GB2577369A

GB2577369A - Vehicle registration plates

Info

Publication number: GB2577369A
Application number: GB1910627.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nigel Daykin Adrian
Original assignee: Modula X Ltd
Current assignee: Modula X Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-09
Filing date: 2019-07-25
Publication date: 2020-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-25
Also published as: GB201812985D0; GB2577369B; GB201910627D0

Abstract

A housing for a vehicle registration plate, such as a licence plate or number plate, comprises a backing member 1 adapted to removably mount the housing on a vehicle, a frame 2 to hold the registration plate in the housing, and a detachable display bar (8, figure 3). The display bar has a retention element which is inaccessible when the housing is assembled, such that a part of the housing may have to be loosened or removed, to release the display bar. The display bar may be held in place by means of the frame being secured to the backing member, and the retention element may comprise a profile (10) and tabs (9) which align with complementary features on the housing. In addition, the housing may contain a recess (17, figure 4) adjacent the frame, and a further display panel (19) adapted to detachably fit within the recess.

Description

Vehicle Registration Plates This invention relates to vehicle registration plates and in particular to a housing for attaching a registration plate to a vehicle.

Motor vehicle registration plates, sometimes known as number plates, identification plates, or licence plates are a way of identifying vehicles. Most countries regulate the properties and format of the plates, including the material of the plate as well as the size, font and colour of the characters. The plates are usually mounted onto the front and the rear of a vehicle. Some vehicle registration plate holders comprise a backing member to attach to a vehicle and a frame to hold the registration plate.

It is also common for an additional display bar to be positioned below the registration plate, to be used for advertising purposes, for example by the vehicle manufacturer, a sales dealership, or a vehicle-hire company. Typically, such a display bar is removably attached either to the registration plate, or to a backing member, so that the advertising material can be readily changed.

For example, US patent 9,381,874 describes an advertising band removably attached to the lower edge of a back plate.

Although such removable display bars are convenient to remove, it is 25 found in practice that the ease of removal leads to the bars becoming detached too easily and falling off.

There is a need for a vehicle registration plate with a more secure display bar, which can nevertheless be removed and replaced when required. The present invention achieves this objective by providing a detachable display bar, which requires an additional step to remove and replace it. -2 -

Accordingly, the present invention provides a housing for a vehicle registration plate comprising a backing member adapted to removably mount the housing on a vehicle, a frame to hold the registration plate in the housing, and a detachable display bar, wherein the display bar has a retention element which is inaccessible when the housing is assembled.

Thus, to remove the display bar, at least part of the housing must be loosened or removed.

For example, the display bar may be held in place on the housing by means of the backing member being mounted on the vehicle. In order to detach the display bar from the housing, the backing member must be loosened or removed from the vehicle.

Preferably, the display bar is held in place on the housing by means of the frame being secured to the backing member. In order to detach the display bar from the housing, the frame must be loosened or removed from the backing member.

The backing member may be mounted onto the vehicle using any known method, providing that, if the display bar retention means is behind the backing member, the backing member must be sufficiently readily removable or loosened to allow the display bar to be detached from the housing. Suitably the backing member comprises holes through which screws, or other fastening means, can be passed, to secure the housing to the vehicle. If the display bar retention means is situated between the frame and the backing member, then the backing member may be mounted onto the vehicle by means of adhesive. -3 -

The display bar retention element may simply be a rigid sheet, integral with the display bar, which sheet fits between the backing member and the vehicle. In such a case, the rigid sheet retains the display bar in position as it is sandwiched between the backing member and the vehicle; and can only be removed by loosening or detaching the backing member from the vehicle.

Suitably, the display bar clips onto part of the housing. For example, the retention element may contain a profile which aligns with complementary profile on the housing. One such profile may be protruding to align with a recessed profile. Alternatively, the two profiles may interlock via other complementary shapes on the display bar and housing. In either case, the display bar clips onto the frame or the backing member, before the housing is fully assembled.

The backing member and the frame preferably form a single integral structure. Preferably, however, the frame may be secured to the backing member by cooperating engagement means, for example by a clip fitting, adhesive, or screw fitting. Preferably, the frame clips onto the backing member.

In order to provide a simple, yet secure, release of the frame from the backing member, this invention further provides a release tool adapted to unclip the frame. For example, the release tool may comprise prongs which pass through the side edge of the housing and press against the clips on the frame to release it.

A vehicle registration plate for inclusion in the housing of this invention may be a of conventional construction, such as a transparent plastics panel bonded to a retroreflective sheet. Alphanumeric characters may be applied, for example printed, onto the face of the reflective sheet, before -4 -it is bonded to the plastics panel, so the characters are visible through that transparent panel. Other types of registration plate are also suitable for use in the housing of this invention. The vehicle registration plate may be secured within the frame of the housing by screw means through holes which are aligned with holes in the backing member. Alternatively, the registration plate may be secured by adhesive to the backing member. Suitably, the registration plate is secured within the housing by means of lugs positioned around the edge of the frame, so that the registration plate clips into the frame. Preferably, the registration plate is secured 10 within the housing by means of the frame clipping into the backing member.

The display bar of this invention may be used to display information or for advertising purposes. However, there is an increasing demand for further changeable information to be displayed around the registration plate, in addition to the limited space on the narrow display bar beneath the registration plate.

Therefore, in a further embodiment of this invention, the housing further 20 contains a recess adjacent the frame, and a display panel adapted to detachably fit within the recess.

In this embodiment, a narrower registration plate is constructed, within a standard sized housing, to enable the display panel to be fitted alongside the registration plate.

The size of a registration plate is generally not regulated. Instead, the font, size and spacing of the alphanumeric characters are regulated. Although a conventional registration plate is about 520mm wide, in fact the maximum space needed to accommodate all the possible characters is 460mm. This leaves up to 60mm for a detachable display panel.

Furthermore, if the registration of the vehicle contains fewer than the maximum number of characters, the registration plate may be narrower, so that the housing may contain two recesses, to accommodate two display panels.

Suitably, the housing containing the additional display panel or panels is of a size to fit into a space on a vehicle which space is the same or similar to that of known registration plates. Preferably the housing is about 520mm wide. The height of the housing is preferably from 104mm to 111mm.

The frame for the registration plate, when adjacent a single recess for a further display panel, is suitably from 460mm to 490mm wide, for example from 475mm to 485mm, preferably about 479mm wide. When the housing contains two recesses for display panels, the frame for the registration plate may be from 440mm to 460mm wide, preferably about 450mm wide.

The display panel is held in place within the recess by detachable means, such as clips or screws. If screwed in place, the screws may also represent the means to secure the housing to the vehicle. Preferably, however, the display panel clips into the recess.

The side of the recess adjacent the registration plate may comprise a removable separator. In this way, a standard sized housing may be used and adapted to form a recess to accommodate a display panel.

The display panel, which fits into the recess, suitably alongside the registration plate, may be used to display information which is temporary in nature, or may change if the vehicle is sold to another owner. For -6 -example, a car hire company may wish to display that the care is hired from that company, or a manufacturer's logo may be displayed. Other information that may be displayed include a country designation, such as GB, in the event the vehicle is driven abroad; or a disabled badge; or a 'P' mark signifying that the driver has recently passed a driving test; or any other form of advertising.

Furthermore, the display panel may be used to accommodate an RFID chip and may additionally hold a battery to power a long-range RFID 10 transmitter.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 is a schematic representation of a one embodiment of a housing of this invention.

Fig 2 is a cross section through the line X-X of the housing of Fig 1 having a vehicle registration plate in place.

Fig 3 is a schematic representation of a display bar of this invention.

Fig 4 is a representation of a second embodiment of a housing of this invention and a detachable display panel to fit into a recess in the housing.

Fig 5 is an exploded view of a further embodiment of the invention, with a display panel and a clip-on display bar.

Fig 6 shows a further embodiment wherein the side of the recess 25 comprises a removable separator.

Fig 7 is a representation showing an alternative method of attaching the display bar to the frame of this invention.

Referring to Fig 1, a housing has a backing member 1, and a frame 2. The frame has lugs 3 to hold a registration plate in place. Holes 4 are provided for screws to attach the backing member to a vehicle. -7 -

In Fig 2, the backing member is shown in cross section, integral with the frame 3. A registration plate 5 is held in place within the frame with the lugs 3. The backing member 1 has a recessed portion 6 and a further recessed profile 7 to attach the display bar. The display bar 8 contains tabs 9 which can fit into the recessed portion 6 and a protruding profile which complements the recessed profile 7.

In operation, the display bar 8 is clipped onto the backing member so that the complementary shapes 10 and 7 fit together and the tabs 9 fit into the recessed portion 6. The registration plate 5 is removed to allow the backing member to be attached to the vehicle. Once the backing member is attached, the display bar 6 is secured in place. The registration plate is then clipped back into the frame 2 to complete the assembly. To change the display bar, the registration plate is removed, the backing member is loosened or removed from the vehicle, so that the display bar may be detached.

In Fig 4, a housing 11 contains a frame 12 designed to hold a registration plate (not shown) in the housing. The frame is bounded by walls 13 and 14. The frame contains tabs 15 to hold the registration plate in place.

The housing is attached to the vehicle by means of screws fitted through the holes 16 in the rear of the housing.

Adjacent the frame 12 there is formed a recess 17, bounded by the walls 13 and 18. A display panel 19 is shaped to fit into the recess 18 and held by clips (not shown).

In use, the display panel is printed with the desired information and clipped into the recess 17. The panel may be removed when desired to interchange with a different display panel. -8 -

In Fig 5, a backing member 21 contains a recess 27 to accommodate a display panel 29. The recess 27 contains clips 23 to hold the display panel 29 in place. The backing member 21 has two cut-out portions to accommodate lugs 30 on a display bar 28.

A frame 22 has a shape corresponding to the backing member 21. The backing member 21 also has elongate slots 31 to accommodate clips 32, adapted to retain the frame 22 on to the backing member 21. The frame also has cut-out portions 33 to accommodate the lugs 30 on the display bar 28.

In operation, the backing member 21 is secured to a vehicle. The registration plate 25 is placed within the backing member 21. The display panel 29 is then clipped into the recess 27. The display bar 28 is clipped into the frame 22 by means of the lugs 30 fitting into the cut-out portions 33 on the frame. The frame 22 is then attached to the backing member 21 by positioning the clips 32 on the frame into the slots 31 on the backing member.

With such an arrangement the display panel 29 can be removed and changed, by detaching it from the clips 23 on the backing member. However, the display bar 28 is securely attached to the housing and can only be released by first removing the frame 22 from the backing member 21.

To assist in the removal of the frame 22 from the backing member 21, and hence release the display bar 28, there is provided a three-pronged release tool 34. The prongs of the release tool 34 pass through the slots 31 on side edge of the housing and press against the clips 32 on the frame to release it.

In Fig 6, a removable separator 40 contains tabs 41 on the top and base portions thereof. The tabs 41 complement slots 42 in the inner surface of the housing.

As the separator 40 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the tabs 41 clip into slots the housing, thereby forming a recess to accommodate a display panel adjacent a registration plate.

Fig 7 illustrates an alternative method to attach a display bar 50 to a frame 51 of the housing. In this case, clips on the display bar 50 fit securely into corresponding slots in the frame 51. For ease of visualization, the display bar 50 is shown with clips facing away from the frame. In operation, the display bar 50 is turned 180° so that the clips face towards the frame 53. Thus, a small clip 52 on the display bar fits into the slot 53 on the frame. Larger clips 54 on the display bar 52 fit into the corresponding slots 55 on the frame 51. A registration plate is then clipped into the frame.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A housing for a vehicle registration plate comprising a backing member adapted to removably mount the housing on a vehicle, a frame to hold the registration plate in the housing, and a detachable display bar, wherein the display bar has a retention element which is inaccessible when the housing is assembled.
2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display bar is held in place on the housing by means of the frame being secured to the backing member.
3. A housing as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the display bar retention element comprises a profile which aligns with complementary profile on part of the housing.
4. A housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the frame clips onto the backing member.
5. A housing as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frame may be released from the backing member by means of a release tool.
6. A housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing further contains a recess adjacent the frame, and a display panel adapted to detachably fit within the recess.
7. A housing as claimed in claim 6 wherein the display panel clips into the recess.
8. A housing as claimed in claim 7 wherein the display panel may be released from the recess by means of a release tool
9. A housing as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the display panel holds a battery to power a long-range RFID transmitter.
10. A housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the registration plate is secured within the frame by means of lugs.