FIG. 1, showing the details of an open-ended slot thereof; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view, partly in cross-section, of the sign mounting system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a sign mounting system installed on an upstanding post and holding a pair of signs in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 a  is an enlarged view of a portion of one of the signs of FIG. 3, showing the details of an open-ended slot thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view, partly in cross-section, of the sign mounting system of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a sign mounting system in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein an auxiliary gripping member is used to enhance the overall structural rigidity of the sign mounting system; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the sign mounting system of FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the sign mounting system of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Now Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sign mounting system embodying the element of the present invention and generally designated by numeral  10  will be described. 
     More particularly, the sign mounting system  10  generally comprises a sign  12  held by a clamp or bracket  14  mounted around a vertical post  16 . 
     As seen in FIG. 2, the clamp  14  is formed as a partial ring or collar  17  at opposed free ends of which a pair of parallel gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  extend so as to define a gap therebetween for receiving the sign  12 . The gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  define respective transversal bores  19   a  and  19   b,  which are placed in register for allowing a bolt or actuator means  20  to be driven therein so as to displace the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  towards each other while, at the same time, causing the collar  17  to contract around the post  16 . A washer  22  may be disposed between the head of the bolt  20  and the gripping arm  18   b,  as is well known in the art. 
     According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the bore  19   a  is provided with internal threads  23  for cooperating with the external threads of the bolt  20 , whereas the bore  19   b  is delimited by a smooth surface. However, it is understood that both bores  19   a  and  19   b  could be provided with threads. 
     The thickness of the gripping arm  18   a  may be greater than that of the gripping arm  18   b  to maximize the length of the bore  19   a  and, thus, allow for the formation of a greater number of internal threads  23 , thereby allowing for a wider range of contraction of the clamp  14  through the operation of the bolt  20 . 
     The bolt  20  is provided with a head  25  which is configured to overlie a portion of the surface of the gripping arm  18   b  surrounding the bore  19   b.  Accordingly, continuous advancement of the bolt  20  through the bore  19   a  will urge the undersurface of the head  25  against the gripping arm  18   b,  thereby drawing the gripping arm  18   b  towards the gripping arm  18   a  to a closed position wherein the sign  12  is held tightly captive between the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b.    
     As seen in FIG. 1, the sign  12  defines a L-shaped slot  24  having an open end for allowing the bolt  20  to be engaged within the slot  24  without having to remove the bolt  20  from the bore  19   a.  Therefore, one only has to loosen the bolt  20  such that the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  release the sign  12  and allow for the sign  12  to slide therebetween. 
     To install the sign  12 , the collar  17  is first slidably fitted over the upper end of the post  16  down to a selected position. Then, the bolt  20  is tightened so as to draw the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  to an intermediate position, wherein the collar  17  is sufficiently collapsed inwardly to ensure that the collar  17  will remain in position on the post  16 . Thereafter, the sign  12  is inserted between the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  so as to position the portion of the bolt  20  extending between the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  in the bottom  26  of the slot  24 . Then, the bolt is further tightened to cause the arms  18   a  and  18   b  to tightly clamp onto the sign  12 . The inside surfaces of the arms  18   a  and  18   b  each define a ridge which bites into the sign  12  to prevent the latter from coming out. 
     One advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that when, it is desired to replace the sign  12  with a similar or different sign, one has just to slightly loosen the bolt  20  such that the gripping arms  18   a  and  18   b  allow for the sign  12  to slide therebetween. Indeed, because of the openended slot  24 , it is not necessary to completely unscrew the bolt  20  from at least the bore  19   a  to remove the sign  12  from the clamp  14 . 
     According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the clamp  14  is of unitary construction and is made of metal. 
     It is understood that more than one clamp  14  may be provided for supporting a single sign, particularly when the size and the weight of the sign are considerable. In these cases, a number of L-shaped slot  24  corresponding to the required number of clamps  14  would be defined in the sign  12 . 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein a clamp  14 ′ is split into two distinct sections  28   a′  and  28   b ′, each of which is composed of a semi-circular central portion  30 ′ from which extend a pair of diametrically opposed gripping arms  18   a ′ and  18   b′.    
     To draw the sections  28   a  and  28   b  together about a post  16 ′, the gripping arms  18   a ′ and  18   b ′ of the section  28   a ′ are respectively placed in register with the associated gripping arms  18   b,  and  18   a ′ of the section  28   b ′, and two bolts  20 ′ are threadably engaged with respective pairs of gripping arms  18   a ′ and  18   b′.    
     As seen in FIG. 4, this construction of the clamp  14 ′ is intended to support a pair of signs  12 ′ extending in diametrically opposed manner from opposite sides of the post  16 ′. 
     The signs  12 ′ are installed and removed as per the way described hereinbefore with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIGS. 5 to  7  illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein an auxiliary gripping member  32 , having an inverted U-shaped configuration, is slidably fitted on gripping arms  18   a ″ and  18   b ″ so as to partly extend beyond a free end portion thereof. The auxiliary gripping member  32  comprises a top wall  34  on opposed sides of which a pair of downwardly extending side walls  36  depend. A pair of registered bores  38  are defined in the side walls  36  to form a transversal passage for a bolt  20 ″. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bores  38  are aligned with the bores  19   a ″ and  19   b ″ defined in the gripping arms  18   a ″ and  18   b ″ and with the bottom, or closed, portion of slot  24 ″ for allowing the passage of the bolt  20 ″ through the gripping arms  18   a ″ and  18   b″.    
     As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, a pair of opposed aligned bulbous projections  40  extend inwardly from the bottom edges of respective side walls  36  for frictionally engaging the sign  12 ″. A pair of opposed Y-shaped projections  42  and a pair of opposed inclined bulbous projections  44  extend inwardly from the portion of the side walls  36  extending beyond the free end portions of the gripping arms  18   a ″ and  18   b ″ to further frictionally retain the sign  12 ″ and, thus, increase the rigidity of the connection between the sign  12 ″ and the clamp  14 ″. 
     It is noted that the auxiliary gripping member  32  may be installed on the sign  12 ″ prior to being mounted to the gripping arms  18   a ″ and  18   b ″ or after having been secured thereto by means of the bolt  20 . 
     The third embodiment also differs from the first and second embodiments in that the region of the sign  12 ″ to be engaged by the gripping arms  18   a and  18   b  is thicker than the remaining portion of the sign  12 ″ to provide increased rigidity. 
     The signs  12 ,  12 ′ and  12 ″ and the auxiliary gripping member may be formed by extrusion. The signs  12 ,  12 ′ and  12 ″ may be formed of polycarbonate. 
     Although the present invention has been described in connection with a vertical post  16 / 16 ″, it is understood that the sign mounting systems  10 ,  10 ′ and  10 ″ may be used with other structural or support members forming part of a given display arrangement.