Retro-reflective sign

• US 6,253,477 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hallmark Technologies, Inc. (HTI Acquisitions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hallmark Technologies, Inc. (HTI Acquisitions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Balint, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOP, ANDREA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US09/159,351
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 405/55, 405/82, 406/12, 406/15
• US Class Current: 40/612
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/16 Signs formed of or incorporating reflecting elements or surfaces, e.g. warning signs having triangular or other geometrical shape

Abstract

A retro-reflective sign is formed of a lens plate bearing indicia and having a front face and a rear face. The rear face is formed with a plurality of adjacent cube corner configurations having central axes, which configurations may reflect light rays approximately parallel to incoming light rays. The front face can be formed with adjacent rows of prisms that are saw-tooth shaped in cross-section. The prisms overlap the configurations and are shaped to bend incoming light rays towards the axes of their respective overlapped configurations and to re-bend the reflected light rays parallel to the incoming light rays. The lens plate is bowed so that its front face is convex and its rear face is concave. A rearwardly bowed support plate covers the rear face of the lens plate and the two plates are secured together along their peripheral edges for rigidifying the sign. The rear plate may be sufficiently light transparent to pass some light therethrough to backlight the indicia on the front plate.

Claims

1. A retro-reflective sign comprising a lens plate with sign indicia molded within the lens plate, and having a front face and a rear face, said rear face being molded with a plurality of adjacent, retro-reflective cube corner configurations, defined by three intersecting walls of a cube which have a central axis, which configurations reflect incoming light rays that enter the plate through its front face and pass through the plate to its rear face and whose configurations reflect the light rays back through the plate and its front face generally towards the incoming light rays, said rear face of the lens plate further being molded with a protrusion extending opposite from the front face, the protrusion extending about the periphery of the lens plate;

a plurality of substantially continuous, raised ribs formed integral with the rear face of the lens plate and arranged in honeycomb patterns which surround groups of cube corner configurations so that numerous configurations are located within and outside of each honeycomb pattern; and

a rear support plate connectable to the lens plate, the support plate having a plurality of radially extending stiffening ribs extending continuously from a middle of the support plate to outer peripheral edges of the support plate so as to reinforce the support plate, the outer peripheral edges of the support plate having a groove that is operable to receive said protrusion and for securing the lens plate and the support plate together.

2. A retroreflective sign as defined in claim 1, and said honeycomb pattern extends rearwardly from the rear face of the lens plate.

3. A retro-reflective sign as defined claim 1, whereas the support plate is overlapping and is spaced rearwardly of the rear face of the lens plate;

said lens plate and support plate being secured together along their peripheral edges.

4. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 3, and with a rearwardly extending rim formed on the peripheral edge of the lens plate, and a forwardly extending rim formed on the peripheral edge of the support plate;

and with the rims being fastened together to secure the plates together.

5. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 4, and with the support plate being bowed rearwardly relative to the lens plate.

6. A retroreflective sign as defined in claim 3, and said lens plate being bowed so that its front face is convex and its rear face is concave and said support plate being oppositely bowed relative to the lens plate.

7. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 6, and with said support plate being formed of a translucent material which passes at least some light Aherethrough so as to backlight the lens plate and indicia formed on the lens plate.

8. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 1, and at least a portion of said retro-reflective cube corner configurations being arranged in patterns which form message indicia so that the indicia are made visible by light rays received from a light source and passing from the front face to the rear face of the lens plate and then reflected back towards the light source by the configurations.

9. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 1, wherein the support plate is positioned rearwardly of the rear face of the lens plate and is secured to the lens plate along peripheral edges of the lens plate and the support plate;

the support plate having a front face which is spaced rearwardly of the rear face of the lens plate;

the ribs are integrally formed on the front face of the support plate to rigidify the support plate.

10. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 9, and the plates being oppositely bowed forwardly and rearwardly relative to each other, and spacers formed on one of said plates for engaging the other of said plates to maintain a bowed shape of the space between the two plates.

11. A retro-reflective sign molded from a single plastic resin comprising a light reflecting lens plate having a front face and a rear face being cube cornered and a plurality of groups of adjacent, cube corner retro-reflective configurations molded on said rear face for providing light-reflective areas, with the front face of the lens plate being colored in certain areas to spell out words on the sign and with the areas surrounding the words being made of material that is not of the same color, the lens plate further having an edge rim with an outwardly extending protrusion about the periphery of the lens plate;

prisms integrally molded on the front face of the lens plate and shaped to bend incoming light rays towards central axes of the respective cube corners which the respective prisms overlap; and

a support plate spaced apart from the lens plate, the support plate having at least one rib integrally molded and extending continuously from a middle of the support plate to an outer edge of the support plate, the outer edge of the support plate having a groove that mates with the protrusion extending from the periphery of the lens plate.

12. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 11, and said prisms being formed in adjacent, parallel, strip-like rows extending along said front face and being generally saw-tooth-like in cross-sectional shape.

13. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 12, and said lens plate being bowed so that its front face is convex and its rear face is concave.

14. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 11, wherein the support plate is arranged to overlap the rear face of the lens plate and with the two plates secured together, the support plate having front and rear portions;

the rear face of the lens plate and the front portion of the support plate being spaced apart;

and said support plate being bowed so that the front portion is concave and the rear portion is convex.

15. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 14, and said support plate being formed of a light passing material through which at least some light may pass so as to backlight indicia formed on the lens plate.

16. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 11, and including integral raised ribs formed on the rear face of the lens plate and surrounding groups of cube corner configurations for rigidifying the lens plate.

17. A retro-reflective sign as defined in claim 16, and with at least one of the plates having an integral, substantially continuous edge flange forming a peripheral rim, with said rim being secured to the other plate for securing the plates together.

18. A retro-reflective sign comprising:

a lens plate with sign indicia molded within the lens plate, the lens plate having a front face and a rear face, the rear face being molded with a plurality of adjacent, retro-reflective cube corner configurations, defined by three intersecting walls of a cube which have a central axis, a plurality of substantially continuous, raised ribs formed integral with the rear face of the lens plate and arranged in honeycomb patterns which surround groups of cube corner configurations, the lens plate further having a tongue extending about its entire perimeter; and

a back plate connectable to the lens plate, the back plate having a continuous edge rim located about its outer periphery with a u-shaped groove that is operable to receive the tongue of the lens plate in order to secure the lens and back plate together, a plurality of radially extending stiffening ribs extending continuously from a center of the back plate to the edge rim for reinforcing the back plate.