Patent Publication Number: US-11024204-B2

Title: Handheld lighted stop sign apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to stop signs and more particularly pertains to a new stop sign for increased visibility and safety for traffic control. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a sign body having a sign front side, a sign back side, and an octagonal sign perimeter. A pair of reflectors is coupled to the sign front side and the sign back side. Each of the pair of reflectors is octagonal and has a “STOP” lettering. A handle is coupled to the sign body. A handle top end of the handle has a sign slot extending towards a handle bottom end. The sign slot is coupled around a sign bottom edge of the sign body. A sidewall of the handle forms a handle cavity with the handle top end and the handle bottom end. A rim is coupled to the sign body. The rim comprises a rim front half coupled to the sign front side around the sign perimeter and a rim back half coupled to the sign back side around the sign perimeter. The rim extends from a handle left side of the handle adjacent the sign slot to a handle right side of the handle adjacent the sign slot. A plurality of LED lights is coupled within the rim front half and the rim back half. A battery is coupled within the handle cavity and is in operational communication with the plurality of LED lights. A battery charge port is coupled to the handle. The battery charge port is coupled to the handle bottom end and is in operational communication with the battery. A power switch is coupled to the handle. The power switch is in operational communication with the battery and the plurality of LED lights. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a handheld lighted stop sign apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 7  thereof, a new stop sign embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the handheld lighted stop sign apparatus  10  generally comprises a sign body  12  having a sign front side  14 , a sign back side  16 , and an octagonal sign perimeter  18 . A pair of reflectors  20  is coupled to the sign body  12 . The pair of reflectors  20  is coupled to the sign front side  14  and the sign back side  16 . Each of the pair of reflectors  20  is octagonal and has a “STOP” lettering  22 . A handle  24  is coupled to the sign body  12 . A rounded handle top end  26  of the handle  24  has a sign slot  28  extending towards a handle bottom end  30 . The sign slot  28  is coupled around a sign bottom edge  31  of the sign body  12 . A sidewall  32  of the handle  24  forms a handle cavity  34  with the handle top end  26  and the handle bottom end  30 . The sidewall  32  of the handle  24  extends past the handle bottom end  30 . An inner surface  36  of the sidewall  32  is threaded. A non-slip grip  38  may be coupled to the handle  24  and is continuously disposed on the sidewall  32  for user comfort and to prevent accidental slippage. A cap  40  is coupled to the handle  24  and has a base portion  42  and a threaded portion  44 . The threaded portion  44  is selectively engageable with the inner surface  36  of the sidewall  32  to cover and alternatively expose the handle bottom end  30 . 
     A rim  46  is coupled to the sign body  12  and comprises a rim front half  48  coupled to the sign front side  14  around the sign perimeter  18  and a rim back half  50  coupled to the sign back side  16  around the sign perimeter  18 . The rim  46  extends from a handle left side  52  of the handle  24  adjacent the sign slot  28  to a handle right side  54  of the handle  24  adjacent the sign slot  28 . A plurality of LED lights  56  is coupled within the rim front half  48  and the rim back half  50 . The plurality of LED lights  56  may be red and blue to attract attention. The plurality of LED lights  56  is evenly distributed along the rim front half  48  and the rim back half  50 . A battery  58  is coupled within the handle cavity  34  and is in operational communication with the plurality of LED lights  56 . A battery charge port  60  is coupled to the handle  24 . The battery charge port  60  is coupled to the handle bottom end  30  and is in operational communication with the battery  58  to receive a charger to charge the battery  58 . A power switch  62  is coupled to the handle  24  and is in operational communication with the battery  58  and the plurality of LED lights  56 . A USB port  64  is coupled within the handle bottom end  30  and is in operational communication with the battery  58 . The USB port  64  is configured to receive and charge a personal electronic device  66 . A camera  68  is coupled to a handle front side  70  of the handle  24  proximal the handle top end  26 . The camera  68  is in operational communication with the battery  58 . A camera trigger  72  is coupled to the handle front side  70  and is in operational communication with the camera  68 . A memory card slot  74  is coupled within the handle bottom end  30  and is in operational communication with the camera  68 . The memory card slot  74  is configured to receive a memory card  76  to store pictures taken with the camera  68 . The cap  40  is engaged to cover and protect the battery charge port  60 , the USB port  64 , and the memory card slot  74 . 
     In use, the user holds the handle  24  and uses the power switch  62  to activate the plurality of LED lights  56 . The user may depress the camera trigger  72  to take pictures with the camera  68  of drivers that commit infractions. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.