CA1170048A - Display signs - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A display sign comprises a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined be-tween corresponding opposite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support elements; a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by the framework and means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outwardly away from respective ones of the support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the marginal portions of the fabric to respective ones of the support elements, with the fabric continuing from each of the marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corresponding one of the lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion.

Description

~ 'his is a division of Canadian Application Serial No. 356,611, filed July ~1, 1980.
The present invention relates to display signs. More particularly, it pertains to signs which employ a stretchable fabric as a display face.
Signs have served a variety of purposes such as identifying a place of business, giving directional information, affording a warning and in promoting a product. It seems pos-sible that one of the first outdoor signs visible at night ma~ have been simply a painted signboard which normally would be visible only in the daytime but which was illuminated by a floodlight. It wasn't long, however~ before displays were made self illuminating by the use of a multiplicity of in-candescent light bulbs arranged in patterns to define different letters, numbers and other characters. ~hat approach led to the provision of a cabinet oriented so that at least one major su~face served as a display face in which the bulb sockets were mounted. At the same time, the cabinet had a generally weatherproof interior within which the wiring was connected to the terminals on the various sockets and which would some~
times house associated components such as transformers and r~lays. A few of that kind of older sign may be found to be still in use today, and more modernized versions thereof are yet being installed, particularly for specialized purposes such as in scor~boards or to display moving messages to large audiences.
Another earlier display sign that once found widespread popularity had its characters formed from bent glass tubing which contained an illuminating gas such as neon~ Here again, a cabinet oft~n was employed ~L

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to mount the neon tubing on a display face and also to protect wiring and transformers. Although "neon"
signs are still used today, their popularity has sub-stantially waned except for special applications.
A different early suggestion was to employ translucent or transparent display faces again mounted on a cabinet which housed the wiring and also con-tained the source of illumination. Characters were painted or otherwise formed on the display face. Un-fortunately, about the only practical material available ~7i~41~

for the display face3 was glass. As a result, fre~;uent replacement came to be expected because Or breakage ari.sing from missiles thrown by vandal.s, ob~ects car-rled by the wind or the force of the wind itse:Lf.
Of maJor irnportance to the ou-tdoor sign industry was the development, more than a generation ago, of rigid plastic sheets or panels formed of such materials as acrylic, polycarbonal;e, butyrate and variations thereof. One of the more popular has been a polycarbonate marketed by General Electric Company under the trademark LEXAN. It i.s reasonably unbreakable and exhibits suf'ficient surrace hardness to withstand signlficant damage f'rom most thrown or blown obJects.
Although of'ten referred to as being "rigid", it actually exhibits a degree of resilient ~lexibility, and that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is t~at it ls much safer and easier to handle than a material such as glass, and it also is capable of withstanding stresses developed by distortion in the cabinet and induced by wind or ~ther rorces. The prilnary disadvantage is that the sar~e degree of flexibility also enables the shee-t material to bow in an amount sufficient that the impact of severe wind is sufficient to cause the display face literally to blow out of the sign framework. At least usually~ the face on the lee side first is sucked out by a cornbination of' pumping by the other fhce and lowered pressure on the lee side. It has been stated that one maJor United States manuf'acturer spent approxirnately 1.4 million dol.lars in 1978 alone ror the replacelrlerlt Or ri~ld plastic slgn faces.
Other disadvantages Or the rigi.d plast.ic slyrn faces include difficultles with cementing and other necessary fabricat:l.on technl(~ues and in obtainin~ consistency Or color during the prodllction of a large number of' display f'aces whlch 11 7~D4~

are supposed to be i~entical. Additionally, the practlcal aspects of shipping, handling and installation limit the siæe of rigid plastic panels which may be used, so that larger signs requlre addltional framework to support a plurality of panels ~rranged ln a single sign. The rigid plastic materials also are comparatively expensive. A typical outdoor sign might h~ve dimension of 10 X 24 feet, and many such signs are much larger. The wind loss coupled with the sizes involved and the expense of the material concerned explains why it can cause ~ust one company to spend in excess o~ a million dollars in a single year for replacements.
What appears to be a ma~or improvement capable Or o~ercomlng at least most of the above-discussed pro~lems and disadvantages 9 has been the development of a soft, cloth-like s~e~hable fabric makerial for use as a display ~ace. As marke~ed by the 3M Company under the tradernark PANAFLEX it has a weight about the sarne as heavy canvas. It presents a smooth surface and is translucent for light from internal llumination. This materia1 is a polyvinyl chloride which is ~20 re-en~orced with glass fibers that run throu~h the material in both directions in a pattern resembling that in ordinary window screens. As a result of that manner~of fabrication, lt is virtually impo3sible to tear; even if cut the cut may not be extended by further tearing. Shoulo it be cut, or penetrated as by a bullet the cut or;hole can easily be patchecl in the field in a manner sirnilar to and no rnore difflcult than apply:Lng a patch to an innertube.

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As presently manufactured, the material is white.
Moreover, the same company has developed special pigments for use in decorating its surface with different colors. Those pigments may be applied by the use of screen printin~ to produce full-color pictorials as well as letters, numbers and graphic symbols. A full range of colors is available, so that it is possible to perfectly match any standard color with consistency as between a large quantity of` display faces.
In contrast, the decoration of rigid plastic sign faces is limited, exhibits substantial lnconsistency and, at least in certain cclors, is prone to fade.
Besides being unbreakable, another advantage is that the material may be supplied in rol~s. Within reason, that removes all practical limitations upon the size of a single dlsplay panel, and it greatly facilitates handling, shi~ping and installation.
Nevertheless, the fabric }las some disadvantages.
Like khe rigid plastic material, lt continues to be expensive.
It currently becomes competitive only if produced in quantity for llke sign faces. Because the decoration is printed with a sp~cial silk screen for each ~iven decoration, and a multiple-colored presentation requires that color separation techniques be used in the prlnting, it becomes very expensive to make only a single sign. Under these circumstances, use has generally been restrlcted to the fabricatlon of like signs in quantities of about ten to one hundred or more. Nevertheless, the advantages have attcacted substantial interest, and a demand has already developed for use of the material in signs of la~ge size and quantity.

Of course, the stretchable f'abric Inust be mounted to some sort of framework. The cablnet approach contlnues to be prererred, because that ~as a form factor ldeally suited f'or the mounting of the row (or rows) of fluorescent tubes that today most comrnonly constitute the interior source Or illumination. Moreover, the cablnet-type frarnework acconunodates a weatherproof' internal raceway in which larnp ballasts and connectlng wiring may be disposed. Whatever the intertor constrllctio~, the f`rarnework must be extrernely rug,Lr,ed to support the welght of larger slgns and to withstand gale wlnds. One sign may weigh ~.everal thousand pounds. A person who has observed a slgn mounted atop a tall building often will be surprlsed, if he has an opportunity ~or close inspection, to discover how large it has to be in order that the displayed letterin~ may be read from ground level. It is not uncommon ror such a sign to have a display face area of many-hundred square feet.
To exhlbit the ruggedness necessary in larger sign.., it has lon~ been known to f~brlcate such ~.igns of steel rralrleworks, ~ither anLr,le or channel members are employed to forrn inwardly faclng U~shaped channels which are mitred or otherwise l~oined successively one to ~he next in order to rorm a rectanrular cabinet. Comblnations of slots, le~l~es, clamps and the like have then been used ~o secure the rlgid panels, that forlrl the dlsplay ~aces, to the resulting framework~ Steel f'rcL~ woL~ks are still wldely used in the slLr,n industry, particularly by t~e sl~aller, indeper~dent fabricator~l.
IJoweve~r, decided improvements in si~n f'ralllewor~
construction have been made during somewhat recen~ year~.
throu~h the u~e of aluminum extrusions to form the ~abine~ and the mounting components for the display faces. A lea~ing ~7~

example of such improvement ls to be found in the disclosure of U. S. Patent No. 4,007,552 issued Febrllary 15, 1977, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
In that case, a primary extrusion may serve to form all four sides Or a sign cabinet, including the provision of' a weatherproof but accessible wiring raceway. A combinatl~n of a groove and a shelf defined on a sidewall of the extrusion may be used in several diffs~rent ways to hang and/or hold the marginal edge portions of a rigid plastic display face.
Associated w~th the primary extrusion is another extruded part conventionally called a "retainer". It attaches to the primary extrusion and affords additional possible variation in the mounting of a ri~,id plastic display face. Whatever the mode of' use, the retainer also serves as a bezel that pre.sents an attractive appearance and conceals the mounting :~ structureO These and other features of the approaches disclosed in the patent serve to reduce the cost of both material and labor, yieldine a cost advantage over steel construction of about twenty-five percent. Yet,the resulting si~n assernbly stlll exhibits the necessary ruggedness discussed above. .
Unfortunately, the specific embodirnents shown in tne aforesaid patent will not, by themselves, adequately or pr~perly serve dlrectly to mount the newer stretchable fabric type ~.f dlsplay f'ace. Neither will present frameworks rormed of ~teel, and those are still to be found in widespreacl use at the present time. Without rnore and diff'erent hardware, therefore, it '~as not been possi.ble to retrofit existin~ sin races or lo make direct use Or prior techniques deve~.oped for rigid display facts.

~ 7 --Such deficiencies ln the former modes of sign construction arlse because the stretchable fabric must be tensioned all around the perimeter of the display face. Moreover, the inducement of tension in the material also tends to cause it to gather into wrinkles.
For ~ome six years or more, consideration has been given to the attendant problems. Many dif'ferent types of hardware have been the sub~ect of experimentation. Some has been in a form which was continuous entirely around the perlmeter, while others have been spaced apart at a plurality of dlf`ferent points. The techniques tried have involved the use o~ grommets placed through the edge margin of the fabric, :
springs and clamping devices of several different kinds.
Typically, such de~vices have be'en tested both in the laboratory ~15 and outdoors with the use of win~d generating machlnes.
After assuring proper functioning in all respects~ and ~ .
also giving due consideration to the cost of parts and labor or installation, the originator of the P~NAFLEX stretchable fabric has recommended an approach which involves the use of a clamp assembly at e~ach of a~plurality of locations spaced around the perirneter. Small holes .are drilled or punched in the edge mar~in of the fabric with the holes typically being space~ successively apart by a distance of one foot or less.
Each asseJnbly includes a stamped steel clamp that has a pair ~5 of elements which are situated on oLposed surf'aces of the fabric and hcve apertures through which a tolt is inserted as well as thr~ough the hole formed in the fcbric. A f'irst nut tlghtens the c~amp about the f'abric. 'rhe ot~er erld is inserted throulrh a hole fformed in an arm off a bracket or hook by mean~ of a ~L~7~

second nut threaded onto the outer end of the bolt. For installation, the bracket or hook is attached to the rnain structural framework of the sign. After everything has been mounted, the rabric ls tensioned by turnin~ the aforementloned second nut to draw the suspended clamp toward the bracket.
The bracket may have whatever shape is necessary for the purpose of most conveniently securing it to a surface presented by the main framework. Ir. one specific form that has been successrully used3 it is shaped to include a portion which seats directly into the groove and shelf formed in the side wall of the primary extrusion shown in the aforesaid patent. Regardless of the kind of` framework employed, however, installation and adjustment of the n~ultiplicity of clarrlp assernblies has been found to be tedious and time consuming.
Addlng to the time required has beer. the necessity of -~
establishing a chalk line or other reference mark around the display face to determine the exact location of t~e required bolt holes for obtaining the proper amount of tension in the f`abric.
For proper performance, each different face must be tensioned a given percentage Or its len~th in the direction of the tensio~. Consequently~ any given terlsionin~ device must be capable of imposing an adjustable alnount Or tension, or an uneconomical v~lriety of different tensioning devices have to be provided to accornmodate diflerent sizes of display faces. As an example of the variation required, ttle chall~
line is located inwardly~ from what would be a proper position for the clalrlping holes if stretchinÆ were unnecessar;J, an amount which varies between one-fourth lnch for a visible opening dirrlen;ion of` two feet to two-an~-one-ei~hlh lnches for a dimension Or forty-five feet.
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The tension induced in the fabric also creates a p~e-Load on the sign frarnewor~. rrhat tends to inwardly bow its horizontal and vertical components. Using the PANAF`LE:X
fabric, the resultant force is twenty pounds per foot all around the periphery. That requires a framework stronger and heavier than a rigid display face which is suspended or supported from the framework only along the top and bottom support elements and then by means of a rigid straight eAge.
As indicated above, one problem with the use of rigid disp~ay faces is that the pressure Lmposed by high winds in the gale and hurricane categories can be costly.
Because the rigid faces are likely to fracture or be blo~n out of place~ this has the backhar.ded advantage of relieving the wind force on the overall sign frame assembly to sal~e it from destruction. Since the stretchable fabric will not analogously break or tear under extreme wind conditions, however, the avoidance of possible wind damage to the :
remainder of the sign assernbly requires that it must be designed to withstand the maximum possible wind load. Based upon Unifor-m Building Code requirements, present industry practlce for signs which use rigid plastlc display faces is to engineer sign structures to wlthstand a pressure of from a minimum of twenty to a maximum of forty-five pounds per square foot. To wlthstand the forces developed by anyth:ing less than a tornado, use of the PANAFI.EX fabric requLres a design to withstand a pressure of fifty-rive pounds per square foot plus t~e pre-:Load discussed above.

Accordingly, a very strong framework and support are required if the user is to minirnize replacement c~ts or for the manuracturer to offer a reasonable warranty. Although it might be possible to develop engineering and construction techniques that would prevent most d:Lsplay f`ace failures now so prevalent with the use of rigid plastic faces~ the increased strength demand on the main framework would raise the cos' of material and labor to an extent that such a degree of reliability would become uneconomical. Similarly, the increased strength requirements placed upon a framework assembly for the stretchable fabric usually re~uires or at least makes highly desirable a stronger, and therefore more costly~ ramework construction. Fortunately, a framework system of the kin~
described in the aforementioned patent is sufficiently strong to meet the necessary criteria without any apprectable difference in construction techniques or material required. -One attractive feature of the rigid plastLc display faces is thàt they can be molded into the now-fanliliar shape of a pan. ~he decoration appears on a generally ~lat surface, elther plaln or embossed, which merges :Lnto a peripherally-surrounding skirt the lip of which is secured to the main framework. Many users have developed a distinct preference for this shape of a display face. In addition, it often is desirable for the purpose of re~uirln~ only a comparatively narrow rnain framework or cabinet while ye1 achieving F,roper illumination from t~e interior of the cabinet. To obtain unirormity of illumination of the display face when using rluorescent lamps, it has been ~ound that t;he center-to-center spaclng between the lamps must not be greater than the distance between opposin~ display faces mounted on either side of the bank ~3~7~ 8 of lamps. Accordingly, and to retro~it existing frarrleworks that had carried pan-shc.ped rigld plastic faces, to satisfy user preference or to obtain proper uniformity of lllumination, the stretchable fabric must be mounted in such a way as to be conformed to that same shape.
To permlt placement of a stretchable ~abric display face outwardly from a narrow cabinet, various approaches have been tried. One has involved the use Or an extrusion so shaped as to cantilever the tensioning hardware away frorn the existing structure of a sign frarrlework. However~ that approach has not satisfied the consumer preference for what mlght be called the "molded pan look".
In any sign system, of course, it is necessary to provide access to the interior of the cabinet for the purpose :
~15 of replacing wiring~ larnps, ballasts or lamp sockets as well as to be able to clean the lamps and the irlsi~e of' the display faces. ~Many signs now in use are constructed so that the rigld plastic faces can either be slid sideways or swung outwardly. The approach disclosed in the arorementioned ~)atent :: :
offers an attractive alternative to either of the f`oregoing ~by its use of an exterior cover plate which may be opened or removed in order~to gain access to the interior. ~levertheless, some cust~omers prefer that access to the interior be obtained by opening of the display f~ce. or course~ that requirement

2~ might have to be included in the case of retrofitting a fabric face to an ex~sting main f'rarnework. So f'ar as is known, that has not yet been poss-lble w:ith the hardware whlch has been developed to mount the stre'chable fabric under tension.
~specially ln the case of' retrof'itting, lt would ~lso be desir~ble that any new mounting hardwlre permlt its adaptation in the field without necessarily rernoving the rnain frarne~ork froln its mount.

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For the purpose of hinging a rigid plastic display face to a rnain framework, it has been knowrl to Join horizontal and vertical sections together so as to form an auxiliary frame which carries the display face as it is swung away from the main framework. rrhat specific approach is il'lustrated in the aforementloned patent. I'o adapt that approach directly to the mounting of the stretchable fabric, however, would require that the auxillary frame exhibit the same above-discussed ruggedness required for the main framework, ln order to withstand t~e comblnatlon o~ possible wind forces and the tensioning pre load.
Moreover~ the tension induced in the fabric will bow the auxiliary frame members unless they also are 60 constructed as to exhibit a strength against deflection which corresponds to that of the main framework. Clearly, costs would be increased substantlally.
Another disadvantage with hardware presently available for the mounting o~ ~he stretchable'fabric is the need for 'individual ad~ustment o~ tension and the handling of wrinlcling at a large p]urality of different locatlonc spaced around'the pe~iphery of the disI)lay face. Those problems become accentuated when it is necessary to perform the necessary tasks on a frame assembly which is very large and/or spaced high above the ground or other mounting surface.
In view of all of the foregoing, it will be seen that the u~e of' a stretchable fabric for display faces is attractive for a number of reasons. Yet, it also has presented sever~l disadvantages because of' its special characteristics that create a variety of' new and d:ifferent problems. Consequently, the slgn industry as a whole has been very reluctant to adopt the stretchable fabric f'or widespread use.

It is, accordingly, a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved approach which features the leading advantages present in each of the above-described prior techniques while avoiding the disadvantages thereof.
A specific object of the present invention is to pro-vide new and improved approaches for use in the mounting and tensioning of display faces formed of stretchable fabric material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide better hardware which is capable of both mounting and inducing the necessary tension in a stretchable fabric display face.
Another ob~ect of the present invention is to provide a manner of mounting such a display face which avoids any need for the formation of holes or other openings in the material of the display face itself.
One or more of the preferred embodiments of the inven tion disclosed herein (l) permits better incremental adjustment of tension at different points around the periphery of the display face, (2) enables adjustment of the physical position of differ-ent portions of the material in order to adjust for wrinkIing, (3j enables adaptation of various different improvements of this invention to a wide variety of presently existing sign frameworks or cabinets, (4) accommodates implementation of various improve-ments afforded by the present invention directly into newly fa-bricated sign frameworks, (5) enables the fabrication of signs which are economical and yet capable of withstanding even hurri-cane-force winds without damaye, (6) permits the use of an assem-bly in which the face is swingable away from the main framework, (7) obtains the "molded pan look", (8) permits the new use of or retrofitting to narrow main frameworks or cabinets while yet ob-taining uniformity of illumination from interior lamps, (9) en-~7~

ables the use of a simplified and lightweight auxil-iary frame for direct mounting of the fabric while yet avoiding wind damage or distortion of the auxil-iary frame, (10) permits -the retrofitting of existing signs in the field without any need to remove such a sign from its mounting, (11) minimizes the amount of field work required for installation and making necessary adjustments on sign frames of large size and/or mounted high above the supporting surface and (12) generally better satisfies user requirements and preferences.
According to the invention there is pro-vided a display sign which comprises a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support ele-ments joined between corresponding opposite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support ; ` elements; a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by the framework; and means, including a plurality of lips individuafly project-ing laterally outwardly away from respective one.s of the support elements, for fastening corxesponding ones of the marginal portions of the fabric to respective ones of the support elements, with the fabric continuing from each of the marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corresponding one of the lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion.
Embodiments of the in~ention will now be described in greater detail and may best be understood ~ 15 -~7~

by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings/ in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of an overall display sign assembly constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

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Figure 2 is a fragmentary and enlarged cross-sectional view taken as if along the line 2-2 in Figure 1 but with a revi-sion of one component;
Figure 3 is a ~iew similar to Figure 2 but illustrating modifications of different ones of the various components;
Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary and partially ex-ploded isometric view, with certain of the components omitted, of the embodiment depicted in Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figures 2 and 3 but show-1~ ing another embodiment of various components;
Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical cross section of a sign assembly similar to that shown in Figure 1 but illustrating still different alternative embodiments of a n~er of different compo-nents; and Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure ~ but showing yet another embodiment of various components.
An overall display sign assembly 10 is shown in Figure 1 as mounted on the top of a post 120 Its main framework or cabi-net is composed of space-opposed upper and lower support elements joined between corresponding opposite ends by respective side sup-port elements. In Figure 1 only upper support element 14 and one side support element 16 are ~isible. Even then, what actually is seen in E'igure 1 are cover plates 18 and 20 each of which is re-movably secured by screws 22 to an underlying portion of the ba-sic framework. Each of the lower and other side support elements, not seen in Figure 1, may be identical except, of course, for the coupling that i9 affixed to the top of post 12.
E'or economy of construction, it usually is preferred that all of the support elements be cut from the same stock ma-terial after which they are mitred or othexwise formed at their ~7~

corners and successively joined one to the next i.n order to com-plete the rigid framework. Nevertheless, it may be preferred for other reasons to include differences between various ones of the support elements. For example, a cover plate usually is not necessary on all four sides for the purpose of providing access to the interior.

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As used herein, the terms "upper", "lower" and "side"
are somewhat arbitraril.y assigned for the purposes of reference during the discussion, although they have been selected to represent what is probably the most common orientation of a rectangular si~n. Obviously, the si.gn could, for example, b~ so orlented that i.ts longer sides define the vertical dimenslon.
Stretched across the visible main surface of sign assembly 10 is a display face 24 upon which is printed decoratlon 26. In this case, the decoration is simply the letters ABC. In the usual manner of display signs, it may be of any character, including a pictorial, numbers or graphics.
Surrournding the perimeter of display face 24 and also Or the framework ls a bezel or retainer 28. The term "retainer"
ls mentioned herein only because that is the comrnonly accepted name in the industry f`or the part which appears in its position as illustrate~. As will be seen, the retainers employed herein in connection with the different embodiments need not have any function other than to provide a degree of weatherproofing and lend attractiveness to the c,verall assembly by concealing from view certain parts yet to be described. Here again, retalner 28 is composed o~ space-opposed upper and lower members 30 and 32 ~oined between corresponding opposite ends by respective side members 311 and 36 and all affixed to the main framework by .~crews 38.
As between the various differ.ent specilic embodiments to be discussed below, it is to be understood that Figure 1 is merely illustrati.ve. As drawn, its exterior ap~earance is more or less fully consisterlt only with the embodirnerlt detailed ln Fl~ure 3. A glance at Flgures 2, 5 and 7 will reveal; f`or example, dlfferently-shaped retalners, and it will be observed that Figure 6 particularly has a distlnct difference in the shape o~ the display face. In all embodlments, however, display face 24 is made from a stretchable ~abric 40. As embodied herein, fabric 40 is a soft~ cloth-like sheet of polyvlnyl chlorlde reinforced by an internal matrix of flber~lass strands. Partlcularly desirable ls the PANAFL~X
fabric descrlbed ln the lntroductlon. It presents a smooth finish and also is translucent to the illuminatlon conventionally emanating from fluorescçnt lamp tubes dlsposed within the lnteriol~ of the sign cabinet or framework.
Interior illumlnation is contemplated ~or`use in conne~tion with all embodiments. Of course, it will alwa~-s be possible to omit the interior source o~ illumina~lon and, instead, employ exterior floodlighting or employ the s~gn only for daylight vlewin~. It a-lso is contemplated throughout that the sign assembly is to have a dlsplay face 24 formin~ each of' its space-opposed major surfaces. In some cases~ however, the opposlte display face is omitted as in the case where the back the si~n is to be mounted against the surface of` a wall.
In that situation, it would be desirable to cover the bacl~sid of the sign assembly with a less expensive mater:lal SUC}l as ¦ 25 sheet metal.
ln ~igure ~, an upper suppork element 14 is an lumirlu~n extr-usion with a crosæ~sectlonal shape that is almost '' .
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identical to that o~ the aluminum extrusions em-ployed as support el~ments in the disclosure of the aforesaid U.S. Patent 4,007,552. Because a large number of display signs are presently in use that include support members having essentially the same cross-sectional shape as that disclosed in the patent, the embodiment of Figure 2 is particularly intended to be used in those situations where it is desired to retrofit an existing display sign that has a rigid plastic display face with a display face made of the stretchable fabric to which all embodiments of the present invention are addressed.
In particular, support element 14 has a cross-sectional shape in the general form of an out-wardly-opening U-shaped channel. As illustrated more fully in the patent, fluorescent lamp sockets and a ballast transformer are carried on its bottom wall 42 and the channel defines a raceway in which the inter-connecting wiring is housed. The margin of bottom wall 42 continues into an upwardly sloping wall 44 that merges into a side wall 46, defining an exteriorly facing surface 48 and terminating in a ledge S0. Defined immediately inside ledge S0 is a groove or recess 52 from which an inset side wall portion 54, that presents an exteriorly-facing surface 56, continues upwardly and then is bent inwardly to de-fine a shelf 58. Inwardly beyond shelf 58, the ex-truded material is shaped to define a rain-dralnage channel 60 an~ then turns back re-entrantly to form another shelf 62 on which an edge margirl of ccver 18 is disposed and secured by screws 22, As between the different figures hereof~ the various retainers il~ustrated have corresponding different shapes so as to present; a variety of external appearances. These dlfrerences in appearance are merely illustrative. The appearance-determining shape of any one retainer may be incorporated into the retainer as specifically shown in any of the Gther figures. In Figure 2 a retainer 64 has an inner margin 66 which is secured by screws ` 38 over shel.f` 58 an~ continues substantially beyond side wall ,ortion 54 before t~rning downwardly as a border 68 and on into a panel 70 that slopes back toward the display face and then terminates in a re-entrantly-shaped hook portion 72.
Projecting downwardly from the inside of retainer 64 i~nediately beyond its edge margin 66 is a lug 74 that .-serves to en~ble pro~er allgnment on i.nstallati.on of the retainer. Actually, the shape of lug 74 is from an ear.lier approach in which it served to trap a portion of hardware described in the int~oduction for mountin~ gror~nets. It also would serve to retairl a corrugated rlEid plastic face.
It nevertheless wil~. be observed by reference to the above-ldentiried patent that retainer 6l~ is basically the same retainer as disclosell therein. One purpose Or including it in Figure 2 is to po:Lnt out that, in retrofi.tting an existing sign constructed in accordarce with the teachings of the paterlt;, D~

even a retainer based on the original siyn system may continue to be used. In addition, sloping panel 70 of the retainer continues to serve as an attractive feature in defining what may be called a "picture frame" appearance.
As a fastening assembly for the marginal edge portion 76 of the fabric, the arrangement of Figure 2 includes a hinge or saddle 78 that is affixed to support element 14 and within which a hinge pin or tensioner 80 is mated for rotation. The amount of rotation of hinge pin 80 is limited, and marginal portion 76 is coupled to the hinge pin. In this case, hinge pin 80 is of generally C-shaped or horseshoe-like cross section, so as to be hollowed out to define an interior cavity 82 within which marginal portion 76 is secured.
Disposed within cavity 82 is a wedge 84, in this case in the form of a dowel or cylinder with a cross-sectional area less than that of the main portion of the cross section of hinge pin 80 but yet which is of a width greater than the distancP between the free ends of the hinge pin at the mouth 86 thereof~ Thus, wedge ~4 is captivated or captured within cavity 82 by mouth 86.
Marginal portion 76 is led into and out mouth 86 and partially wrapped around wedge 84 to reside between the wedge and the inner wall of hinge pin 80 which defines cavity 82.
As a result of its shape and loose fit within cavity 82, wedge 84 serves as a keeper and cooperates with hinge pin 80 to permit adjustment between a first condition wherein portion 76 is fi~ed in position relative to the hinge pin and a second condition wherein that marginal portion is movable relative to the hinge pin. The tight ~it o~ wedge 84 within mouth 86 ~7~

causes it to secure itself against and thereby flx the position of marginal portion 76 in response to tenslon whi,ch is developed withln fabrlc 40 upon stretchlng thereof.
Hinge 78 includes a segrnent 90 against the inner surface of which hinge pin 80 is nesked. In this instanc~, segment 90 embraces less than one-half the distance around hlnge pin 80. It will be observed that the concave lnner surface of segment 90 faces away from the central portion 92 of the resulting display face~ with fabric 40 contlnuing away from hinge pin 80 and marglnal portlon 76 dlrectly lnto the formation of central portion 92. The outer end 94 of segment 90 is disposed ad~acent to and yet spaced from fabric 40.
With the source of illuminati.on disposed within the framework of which support element 14 is a part and, thus, inslde of the display face formed by fabric 40, end 94 of segment 90 defines an edge of the area of illumination of the display area whlch constltutes the central portion of,fabrlc 40. Mouth 86 -flares slightly apart at its outer end so as to define at one . . .
side an abutment 96 on the outer wall of hlnge pin 80. Uron en~aging segment end 94, abutment 96 defines one limit for ~he extent of rotation of hinge pin 80.
Integrally affixed to and pro~ecting away from hirge 78 at the ot~er en~ of segment 90 is a flnger 98. Finger 98 is in the form of ,a. web and, in the condltion illustrated ln ~lgure 2, ha~ one side which ].ies f'lat against surface 48 of support element 14. A cleat 100 proJects from finger 98 and ~3~7~

projects over ledge 50 in order to seat in recess 52. With fabric 40 under tension, that seating of cleat 100 in recess 52 is sufficient to retain hinge 78 in a fixed position.
Preferably, howeverl a bracket 102 al50 pro]ects away from finger 98 and presents a flat portion against the surface 56 of upper side portion 54, wi-th a rivet 104 or other suitable fastener securing bracket 102 firmly to support element 14 and thereby prohibiting possible dislodgment of hinge 78.
A lever 108 is integrally affixed at one end to and pro~ects away from hinge pin 80. In the position shown in Figure 2, lever 108 lies alongside finger 98 so as thereby to define another limit of rotation of hinge pin 80. This limit, and the one established by the engagement of abutment 96 with segment end 94, serves to restrict the amount of rotation of hinge pin 80 to but a fraction of one revolution.
To secure Iever 108 to finger 98 upon reaching that limit of rotation, a keeper 110 is engageable around the free end of lever 108 and finger 98. Specifically in this version, finger 98 is shaped to define a recess 112, and keeper 110 has an in-turned end portion which is engaged in recess 112.
To install fabric 40, its marginal portion 76 is threaded into mouth 86, around wedge 84 and then back out of mouth 86. With wedge 84 loose within cavity 82, or even forced to approximately the center of the cavity, marginal portion 76 may be pulled through as desired with respect to ei-ther the positioning of that part of the marginal portion being worked upon or with respect to the inducement of tension within fabric 40. In applying tension to fabric 40, it typically tends to gather in places and form wrinkles. These may be readily smoothed out by releasing wedge 84 from its securing position and, beginning at the center of a margin, wiping the outer surface of fabric 40 to move the material away from the center and outwardly toward an end of that margin.
In one form, both hinge 78 and hinge pin 80 are continuous throughout a margin of the display face. Preferably, and as illustrated in Figure 4, only hinge 78 is continuous throughout the length of a margin, and hinge pin 80 is comparatively narrow in width, with one inch being exemplary.
Consequently, a plurality of hinge pins 80 are successively spaced along the length oE the margin, a suitable spacing for a sign of average siæe being approximately every twelve inches. For larger signs in which greater tension forces are developed, less spacing i5 preferred. At least for the purpose of saving some in material cost, hinge 78 also could be divided into a succession of individual hinges.
However, this latter alternative may make it more difficult to properly adjust with respect to freedom from wrinkling, and it also would create a discontinuity in the edge of the field of illumination that otherwise, as noted above, is deEined by segment end 94.
In the overall arrangement of the complete sign assembly, and as already mentioned, it is preferred that all four of the support elements be formed to have the same cross section, as by being cut from a common length oE stock.
They desirably are joined in a mitred condition a-t each pair of successive ends. That may be achieved either by direct welding of the mitred ends or by the use of internally disposed right-angled brackets heliarc welded or otherwise secured to each of the successive support elements. Analogous-ly, it is preferred that the hinges and hinge pins along all four sides of the display face also be identical, as are all other associated parts. In any case, identity of parts around the entire margin is found in the embodiments disclosed herein.
With the preferred arrangemen-t of continuous hinges 78 and segmental short hinge pins 80, and also after temporar-ily removing retainer 64, all four edge margins of fabric ~0 are inserted within each of the different hinge pins and around each of the correspondingly different wedges. The free ends of the different marginal portions may be grasped so as to establish enough tension all of the way around the margin that, upon release of the free end of the marginal portion at any one of hinge pins 80, its wedge 84 is drawn within mouth 86 to secure that part of the corresponding marginal portion into a fixed relationship. Perhaps the best way to achieve initial threading and tensioning is to rotate lever 108 forward with the marginal portion of the fabric pressed into mouth 86 so as to be loose within cavity 82. Wedge 8~ is then inserted, and lever 108 thereafter is rotated back toward its locked position while the marginal portion is pulled upon to cause the wedge to secure the fabric within the mouth~ Thereafter, and preferably working from the center of each marginal portion outwardly as indicated above, the different ones of wedges 84 are successively released at which time that part of the captlvated maryinal portion is pulled further through cavity ~L~71~

82 in order to increase tension in fabric 40, while at the same time being moved sideways any slight amount necessary to remove wrinkles. After each adjustment, the tension in fabric 40 keeps the wedge drawn into the associated mouth to secure the contained fabric into a fixed position.
To free each wedge from its securing position, it is only necessary in the preferred embodiment for the installer to grasp the opposing ends of the wedge between his thumb and forefinger and thereby urge the wedge inwardly.
Similarly, the wedge could be urged inwardly by means of the point of an implement inserted through mouth 86. Although it would seem to be unnecessary except possibly in the case of a v~ry long hinge pin and corresponding wedge, the wedge or a member affixed to an end thereof could extend outwardly beyond the length of its hinge pin ~0 so as to permit manipulation of the wedge to loosen it from its secured position. That approach even could include an eccentric mount at opposite ends of such a wedge and operable to move the wedge into and out of mouth 8~.
However, the embodiment of Figure 2 includes further features which negate the need for such possible modifications as have just been suggested except possibly in unusual cases.
In this connection, it is only necessary to remove keeper 110 in order to be able to rock lever 108 back and forth and between the limits already discussed. At any one hinge pin 80, the part of the marginal portion contained therein may be slackened ~simply by pulling lever 108 forwardly and away from finger 98. That serves to release the securi.ng actlon Or wedge 84 and perrnit f'abrlc 40 to be adJusted at that local;ion. At the sarne time, it perrrlits a new "bite" to be taken so that, upon swinging lever 108 backwardly to again position it against finger ~8, the tension in fabric 40 is incr-eased. In this manner, a ratchet-type action may be obtained by successlvely swinging lever 108 back and ~orth and corresporldingly with that motion causir;g release and thereafter re-engagement of we~ge 84 ln sequer:ce therewith. When the desired tension has been achieved at the one of hinge piris 80 bei.ng so manipulated, at least for the present, keeper 1]0 is sl~d into place so as ~o thereby lock hinge pin 80 into its l.imit position with lever 108 dispo~ed agalnst fi.nger 98.
It should be noted that wedge 84 may have other tlan a cyllndrical cross sectlon in order to i.ncrease the degree of its wedge action. In any case, lts exterior surface may : be se~rated to increase its gri.ppinfr function as rnay the inter:'or surrace of hinge pin 80. Also, wedge 84 may be ~fabricated rrom wood, metal or other material. Nevertheless, in using the described PANA]~'LEX fabric~ fully satisractory performance has been i.ndicated with wedge 84 :~abricated si~nply as a smooth-finished wooden dowel and with cavity 82 also presenting a smooth surf'ace.
Other rnodif'ications also may be desired. .~s used 3n a vertical side rnaruin of` thQ display face, for example, it is pref'era~le that each keepQr 110 ~e constrained :~rom moving downward by gravity as might occur in the presence of vibration. To that end, a fi.ne wi.r-e may be looped around ~7`I~

each such clip and secured at each end by a screw or other fastener. Alternatlvely, the free end portion of lever 108 may be slightly extended and blfurcated so as to receive and captivate a keeper 110 modified so as to be that rnuch less in width.
In practice, it is expected that the width of hinge pin 108 usually will vary between a little less than one inch and perhaps three inches. It will be observed that an increase in the radius of the hinge and hinge pln will result in obtaining a greater degree of tensioning action with each ratchet-like operation of lever 108. Of course, the greater the tension that has been induced, the tighter the clamping action imposed by wedge 84. If desired in order to lock wedge 84 in place after all tenslonlng has been completed, a thin tapered mernber may be placed in the bottom of cavity 82 so as to make it impossible ~or the wedge to move inwardly from its secured posltion within mouth 86.
~ As already indlcated, the particul~r form o~ hlnge : 78 shown in ~i~ure 2 permits implementatiorl of th~ present mounting system to support elements of a form ~aslcally as shown in the cross-referenced patent. In pr-inciple, ..
hinge 78 may be extruded or otherwise formed to include members of whatever ;hape is required to irterfit with or attach to a framewor}. support element of any kind Or exterior confi~uration. ~igure 3, however, represerts one ~articula~ly favored version which uses a newly devised support element 14a that i.s shaped to tal~e advantage of features present in th~

~7~

pre-existing form ol' support elernent 14 as shown in Flgure 2 and also to accommodate the mounting system principles as explained in connection with Figure 2.
To this end~ element 1.4a again is r;haped generally as an outwardly-opening U-shaped channel, 30 as to include a bottom wall 42 that merges i.nto an upwardly slopinÆ wall portion 44. The latter continues into a lower side wall portion 120 and then an upper side wall po~tion 122 which turns into a shelf 58a and thereafter defilles a cavity 60 and anotKer ~helf 62 to which access cover 18 is affixed by screws 220 Retainer 30 is of L-shaped cross section and ~ `~
includes a downwardly proJecting lug 124 that cornes into alignment against a lip 126 which projects outwardly t'rom -~;
upper wall pcirtion 122. Between si~e wall portions 120 and 122 is an inwardly inset additional side wall portion 128 :~shape,~ to def'ine a recess 130 in wh:ich is seated one leg of a ~ownwarc.ly-facing U-shaped keeper 132. In a rnodification, . .:recess 130 rna.y be shaped and oriented like recess 112 in Figure 2, so as to perrrlit use of keeper 11() of that version.
Thls permits the economy of using a standard part ror both arrangements. Moreover, the additlonal cleat porti.on on keeper 110 t~n~s to achieve a more secure -':.nterlock.
In the embodiment of Figure 3, hirlge 80 and wedge 84 ar~e the same as those parts of' F:igure 2, so as also to have leg 108. Accordi.ngly, keeper 132 serves to secure lever 108 in a f'ixed position at one limit of rotation of hinge ~in 80. ln thl.s case, however, what was f'inger 98 in ~7~4~

Figure 2 is merged into side wall 7portion 120 so as to be one and the same. Al; tne same ti.me, hinge 78a includes a segment 90a which pro,~ects lntegrai ly awa,y rrom support element 14a at the ~7unction between sloping panel 44 and side wall portion 120. Segmenl; 90a continues around hin~e pin 80 a distance less than one half the circumference thereof and again terminates in an en~l 94 that hac7 the same functions ~s before . It wi ll be i mmedi.~tely apparent that installation and ad,~ustment of fabric 40 in the embodiment of Fitrure 3 may proceed in exacti.y the same way as described above for the embodimer1t of Fit~,ure 2.
As mentioned above, numerou7s si~n assemblies exist and others are still being constructed which ut,ilize st,eel angle irons or the like to form and define the basic cabine~.
Figure 5 il17,1stra1,es an embod:iment mod~ f'ied to permit adap~ati.on to a typical cabi.net f'abricated in that rnanner. Thus, a support elemer1t 14b include~7 an ant31e iron l40 one let~ l42 of which is oriented to def:i.ne a side wal'L of' ~,he interior channe:l,. Angle iron l40 may be welded to a cro~;s platt? l44 which connects to a ~ imi.lar angle iron at tt,e other7 sic1e .
An exter-lor s,11eet metal ski.n l45 covers cross plat;e l44 an(3 angle iron lll0, i.s 1~7ent inwardly, and then contin7,~,7s on clownwardly at the lo~er mart,in of an~7 1e iron l40 so as to define an edg,e l47~ nf an illu7rninated area. One end porti.on f a retait-1er l48 is secured throl,7t7;h skin l45 to ar,~G~'le iron 140 by a screw 150 ancl contil-lues on outwardly unt,i]. bendint, back to def'ine a downwardly and bac}cwarcdly slopint; panel l52 . 7 1 7~

crimped at its lower end 154 in order to form a re-erlforcing rlb. Orten, another steel cross plate is disposed between the side walls to provide added strength and a mountlng for lamp sockets.
Once more, hinge pin 80 and wed~e 84 are iclentical in form to those elernents as shown in Figure 2. In this case, hinge 78b includes an also identical segmen~ 90 which terminates in a free end 94 and at its other end continues into a finger 98b. Finger g8b is the same as finger 9~ in Figure 2 except for the provision of~ a cutout 156 defined in the outer end portion of finger 98b and on the side thereor that is held a~ainst skin 145 by screws as shown. Lever 108 of hinge pin 80 is secured in one limit position a~ainst finger 98b by a downwardly-~acing U-shaped clip 158 which has one leg seated in cutout 156 and extends arourld the free end portions o~ lever 108 and finger 98b. As in the embodiment of Figure 3, the mountirlg ard adjustment of fabric 40 rnay be exactly the same as already described for the embodiment Or ~igure 2.
In contrast with the embodiments shown in Figures 2-5, wherein portions of ~he resultant assembly include mernbers or portions either identical or at ~east similar in principle to previously known conrigurations, the embodiment shown in Figure 6 is entire]y new ~cept for the illustrated fluorescent lamp 170, its sockets 172 and the mc,unting for those sochets.
In this case, a supl~r)rt ele~en-t lllc is an alurninunl extrusiorl that aga:ln defines internally a U-shaped channel ~ut which in this case opens inwardly Or the ultimate sign cabinet. Thus~
the extrus:ion inc]udes an ul-per wall 174 ~oinin~ space~oppose~

side walls 176 and 178~ Displaced a short distance b~low upper wall 174 are an opposed pair of facing lugs 180 and 182.
Once again, it is not necessary that the side and lower support elements of the main framework be identical in shape to upper support element 14c. For convenience and economy, however, that is the case in the embodiment of Figure 6. Thus, wall 174, which is the upper wall of upper support element 14c, becomes the bottom wall of the framework when inv~rted and appropriately spaced apart. The side support elements of the resulting framework also are cut from the same extruded stock, and all of the different support elemen-ts are joined successively end to end so as to define the ultimate cabinet. In this case, lugs 180 and 182 serve to define recesses in which appropriate steel or aluminum corner angles preferably are received and bolted or heliarc welded to the respective support elements so as to form strong, rigid corners of the framework. In additionr steel plates are of an appropriate width to slide under lugs 180 and 182 along the bottom and top margins after which they are bolted in place.
Later, a steel pipe or tube is inserted through an opening in the bottom support element and that plate to dispose its upper end against the steel plate mounted to the top support element. The pipe is then welded to both steel plates and subsequently serves to connect the entire display sign upon the upper end of post 1~ or to an equivalent support.
Projecting inwardly from about the mid portion of side walls 176 and 178 are a pair or vertically spaced lugs 184 and 186 with lug 186, closest to lamp 170, having a length shorter than lug 184. Spaced opposite lugs 184 and 186 is an inwardly projecting shelf 188. During assembly, one edge margln of a plate 190 is inserted between lugs 184 and 186 after Whi.CI-l its other edge margin is swung toward and against shelf 188 against whlch it is secured in place by means of a screw .92, Plate 190 thus defines a removable access cover and contai.ns suitable apertures within which the lamp sockets 172 are mounted and captivated. Screws 192 or equ~valent fasteners are required only along one margin o~ plate 190, thereby reducing labcr other~ise required to drill and fasten the other margin.
Outer wall 174 continues beyond each Or side walls 176 and 178 so as to define respectlve proJecting lips 194 and 196 each of which is ~orked at its outer end portion 198. Seated within each of forks lC?8 is the shorter leg of an L-shaped retainer 200 the longer leg of which projects toward the display face.
Each o~ side walls 176 and ].78 of upper support eleMent 14c contlnues beyond shelf 190 as ct finger and turns smoothly outward to define a hinge 202 against the inner - sur~ace of which is nested a hinge pin 204~ In itself, hinge pln 204 ls of C-shaped cross section so as to dei'ine a mouth 206 of an interior cavity within which i.s captivatecl a wed~e 208. As bef`ore, the ad~jacent marginal edge portion 210 of fabric 40 is threaded into mouth 206 and around ~edge 208 after wh.ich it emexges fxom the other side of the mouth.
In this case, hinge 202 has a segm~?nt 212 which presents a concave interi.or surface CO as to serve the same purpose as segment 90 ln Figure 2. but ~hich herein em~races ln excess Or one half' the distance around hinge pin 204, so that the lat,ter may ~e caF)tivated wi,hin segment 212, Segment 212 termina~es ~ 34 -4~

in a rounded shoul~er 214 that defines, with the opposite ~inger 216~ a gap which has a width that permits snug entry of hinge pln 204. Because shoulder 214 pro~ects upwardly beyond the axis of hinge pin 204, tensi.on induced in fabric Llo forces the hinge pln to remair. seated in hirl~e 202.
A lip 218 is inte~rally affixed at one end to and pro~ects away from hi.nge pin 204 from the side of mouth 206 more distant from ~inger 216. Pro~ecting outwardly f'rom hi.nge 202 at shoulder 214 i.s a flange 220, the free end portion 222 t~lereof being turned inwardly toward the lower framework SUppOI't element. Lip 218 proJects outwardly from hinge pin 204 in a direction away from support elernent 14c a distance greater than the dlstance by which flange 220 proJects away 1~ from that support element. That is, the free end of lip 218 is spaced beyond the free end of flange 220. Moreover~
: the o-lter or free end portion of li'p 218 is also bent toward : the lower or opposlt.~ l'L~amework support element. F'abric 40 continues f'rorn mar~ir~al portion 210 as a skirt portion 224 thajt f`urther continues lnto a central portion 226. Thus, ' skirt portion 224 lies ad~acent to the side of llp 218 opp~site flange 220, and central portion 226 .is directed toward the lower support element.
As particularly embod:i,ed in I~'igure ~, the opposite and low~r support elernent i.ncludes a fastener 230 f'or the oppo~ed margir.al portl.on 232 of':t`abr:i.c 40. ~asterler 230 irl~ludes an L-shaped bracket 233 ttle longer leg of whlch in use is abutted aga:inst si.(,le wall 1'~ and its conti~luati.on as fillg-l 216. The shorter le~ of bracket 23 continues outwardly a~ay , from the support element into a lip 234 that overlies flange 220. The outer or rree end portlon of lip 234 proJects away from the lower support element a distance ~reater than the outer end of flan~e 220 and is turned in this case upwardly toward the upper su~,port element and central port.Lon 226 Or rabric 40. When assembled, the lon~er leg of bracket 233 is secured to side wal portion 176 by a screw 238. Thus, screw 238 also se~rves to removably affix lip 234 ~ndirectly to the lower support element.
Also included i.n fastener 230 is a removable resilient c~lip 240 whi~h is shar)ed to clamp ~ captured marg:lnal portion of fabric 40 to lip 234. To that end, lip 234 is ~ormed to ~ defir1e a latch surrace on the free end of a stub 242 and : which is lockingly enga~,eable with a latch 1ne1nber 2411 defined -~
:
: in clip 240. A part of mar~inal po:rtion 232 is clamped between that latch surface and that~latch member, so that marginal portion 232 is sec:ured to lip 234. Thu~, rnargin.ll portion 232 .is ther1 ~ixed into position Witil resp~-ct to tlle ~: lower support element.
: Clip 2110 i.s shaped L`urther to deflne another latch rnember in the form Or a C-shaped end portion 2116 which is dispcsed to embrace a rounded terrnir1al portion 24~ derined ~ on the oute~ end Or a strut 250 that pro~ects awa~ from :~ bracket 233 and outwardly ~rrom the lower support element as well as in a ~enerally downward direction. Marglnal portion : 232 Or fabr:lc 40 is also cla11lped between latch 1nernber port.ion 246 and the latch C;ur~ace de~ined b~ rounded term~nal portion 248. Terrnincll portion 248 :Is anGther rorm ol h:in1~e pi.n, wh:i.le end porti.on 246 ser~es as a hi.n~e. In use, clip '40 is placed a~ainst the outsideo~ mar~i.nal portion 234 at a desiIed distance rrom the free edge of the marglnal portion. ~nd portion 246 is then placed over terminal portion 248 with the rabric therebetween. Clip 240 thtreafter is rotated around terminal porti.on 248 until latch member 244 is snapped into engagement with the latch surface on stub 242 to complete the clamping of the f`abric ln place. As clip 240 is rotated around terminal porti.on 248, tension is induced ln fabric 40.
In a completed sign assembly, the remaininir pair of support elernen'Gs~ which serve as the vertical side margins, preferably also include fasteners 230 arranged in the same manner. As illustrated, lip 234 projects outwardly from the lower support element and in a direction t.hat is generally lateral to the resulti.ng display face. Fabric 40 continues from its lower marginal portion in ~i~ure 6 again as a skirt ~ :
224 which continues into central portion 226 with skirt 224 lying, agai.nst the side Or lip~234 opposite upper support element 14c.
~lange 220 also pro~ects outwardly frorn the lower support element in a direction general]y later~ll.y to ttJe ultimate disp].ay face and i.s di.sposed on the si~Je of lip 234 toward u~per support elelnent l4c. Wit~i fabric llo stretched in tension, lip 23~1 is slidable over flange 220 which carns ~:~
lip 234 into a pos:ltion whereat the lip is affixe(1 indire~tly 'GO ttle lower supporl; eLement by mea.ns of bracket 233. It will,of course, be noted thclt llan~e 220 pro~ects c1irectly away f:ron1 what constltutes hinge 212 in upper support elernent 14c. When used in a support elerrlent that i.s associated witl1 fastener 230, segrnent 2l2 need not be :Lncluded in which case flarl~re 220 co~.ll.~l proJect di.rectly aw~ly ~rom finger 216.

Upon whichever support element f'astener 2'30 is us*d~
it prererably is employed w.ith a plurality Or clips 240 which are successively spaced along that support element. In use, clips 240 are thus removable at any location along a marg~n of the display face, so as ro permit the adJustment of tension in fabric 4C as well as mov.?ment of dlfferent parts. of the associated marglnal portion of that fabric for the purpose of adJusting against wrinkling~ That is, selected sections Or a marginal portion may be moved ln a direction along the length of the corresponding support element as necessitated.
Thus, the entire fa,stening assembly includes a plurality of lips 218 and 234 that fasteh corresponding ones of' the different marginal portions of fabric 40 to respec1;ive ones of the support elements, the fabric continuing from each of the difrerent rnar~irial portions as a skirt that overlies the corresponding one of the lips and further continuing around the free en(l portion of t~at lip into a conrmon central portion. Another f`unction of' the outer erd portic)ns of? lips 218 and 234 i,:. to space central portion 2~.6 of each d1splay race the correct distance frorn lalni~s 1'70 as di.scussed above for the purpose of obtaining un.lformity of illuminat,ion while yet avolding the need for pro~,ision of s1lppcrt elements of any greater wldth.
In the pre~erred arrangemer1t of a.L:! of the COTnpOnents shown in ~i~ure 6, all Or those lips 218 and 2311 are continuous and are joined in successior1 one to the ne~t to deril,e a fran1e 260 that i.s matable with the rr~amework forlr1ed ~)y the success:ion of' support eleTn{?r~ts. ~ e v~.~r~ious flan~es '20 a].so are inclu~lt.~.l - 38 ~

al] of the way around the perilneter o~ the display face, ancl each is disposed on the side of its correspondlng lip op,,osite skirt 224. With the corresponding marginal portions individually rastened to respective dirrerent ones of the lips and rabric 40 stretched under tension on frame 260, hinge pin 204 is set into hinge 202 alor.g the upper support element. O~ course, all of retalners 200 on that face slde are at this time removed. The bottom margin o~ frame 260 is then swung toward the 'ower support element. During that movement, flanges 220 on the lower and side support elements ca~n the entire ~rame into a position adJacent to the framework.
During mounting o~ frame 2~0, flan~e 220 along the upper support element may assist in the operation by at least, gulding hinge pin 204 toward its seat within hinge 202. Should it for any reason be desirable to seat hinge pin 704 ln h1nge 202 at the same tl,me as or after the placement o~ the remainder of frame 260 against the lower ,and side support elements, flange 220 along the upper sup,~ort element ls s~ shaped and oriented that it will cam hinge pin 204 into the position necessary to drop lnto hinge 202. In any case, either the disposition Or hinge pin 204 within hinge 202 or the art`ixation Or bracket 233 against its associated support element serves to secure L'.L~ame 260 to ~,he main frarnework. Moreover, the use of hinge pin 204 and h:Lrlge 202 along upper support element 14c permits the entire top margln of ~rame 260 t,o be hingedly secured along t,hat upper margin of the rnain ~rarnewor~. In that aspect, the securement provided ~y l,rack(t 233 or !;he equ~valent serves 1;o holcl Pralne 260 in closing relat,ionship with the framework.

- 3~ -'"'~ ,,, :.

In the preferred mode of installation, frarne 260 is formed by Joinirlg together the different lips 218 and 234 before delivery to the work site. The ~oinder of the successive ends of lips 218 and 234 in order to form frame 260 may be made directly by heli;arc weldlng ancl with no need for additional corner supports. After the frame is formed, fabric 40 may be mou:lted upon frame 260 wit;h only a sufficient degree of tension therein to hold the fabric in place on the frame. With the main framework or cabinet already installed, the thus assembled frame with fabric 40 mounted is then sllpped over the combination of all of flanges 220 as described above. If necessary to overcorne the initial tension induced in fabric 40~ and with hinge pin 204 first seated in hlnge 202, a longer form of screw 238 may be used to draw lower lip 234 over its lower flange 220 until the longer leg of bracket 233 ls disposed against the lower support elernent.
Then, different ones of the succession Or the longer form of scréws 238 are remov,d and rep~laced by the shorter screws so that their inner ends will not penetrate into the wlring.
Accordingly, the final form of screWs 238 ultimately ~erve to secure the entire frame to the frarnework defined by the dlfferent ones of the support elements.
After completing the instaLlation Or f`rame 260~and if necessary, the upper marginal poxtion 210 of fabric 40 desirably is first ad~usted, by loosening ~d~e208, to what is to be the final pcsition of that marginal portion.
Preferably, that already has been done before dellvery of f'rarne 260 t;o the work site. Thereaf`ter, inAividua:L dif`ferent [D4~

ones of clips 240 are unlatc:hed and that part of lower marglnal portion 232 is then adjusted laterally to srnooth out wrinkles and also to eventually reach the finally desired tension in fabric 40. After each such incremental adJustment of a given section of lower marginal portion 232, the one of cllps 240 overlying that section is agaln snapped into place after which the next one of the clips is removed so that its section of the lower margin may be ad~usted. The very same procedure is employed along the vertical side margins of the display face. In reaching final tension adJustment, the installer preferably alternates between ad~ustment in the horizontal direction and adjustment in -the vertical direction.
To assist ln obtaini.ng the correct alnount of tension ultimately induced in fabric 40, a Line preferably is defined, : :
either temporarily by the use of chalk or permanently by printing, across the exterior surface of fabric 40 and parallel to what will be a nearby support element. Such a : line should be deflned ad~acent to at least one hor.i~ontal ? support element and one vertical support element, although : it may be defined all of the way around the perimeter. Fcr illus,ratlon, that line will be discussed in connection with fastener 230 along the lower margin~
Accordi.ngly, a speciffic location on fastener 230 is selected as a reference poir.t. Convenient].y, that may be at the bend 264 between latch mernbers 244 and 24h. The line which is defined on the exteri.or surface of fabric 40 initi.al1y ls loca~ed ~n a pOSi l.ion exposed to view fronl the front ext:er~ior Or the display face when the tension in fabric 40 is substantially removecl. On the other hand, location of the line is such that, upon increasing the tension in fabric 1l0, the line is moved toward the reference point defined by bend 264. Accordingly, the line is so located relative to lower marginal portion 232 at its outer end that, upon achieving the tension ultimately desi.ed, that line has been moved into a final position against bend 264. At that point~ clip 240 may be latched into place for the final t;ime. Thereafter, access to the interlor of t.he sign cabinet requires only the removal of screws 238 along the bottom and side margins.
This permits frame 260 to be swung out from the bottom and in hinge 202 without disturbing the tension estabIished in fabrlc 40.
A leading attribute of the ernbodiment of ~'igure 6 is that the definition of skir~ 224 entirely around the perimeter of central portion 226 of the resu];tin~ display face serves to eive the appearance of the "molded pan look" discussed . . .
earlier. In a modified version, which would be simpler although not nearly as ~lexible in usage, f'langes 220 may be merged lnto lips 218 and 234 to provide only one skirt-definln~ an outwardly proJecting pan forming member. This is not as desirable, however, because the sep~lrate existance of fl~nges 220 serves as adclitional support for lips 21~ and 234. Because of flanges 220~ frame 260 may in itself be c,f a more lightweight construct;ion. In that connection, the initial tenstoning Or fabric ~l0 at the time of its first mounting upon frame 260 tends to create an inward bow in lips 2l8 and 234. 11owever, and as a result of' camming the lips over different ones of flanges 220 and the straight edges ~7~ B
defined by h:Lnge 202 and all flanges 220,that bow is removed as frame 260 is urged into it.s final mounted location.
As an alternative to the formation and use of frame 260 either lips 218 or 23ll and their respective components may be used :Lndependently along any given support element similarly to the use of independent hardware ln the embodiments of Figures 2~5. Lip 218 in that case serves as a lever similar in Eunction to lever 208 although of somewhat different shape and proJecting from the opposite side of the rnouth of the hollow hinge pi~. At the same time~ flange 220 constitutes a stop carried by support element 14c and which is disposed in the path of lip 218 to define a limit of rotatlon of hinge pin 20l1. When in place, the lower end of the longer leg of retainer 200 wou'ld constitute a stop disposed in the swing path of lip 218 so as to define another limit to the rotation of hinge pin 204. For the more slgnificant functional . purpose in this alternative Or perr~itting the rocking of lip -218 with retalner 200 temporarily removed, to ad~ust position of marginal portion 210 and tension in fabric 40~ it is the outer end of the nearby one of forks 198 which serves as the other rotatlonal lirnit of hin~e pin 204.
With f'abric 40 under tension in th:ls independent alternative and hinge pin 20LI initially located apart from hlnge 202, flange 220 agaln I.s oriented'to derine a cam surface over which h~nge pin 20ll may be sli.d and then inserted around shoulder 214 and into hinge 202. That same tension already induced.in fabrlc 110 also serves to iock h:'.nge pin 204 against rotà~:lon by const;ra-lninr llp 218 to l:l.e aFainC3t flange 220. For this pur~ose, hinge 202 preferably is contlnuous over l.ts length along support e:.ement 14c as is hinge pin 204. Otherwise at least hinge pin 202 and wedge 208 may be in successive segments as in the version of Figure 2. It will ~)e apparent that initial ins-ta:Llation of fabric 40 in thls case may proceed on the same basi.s as describec in connection with ~lgure 2. ~hat is, marginal pGrtion 210 may be first inserted around wedge 208 after which lip 218 i.s rocked back and for1,h in a ratchet-like fashion wlth a related action upon wedge 208 or ln a manner otherwise to use lip 218 to slacken the tension and thereby permit adJustment of marginal portion 210. In the same manner, one or more of the other support elements may be used like upper support element 14c so as to include hinge 202 and be associated wi.th hislge pin 204 and wedge 203. On the other hand, fasteners 230 may be used wlth any support element to serve as means for adJusting tension in fahric 40.
Finally, Figure 7 shows still another embodiment which is particularly useful with elther existing sign cabinets or new cabinets of the same conformation. Like in Figure 5, the cabinet is basically of rectangular cross secti.on and in this case also has a framework made fro'm steel members.
,Thus, a support element 14d includes an angle iron 170 one leg 172 Or whlch is oriente~ to define a s:ldê wall of an lnterior channel. Angle lron 170 is welded to a cross plate 17l1 which connects to a similar angle iron at the other side.
An exterior sheet metal skin 175 covers angle iron 170 and cross plate 17lJ and extends on inwardly o~ the angle iron.
An L shaped extruded bracket 178 flts over skin 175 and around argle iron ].70, being secured to the latter by screws 180. Pro~ect;:ing outwardly frorn near the ~pper end of the longer le~ 181 of bracket 17n is a "helf 182 to which a ret;liner 181l i.s secured by screw.s 185. ~hel.f 182 i.s shaped at it3 lnner end to deflne a recess 186 ln which a down-turned rnargln 188 is seated. A ledge 190, also defln~d :in shelf' 182, 1~

9~
accommodates a gasket 192. At its outer end~ re~ainer 184 is bent downwardly and thereafter reversely to define a concealing border.
ProJecting outwardly from near the lower end Or leg 181 is a strut 194 which continues lnto a nln~e 78d a~ain havlng a segmellt 90 wlth a ~ree end 94. A hinge pln 80d, slmilar to hin~e pin 80 and n?sted in hin~e 78d, has a lever lO~d that rnay be locked ln a vertical position by a keeper llOd. For economy when to be used also w1th ot~ler support elements, keeper llOd may be ldentical to keeper 110 of' Figure 2. Thus, keeper llOd is shaped to bend around the outer end of' lever 108d and terminates in a re-entrant portion that seats in a recess 196 deflned in a J-shaped stub 198 whlch proJects outwardly f'rom leg 181 between shelf' ~' 15 182 and strut 194. When locked by keeper llOd~ the free end portion of lever 108d abu~s the outer end of stub 198.
At tne side of mouth opposite lever 108d, the ~, wall of hinge pin 80d continues into a lip 200 that proJec~
`, on out;wardly in the direction away from support elem~nt 14d.
~j 20 L1~ 200 curves smoothly to present an upwardly-facing co~lvex ,l ' surface 202 and terlrlinates ~n a rree end w?nich ls Spac~?~
outwa~?ldly beyond end 94. U~on removal o~ keeper llOd, l~ r~
108d :may be rnoved forwardly to rotate hinge pin 80d until ;' lip 200 abuts end 9ll as a limit of rotation.
i ,¦ 5 As shown, wedge 84 is disposed wit~in hinge E-in 8i~d ,i, to runction in the manner discusse(l above. Tnus, tht? mountirlg and adJIlstMent of fabric 40 ma,y be exactly the salne clS ciescribed ¦ in ,onnect:lol, with t~le embodirnent ol'l~`i.Gure 2. In l~'J~?;ur~
however, llp 200 also serves a funcl;lon analogous to a t''eatu~-e of llp 218 ln F,gure 6. That ls, marginal portlon 7~;
' _ , ' :
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continues into a skirt portion 204 that overlies surface 202 on lip 200 before the fabric turns downward to define the illuminated dlsplay face.
By virtue of the provision Or lip ~00, the display face is spaced farther frorn the maln framework of the cablnet than in the embodiments of Figures 2-5. In retrofittlng an existing cabinet, that may be desirable to improve overall appearance or to obt~in better uniformity of illumination in the manner explained above. If made to be sufficientl~
rugged, lip 200 could, in principle~ be extended so as also to yield a l'pan shaped look" to the display face. Elowever, it appears to be preferable to achieve that result by the use of the arrangement of Figure 6 whereln lip 218 is supported on flange 220, adapting that approach as necessary to accommodate either an existing sign cabinet when retrofitting or a new cabinet of still dirferent cross-sectlonal shape.
In the case of all embodiments, it has been explained that one purpose of being able to release at leas-t some tension in different sections of a mar~inal portion is to allow smoothing of fabrlc 40 so as to rernove wrinkles. Particularly with a pictol~ial display printed upon the display face~ it mi~ht actually be desired in a specific case that a certain amount of wrinkllng in a selected portion of the display face be cause~ to occur del$berately for the purpose of modifying the image visualized by a lirnited shadowin~ or other effect. or course, the adJustable rastening and hingirlg devic~s dt?scribed permit that result.

_ ll6 --~7~

As illustrated herein, the overall assembly has always been presented in rectangular form. In practice, the different support elements often are Or sufficient length that they may be curved so as to bow outwardly at their cent;er.s and thereby define a curved margin of the di~play face. In that case, each of hinge pins 204 or clips 240 is suf~iciently narrow that it still may be shaped to def'ine surfaces across its width that are s-trai~ht. Alternatively, a curved mar~in may be caused to appear by mounting a bezel around the perimeter of the display face ~hich in itself has a straight mounting member but with the '~ezel defining an illuminated area as viewed which has a curved m,lrgin. Such a bezel may be part of an extension of' the retainer. As a further alternative, the inwardly directed and free end of one or more of lips 218 and 234 may be curved so as to define an illuminated Inargin Or that shape. in any event, any such addit;ion Or a curved or other marginal feature might also include different :
formations such as s~allops.
As mentioned, the specific embodiment of ~i~ur-e 6 is .
essentially a new vtl~sion and features inte~ration Or flange 220 and hln~,e 202 into the corresponding support elemerlt of the primary frarrlework. While that definitely is the preferred approach, lt should be a~parent that flange 220 and hinge 202 ' may alternatively be Joined to a separate merrlber fully analogous to finger 98 of Figure 2 or finger a8b of Figure 5. Thus, there would be a separate part securable to the sid~ wall of a new or an ex:Lstlng older form of` main f'ramework support element in the same or an ecluivalent rllanner to that discussed in connection wl~h Fig~ es 2 and 5. In this way, older forms _ 117 _ of support elements may be retrofitted to adapt the improve-ments featured in Figure 6 such as the attainment of the "molded pan look" and/or the separate formation of frame 260 that is hingeably secured along one rnargin of the framework.
It will thus be seen that the different embodiments described and illustrated take advantage of many desirable features that are present in existing sign display assemblies while yet avoiding numerous disadvantages thereof. Of leading importance, the new approaches permit improved mounting of stretchable fabric display faces. Better hardware is provided for adjusting position of and tension in the fabric, and there is no need to make mounting holes in the material.
With the present techniques, it is easy to obtain incremental ajustment of tension and control of wrinkles.
All versions may be either routinely adapted to existing sign frameworks or incorporated integrally into new frameworks.
Resulting sign assemblies can withstand hurricanes and still be reasonable in terms of cost for material and labor.
In any case, the display face may be swung or otherwise moved away from the framework to allow access to the inkerior. With use of a separate frame as described in connectlon with Figure 6, the entire display face may be swung away without disturbing the previous adjustment of tension and smoothness. While mechanical distortion and wind damage must be avoided, the overall construction permits the use of a separate frame that in itself is lightweight.
Existing signs may be retrofitted in the field with-out having to dismount their cabinets. Whether the framework is new or old, the amount of field work is minimi~ed. That is particularly appreciated when the signs are very large or mounted high above the ground.

~71~ ~4~

The different versions and the several modifications available for each permit satisfaction of a variety of user requirements and preferences. Perhaps the leadiny preference accommodated is that for the "molded pan look". The same approach also enables uniform illumination even though the cabinet is comparatively narrow.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, and a number of different modi-fications and alternatives have been presented, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and further modifications may be made without departing from the invention in i-ts broacler asp~ct.

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Claims (11)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A display sign comprising:
a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined between corresponding op-posite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support elements;
a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by said framework;
and means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outwardly away from respective ones of said support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the marginal portions of said fabric to respective ones of said support elements, with said fabric continuing from each of said marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corres-ponding one of said lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion.

2. A display sign as defined in claim 1 in which each of the free end portions of said lips is bent to project in a direction toward a space-opposed one of said lips.

3. A display sign as defined in claim 1 in which said fastening means includes means for adjusting tension in said fabric.

4. A display sign as defined in claim 3 in which said fastening means also includes means for enabling movement of selected sections of said marginal portions in a direction along the length of corresponding ones of said support elements.

5. A display sign comprising:
a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined between corresponding op-posite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support elements;
a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by said framework;
means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outward away from respective ones of said support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the marginal portions of said fabric to respective ones of said support elements, with said fabric continuing from each of said marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the correspond-ing one of said lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion;
and a flange projecting laterally outward away from at least one of said support elements in a direction toward said display face and on the side of the corresponding one of said lips opposite said skirt with said flange projecting a distance less than the distance of projection of said one lip.

6. A display sign as defined in claim 5 in which the corresponding one of said marginal portions is fastened directly to said one lip;
in which, with said fabric stretched in tension, said lip is slidable over said flange to cam said lip into a position adjacent to said one support element;
and which includes means for securing said one lip to said one support element.

7. A display sign comprising:
a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined between corresponding op-posite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support elements;
a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by said framework;
means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outward away from respective ones of said support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the marginal portions of said fabric to respective ones of said support elements, with said fabric continuing from each of said marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corres-ponding one of said lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion;
and a flange projecting laterally outward away from each of said support elements in a direction toward said dis-play face and on the side of the corresponding one of said lips opposite said skirt with the flange projecting a distance less than the distance of projection of that one lip.

8. A display sign as defined in claim 7 in which at least certain of said marginal portions individually are fastened directly to respective ones of said lips;
in which, with said fabric stretched under tension, said frame is slidable over said flanges to cam said frame into a position adjacent to said framework;
and which includes means for securing said frame to said framework.

9. A display sign comprising:
a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined between corresponding op-posite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side support elements;
a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by said framework;
means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outward away from respective ones of said support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the mar-ginal portions of said fabric to respective ones of said support elements, with said fabric continuing from each of said marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corresponding one of said lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion;
said lips being joined in succession one to the next to define a frame mateable with said framework;
means for hingedly securing one margin of said frame along one margin of said framework;
and means for holding said frame in closing relation-ship with said framework.

10. A display sign as defined in claim 9 in which at least one of said support elements includes a generally U-shaped member having legs integrally joined by a bight;
a pair of lugs projecting inwardly from one of said legs toward the other of said legs;
a shelf projecting inwardly from the other of said legs toward said one leg;

a plate inserted along one margin thereof between said lugs and with the opposite margin thereof positioned against said shelf;
and means for removably securing said opposite margin against said shelf.

11. A dipslay sign comprising:
a sign framework having spaced upper and lower elongated support elements joined between corresponding op-posite ends thereof by respective spaced elongated side sup-port elements;
a stretchable fabric display face disposed across the space defined by said framework;
means, including a plurality of lips individually projecting laterally outward away from respective ones of said support elements, for fastening corresponding ones of the marginal portions of said fabric to respective ones of said support elements, with said fabric continuing from each of said marginal portions as a skirt that overlies the corres-ponding one of said lips and further continuing around the free end portion of that lip into a common central portion;
and a bezel joined at each of said support elements and disposed to at least substantially overlie and conceal said lips and said fastening means.