Patent Publication Number: US-2007119083-A1

Title: Sign holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      Not Applicable.  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not Applicable.  
     INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC  
      Not Applicable.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is directed generally to sign or picture holders, and more specifically to versatile, self-supporting sign or picture holders that can be reused with various media removably associated therewith.  
      Signs are ubiquitous in modern society. They are used to provide directions, for product or business recognition, or, in ever-increasing fashion, for marketing. Individuals and businesses routinely use signs to display information about themselves, their products and services, special promotions, sales, and the like. Further, during special events, such as seminars, meetings, and the like, whether held by businesses or other individuals or entities, placement of signs throughout the location of the event can provide attendees with directions, scheduling information, sponsorship information, or any manner of information a sponsor of an event wishes to communicate.  
      Whatever the use or purpose of a given sign, the content of such signs may change rapidly, and the need to move signs from one location to another, displaying new or different content at each location, is great. Fixed signs do not, by their very nature, allow for portability. Pre-made signs are not readily modified for use in displaying various materials or information, and may require fastening to some solid support or surface upon relocation from one place to another. Sign holders are known, such as frames, stands and the like, that can provide support for various signs as they are moved from one location to the next, but such sign holders are often bulky and lack versatility in the types, sizes, and orientation of materials that can be displayed therewith.  
      The present invention provides portable, reusable sign holders that are adapted for use with a variety of types, sizes, thickness, and orientation of materials. The sign holders of the present invention are also sturdy, self-supporting, and protective of the media contained therein.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a sign holder including a front panel and rear panel, the two panels each having at least one opening therein. At least one fastener and coupling are also provided, the fastener being adapted to be inserted through the openings in the two panels and the coupling being adapted to engage the fastener. By use of this fastener and coupling arrangement, the front and rear panels are securely held to one another such that a sign may be contained therebetween. It is preferred that the coupling further serve to maintain the sign holder in an upright position.  
      In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sign holder is substantially rectangular in shape with an opening located substantially in each corner of each of the front and rear panels. Four fastener and coupling pairs are used to securely attach the front panel to the rear panel, and to securely hold a sign therebetween.  
      A sign holder of the present invention may further include a beveled edge along a perimeter of front panel.  
      In one alternative embodiment of the present invention, the front and rear panels of the invention are provided in a concave shape. In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the front and rear panels are provided in a convex shape.  
      In still another embodiment of the present invention, the front panel is fixedly attached to a frame that extends around a perimeter thereof. In this embodiment of the present invention, openings are present in the frame such that a fastener and coupling configuration can be used to securely, removably attach the frame and front panel combination to the rear panel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the sign holder of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the sign holder of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  is a right, side elevational view of the sign holder of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the sign holder of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 6  is a front view of the sign holder of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the sign holder having a substantially concave shape.  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the sign holder having a frame around a perimeter of the front panel thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like parts, the numeral  10  refers generally to a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Sign holder  10  includes a front panel  12 , a rear panel  14 , upper fasteners  16 , upper couplings  18 , lower fasteners  20 , and lower couplings  22 .  
      Front panel  12  is preferably constructed from a durable, transparent material such as acrylic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene, methylacrylate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (MABS), polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polycarbonate, and the like, or some combination of such polymers or copolymers. Front panel  12  may also be constructed from glass or any other suitable material known in the art or hereafter discovered. Front panel  12  is preferably constructed of a durable material such that the contents of sign holder  10  are protected from the elements and from physical damage. The material from which front panel  12  is constructed may also be chosen to shield the contents of sign holder  10  from the effects of UV or other radiation. As shown in  FIG. 1 , front panel  12  includes a beveled edge  24  along a perimeter thereof. Beveled edge  24  may be provided, and may be transparent, as with the rest of front panel  12 , or may be provided with coloration or a decorative pattern in order to further enhance the aesthetics of sign holder  10 . Front panel  12  also includes a plurality of openings  26 , best seen in  FIG. 2 , by which front panel  12  may be secured to rear panel  14 .  
      Rear panel  14  is preferably constructed from the same material as front panel  12 , though any suitable material may be used. Further, though rear panel  14  is preferably transparent in the same manner as front panel  12 , it is contemplated that rear panel  14  may be constructed from an opaque material, or may be provided with coloration or decorative design since a sign placed within sign holder  10  need not be viewable through rear panel  14 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , rear panel  14  does not include a beveled edge such as that of front panel  12 . Rear panel  14  may, however, include such a beveled edge, and if included, the beveled edge may be provided with coloration, decorative design, and the like. Like front panel  12 , rear panel  14  preferably includes a plurality of openings  28 , and it is preferred that openings  28  on rear panel  14  align substantially with openings  26  on front panel  12  so that rear panel  14  and front panel  12  may be secured to one another via these openings. Although both front panel  12  and rear panel  14  are shown as being planar, in other embodiments of the present invention these panels may be substantially concave or convex, as described below.  
      A sign  30  may be positioned between front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 . Sign  30  may be constructed of any suitable material, such as paper, synthetic polymers, and the like. Because of the mechanism by which front panel  12  is secured to rear panel  14 , as described below, sign  30  may also be of varying thickness. If sign  30  is relatively thin, for example, the extent to which upper and lower fasteners  16  and  20  and upper and lower couplings  18  and  22  are engaged will differ from the circumstance in which sign  30  is relatively thick. Thus, varying thicknesses of signs  30  can be accommodated by the present device simply by adjusting upper and lower fasteners  16  and  20 . Further, sign  30  may be sized such that it covers substantially the entire surface area of front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , in which case sign  30  preferably includes openings  32 , which align substantially with openings  26  and  28  in front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , respectively, or sign  30  may be of any size or shape that is capable of being secured between front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , and therefore of being displayed within sign holder  10 . Sign  30  may include a wide range of content, including, but not limited to, images, designs, photographs, text, or combinations thereof. The fasteners of the present invention are preferably screws, as shown in the drawings, and the couplings are preferably threaded to engage the screws. It is contemplated, however, that any suitable fastener may be used, including but not limited to, knobs, anchors, bolts, pins, dowels, rivets, nails, pegs, and the like. Further, it is contemplated that any suitable coupling may be used that is adapted to engage a specific fastener. It is further preferred that the fastener and coupling are adjustably engaged such that sign holder  10  may be used with signs or pictures having a variety of thicknesses, but it is contemplated that a fastener and coupling that are not adjustably engaged, and thus are more limiting with respect to variations in sign or picture thickness, may also be used.  
      In the embodiment of the present invention shown in the Figures, front panel  12  and rear panel  14  are secured to one another by use of upper fasteners  16 , which are threadably engaged with upper couplings  18 , and lower fasteners  20 , which are threadably engaged with lower couplings  22 . As best shown in  FIG. 2 , at least a portion of upper fasteners  16  are inserted through two of apertures  26  of front panel  12 , through sign  30  if sign  30  is of sufficient size or positioned such that an opening  32  in sign  30  is adjacent openings  26 , and through openings  28  of rear panel  14 . Upper couplings  18  are then threadably engaged with upper fasteners  16 , securing front panel  12  firmly to rear panel  14 , with sign  30  positioned therebetween.  
      Likewise, at least a portion of lower fasteners  20 , are inserted through two of apertures  26  of front panel  12 , through sign  30  if appropriate as described above, and through openings  28  of rear panel  14 . Lower couplings  22  are then engaged with lower fasteners  20 , securing front panel  12  firmly to rear panel  14 . Though upper fasteners  16 , lower fasteners  20 , upper couplings  18 , and lower couplings  20  are shown in the Figures, it is contemplated that any suitable method of removably securing front panel  12  to rear panel  14  may be used.  
      In addition to receiving lower fasteners  20  and thereby securing front panel  12  to rear panel  14 , lower couplings  22  also serve to provide a support for sign holder  10  such that it is maintained in a upright position. As best shown in  FIG. 1 , in a preferred embodiment, lower couplings  22  are longer than upper couplings  18 , having a sufficient length such that sign holder  10  may be placed on a table, counter, or other surface and maintained in an upright position. As noted above, the fastener and coupling method of securing front panel  12  to rear panel  14  described herein may be replaced by any suitable method of securing the two panels. Whatever method is used to secure front panel  12  to rear panel  14 , however, it is preferred that method also provide stability to sign holder  10  such that it can be maintained in an upright position similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 . This is not true of embodiments of the present invention that are adapted to hang on a wall, as described further below.  
       FIG. 3  provides a top view of a sign holder  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , with upper fasteners  16  fully tightened such that front panel  12  and rear panel  14  are securely held between upper fasteners  16  and upper couplings  18 . Lower fasteners  20  are not visible in the drawings, however lower couplings  22  are visible even though they lie in the same vertical planes are upper couplings  18  because lower couplings  22  are longer than upper couplings  18 , being of sufficient length to provide support for sign holder  10  such that it is maintained in an upright position. It is not necessary, however, that upper and lower couplings  18  and  22 , or upper and lower fasteners  16  and  20 , lie in the same vertical planes. The fasteners and couplings of the present invention may be positioned in any suitable manner.  
       FIG. 4  provides a right side view of a sign holder  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , with upper fasteners  16  and lower fasteners  20  fully tightened. Only one of each of upper fasteners  16 , upper couplings  18 , lower fasteners  20 , and lower couplings  22  is visible in the figure because each pair of upper and lower fasteners and couplings lie in the same horizontal plane. It is not necessary that upper fasteners and couplings  16  and  18  lie in the same horizontal plane, however it is preferred that lower fasteners and couplings  20  and  22  do lie in the same horizontal plane in order to provide stability to sign holder  10  when sign holder  10  is in an upright position.  
       FIG. 5  provides a bottom view of a sign holder  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , with lower fasteners  20  fully tightened. Again, front panel  12  and rear panel  14  are visible and held securely to one another. Lower fasteners and couplings  20  and  22  are aligned in a vertical plane with upper fasteners and couplings  16  and  18 , as described with respect to  FIG. 3 , above, though this alignment may be altered without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  provides a front view of a sign holder  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Upper fasteners  16  and lower fasteners  20  are visible, as is beveled edge  24  of front panel  12 . Text provided in the image represents the text of a sign contained within sign holder  10 , held between front panel  12  and rear panel  14  (not shown).  
      One alternative embodiment of a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is provided in  FIG. 7 . As seen in the Figure, sign holder  200  includes upper fasteners  216 , upper couplings  218 , lower fasteners  220 , lower couplings  222 , a front panel  212 , and a rear panel  214 . The securing of front panel  212  to rear panel  214 , and the placement of a sign therebetween, is substantially the same as that described with respect to the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 , above. In the embodiment of the present device shown in  FIG. 7 , however, front panel  212  and rear panel  214  are provided in a slightly concave configuration. Such a configuration provides an aesthetic appeal separate from that of the embodiment of the present device shown in  FIG. 1 . Further, depending on the content of a sign contained within sign holder  200 , and the specific lighting thereof, as well as other environmental factors, an effect not attainable with other embodiments of the present device may be achieved. It is contemplated that a sign holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention may have a greater or lesser degree of concavity than that shown in  FIG. 7 , or may instead be provided in a convex configuration, depending on the specific use to which sign holder  200  is put and the desired effect thereof.  
      Another alternative embodiment of the present device is provided in  FIG. 8 . Sign holder  300  is provided, having upper fasteners  316 , upper couplings  318 , lower fasteners  320 , and lower couplings  322 . Front panel  312  and rear panel  314  are also provided. Front panel  312  does not, however, include a beveled edge. Rather, a frame  315  is provided along the perimeter of front panel  312 . Frame  315  may be constructed or metal, wood, glass, synthetic polymer, as described with respect to front and rear panels  12  and  14 , above, combinations thereof, or any other suitable material. Frame  315  may be provided with coloration or other decorative effects in order to provide a desired aesthetic (e.g. elegant, professional, and the like) to sign holder  300 . Alternatively, frame  315  may be constructed from the same material as front panel  312 , or may even be an integral portion thereof, and may be provided with scoring, texturing, or other decorative effects in order to achieve a desired aesthetic. Sign holder  300  includes openings (not shown) in frame  315  and rear panel  314  such that fasteners  316  and  320  may pass therethrough in order to engage couplings  318  and  320 , thereby securing front panel  312  and frame  315  to rear panel  314 .  
      Each of the embodiments of the present invention described above benefits from the fact that the upper and lower fasteners, and upper and lower couplings, provided therewith may be completely separated from one another, thereby allowing the device to be taken apart for ease of placement and positioning of a sign therein. Further, by simple rearrangement of the positions of one of upper couplings  18  and lower couplings  22 , for example, the orientation of sign holder  10  may be changed. Such a rearrangement of an upper coupling  18  and a lower coupling  22  of sign holder  10 , for example, results in a sign holder that may be stably sustained in an upright position with a longitudinal axis thereof oriented in a horizontal direction rather than in a vertical direction as shown in the drawings. Thus, signs having that orientation are easily displayed within the same sign holder  10  as signs having a longitudinal axis oriented in a vertical direction by a simple change of position of two couplings before substituting one sign for another. The result is a versatile sign holder.  
      In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, upper couplings  18  and lower couplings  22  may be provided equal in length (preferably a shorter length, as of upper couplings  18 ) such that a sign holder of the present invention may be mounted on a wall. In such an embodiment of the present invention, upper and lower couplings  18  and  22  serve not only to engage upper and lower fasteners  16  and  20 , but also serve as spacers to set the sign holder a preferred distance from the surface of the wall. Any known method of securing a picture, frame, sign, or other device to a wall may be provided with the sign holder and used to secure the sign holder to a wall. Alternatively, the rear panel of a sign holder to be mounted on a wall may be positioned flush with the surface of the wall, with upper and lowers fasteners  16  and  20  engaging the wall directly and securing the sign holder thereto.  
      Although the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the Figures each include four openings located substantially at each corner of a rectangular sign holder  10 , it is contemplated that the number and location of such openings may be varied, as may the overall shape of sign  10 , without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, even with respect to a sign holder  10  such as that shown in  FIG. 1 , a single opening may be located near the top center of each of front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , with a single opening at the bottom center of each panel, for a total of two openings, or with two openings located at the bottom of each panel, one located substantially at each corner, for a total of three openings. Any number and location of openings may be used so long as sign holder  10  is able to securely hold a sign  30  between front panel  12  and rear panel  14 . Further, sign holder  10  may be provided in various shapes, such as in the form of a circle, oval, or triangle, or in ornamental shapes such as, for example, a star. In embodiments having only one opening near the bottom of the sign holder, a lower coupling may be used having a “T” or “L” shape, or any other shape or configuration that will allow a single coupling to stably maintain the sign holder in an upright position.  
      In addition to the various materials that may be used in the construction of front panel  12  and rear panel  14 , as described above, upper and lower fasteners  16  and  18 , and upper and lower couplings  18  and  20 , may also be constructed from a variety of materials. In the embodiments of the present invention shown in the Figures, the various fasteners and couplings used therewith are preferably constructed from metal, such as steel, aluminum, chrome, and the like. Alternatively, however, the various fasteners and couplings used in conjunction with the present device may be constructed of plastic or other polymers (including the same materials used in the construction of front panel  12  and rear panel  14 ), wood, or any other suitable material.  
      In addition to placing a sign  30  within sign holder  10 , it is further contemplated that matting made, for example, from cardboard, fabric, or other material, may be secured between front panel  12  and rear panel  14  of sign holder  10  in order to provide a decorative effect thereto or to provide support for signs that are of unusual shape or substantially smaller than the size of front panel  12  and rear panel  14 . This provides not only an increased aesthetic effect to sign holder  10 , but also provides increased stability and support for signs that, due to size or shape, are not readily retained or held in position between front panel  12  and rear panel  14  due to the securing of those panels alone.  
     EXAMPLE  
      A sign holder  200  as shown in  FIG. 7  was constructed from two curved acrylic panels, front panel  212  and rear panel  214 . Front panel  212  had a thickness of 2.00 mm, while rear panel  214  has a thickness of 3.00 mm. Front panel  212  further included a beveled edge around the perimeter thereof, the beveled edge being provided with a green colorant. Openings were located substantially in each of the four corners of both front panel  212  and rear panel  214  such that the openings in front panel  212  aligned with those of rear panel  214  when the two panels were placed adjacent one another with their edges flush. Upper and lower fasteners  216  and  220  (which are knobbed screws in the embodiment of the present invention provided in this example), and upper and lower couplings  218  and  222  were constructed from stainless steel, with the couplings adapted to threadably engage the fasteners. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the couplings were provided in substantially cylindrical form, each having flat ends. Upper couplings  218  were each ¾ inches in length, whereas lower couplings  222  were each 3 inches in length.  
      Although numerous advantages and characteristics of the present invention have been described herein, together with details concerning the structure and function of the invention, the foregoing description is exemplary only. Accordingly, changes may be made in detail, particularly in matters of shape, size, arrangement of features, and materials of the present invention while still remaining within the broad spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the claims that follow.