Patent Publication Number: US-6338213-B1

Title: Non tippable pop-up caution sign

Description:
This invention relates to a warning sign particularly but not exclusively for use on wet floors in public places. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a warning sign comprising two parts pivotably connected together at their in use upper ends and having ground contacting foot portions at their in use lower ends, the two parts being pivotable between a first storage position in which the two parts are arranged in side-by-side relationship and a second operative position in which the two parts are at an angle to one another so that with the foot portion or portions of one part spaced from the foot portion or portions of the other part, the sign will be self-supporting on the ground, and detent means for releasably retaining the two parts in the second operative position. 
     Preferred and/or optional features of the first aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 7 inclusive. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a warning sign comprising two parts pivotably connected together at their in use upper ends and having ground contacting foot portions at their in use lower ends, the two parts being pivotable between a first storage position in which the two parts are arranged in side-by-side relationship and a second operative position in which the two parts are at an angle to one another with the foot portion or portions of one part spaced from the foot portion or portions of the other part so that the sign will be self-supporting on the ground, a third part which can be raised or lowered relative to the first and second parts and means for releasably supporting the third part in a raised position relative to the first and second parts when the first and second parts are in said second position. 
     Preferred and/or optional features of the second aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 9 to 11. 
    
    
     The invention will now be more particularly described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a warning sign according to the first aspect of the invention, in an operative position, 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a hinge between first and second parts of the warning sign shown in FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the upper part of the first and second parts of the warning sign in a storage position, 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken between the first and second parts of the warning sign but including also a third part which can be raised or lowered relative to the first and second parts, and 
     FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V—V of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown therein a warning sign which, for example, can be used to caution the general public in a public place that a potential hazard exists in the vicinity of the sign, such as a wet floor or maintenance work in a restaurant, hospital, train station and such like. The warning sign comprises first and second parts  10  and  11  pivotably connected together by hinges  12  at the in use upper ends of the two parts  10  and  11  for movement between a first storage position in which the two parts lie parallel in a side-by-side relationship (see FIG. 3) and a second operative position in which the two parts are at an angle to one another (see FIG.  1 ). Each part  10 ,  11  has feet  13  at its in use lower end so that when the parts  10  and  11  are in the second operative position, the feet will support the sign in an upright position as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     Each part  10  and  11  has a recess  14 , for receiving a caution sign, and a hand hole  15 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 3, each part  10 ,  11  has a projection  16  at the upper end of its inner face above the hinges  12  that securely releasably engages an aperture or recess  17  in the other part  11 I  10  when the two parts  10  and  11  are in the second operative position. The projections  16  are a snap or friction fit in corresponding apertures or recesses  17  to allow the two parts to retain the second operative position, thereby reducing a tendency for the sign to collapse and/or fall over when impacted. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sign also comprises a third “pop-up” part  18 . This third part  18  comprises a head portion  19  having the caution sign on each of its two major faces and a stem portion  20  which, when the first and second parts  10  and  11  are in the first storage position, is slidable therebetween allowing the third part  18  to be adjusted between a lowered position in which the head portion  19  is just above the upper ends of the first and second parts  10  and  11 , and a second raised position. 
     The stem portion  20  has two pairs of recesses  21 . The recesses of each pair are horizontally aligned when the sign is in an upright position and the two pairs of recesses  21  are spaced vertically from one another. When the warning sign is in the second operative position, these recesses  21  receive projections  22  formed on each of the first and second parts  10  and  11 . This allows the third part  18  to be securely supported in the raised (or lowered) position. The third part  18  can only be released from its raised (or lowered) position relative to the first and second parts  10  and  11  by moving the first and second parts from the second operative position, thus releasing the projections  22  from the recesses  21 . 
     Typically, all parts are formed of plastics material with the third part  18  preferably being resiliently flexible in a direction parallel to the ground on which the warning sign is erected. Due to this flexibility and the secure support of the third part  18  at the recesses  21  when in the operative position, stability of the warning sign is increased due to the realisation of a “pendulum” effect that allows reversal of momentum on impact of the third part  18 , i.e. when a person accidently knocks the caution sign with a shoulder bag, for example, thus resulting in little or no relative movement of the warning sign subsequent to impact.