US2957739A - L fisher - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 25, 1960 E. L. FISHER 2,957,739

FIXTURE ma DRIVE-IN RESTAURANTS AND THE cousmmon THEREOF WIT-I A BRACKET FOR SUPPORTING usnu ems 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 23, 1954 Oct. 25, 1960 E. FISHER 2,957,739

FIXTURE FOR DRIVEIN RESTAURANTS AND THE COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A BRACKET FOR SUPPORTING MENU CARDS Filed July 23, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rix'ruRu FOR DRIVE-IN RESTAURANTS AND THE COMBINATION THEREOF wrrn A BRACKET FOR SUPPQRTING IVHLNU CARDS.

Elmer L. Fisher, South Euclid, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Teletray Electronic Systems, Inc., a corporation of Maryland Y V Filed July as, 1954, Ser. No. 445,405.

9 Claims. 01. 312-400 This invention relates to afixture, which is adapted'to be arranged in the parking space of drive-in restaurants pair of menu cards which bracket is so arranged relative proved fixture including a container, the cover of which serves as a support for trays on which food or beverages for supporting trays, communicating instruments,-and a bracket for holding menu cards, and more particularly to a fixture of this type which includes as a part of the fixture a container in which the communicating instru-. ments may be stored" when-the restaurant is closed.

et for supporting a pair of menucards and a fixture provided with tray supportsin which means. are provided for simultaneously illuminating the menu cards and the tray supports.

As is now well known in the art, many restaurants in which parking space is available cater to patrons who desire to be servedin their own cars. In such restau: rants, however, considerable difficulty'is experiencedin rendering prompt service unless. a comparatively. large number of'waitresses are femployed andif an attempt is made to'economize by employing a smaller number of waitresses, the patrons often experience'delay in being served and Waiting for their trays to be removed after they have finished with their lunches or meals. i In the copending application of Fisher et 211., Ser. No. 329,396, which has matured into Patent 2,739,657, a system is disclosed including a fixture or container for supporting a communicating instrument by means ofwhichthe patrons orders may be promptly given to a are served to the patrons and for a pair of communicating instruments by means of which orders may be transmitted to and communications and music may be received from f the restaurant when the restaurant is open and in which the container serves as a receptacle in which the instruments may be stored and locked when the restaurant is closed. According to the invention, there is also provided in combination with the fixture a bracket for holding a to the fixture that menus written or printed on the menu may be read by patrons parked in cars on either side of the fixture and in which means supported by the bracket are provided for simultaneously illuminating the menu cards and the tray supports at night.

i It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide, a fixture for use in drive-in restaurants by means of which empty trays and communicating instruments may be supported in combination with a container in taurant Theinvention also relates to the comblnat on of'a brack whlch the Instruments may be stored when the res is closed. 7

Another "object of the invention is to provide an improved fixture for drive-in restaurants including a container, thecover of which constitutes an instrument and tray support and the interior of which provides a space in which the instruments may be stored when the restaurant is closed. 1

t A furtherobject of the invention is to provide in com bination a fixture for drive-in restaurants and a bracket supported by the fixture which is designed to hold a pair clerk or Waitress in the restaurant which container or Communicating instruments, such as microphones, are

also quite valuable and it is an easy matter to sever the conductors leading to the restaurant and steal the instrument. When microphones are utilized in drive-in restaurants which are provided with transmitting and receiving apparatus, it is also frequently desirable to provide music with the meals or other refreshments being served and this is particularly true in the evening when the patrons have plenty of time. Fixtures which are provided for use in such systems should therefore be capable of supporting two instruments so that after the refreshments have been served, an instrument may be placed in each car to receive music which is being transmitted from the restaurant, or in the event that-the patrons in the car parked on one side of the fixture are" using .one instrument to receive music transmitted from the restaurant or for giving an order, a second instrument will be available for other patrons who park on the opposite side of the fixture to place their'order with the restaurant.-

of menu cards and which is so arranged relative to the fixture thatthe menus on one card may be read by patrons parked on one side of the fixture and the menus on the; other card may be read by patrons parked on the opposite. side of the fixture.

} Another object of the invention is to provide in com-- bination with a fixture provided with spaced tray supports, a bracket for supporting a pair of oppositely facing menu cards on which the menus are written or printed and in which means supported by the bracket are provided for illuminating the menu cards and the tray supports at night so that the menus may be easily read and the trays on which refreshments are served may be deposited on the tray supports after the refreshments have been consumed. A still further object of the invention is toprovide an improved bracket for supporting a pair of menu cards and in which means supported by the bracket are provided for illuminating the menu cards so that the menus will be visible at night.

1 Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the specification proceeds.

. The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

, Fig. l is a plan view of the improved fixture;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the fixture taken on a plane passing through the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the cover in full lines in closed position and in dotted lines in a partly open position;

. Fig. 3 1s a cross sectional view taken on a plane passing through the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction bracket for holding the menu cards in place;

bracket forhol din'g the menu cards and the supportthereg Fig! 6 isan exploded view of an enlarged scale or for;

Fig. 7 is an It is the of the present invention to. provide an imfor supporting-the menu cards taken on a plane' passing Patented Och--25, 1 960,

enlarged bottom planview-of'the brait through the line 77 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows with the support for the bracket removed; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the bracket with the menu cards in place, parts being shown.

broken away and parts in section.

As illustrated in the drawings, the fixture includes a tubular standard 1, a container 2 provided with a cover 3' which is constructed to provide a support for the communicating instruments and for empty trays. The tubular standard 1 is provided adjacent one end with conduit means 4 through which electrical conductors extend-to the restaurant and the lower portion of the tubular standard 1 may be firmly supported in the ground so that the fixture will not be easily dislodged'in the event that it is struck by a car. As shown, a hole is bored or otherwise formed in the ground for the reception of the lower portion of standard 1 and a tunnel is likewise formed for receiving conduit means 4 which may consist of a pipe welded or otherwise secured to the lower portion of standard 1 and which may be connected or joined to other pipes to provide a conduit means for the conductors which lead to the restaurant. The hole surrounding the lower portion of standard 1 and a portion of conduit means 4 is then filled with concrete which is built up around the lower portion of the fixture above the ground and when the concrete sets, a firm support is provided for the fixture.

The standard 1 serves to support the container 2 and for this purpose, the bottom wall of container 2 is provided with a central opening around which is secured a flanged collar 5 which is slidable over the standard 1- and means are arranged within the container for mounting the container on the standard. For this purpose, a support 6 is provided, the opposite ends of which have upwardly extending flanges 7 which are welded or otherwise secured to the opposite side walls 8 and 9 of the container as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and to provide the necessary strength, support 6 is preferably made in the form of a channel having downwardly extending sides which are reinforced by angle strips 10 and 11. As shown, one flange of angle strip 10 is secured to one of the side margins of support 6 by suitable means, such as rivets 12, and its other flange extends downwardly and engages one side of the support 6 and in a like manner one flange of angle strip 11 is secured to the other side margin of the channel support 6 by suitable means, such as rivets 12a, and its other flange extends downwardly and engages the other side of support 6.

While suitable means may be provided for securing the upper portion of standard 1 to support 6, as shown the support is provided with a central opening 13 in alignment with the opening in standard 1 and a threaded collar 14 is secured to the support around opening 13 by suitable means, such as bolts 15, which extend through angle strips 10 or 11, support 6, and a flange 16 provided on collar 14. The threaded collar 14 receives the upper portion of standard 1 which is also threaded and after the flanged collar 5 of the container is slid over the standard, the container is rotated to thread the collar 14 upon standard 1. The container 2 may then be secured to standard 1 by suitable means, such as a set screw 17, which extends through the collar of flange 5 and engages standard 1.

The cover 3 for the container extends beyond the ends of the container and is shaped to provide a support for the trays and for the communicating instruments and the container is so constructed that it provides a firm support for the cover. For this purpose, the ends 18 and 19 of the container are provided with inwardly extending side flanges 20 and 21 and bottom flanges 22 and 23, respectively, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 which flanges are welded or otherwise secured to the side and bottom walls.

of the. container.

container by suitable means, such as hinges 24, has a substantially flat upper surface terminating in downwardly extending side flanges 25 and 26 and downwardly extending end flanges 27 and 28 and means are provided to divide the upper surface of the cover into a pair of tray supports 29 and 30 and to form supports for a pair of communicating instruments 31 and 32. For this purpose, a comparatively long metal strip is bent to form oppositely extending side walls 33 and 34 and a central dividing or partition wall 35 which extends across the upper surface of the cover in a plane which is substantially midway between the ends of the cover.

The lower margin of side wall 33 engages flange 25 on one side of the cover to which it may be secured by suitable means, such as welding, and the lower margin of side wall 34 engages flange 26 on on the opposite side of the cover and is secured thereto in a similar manner, and to provide a comparatively strong structure and to enable the lower portion of the partition wall to snugly engage the cover, a notch or cut-out is provided midway between its ends and the lower margin of the partition wall on one side of the notch is bent outwardly in one direction to provide a flange 36 which is welded or otherwise secured to tray support 29 and the lower margin of the partition wall on the opposite side of the notch is bent outwardly in the opposite direction to provide a flange 37 which is welded or otherwise secured to the tray support 30. To provide further strengthening means for the central and side walls, the upper margins of partition wall 35 and side walls 33 and 34 are bent downwardly and inwardly to provide reinforcing flanges and a channel strip 38 is secured adjacent the upper edge of the opposite side of partition wall 35.

As illustrated in the drawings, partition wall 35 divides the upper surface of the cover into tray supports 29 and 30 and the side walls 33 and 34 extend upwardly from the tray supports for preventing a tray slid on either of the tray supports from sliding off the opposite side thereof. For instance, when a tray is slid on to tray support 29 from one side of the fixture, its movement is limited by wall 33 and when a tray is slid on to the tray support 30 from the opposite side of the fixture, its movement is limited by side wall 34.

Means are also provided to support communicating instruments 31 and 32, each of which is preferably provided with both receiving and transmitting apparatus. For this purpose, each of the side walls 33 and 34 adjacent the opposite ends of the central partition 35 is provided with a notch 39 to receive a hook portion 40 of one of the communicating instruments. As shown, the edge of each of the notches has a downwardly extending flange 41 to provide a firm support for the instrument supported therein.

Each of the communicating instruments is also provided with a signalling button or buzzer 42 and the conductors from the microphone 37 and the signalling button 42 associated therewith which are comparatively long so that the microphone may be placed in a car, extend through a notch or small opening 43 in the upper portion of side wall 9 of container 2 to terminals on a panel 44 which panel is secured by suitable means, such as screws 45, to support 6, and in a like manner conductors from microphone 32 and the signalling button 42 thereon extend through a small notch or opening 46 in the upper portion of the other side Wall 8 of the container 2 and each are connected to a pair of terminals on panel 44. Each microphone is provided with both receiving and transmitting apparatus so that three pairs of conductors extend from each instrument, each pair of which is connected to a. pair of terminals on panel 44.

, In accordance with the present invention, a bracket for supporting a pair of menu cards is provided which isso arranged. relative to the tray supports that the menus assassinon one of the cards may be read by patrons in a car parked on one side of the fixture and the menus on the other card may be read by patrons in a car parked on the other side of the fixture.

As illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, the brackets comprise a tubular base portion 47, a frame 48, and a tubular supporting post 49, and means are provided for securing the parts together and for holding within the frame a pair of oppositely facing menu cards 50 and 51 and an intermediate spacing sheet 52. For this purpose, the tubular base portion 47 terminates in a pair of upwardly extending flanges 53 and 54 having aligned apertures 55 adjacent each end and centrally thereof and to provide the desired strength a collar 56 is arranged centrally'of the tubular member which is provided with upwardly extending flanges 57 and 58 having aligned apertures -9 therein which are in alignment with the central apertures in the flanges 53 and 54 of the tubular-shaped base portion. The collar 56 is also provided with a bottom aperture 60 as shown in Fig. 7 which aligns with a similar shaped aperture in the base portion 47.

The supporting post 49 is tubular and is provided with a flattened upper portion 61 having an aperture 62 therein. Post 49 is also provided with an aperture 63 arranged below aperture 62 and a pair of aligned apertures 64 arranged adjacent its lower end and frame 48, which is preferably in the form of a channel strip to receive the upper and side margins of menu cards 50 and 51 and the separating card or sheet 52, is of an inverted U-shape and each of its legs is provided with a U-shaped clamp 65, the sides of which are provided with aligned apertures 66. The menu cards and the spacing sheet are also provided with apertures 67 adjacent their lower end portions as shown in Fig. 8, each of which is arranged in alignment with the apertures 66 in oneof the clamps.

In assembling the structure, the menu cards 50 and 51 and the spacing sheet or card 52 are inserted in the channel of the frame and the frame is lowered a suf-' gins of the menu cards and spacing sheet are received in" the space between flanges 53 and 54. The upper end of supporting post 49 is then inserted through aperture 60 in collar 56 and the aligned central aperture in the base portion 47 to a position in which the aperture 62 in its upper portion is in alignment with the upper aperture 59 in the flanges of collar '56 and the aligned central apertures in flanges 53 and 54. .It will be noted that the menu cards and the interposed spacing strip are each provided with notches 68 to receive the flattened portion 61 of supporting post 49 so that the lower'margin of the cards and spacing sheet opposite the notches will extend to the desired distance between flanges 53 and 54. To hold the parts firmly in place, a bolt 69 at each end of the tubular 'poition as shown in Fig. 5 is inserted through the apertures in each clamp 65, the aligned apertures in flanges 53 and 54, of the base portion arranged opposite to apertures in each clamp and the aligned apertures 67 in the menu cards 50 and 51 and the spacing card or sheet 51 which bolts may be securedin place by suitable means, such as nuts, not shown. In a like manner, a bolt 70 is inserted through aligned apertures in flanges 57 and 58 of collar 56, the aperture 62 in the supporting post 49, and aligned apertures in flanges 53 and 54 of the base portion.

After the parts are assembled in place, the tubular post 49 is secured to 'thefixture in such a manner that one of the menu card faces toward one side of the fixture and the other menu card faces toward the opposite side of the fixture. For this purpose, a semi-cylindrical holder 71 is provided having oppositely extending flanges 72 which are welded or otherwise secured to the partition wall 35whicl1' holder receives the lower portion oftubul-ar post 49 of the bracket and to maintain the post firmly in place and to prevent rotation thereof in its holder, the holder is provided with an aperture 73 as shown in Fig. 3 which'is arnanged in alignment with an aperture 74 in partition wall 35 as shown in Fig. 2 and a bolt 75 extends through aperture 73, the apertures 64 in post 49, and the aligned aperture 74 in partition wall 35 as shown in Fig. 5 which bolt may be held in place by suitable means, such as a nut, not shown.

The menu cards 50 and 51 are preferably formed of a transparent resin, such as Lucite, on each of which the menus are written or printed and the separating card or sheet 52 is formed of an opaque material, such as a darkcolored sheet of paper or a thin sheet of a dark-colored card board and means are provided to illuminate the menu cards so that the menus on the cards facing each side of the fixture may be easily read by patrons in cars parked on either side of the fixture. For this purpose, each end of the tubular member 47 is provided with a cap 76 having spaced resilient prongs 77 for maintaining the caps firmly in place on the tubular member 47 when the caps are inserted in place and each cap is provided with a bracket 78 to which is secured a socket 79 for receiving an electric light bulb 85. The electric light bulbs are illuminated by means of a conductor 80 extending from one of the terminals on panel plate 44 through an aperture 81 in the cover and from thence through the central opening in post 49 "and from which it emerges through aperture 63 in the post and extends to a terminal post 82 arranged within the tubular member 47 and leading from terminal post 82 extends a wire 83 leading to one of the sockets 79 and a wire 84 leading to the other socket 79. Each of the sockets 79 are provided with bayonet slots to receive a light bulb 85 and the negative terminal from each of the light bulbs is grounded back to the negative terminal on the panel. It will be apparent that when the bulbs are illuminated, they illuminate the transparent resinous cards on which the menus are written or printed so that the menus will be clearly visible at night.

From Fig. 5, it will be noted that the base portion 47 of the bracket for supporting the menu cards extends over tray supports 29 and 30 and to enable the tray supports to be illuminated, the tubular base portion of the bracket is provided with an aperture 86 adjacent each end as shown in Fig. 7.

.It will of course be understood that conductors leading to and from the central restaurant for the receiving 50; and transmitting and buzzer circuits of each instrument and the circuit for the lights are also connected to panel 44 which conductors may be combined in the form of a cable and passed through standard 1 and conduit means 4 as shown in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that when a car drives on one side of the fixture, one of the patrons may inspect the menu on one of the menu cards. He then presses the buzzer 42 which illuminates a light or actuates a signalling device in the restaurant. The order may then be given for himself and his companions which is delivered to the car by a waitress who collects the money for the order and leaves and after the refreshments are consumed, the trays with the empty dishes are deposited upon tray support 29 or 30 depend ing upon which side of the fixture the car is parked and if the patrons are in a hurry they may then leave and the trays are collected by the waitress at her leisure. In the event the patrons desire entertainment or music while enjoying their refreshments, the microphone may be placed in the car and utilized as a receiver for music or entertainment furnished by the restaurant and in the event the patrons desire to place an additional order,

may be provided on each side wall 33 and 34 of the cover to receive a card on which is written or printed the number of the waitress assigned to the particular station. If no number is assigned to the waitress, her first or full name may be printed or written on the card.

When the restaurant is closed, the microphones may be removed from side walls 33 and 34, the cover may be pivoted on hinges 24 to open position as shown in Fig. and one microphone may be placed in the container on one side of the support 6 and the other microphone may be placed in the container on the opposite side of the support. The cover may then be pivoted to its closed position and locked by suitable means. As shown, a lock 88 is secured to the end wall 18 of the container which has a latch 89 movable into an opening in a flange 90 of an angle iron, the other flange 91 of which is secured to the cover and when the cover is closed and the key for the lock is moved in one direction, latch 89 is moved into the opening in flange 90 to lock the cover to the container and is moved outwardly from the opening in flange 90 when the key is turned in the other direction to release the cover from the container.

In opening the cover to insert the instruments in place, it is not necessary to move the cover to a horizontal open position. Means may therefore be provided for maintaining the cover in an inclined position relative to the container. For this purpose, a chain 92 may be provided, one end of which is secured to plate 6 and the other end to the inner upper wall of the cover.

What is claimed is:

l. A fixture for the parking space of drive-in restaurants comprising a standard, a container supported by said standard, a rectangularly-shaped cover for said container having a lever upper surface, means extending across the upper surface of said cover intermediate its ends for dividing the upper surface of the cover into first and second tray supports, a first wall secured to said cover and extending upwardly along one of the side margins ot the cover for a sufficient distance to border the first tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the first tray support from one side of the fixture and a second wall secured to and extending upwardly along the opposite side of the cover for a suiflcient distance to border the second tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the second tray support from the opposite side of said fixture, said first tray support extending from one side of the cover to the wall bordering its opposite side and the second tray support extending from the other side of said cover to the Wall bordering its opposite side to enable trays to be easily slid on to the respective tray supports from opposite sides of said fixture.

2. A fixture for the parking space of drive-in restau rants comprising a standard, a container supported by said standard, a rectangular-shaped cover mounted on said container and having a smooth level upper surface, cover having a first wall secured thereto and extending across the upper surface of the cover substantially midway of its end to provide first and second tray supports, a second wall secured to said cover and extending upwardly along one side thereof from one end of the central wall to a position adjacent one end of the cover and bordering one side of the first tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the first tray support from one side of said fixture, and a third wall secured to said cover and extending from the central wall along the opposite side of said cover to a position adjacent the opposite end of the cover and bordering the other side of the second tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the second tray support from the opposite side of the fixture, said first tray support extending from one side to the second wall and the second tray support extending from the opposite side of the cover to the third wall to enable trays to be easily 0 slid on to the tray supports from the opposite sides of said fixture.

3. A fixture for the parking space of a drive-in restaurant comprising a standard, a container supported by said standard, a rectangularly-shaped metal cover for said container having a lever upper surface and a downwardly extending flange on each side thereof, an elongated metal strip, one portion of which extends across said cover at substantially the central portion thereof and is secured thereto to divide the upper surface of said cover into first and second tray supports, a second portion of said strip having its lower margin secured to the downwardly extending flange on one side of said cover and extending substantially to one end thereof and providing a wall bordering one side of the first tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the first tray support from one side of the fixture, and a third portion of said strip having its lower margin secured to the downwardly extending flange on the other side of said cover and extending substantially to the opposite end of said cover for forming a second wall bordering the opposite side of the second tray support for limiting the movement of trays slid on to the second tray support from the opposite side of said fixture, said first tray support extending from one side of said cover to the wall bordering its opposite side and the second tray support extending from the opposite side of the cover to the wall bordering its opposite side to enable trays to be easily slid on to the respective tray supports from opposite sides of said fixture.

4. A fixture for use in the parking space of a drive-in restaurant comprising a standard, a rectangularly-shaped container having openings therein, a panel arranged in said container provided with terminals, a support for said panel extending across said container and having its op posite end portion secured to the side walls of the container, a rectangularly-shaped cover for said container having a level upper surface to provide a tray support, means upon said cover adjacent to one side thereof for supporting a communicating instrument, the conductors from which extend through one of the openings in the container to terminals on said panel, means upon said cover adjacent the opposite side thereof for supporting a second communicating instrument, the conductors from which extend through the other opening in the container to terminals on said panel, said container being of sufficient length to receive one of said communicating instruments on one side of said support and the other communicating instrument on the opposite side of said support, and means associated with said cover and said container for locking said cover to the container when the instruments are in place in the container.

5. A fixture for the parking space of a drive-in restaurant comprising a tubular standard, a substantially rectangularly-shaped container having said walls and a bottom wall provided with an opening through which opening the upper portion of said standard extends, a support arranged within said container, a panel secured to said support having terminals from which conductors leading through said standard may be connected, means arranged inside of said containers for securing the container to the standard, and for preventing rotation of said container relative to the standard, a cover for said container, means projecting upwardly from substantially the central portion of said cover for dividing the cover into first and second tray supports, and means for locking said cover to said container for preventing access to said securing means.

6. A fixture for the parking space of drive-in restaurants comprising a tubular standard, a substantially rectangularly-shaped container having side Walls and a bottom wall provided with an opening through which opening the upper portion of said standard extends, means arranged inside of the container for securing the container to the standard and for preventing rotation of said container relative to the standard, a support arranged within the container, a panel secured to said support having terminals to which conductors leading through said standard may be connected, a cover for said container, means projecting upwardly from substantially the central portion of said cover for dividing the cover into first and second tray supports, means whereby a communicating instrument may be supported on each side of said cover, and one side wall of said container being provided with an opening through which conductors leading from one of said communicating instruments may be passed into the container to said panel and the other side wall of said container being provided with an opening through which conductors leading from the other instrument may be passed to the panel, said container being of sufiicient size to receive one of said communicating instruments on one side and the other communicating instrument on the opposite side of said standard, and means for locking said cover tosaid container when the communicating instruments are in place.

7. A fixture for the parking space of drive-in restaurants, said fixture comprising a standard, a container supported by said standard, a cover for said container having oppositely disposed side and end portions and flat portions providing tray supports, a frame, a pair of menu cards having menus thereon arranged in said frame, a tubular member arranged above said cover, means for securing said frame to the tubular member and said tubular member to said cover in a position to maintain said frame longitudinally of said cover, and means for illuminating said menu cards and the portion of the cover providing tray supports so that the menus on one of said cards and one of said tray supports are visible to patrons in an automobile parked along one side of said fixture and the menus on the other menu card and the other tray support are visible to patrons parked along the opposite side of said fixture.

8. A fixture for the parking space of a drive-in restaurant, said fixture comprising a tubular standard, a con tainer supported by said standard, a support arranged in said container, a panel secured to said support provided with terminals and said standard providing a passageway for conductors from a suitable source of electrical energy to said panel, a cover for said container having substantially flat portions providing tray supports and being provided with an opening, a tubular member extending above the cover and having an opening which is adjacent to the opening in said cover, a pair of menu cards, a frame for supporting said menu cards, means for securing said tubular member to said frame and to said cover, and means for illuminating said menu cards and said tray supports, the conductors for which illuminating means extend from said panel through the opening in said cover and tubular member to said illuminating means.

9. A fixture for the parking space of a drive-in restaurant, said fixture including a tubular standard, a container, a support secured to said container, means for connecting said standard to said container, a panel secured to said support provided with terminals and said standard providing a passageway for conductors from a suitable source of electrical energy to said panel, a cover for said container provided with fiat portions providing tray supports and an opening, a frame, menu cards having menus thereon arranged in said frame, a tubular member secured to said frame and to said cover and having an opening in alignment with the opening in said cover, means for illuminating said menu cards and said tray supports, the conductors for which illuminating means pass through the opening in said tubular member and said cover to said panel, and means for securing said tubular member to said frame and to said cover in a position to maintain said frame and said tubular member in such positions that one menu card and one of said tray supports will be visible to patrons in an automobile parked along one side of said fixture and the menu on the other menu card and the other tray support will be visible to patrons parked along the opposite side of said fixture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 161,333 Gooken Dec. 26, 1950 268,799 Johnston Dec. 12, 1882 916,771 Paden Mar. 30, 1909 1,679,791 Silberhartz Aug. 7, 1928 2,318,122 Williams May 4, 1943 2,374,119 Morgan Apr. 17, 1945 2,538,966 Flannery Jan. 23, 1951 2,549,676 Dunn et al. Apr. 17, 1951 2,566,458 Macau Sept. 4, 1951 2,629,780 Byrd Feb. 24, 1953 2,634,530 Herschede Apr. 14, 1953 2,739,857 Fisher Mar. 27, 1956

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