Patent Publication Number: US-6665969-B1

Title: Mount for tandem sign

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to a sign mounting system for side-by-side or tandem mounting of pivotal signs. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a pivotal sign mount system that permits two or more signs to be mounted side-by-side to one another to provide an expanded display. 
     Signs, and more particularly, point of purchase sign or display systems can, when properly designed, be tremendously effective marketing tools. These systems have become widely popular in all manners of retail trade. 
     In one common use, signs are mounted to shelving systems that permit loading of pallets and palletized items onto the stocking shelves. These are commonly referred to as pallet racks. These arrangements permit the storage of large items and large amounts of items on each of the shelves. However, these shelves do not typically lend themselves to the mounting of point-of-purchase displays or signs thereon. 
     Many known signs are permanently or semi-permanently affixed to the shelves and are hung above or below the shelving systems. While many of these signs work quite well to direct the consumer&#39;s attention to the particular products, they do not permit ready access to the shelves to, for example, restock the shelves or retrieve items from the shelves. This, of course, is particularly true of those signs that are permanently or semi-permanently affixed to the shelves. 
     Known mounting systems include those disclosed in Padiak et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,633, entitled “Pivotal, Two-Position Locking Sign Mounting System” and Conway et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,420, entitled “Universal Sign Mounting Device”, both of which are commonly assigned with the present application, and in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/044,601, to Conway et al., which application is commonly assigned herewith. These systems function well for their intended purposes. The systems disclosed in the &#39;633 and &#39;420 patents require some locking arrangement to maintain the sign in a storage (e.g., open) or display (e.g., closed) position. The application to Conway et al., uses a biasing element, such as a spring to maintain the sign in the down or up (e.g., display or storage) position. The aforementioned patents and application are incorporated herein by reference. 
     One drawback to these known sign systems is that they are limited to use in single sign displays. That is, there is no manner is which two or more signs can be mounted side-by-side, to appear as one large sign but to function independently. Such an arrangement may be desirable where, for example, a large display is desired or the display is to be viewed from an extreme distance, without the inconvenience of a single large, cumbersome assembly. 
     Accordingly there exists a need for a point-of-purchase display or sign mounting system that is used to position a sign in a particular, desired orientation and position, and that is effective for point-of-purchase marketing. Desirably such a system permits two or more signs to be mounted in a side-by-side manner to permit the signs to appear as one large display, but to function as independent units. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A sign mounting system is used to mount at least two signs portions to an associated structure. The sign portions are mounted in an aligned manner so that separate sign portions appear as a single sign. The mounting system includes a plurality of sign mounts. That is, one sign mount is present for each of the sign portions. The sign mounts are each configured to support a single sign portion. 
     Each sign mount includes first and second brackets and an arm associated with each bracket. The arms pivoting about the brackets at a pivot axis. In a preferred embodiment, the arms are biasedly mounted to the brackets and include a biasing element operable connecting each arm to its respective bracket. The biasing element biases the arm to a storage position or a display position when the arm is in any position intermediate the storage position and the display position. 
     The first and second brackets have oppositely, outwardly facing surfaces. The outwardly facing surface of the first bracket has a first mating element and the outwardly facing surface of the second bracket has a second mating element. The second mating element of the second bracket of the first sign mount is configured to mate with the first mating element of the first bracket of the second sign mount to maintain the two sign portions aligned with one another. 
     In a current embodiment, each bracket includes first and second spaced apart outwardly extending flanges. The flanges each define an outwardly oriented surface. The first mating element is disposed on the outwardly oriented surface of the first flange and the second mating element is disposed on the outwardly oriented surface of the second flange. In a current embodiment, the first mating element is an outwardly extending projection and the second mating element is an outwardly extending ring. The projection is configured for positioning within the ring and for engaging an inner surface of the ring. 
     The arms of brackets that are adjacent one another define inside arms. The arms of brackets that are not adjacent another bracket define outside arms. To secure the outsides of the sign portions, the outside arms have caps positioned on an outer edge thereof. The caps are preferably reversible so that they can be used on either side of the sign. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, in conjunction with the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The benefits and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sign mount system having a pair of tandem sign mounts embodying the principles of the present invention, the mounts securing two signs to one another and being mounted to a display shelf, the signs being illustrated in the display position in solid lines and in the storage position in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the pair of tandem sign mounts taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a the sign mount system of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described presently preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. It should be further understood that the title of this section of this specification, namely, “Detailed Description Of The Invention”, relates to a requirement of the United States Patent Office, and does not imply, nor should be inferred to limit the subject matter disclosed herein. 
     Referring now to the figures and in particular to FIG. 1 there is shown a sign mounting system  10  for side-by-side or tandem mounting of signs S (S 1 , S 2 ). For purpose of the present disclosure, the term sign refers to, generally, the sign, graphic or media that is used for the display portion of the system. The mounting system  10  includes, as shown, two separate sign mounts  12  ( 12   a ,  12   b ) that are mounted to adjacent shelves V 1 , V 2  of a shelving system. 
     Each sign mount  12  includes a pair of brackets  14 ,  16  that are mounted to the shelf, for example, shelf V 1 . An arm  18 ,  20  is mounted to each bracket,  14 ,  16 , generally parallel to one another. Rails  22 ,  24  extend between the arms  18 ,  20  at the bracket ends  26  and at the free ends  28 . The arms  18 ,  20  and rails  22 ,  24  define a frame for the sign or graphic portion S of the system. In a current embodiment, the rails  22 ,  24  are formed by extrusion methods, which methods will be recognized by those skilled in the art. 
     The rails  22 ,  24  are formed having generally transverse support legs  22   a,b  and  24   a,b . A capture flange  30  extends along each rail  22 ,  24  parallel and spaced from one of the legs  22   a ,  24   a , and transverse to the other leg  22   b ,  24   b . The graphic S is held between the capture flange  30  and one of the support legs  22   a ,  24   a.    
     The brackets  14 ,  16  are configured to permit the facing or inside arms  18  to abut one another in an aligned manner. In this way, for example, a two-piece graphic S 1 , S 2  can be mounted (with a first section of graphic S 1  on one of the sign mounts  12   a  and a second section of graphic S 2  on the other sign mount  12   b ) so that the graphic S 1 , S 2  appears to be continuous without a seam or support between the graphic sections S 1 , S 2 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 3, the arms  18 ,  20  include a longitudinal support member  32  and upper and lower capture flanges  34 ,  36 . The arms  18 ,  20  and rails  22 ,  24  are mounted to one another so that the arm capture flanges  34 ,  36 ,  38  and the rail capture flanges  30  align with one another. In this manner, the graphic S 1 , S 2  can be slid into the aligned spaces  40  between the support member  32  and the arm flange  34 ,  36 ,  38  and between the legs  22   a ,  24   a  and the rail flange  30 . This arrangement permits readily changing the graphic S as desired. To facilitate this sideby-side arrangement, the inner arms  18  are cap-less. The outer arms  20  include caps  42  that are fitted over an outside edge of the arm  20  to prevent the graphic S from sliding out of the captured space  40 . In a present embodiment, the arms  20  and caps  42  are configured such that the caps  42  can be fitted onto an arm  20   a ,  20   b  on the left or right side of the system  10  and are reversible, top to bottom. 
     To maintain the brackets  14 ,  16  aligned with one another, the brackets  14 ,  16  include aligning means. In a current, embodiment, the aligning means includes mating elements  44   a,b  and  46   a,b  on each side of the bracket. As configured, a first mating element  44   a  on a first side of the bracket  14   b  mates with a second mating element  46   b  on an opposing side of an adjacent bracket  16   a  to assure that the adjacent brackets  14   b ,  16   a  are aligned with one another. In a present embodiment, the mating elements  44   a,b  and  46   a,b  include a circular peg or projection  44   a ,  46   a  and a ring  44   b ,  46   b  into which the peg  44   a ,  46   a  fits. Each of the brackets  14 ,  16  includes the peg  44  extending outwardly from one wall (the same wall for each bracket  14 ,  16 ) and the ring  46  extending outwardly from the other wall (again the same wall for each bracket  14 ,  16 ). Each ring  46  is formed having an inner surface  48  against which the peg  44  bears when the peg  44  and ring  46  are mated with one another. In this manner, every bracket  14 ,  16  can be mated with any other bracket  14 ,  16 . 
     As is best seen in FIG. 2, the mated brackets  14   b ,  16   a  permit the inside or abutting side edges E 1 , E 2  of the sign portions S 1 , S 2  to be placed sufficiently close to one another to appear as one sign S, and the brackets  14   b ,  16   a  assure that the sign mount arms  18   a,b  are aligned with one another so that the abutting side edges E 1 , E 2  are properly aligned with one another. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the sign mounts  12   a,b  can be positioned adjacent one another to permit the “joining” of more than two sign portions so that rather long signs can be configured. In such an arrangement, all of the inside or facing arms  18  are all cap-less and the caps  42  are present only on the two outside arm  20  outer edges. To prevent the sign portions S 1 , S 2  and so on, from sliding, an adhesive A (such as a temporary adhesive strip) can be used to secure the sign portions S 1 , S 2  and so on, to the arms  18 . Even the outside arms  20  (those arms with caps  42 ) can include the adhesive A to maintain the sign portions S 1 , S 2  and so on fixed to their respective outer arms  20 , to prevent sliding. 
     In a present embodiment, the sign mounts  12   a,b  are pivotal and include a bias assist to facilitate maintaining the signs in the display or the storage position. In such a sign mount  12   a,b , the bracket  14 , 16  is configured for attaching to the structure, e.g., the shelving system shelf V, and the arm  18 ,  20  is mounted to the bracket  14  and defines a pivot portion  50  having a pivot axis  52  about the bracket  14 ,  16 . A biasing element, such as the exemplary coil spring  54 , is connected to the bracket  14 ,  16  and to the arm  18 ,  20  at respective spring mounts  56 ,  58 . The mounting system  10  uses the tendency of the spring  54  to return to a least or less stressed state to maintain the sign S in the display or storage position, as desired. 
     The mount system  10  can configured as a tension-biased system in which the spring  54  is connected to the bracket  14 ,  16  and the arm  18 ,  20  so that the arm  18 ,  20  is maintained in either the display or storage position, as desired, by the spring  54  under tension. When the arm  18 ,  20  is moved between the display and storage positions, the spring  54  moves through an actuate path, crossing the pivot axis  52  (which defines a maximum state of tension). As presently configured, the display and storage positions are 180° from one another by rotation of the arms  18 ,  20 . 
     The brackets  14 ,  16  can include an upper stop surface  60  to engage a lip  62  formed on the arm  18 ,  20  to prevent over-rotation of the arm  18 ,  20  beyond the storage position. The bracket  14 ,  16  can also includes a lower stop surface  64  for engaging the arm  18 ,  20  to prevent over-rotation of the arm  18 ,  20  beyond the display position. 
     As illustrated, each bracket  14 ,  16  (as shown by bracket  14 ) includes first and second spaced apart outwardly extending flanges  66 ,  68 . The mating aligning elements  44   a,b  and  46   a,b  are formed on outer surfaces  70 ,  72  of the flanges  66 ,  68 . Each arm  18 ,  20  (as shown by arm  18 ) also includes a pair of spaced apart flanges  74 ,  76 , one each associated with a respective bracket flange  66 ,  68 . In this configuration, the spring  54  is disposed between the respective pairs of flanges  66 ,  74  and  68 ,  76 . Pivot pins  78 ,  80  extend between flange pairs  66 ,  74  and  68 ,  76  for pivoting the arms  18 ,  20 . 
     Another contemplated embodiment is a spring compression system (not shown). In such a system the bracket includes a spring capturing portion and the arm includes a camming surface spaced from the pivot axis. The spring element is disposed between the bracket and the arm at their respective spring capturing portions. When the arm is moved between the display and storage positions, the spring is compressed into a compressed state by the camming portion of the arm which portion, when compressed against the biasing element, defines a maximum compressed state. In the display and storage positions, the spring is in a state of compression less than the maximum compressed state. 
     The spring mount systems are disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/044,601 to Conway et al. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of other sign mounts can be configured to include the novel tandem sign mount arrangement disclosed herein, all of which other sign mounts are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that although the present invention is disclosed and describe with reference to a horizontally mounted sign (i.e., a horizontal pivot axis), the present tandem sign mount can also be configured for use with a vertically mounted sign (i.e., a vertical pivot axis). 
     In the present disclosure, the words “a” or “an” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular. 
     The disclosure of each patent cited herein, whether or not done so specifically, is incorporated herein by reference. 
     From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred.