US2675983A - Cardholder - Google Patents

Description

pl'll 20, 1954 R, s, K|NG 2,575,983

CARDHOLDER Filed Feb. 2o, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 Eig-I :inventor Apri12o,1954 RS KWG 2,675,983

CARDHOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Snoentor Patented Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT VOFFICEy 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a card holder and it is one object of the invention to provide a card holder of such construction that it may be detachably mounted against a side door or the door or closure for the trunk of an automobile and advertising matter, or the like, prominently displayed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a card holder consisting of a frame which has an open front closed by a sheet of transparent material so that a card in the frame will be visible but shielded from damage by rain, snow, dirt, or the like, the marginal walls of the frame forming a hood which is hinged to the rear wall of the frame for movement to an opened or closed position, and the hood being provided with an improved loclr for securing it in its closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for mounting the frame against the door of the motor vehicle consisting of strips which are slidable into and out of the frame through opposite ends thereof and at their outer ends carry hooks of such formation that they may be engaged with opposite side edges of the door and rmly grip the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for guiding sliding movement ci the mounting strips and securing the same against outward movement to a position in which they would be liable to accidently become detached from the edges of the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for holding the frame against the door while applying the hooks of the mounting strips to edges of the door and also provide means for urging the mounting strips inwardly and holding the hooks in engagement with the door while the securing means for the strips is being tightenea.

Another object of the invention is to provide a card holder wherein the frame in which a card is mounted is equipped with electric lighting means so that the card may be clearly seen at night. l v

Another object of the"A invention is to provide a card holder which is simple in construction, easy to apply or remove, and capable of being manufactured at low cost.

rIhe invention is illustrated'in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the improved card holder mounted against a side door of an automobile.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken vertically through the card holder along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the door engaging hooks and the outer end portion of the mounting strip carrying the hook.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view' taken horizontally through the card holder and the door.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the manner in which the hood of the frame is releasably held closed.

Fig. 6 is a View illustrating the manner in which mounting strips are bowed longitudinally to hold the card holder against the door or closure for the trunk of an automobile.

The motor vehicle shown in Figure 1 and indicated in general by the numeral l represents an automobile of conventional construction, this automobile being provided with the usual side doors 2 and with a rear trunk normally closed by a door which is not shown as it is a conventional element of the automobile.

The card holder is mounted against the outer surface of the door and consists of a frame 3 which is open at its front and has a rear wall 4 .and marginal walls which are formed separate from the rear wall and form a hood 5. This hood Yhas its lower wall 6 connected with the lower edge of the rear wall by hinges 'l and all of the walls have their outer edge portions bent inwardly to form a flange 8 against which a sheet 9 of glass, or other transparent material is held by upper and lower retainer strips IB. The upper wall Il of the hood is of greater width than the lower wall 6 and its end walls l2 are gradually reduced in width towards their lower ends. Therefore the open front of the casing and the transparent sheet 9 are disposed at a vertical incline and when a person is looking at the frame a card I3 in the frame can be clearly seen and writing and other advertising matter on the card easily read. This card is supported vertically in the frame by channeled strips or tracks M which are disposed in forwardly spaced relation to the rear edges of the marginal walls of the frame. Suction cups I5 which are secured to the rear wall d by bolts I 8 project rearwardly from the casing and serve as means for initially holding the frame in place against the door of the automobile when the frame is applied to the door.

.After the frame has been applied to the door and angularly adjusted to a position in which it extends horizontally, it is tobe firmly secured so that it can not work loose and drop from the door. in order to do so there have been provided mounting strips il which are formed of metal and are slidably passed through slots I8 formed in the end walls. These strips are preferably formed of resilient metal so that they .3 may extend in a straight line when extended, as shown in Figure 4, or be flexed longitudinally when extended, as shown in Figure 6. It will thus be seen that the frame may he mounted against a door having a fiat outer surface or against a door or trunk closure which is formed with a transversely curved outer surface. The strips have portions Within the trarne overlapped and these overlapped portions are formed with longitudinally extending slots i9 which register with each other. A boit which is passed through the rear wall and welded thereto projects inwardly of the frame and passes through the slots in the mounting strips. When the nut 2l of this bolt is tightened binding pressure is applied to the strips and they will be firmly held against longitudinal movement. Outer ends of the mounting strips are bent to forni ears 22 and close to these ears are mounted straps or bridges 23 with which are engaged the hooked ends of a helical spring 25. This spring extends longitudinally of the iran/1e bach oi its Wall and when the strips are drawn o' twardly the spring is stretched and its contr ion will urge the strips inwardly. Hooks 25 are cerried by outer ends of the mounting strips for engagement with side edges of the door to which the i ne is applied. These hooks are or duplicate construction and each is formed as shown in Figure 3. Referring to this 'ligure it will be seen that the hook is formed of sheet metal and tapers towards its inner end. The outer end portion ci the sheet metal blank from which the hook is formed is bent to form a bill 26 which engages about an edge portion of the door and the inner end potrion of the blank is bent to form a shank 2i from which projects a tongue iii. A bolt is passed through the shank 2i and the companion ear 22 and holds the hook securely to the outer end ci the mounting strip, the tongue 28 serving to prevent the hook from turning about the bolt and moving out of longitudinal alignment with the mounting strip. After the hooks have been applied to pposite edges oi the door and pull upon the hooks is relieved the spring draws the mounting strips inwardly and holds the hooks in gripping engagement with the door. The nut or the colt 20 is then tightened and the strips will he prevented from moving outwardly to a position in which the hooks may accidently become disengaged from the door.

After the trarne has been to the door the hood is closed and secured by lock 30. This lock is mounted through the upper side wall of the hood and is of a type requiring a hey 3l to move a core or shaft to a releasing position. The shaft or shank ci the lock is rectangular in cross section, as shown in Figure 5, and upon this shank is mounted a latch which projects laterally from the shank and near its outer free end is eut to form a recess a bill 34. lVhen the shank: is turned in one direction the latch moved from the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 5 to the operative position shown in full lines, and when the latch in the operative or extended position, the free end portion of the latch passes through an opening 35 formed in the rear wall and a portion of the rear Wall at one side of the opening is engaged. in the recess or slit 33 so that the bill 34 rmly holds the hood in its closed position until the lock is actuated to move the latch to its releasing position. In order that the card mounted in the frame may be clearly seen at night there has heen provided an electric bulb 36 mounted in a socket 3i at the top of the hood and supplied with current by wires 38 which extend downwardly in the hood and outwardly through an opening 39 in the rear wall. It is understood that any number of lights desired may be mounted in the hood.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A support for a card-holding frame comprising flat inextensible exible strips slidable longitudinally of each other and of lengths adapting them to be passed through openings in opposite walls of the frame and disposed with their inner ends in overlapping relation to each other; said strips having their overlapping portions formed with 25 longitudinally extending registering slots; a bolt for supporting said frame extending through said registering slots and adapted to be clamped to hold said strips against longitudinal movement; each said strip having its outer end forme-d with a laterally extending ear; straps adjacent outer ends of said strips.; a tension spring having its ends secured to said straps and urging said strips inwardly; hooks extending longitudinally from outer ends of said strips in axial oiset relation and having transversely enlarged bills at their outer marginal edges, for hooking over the edges of a vehicle door; the inner ends ci said hooks being formed with laterally extending Shanks disposed in parallel relation to companion ears on said strips; said companion ears and shar'rs having axially aligned bores through which bo extend; nuts for said bolts for drawing said co panion ears together into face to face eng ment; and tongues overlaying the joint betwe .i

r said Shanks and ears and bearing upon said strips for aligning said hooks.

References Cited in the :tile or" this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 554,091 Sears Feb. li, 1695 711,621 Ferguson Oct. 2l, i502 1,351,919 Levi Sept. 7, 1920 1,699,730 Woolf Jan.. 22, 1,705,381 Snyder Mar. l2, i929 1,759,544 Croes May, 20, 3.93@ 1,885,282 Connor Nov. l, 1932 2,191,808 Schramm Feb. 27, i945 2,214,302 AKeller Sept. l0, 1940 2,253,423 Fellers Aug. 19, ltel 2,372,967 Martin Apr. i945 2,442,266 Davis May 25, 1949 2,494,179 King dan. l0, 1959 2,597,649 Macbeth May 20, 1952

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