GB2086800A - Portable sign boards - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable sign board 10 comprises two mutually hinged trays 12, 14 each accommodating a tear- off pad 36. The trays 12, 14 are maintained in the open position by passing a pen 48 through aligned rings projecting from the rear of the trays, the projecting portion of the pen 48 also serving as a handle. When not in use the pen 48 is placed in a slot in the tray 12 which is then closed against the tray 14, the trays 12, 14 being maintained in the closed condition by cooperating formations 22. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Portable sign boards This invention relates to portable sign boards.

When two people who do not know each other by sight have to identify themselves to each other in a crowd, for example a driver who has to identify a passenger at a railway station or airport, it is common for the driver to hold up a sign with the passenger's name written on it. Usually such a sign is a crude affair, perhaps a sheet of cardboard with a name written on it; the sign may usually be used only once or twice; often fails to give a good initial impression to the passenger; and is difficult to store.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable sign board comprising at least two panels each providing or receiving a writing surface and arranged for relative movement between a closed condition in which the panels are substantially in register to an open condition in which the writing surfaces are substantially co-planar, and locking means for locking the panels in fixed relationship in the open condition; if the board is suitably sized when in the closed condition it may be placed in the user's pocket when not in use leaving both hands free to carry luggage.

Although the panels may be arranged for relative sliding movement they are preferably mutually hinged and the means to lock the panels in fixed relationship may take the form of at least one apertured member carried by each panel, the apertures being in alignment when the board is in the open condition.

Preferably the board also comprises a handle which is conveniently shaped so as to be attachable to the panels by being received in the aligned apertures and at the same time maintaining the panels in the open condition.

If a pen is used as the handle it may fulfil these two functions besides being readily available to inscribe the desired name on the writing surfaces. A cavity for reception of the pen is desirably provided by one or both the panels when in the closed condition.

The writing surfaces are conventiently provided by the topmost sheets of a pair of tearoff pads, one being received in each of the panels which are of sufficient depth to accommodate the pads.

The sign board should preferably incorporate means for holding the two panels together in the closed position, for example formations of the type common on the relatively hinged portions of handbags and cigarette cases which are forced apart by a camming action as the portions are closed together and then snap into a locking position.

To ensure exact relative location of the two panels when the board is in the closed position the panels are preferably provided with co-operating locating formations at one or more edges thereof.

Although the invention may be carried out in many different ways one particular embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of a sign board according to the invention in the closed condition; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the board of Fig. 1 also in the closed condition; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the board of Fig. 1 in the open condition; Figure 4 is a plan of the board of Fig. 1 in the open condition; and, Figure 5 is a section on the line V-V in Fig.

4.

The sign board 10 comprises two identical elongate rectangular trays 12, 14 injectionmoulded from polypropylene and having a spark-eroded finish on their outer surfaces 1 6.

At one end each tray 12, 14 is moulded with two integral cylindrical sleeves 18 which when interdigitated and aligned receive pins 20 to form a hinge between the trays 12, 14.

At the opposite end each tray 12, 14 is also moulded with two solid cylindrical formations 22 one end face of each of which is slightly domed and the other correspondingly dished (the shape of the end faces in not indicated in the drawings) such that when the trays 12, 14 are closed together there is sufficient relative lateral movement between them to allow the formations 22 to snap into a co-operating engagement position which holds the trays 12, 14 together. Each of the trays 12, 14 is also moulded at the hinge end with two integral projecting rings 24, each having a circular orifice 26, the purpose of which will later be apparent.

The trays 1 2,1 4 each have a peripheral rim 26 which on the two longer sides is formed at its outer edge with alternate lips 30 and rebates 32 which co-operate with corresponding formations on the other of the trays to provide exact relative location of the trays 12, 1 4 when the board 10 is in the closed condition.On each of the trays 12, 14 the rim 26 is slotted to receive a length of channel section plastics strip 34, the mouth of which faces internally sideways and receives one longitudinal edge portion of a 50-sheet paper pad 36; the corners at the ends of the opposite longitudinal edge of the pad 36 are each retained by a triangular corner piece 38 which is secured to the respective tray 12, 14 by an intergral stud (not shown) which is an interference fit in a respective one of blind holes 40 moulded in the rim 28 at each corner of the trays 12, 14. The underside of each pad 36 is supported on four studs 42 protruding from the inner surface of the box of each tray 12, 14.

To use the board 10 the trays 12, 14 are pivotally separated disengaging the catches 22 and the trays 12, 14 folded back until writing surfaces provided by the top sheet of each pad 36 lie in the same plane. The passenger's (or the user's) name is then written across both surfaces while the trays 12, 14 are supported on some suitable surface by means of a pen 44 which is normally housed in a slot defined by the base of channel section strip 34 and the opposed facing portion of the rim 28. After use the pen 44 is inserted through the aligned orifices 26 so that its point projects downwardly with respect to the characters inscribed on the writing surfaces.A small circular flange 46 at the end of the pen 44 remote from the point prevents the pen from passing right through the orifices and thus enables the lower portion 48 of the barrel to be used as a handle for holding the board 10 to display it while the upper portion locks the trays 12, 14 in co-planar relationship.

When the parties have met the pen 44 is removed from the orifices and replaced in its slot. The trays 12, 14 are then folded together and finally pressed sharply to engage the catches 22. The folded board 10 may then be placed in the user's pocket to leave both hands free.

When the board 10 is to be used on a different occasion the top sheet is simply torn off each pad 36 to expose a clean sheet: when the pads 36 are used up they may of course simply be replaced.

The pad 36 is preferably bound at the edge which fits into the channel section strip 34 and is perforated along a line 50 just clear of the strip 34; the thickness of the pad therein thus remains constant. As shown the pad generally extends very close to the edges of the panels and is cut off at the corners remote from the bound edge so that the corner portions extend under the respective corner piece 38 as far as the studs will allow. A semicircular cut-out 52 is provided at the lower edge of the pad 36 to enable a used leaf to be torn off easily.

Claims (14)

1. A portable sign board comprising at least two panels each providing or receiving a writing surface and arranged for relative movement between a closed condition in which the panels are substantially in register to an open condition in which the writing surfaces are substantially co-planar, and locking means for locking the panels in fixed relationship in the open condition.

2. A board as claimed in Claim 1, in which the two panels are mutually hinged.

3. A board as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 and additionally comprising a handle.

4. A board as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the locking means comprise at least one apertured member or formation carried by each panel, the apertures being arranged to be in alignment when the board is in the open condition.

5. A board as claimed in Claim 4 as appendant to Claim 3, in which the handle is attachable to the panels by being received in the aligned apertures such that it maintains the panels in the open conditions when so received.

6. A board as claimed in any preceding claim and additionally comprising a pen or other writing instrument.

7. A board as claimed in Claim 6 in which a cavity for reception of the pen instrument is provided by one or both the panels when in the closed condition.

8. A board as claimed in Claim 6 or 7 as appendant to Claim 5, in which the pen or instrument is so formed as to be utilisable as a handle.

9. A board as claimed in any preceding claim and being pocket-sized.

10. A board as claimed in any preceding claim in which each writing surface is provided by the top sheet of a tear-off pad accommodated in each panel.

11. A board as claimed in any preceding claim and additionally comprising securing means for securing the panels together in the closed condition.

1 2. A board as claimed in any preceding claim and additionally comprising cooperating locating formations for ensuring that the panels are in register when in the closed condition.

1 3. A portable sign board as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

14. A portable sign board substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 5. The features as herein disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.