Illuminatable sign

• US 4,452,000 A
• Filed: 06/30/1981
• Issued: 06/05/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Signtech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Signtech Incorporated
• Inventors: Gandy, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Contreras, Wenceslao J.
• Application Number:
  US06/279,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 40/152.2, 40/564, 40/603, 40/156
• US Class Current: 40/574
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/0413 Frames or casing structures therefor

Abstract

An illuminatable sign has a housing having an open front and containing a light source. A closure extending over the open front comprises a frame extending around an opening, a sheet of flexible light-transmitting material extending across and covering said opening; and bolts for securing a peripheral marginal portion of the sheet by adjustably tensioning the sheet across the opening.

Claims

1. A sign comprising a rigid peripheral frame extending around an opening lying in a plane, a sheet of flexible sign material extending across the opening, said frame having an edge surrounding the opening, the flexible sign sheet having a peripheral edge portion extending rearwardly from the plane of the opening at the frame edge, and a series of separate sheet tensioning devices spaced around the frame rearwardly of the plane of the opening for tensioning the flexible sign sheet across the opening, each tensioning device comprising means for retaining the peripheral edge portion of the flexible sign sheet and an adjustable bolt having a head and threaded shank extending therefrom, said head abutting the retaining means and said shank extending through an aperture in the retaining means in a direction extending rearwardly of the plane of the opening into threaded engagement with the frame to enable the bolt head to be rotated to screw the shank into further threaded engagement with the frame with consequent rearward movement of the retaining means independently of the retaining means of the other sheet tensioning devices, while the retaining means is holding the edge portion of the flexible sign sheet, to cause the peripheral edge portion of the flexible sign sheet to be pulled rearwardly across the front edge thereby tensioning the flexible sign sheet across the opening.

2. A sign according to claim 1 wherein the adjustable bolt of each sheet tensioning device extends in a rearwardly direction which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening.

3. A sign according to claim 1 wherein the retaining means of each sheet tensioning device comprises a retainer member having said aperture and a recess, and a retainer bar retained in the recess, the peripheral edge portion of the flexible sign sheet being wrapped around the retainer bar and thereby retained by the retaining means, the retaining member and retaining bar of each retaining means being separate from the retainer members and retainer bars of the other retaining means.

4. A sign according to claim 1 wherein the frame has an elongated recess with opposed parallel side walls having ribs extending therealong, said ribs receiving the shank of an adjustable bolt of a sheet tensioning device in threaded engagement therewith at a preselected position along the length of the recess.

5. A sign according to claim 1 wherein the frame has opposed sides and at least one bracing means extending between said sides intermediate their ends and behind the flexible sign sheet rearwardly of the plane of the opening to brace the frame against tension in the flexible sign sheet.

6. A sign according to claim 5 wherein the bracing means comprises first and second bracing members extending from respective opposite sides of the frame in a direction inclined rearwardly from the plane of the opening, and a third bracing member extending in parallel spaced relationship to the flexible sign sheet and secured to the first and second bracing members.