Abstract:
Specific-point signage structure for use in an interior building space of the style generally divided and organized by low-wall cubicle panels—in particular where such a point can be approached and viewed from a large number of different angularly displaced locations. The signage structure is configured in such a fashion that it presents a viewing surface, such as a curved, or otherwise angularly differentiated, viewing surface, which readily conveys information to viewers distributed at widely different angular locations relative to the position of the structure.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A problem within building spaces where business is conducted by a large number of people working in an open, partially separated space, e.g., an open floor segmented into cubicles, or where many items are stored in an open space, on rows of shelving, e.g., in a supermarket, is locating within the space the workspace of a particular person or group of persons, or the shelf location of particular goods or type of goods. Signage is often employed to assist persons making deliveries to, or pickups at particular locations in the open space. However, the previously known signs have several drawbacks. Generally a flat sign is hung from ceiling structure with information printed on the sign about the persons or goods located near the sign. The flat sign is readable only from a viewing angle that is generally normal to the sign&#39;s face, while readability suffers greatly when the viewer is located towards the sign&#39;s edge, and the flat sign is not readable at all from the side. The flat sign often blocks the view of other signs or of other information or visual cues located throughout the open space. The ceiling mount may require retrofitting of the ceiling and requires a high ladder for installation. 
     This invention involves the provision of a signage structure, preferably curved or any other form that provides for a wide variety of viewing angles, that can be mounted inside a building space, or in certain outside areas if desired, with mounting being effected on the outside of something like a post or a support pillar, or on the flat wall or on the outside or within the inside of, outside and inside corner areas where walls or wall-like structures join. 
     The proposed signage structure includes a sign- or placard-mounting frame or placard support which can either be a single integrated unit, or various-style angle-occupying frame pieces that can be positioned adjacent one another to define an elongate curved slip-in/slip-out track for freely receiving and releasing at will different selected elongate signs, preferably flexible, or alternatively pre-formed in a fixed curved shape, matching that of the placard support. 
     Preferably the sign support frame structure includes an elongate, curved track with upper and lower channel-like rungs or grooves that are elongated and that extend along and throughout a predetermined angle, preferably a substantially full circle, and which include one or two open ends into which and from which a sign or placard can be inserted and/or withdrawn at will. 
     An aspect of the invention is that, with a curved presentation surface provided, signage held within the structure can readily be viewed from a very wide range of selected viewing angles, which viewing angles can conveniently offer a line of view from just about any vantage point occupyable within or adjacent the space where the signage structure is employed. Also, the structure of this invention affords the opportunity for a user to select predetermined, preferable lines of points of view which may relate especially to the locations where people in the relevant space might be standing to look for sign information, with the curvilinearity in the tracks provided for flexible signs affording the opportunity for a user to center (so-to-speak) the main message of the sign in the fashion which is directly aimed in what might be thought of as a normal sense relative to the central axis of each such selected point of view. The curvature of the sign also allows the same amount of information to be printed in the same size font as a flat sign, with a smaller horizontal dimension, so the curved sign blocks the view of less of the other information as compared to the flat sign. 
     The sign support structure can readily be made to suit any mounting application, and preferably will be formed of any suitable lightweight metal or plastic or other easily shaped, formed and configured materials. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an open space within a building partitioned into cubicles with vertical posts extending from the cubicles to the ceiling, the posts providing conduits for power and other electrical wiring, and two full-circular signage structures according to the present invention mounted on two of the posts showing that the signs are useful to indicate at a distance the function of the persons located near each of the signs. 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the full-circular signage structure, showing an alternative embodiment for mounting the sign to the post wherein the structure includes a three-quarters section and a one quarter section removable from the three-quarter section to provide access to a mounting bracket to mount about the post. 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the full-circular signage structure, showing an alternative embodiment wherein the structure includes two half sections mountable about the post. 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the full-circular signage structure, showing the preferred embodiment with a nominally closed access channel providing access to the central mounting bracket. 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the structure of FIG. 4 wherein the structure has been flexed or bent apart temporarily to slip the structure around the post. 
     FIGS. 6A-D show cross-sections of variously-shaped posts that the structure of the present invention can be configured to accommodate, including triangular, hexagonal, circular, and rectangular. 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention providing the circular shape of the other embodiments for mounting at an outside corner of a wall. 
     FIG. 8 is an embodiment of the invention similar to that of FIG. 7, but for mounting to a substantially fiat wall. 
     FIG. 9 is an embodiment of the invention similar to that of FIGS. 7 and 8, but for mounting to an inside corner. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the signage structure including a track with upper and lower grooves for slidably receiving a flexible or a pre-shaped placard, the grooves formed by a flat metal band, two small strips affixed, as by welding, one to each of a lower and an upper edge of the flat band, and two larger strip affixed one to each of the small strips, the larger strips and the band defining therebetween a pair of grooves bounded above and below by the small strips, the grooves and band defining a track for slidably receiving a placard, shown for reference in dashed lines. 
     FIG. 11 illustrates in plan view a full-circular arrangement of the signage structure in which three representations of information printed on the placard are illustrated in three different angular locations around the axis of curvature of the circular signage structure, with radial lines indicating the viewing angle normal to each piece of printed information, and arrows indicating viewing angles from which enough of two of the pieces of information may be perceived to understand the meaning of both pieces. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIG. 1, an open space  20 , typically within a building with a generally open floor plan, may be partitioned into a plurality of individual or group work areas  22 , or cubicles, and walkways  24 , if used for work or space  22  may be partitioned into storage locations, e.g., rows of shelving, if used as storage space, or into a combination of work and storage space. A person entering space  22  with a task of delivering an item to a particular person or group within space  22  can navigate to the correct location as indicated on one or more signage structures  26  that identify the person or group in the area of the sign. Typical cubicle partitions are constructed from interconnectable walls  28  and a plurality of vertical posts  30  that serve as conduits for power, telephone, computer, and other electrical wires that are routed from the workstations within the cubicles up posts  30  to ceiling  32  for routing to their eventual destinations. Electrical codes may prohibit making holes in posts  30  and any objects, particularly metal, piercing or being inserted into posts  30  because of potential damage to the wires within and consequent shorting danger. 
     An embodiment of signage structure  26 , shown in FIG. 2, which may be formed of any suitable material such as molded plastic or, more preferably, pressed metal pieces welded together, includes a mount  34  configured to fit closely about post  30  and having a square-cross-sectioned opening  36  defined by a three-flat-sided piece  38  and a separable piece  40  providing a fourth side to complete the square opening. Six horizontally extending members  42   a, b  &amp;  c  are welded at an inner tab  44  to mount  34 , as shown for members  42   a , or formed integrally with mount  34 , as shown for members  42   b  and  42   c.    
     The horizontal members  42  and mount  34  together form a bracket  46  for mounting signage structure  26  to a fixed structure such as post  30 . Bracket  46  can have any form suitable for mounting signage structure  26  to any fixed structure or stand, or may include an integrally formed stand. Bracket  46  also could be used to couple signage structure to hooks for hanging from a ceiling or other overhead structure. 
     Bracket  46  is coupled to a placard support  48 , which is formed of an elongate, thin, preferably metal band  50  pressed and bent into a curved, hoop-like shape, and having an upper lip  52  adjacent and running parallel to an upper edge  54  of band  50 , and a lower lip  56  adjacent and running parallel to lower edge  58  of band  50 . Band  50  and upper and lower lips  52 ,  56  together form a curved track  60  for slidably receiving a sign or placard  62 , shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, which is preferably pre-printed with information visible on a face  64  of placard  62  and formed of nominally flat, flexible plastic material so that it can conform to curved track  60 . Placard  62  may alternatively be preformed in a shape conforming to curved track  60 . 
     Placard  62  preferably is about as long as the circumference of band  50 , and thus subtends substantially a full circle when installed in track  60 , and has a width and depth appropriate for fitting into curved track  60  and being held in place by lips  52 ,  56 . When placard  62  is in place in curved track  60 , it preferably remains adjustable within placard support  48 , even while signage structure  26  is mounted to post  30 , so that a user can move placard  62  about placard support  48  to present the information for viewing from a plurality of selectable viewing angles, preferably throughout the substantially full circle. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the alternative embodiment includes a quarter section  50   a  with upper and lower lips  52   a ,  56   a  of placard support  48  formed separately from a three-quarter section  50   b  of band  50 , and removably attached to the rest of placard support  48  by eight nuts and bolts  66 ,  68  coupling horizontal members  42   b  to horizontal members  42   c  through holes  70 . Members  42   a  and  42   b  are preferably welded to three-quarter section  50   b  at outer tabs  72  and members  42   c  are welded to onequarter section  50   a  at outer tabs  72 . When one-quarter section  50   a  is removed from placard support  48  it opens an access channel  74  through which post  30  can pass, allowing installation of the mount about the post. In FIG. 2, a notch  76  is shown in upper lip  52   a  and lower lip  56   a  to allow placard  62  to be inserted into track  60  while signage structure  26  is installed on post  30 , but the notch may be formed at any location along lips  52   a ,  56   a , or lips  52 ,  56 . 
     Another alternative embodiment for signage structure  26  is shown in FIG. 3, which is substantially the same as that of FIG. 2, but where placard support  48  is formed of two half-circle-sections  80 ,  82  coupled to horizontal members  42  which can be coupled with nuts and bolts (not shown) through holes  84 . In this embodiment, as for that of FIG. 2, there are a total of six horizontal members  42  coupling mount  34  to placard support  48 . 
     A simpler construction with only five horizontal members  42  is realized in the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, where band  50  is formed in a single section with a nominally closed access channel  90  formed where ends  92 ,  94  of band  50  meet. As shown in FIG. 5, signage structure  26  with this construction can be installed on post  30  by the installer&#39;s flexing band  50  to spread apart ends  92 ,  94  and opening access channel  90  enough to allow post  30  to be passed through. Then, the installer allows the band to return to its nominal shape and bolts the horizontal members together at holes  96 , and placard  62  can be installed through notches  76  into curved track  60 . Preferably, one or more set screws  100  adjustably installed in threaded holes in mount  34  are used to grip the post without piercing it, so that signage structure  26  is affixed to post  30 . If the height on post  30  of signage structure  26  is later decided to be changed, a user can easily do so by loosening set screws  100  and sliding signage structure  26  up or down and re-tightening screws  100 . If electrical codes do not prohibit it, the signage structure  26  may alternatively be attached to post  30  by screws that do pierce post  30 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 6A-6D, post  30  may have any cross-sectional shape including triangular  112 , hexagonal  114 , circular  116  or rectangular  118 , and it will be understood that mount  34  can be re-configured to mate with any of these shapes. 
     An alternative embodiment for signage structure  26  mountable to a wall  130  is shown in FIGS. 7-9. Signage structure  26  as shown in FIG. 7 is for mounting on wall  130  at a corner  132  which presents a comer angle  134  of about 270-degrees, while signage structure  26  as shown in FIG. 9 is for mounting on wall  130  at corner  132  with corner angle  134  of about 90-degrees. Alternatively, FIG. 8 shows signage structure  26  mounted to wall  130  which is substantially flat and signage structure subtending a curve of about 180-degrees. In each of these embodiments, signage structure  26  supports a placard which includes a face with information visible thereon, as for the other embodiments, and the placard curves to subtend substantially the entire corner angle. It will be understood that bracket  46  (not shown in FIGS. 7-9) may readily be modified to support these embodiments and to mount signage structure  26  to wall  130 . 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of placard support  48  showing the preferred construction where band  50  has coupled to it at upper and lower edges  54 ,  58  an inner pair of thin, elongate strips  140 , preferably metal, but alternatively of any suitably strong and flexible material. Inner strips  140  act as spacers for a pair of larger, thin, elongate, outer strips  142  coupled to inner strips  140 . Strips  140 ,  142  may be coupled by welding, pop rivets, or any manner suitable for their material. FIG. 10 shows that strips  140 ,  142 , together with band  50  formed curved track  60 , which includes curved grooves  144  defined between outer strips  142  and band  50 . Placard  62  is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 10 to show the clearance for grooves  144  and how the placard fits into curved track  60 , and also to show that placard  62  may be used as a template or temporary structure during construction of placard support to maintain the proper clearance in track  60  and grooves  144 . 
     FIG. 11 shows that three pieces of information visible on face  64  of placard  62 , the information represented by bounded lines  150 ,  152 ,  154 , may each be best viewed from a viewing angle running along radial lines  160 ,  162 ,  164 , and placard  62  may be rotated within the placard support to any position to best support perception of the information from the most likely viewing angles. For any given position of placard  62 , a person viewing placard  62  along off-normal viewing angles, represented by arrows  170 ,  172 ,  174 , may still be able to perceive enough of two pieces of the information to understand the message intended to be imparted by the sign, and to proceed accordingly. 
     While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred and alternative embodiments, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.