WO2009096794A1

WO2009096794A1 - Portable roadsign

Info

Publication number: WO2009096794A1
Application number: PCT/NO2008/000449
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Otto Fougner; Jørgen LEIRDAL; Stian Haug Lovlien
Original assignee: HUGO INDUSTRIDESIGN AS
Current assignee: HUGO INDUSTRIDESIGN AS
Priority date: 2007-12-14
Filing date: 2008-12-15
Publication date: 2009-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-06-14
Also published as: NO20076455L; NO329452B1

Abstract

Portable road sign (1) where at least one display sheet (2) and at least one leg (3) is connected together by means of a hinge (4), where a light source illuminating the at least one display sheet (2) is arranged between the at least one display sheet (2) and the at least one leg (3).

Description

Portable road sign

The present patent application is concerning a portable road sign, especially a portable road sign having an independent inbuilt illumination.

There are several types of road signs available today which are so-called portable, but many of them are relatively voluminous and are most suitable to be located near the premises they are pointing to or advertising for. Road signs span from relatively small, which are used in the real estate business and which easily can be carried, up to large frames which can withstand all types of weather and wind, having heavy legs and therefore not being especially portable.

Some of the problems of road signs available today are that they are not especially effective when the daylight disappears. In a country like Norway where the amount of daily light in the autumn and winter months is very limited and the street lights do not provide enough light in the twilight/darkness, the signs very often will look as silhouettes where the content on the sign is not visible. Some producers of signs made something with this by installing a light source on the road sign, but then the sign must have access to 220 V AC to be used, which give such road signs a limited usage. Common for all the illuminated signs of today is that they need supply of electricity.

Furthermore the signs having a light source installed are relatively heavy and voluminous which make it more difficult to carry them around.

Road signs of today need something to provide support and to avoid that they collapse. This is very often done by heavy legs for larger road signs. Road signs of the frame type very often are hinged in the top and need self-locking arms on the sides to prevent the road signs in collapsing or folding completely out. Both solutions result in the road signs being heavier and less easy to handle and also that it is more labour intensive to install them.

The purpose of the present application is to develop a road sign further from the prior art of today such that the road sign is not too heavy, maintain stability, but simultaneously provide possibility for lighting of the sign without external supply of electricity. This is achieved with the road sign according to the present invention as defined with the features stated in the claims.

The invention is described more in detail in the following in connection with one embodiment and with reference to the drawing where figure 1 discloses the road sign clapped together seen from the side and figure 2 discloses the road sign installed seen from the side.

The portable road sign comprises an inbuilt lighting source having its own power supply. The light increases the readability of the sign and additionally makes the sign more noticeable. The structure of the sign also makes it easier to be set up by one hand.

The mobility of the sign means that it can be placed and used a number of places. This provides advantages for the user such as real estates to continuously use road signs to point out the direction for display of a property.

With reference to figures 1-2, a road sign 1 according to the invention is disclosed. The road sign 1 comprises at least one display sheet 2 and at least one leg 3 which is maintained together by at least one hinge 4 which is secured near the upper end of the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3. The at least one hinge 4 is rigidly connected to the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3.

The hinge 4 comprises at least one part 6 which is rotatably around the pipe 5 and secured to the at least one display sheet 2 and at least one other part 7 which is rotatably around the pipe 5 and secured to the at least one leg 3. By using the pipe as a shaft in the hinge, a larger distance is created between the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3 than by use of common hinges.

The hinge 4 is mounted a small distance downwardly from the upper end of the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3, the hinge 4 thereby being a rotation point for the display sheet and the leg, but where the rotation of the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3 is limited by the upper ends or the lower ends contact each other 20, 21. By arranging the hinge 4 a bit downwardly from the upper edge to the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3, the distance at the respective lower edges relatively large. The arrangement of the hinge 4 will regulate the placing of this, less opening and corresponding larger when the hinge comes closer to the upper edge. As the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3 will be limited in its movements due to the shape of the hinge 4, there is no need for special struts/self- locking arms to avoid undesired movements, such as for example that the lower ends come too far from each other. On the upper end of the at least one display sheet and the at least one leg a device may be arranged for interference to avoid that the road sign collapses when somebody touches the leg or the display sheet. This furthermore leads to a cheaper structure of the road sign and also a lighter road sign.

The at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3 comprises in their upper parts a recess 11, 12 which may act as a hand grip when it is carried around. When the road sign is to be put down or placed, these two grips are clamped together such that the upper edges touch each other and the at least one display sheet 2 and the at least one leg 3 rotates around the pipe 5. This may be done with one hand in one grip which makes it very easy to set up the road sign which also is very handy in case several signs must be carried and set up along the road. The at least one leg 3 also may be a display sheet if desired. This provides larger total display surface and a possibility to display or commercialize in two directions.

To illuminate the at least one display sheet 2 and its content, a light source is arranged as a electricity source within the pipe 5 which is part of the hinge 4. This means that the road sign is completely independent of external supply of electricity to illuminate the at least one display sheet. The pipe 5 furthermore comprises a recess such that the light from the light source can illuminate the at least one display sheet. In case that more than one display sheet 2 is used, all sheets will be lightened. The electricity source may be connected and disconnected according to the requirement, by means of a switch 10, for example in the summer where there is sufficient light most of the day. Additionally the switch may be a photocell which can turn off the light by a specific brightness and in this way save electricity in case the road sign should be available and lightened during longer periods without inspection.

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s

1. Portable road sign where at least one display sheet and at least one leg is connected together by means of a hinge, characterized in that a light source illuminating the at least one display sheet is arranged between the at least one display sheet and the at least one leg.

2. Portable road sign according to claim 1, characterized in the light source being arranged within a pipe having a recess to let light go through.

3. Portable road sign according to claims 1-2, characterized in the light source being supplied by electricity from a separate source arranged in the road sign.

4. Portable road sign according to one of the claims 1-3, characterized in the hinge being arranged a little downwardly from the upper edges such that the at least one display sheet and the at least one leg may rotate around the hinge until the upper and lower edges meet each other.

5. Portable road sign according to one of the claims 1-4, characterized in the hinge comprises the pipe, at least one part being rotatable around the pipe and secured to the at least one display sheet and the at least one other part being rotatable around the pipe and secured to the at least one leg.

6. Portable road sign according to claims 1-5, characterized in the electricity source comprises a manual on/off switch.

7. Portable road sign according to claims 1-6, characterized in the electricity source in addition to the manual on/off switch comprises a light sensitive switch being active in case the manual switch is turned on.