GB2213977A

GB2213977A - Holders for notices

Info

Publication number: GB2213977A
Application number: GB8900485A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip William Cumberland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-01-15
Filing date: 1989-01-10
Publication date: 1989-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2009-01-10
Also published as: GB8800898D0; GB8900485D0; GB2213977B

Abstract

A notice holder comprises an upright column 10 on a base 12 and two horizontal cros-member 14, 20 on the column, at least one of which is adjustable in height towards and away from the other, said cross-member having open-ended Vee-grooves 24, 26 facing one another and with coplanar vertical back walls to said grooves, whereby to hold an information bearing rigid sheet notice between them. The holder may incorporate decorative ironwork or a clip instead of a base to attach it to a structure. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements in Holders for Notices This invention relates to a holder for supporting a notice in the form of an information-bearing rigid sheet.

According to the invention, a notice holder comprises a column means and a means for supporting the column means in a substantially-upright orientation, and two cross-members in use supported substantially horizontally one at a higher level than the-other by the upright-column means, the upper cross-member having a downwardly facing groove and the lower -cross-member.having an upwardly facing groove, whereby the cross-members are able to-receive and hold an informationbearing rigid sheet between them, at least one said crossmember being mounted for adjustment of its vertical position dnd means also being provided for locking the at least one adjustable cross-member in a chosen position of adjustment.

The Holder in.accordance with the invention thus enables rigid sheet notic-es-of different lengths and depths to be received and supported.

The column -means is constituted by a single column in a preferred embodiment, but in an alternative construction comprises two spaced apart columns.

The -means for supporting the column means may be a base for standing the notice holder on the ground, thereby to constitute a notice stand, or may be mounting device such as a clip whereby the column means-can be fixed in upright orientation to a separate structure.

Preferably, the grooves in the cross-members are each generally of a Vee shape, whereby, in conjunction with the permitted adjustment of the vertical spacing between the cross-members, information-bearing rigid sheets of differing thicknesses can be received and supported.

In an embodiment, the Vee-shaped grooves each have one substantially vertical wall and one inclined wall, the two vertical walls -being at least approximately coplanar.

The grooves are preferably open-ended at least at one end, and are preferably open-ended at both ends, so that notices of substantial and differing lengths can always be located centrally with respect to the upright column means.

In a preferred arrangement, at least the upper cross member is vertically adjustable in level. For this purpose, the upper cross-member may be carried at or -adjacent the topof an upright which at or adjacent its lower end is fixed to a member adapted to slide up and down the column below the level of the lower cross-member, which itself may be fixed or adjustably mounted to the column.

An analogous arrangement may be employed when two columns are provided.

In an embodiment of notice holder, the stand is substantially wholly made of wrought iron, with decorative ironwork embellishing at least the base and/or cross-members. In this embodiment, the column is preferably a column of square cross-section, and the upper cross-member may be fixed to an upright bar in turn fixed to a square cross-sectioned tubular member slidable up and down the outside of the column. This tubular member may be lockable in place by means of a tee bolt engaged through a screwthreaded hole in the wall of said tubular member. Different locking means such as a spring loaded friction device or a cam could be enployed.

An alternative embodiment has a plain tripod base and telescopic column means in the form of one or more round cross-sectioned tubular members which may be telescopically arranged, fixing by friction or a suitable locking device in a chosen position of adjustment, in order to position a notice at a selected-height.

A practical embodiment of notice holder in accordance with the invention is diagrammatically shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a basic notice holder; Figure 2 is a partial rear view showing a clamping means; Figures 3A and 3B are end views of the upper and-lower cross-members, respectively; Figure 4 is illustr-ative of a -wrought iron notice holder complete with ironwork embellishment; and Figures 5A and 5B show an alternative construction of notice holder.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the illustrated notice holder comprises a box section column 10 mounted upright on a base 12. Adjacent the top-of the column is fixed a lower horizontal cross-member 14.

A square cross-secti-oned tubular.member 16 is slidable up and down the column 10 below the cross-member 14. A rigid flat bar or strip 18 is upstanding from the back cf this sliding member 16 and has an upper cross-member 20 fixed to its upper end. A tee-bolt clamp 22 screwed through a hole in the sliding member 16 enables the latter to be clamped in a chosen position of vertical adjustment on the column 10.

The cross-sectional shapes of the cross-members 14, 20 are shown in Figures 3A and 3B respectively. Said members have open-ended Vee-grooves 24, 26 facing one another generally in a common vertical plane. The back walls 28, 30 of these Vee-grooves a-re substan-tially vertical and in alignment.

In use, a rigid notice bearing information to be displayed is located with its bottom edge in the groove 24 of the lower -cross-member 14 and the upper cross-member 20 is then lowered from a raised position so that its groove 26 engages around the top edge of the notice. The clamp 22 is then tightened so that the cross-members 14, 20 firmly hold the notice in position.

Due to the-open-ended f-orm of the grooves, the Vee shape af said--grooves, and the capability of vertical adjustment -of the upper cr-oss-member-, rigid notices of differing lengths, depths and thicknesses (up to a given limit) can be -insert-ed and firmly held in position, centrally with respect to the supporting column. The vertical back walls of the- Vee-grooves assist in firm and reliable gripping of the notice between the lower and upper cross-members.

The complete holder is -in one embodiment (see Figure 4) made ~of wrought iron with ironwork embellishment 32 on the cross members and embelli-shment 34 on the multiple legged base 36.

- -Howver, a plain tripad-type base may be employed instead.

Various-modifications are possible within the sccpe of the invention hereinbefore defined. For example, the wrought iron construction is not essential, and other constructional materials may be employed instead. It is also possible to employ a two-part telescopic column instead of the sliding tubular member above described, or a taller column on which either one or both of the cross-members are directly mounted by means of a clampable mounting sleeve.

Moreover as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, in an alternative construction the holder may have two columns 40, 42 of round or square cross-section, the lower cross-member 44 being fixedly connected between them, and the upper cross-member 46 being connected between two uprights 48, 50 slidable vertically with respect to the columns and lockable in position by locking means 52, 54.

Finally, instead of being in the form of a notice stand, the legs or other base may be replaced by a clip or other mounting device by which a notice holder is formed attachable with. its column means upright to a separate structure.

Claims

1. A notice holder comprising a column means and a means for supporting the column means in a substantially upright orientation, and two cross-members in use supported substantially horizontally one at a higher level than the other by the upright column means, the upper cross-member having a downwardly facing groove and the lower cross-member having an upwardly facing groove, whereby the cross-members are able to receive and hold an information-bearing rigid sheet between them,-at least one said cross-member being mounted for adjustment of its vertical position and means also being provided for locking the at least one adjustable cross-member in a chosen position of adjustment.

2. A notice holder according to claim 1, having a column means comprising a single column or two or more spaced columns.

3. A notice holder according to claim 1 or claim 2, having a base for standing the column means upright on the ground.

4. A notice holder according to claim 1 or claim 2, having a mounting means by which the column may be attached upright to a separate structure.

5. A notice holder according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the grooves in the cross-members are each generally of a Vee shape, whereby, in conjunction with the permitted adjustment of the vertical spacing between the cross-members, information-bearing rigid sheets of differing thicknesses can be received and supported.

6. A notice holder according to claim 5, wherein the Vee shaped grooves each have one substantially vertical wall and one inclined wall, the two vertical walls being at least approximately coplanar.

7. A notice holder according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the grooves are open-ended at least at one end, and are preferably open-ended at both ends, so that notices of substantial and differing lengths can always be located centrally with respect to the upright column means.

8. A nbtice holder according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least the upper cross-member is vertically adjustable in level.

9. A notice holder according to claim 8, wherein the upper cross-member is carried at or adjacent the top of an upright which at or adjacent its. lower end is fixed to a member adapted to slide up and down the column below the level of the lower cross-member, which itself may be fixed or adjustably m-ounted- to the columns.

10. A notice holder according to any of claims 1 to 9, having one or more columns of square cross-section or round cross-section.

11. A notice holder according to claim 10, wherein the column or columns is or are telescopically adjustable in height.

12. A notice holder according to claim 10 or claim 11, having a column which is of square cross-section, wherein the upper cross-member is fixed te an upright bar in turn fixed te a square cross-sectioneo tubular member lidable up and down the outside of the column.

13. A notice holder according to claim 12, wherein the tubular member is lockable in place by means of a tee bolt engaged through a screwthreaded hole in the wall of said tubular member.

14. A notice holder according to any preceding claim, made of wrought iron.

15. A notice holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.