A readily attachable and changeable outdoor advertising sign and a complemental relatively stationary but portable support therefor. The sign comprises a metal picture-type frame. The inner perimeter surfaces of the frame members are E-shaped and provide inward and outward seating channels. The outward channel portions receive and retain the gasket-equipped sealing and weatherproofing edges of a transparent window while the inward channel portions seat and removably retain the marginal edges of a changeable sign, an attractive display-type placard. This composite eye appealing sign is removably but retentively housed and keyed in track portions of a receiver, more particularly, an oriented and coordinating receiver which is recessed in a vertical wall portion of a decorative-type outdoors support, more particularly, a solid waste container or receptacle. This receptacle is preferably of a type which lends itself to litter collecting use on city streets, in keeping with environmental services recommendations.

Current U.S. Class:	40/306 ; 220/210; 220/908; 40/606.05; 40/606.09; 40/606.1; 40/611.06; D34/1
Current International Class:	G09F 23/00 (20060101); B65F 1/14 (20060101); G09F 15/00 (20060101); G09f 023/00 ()
Field of Search:	40/306,152,156,33,64R 220/32 35/31E

O'Brien; Clarence A. Jacobson; Harvey B.

---

Claims

---

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a portable self-standing outdoor solid waste receptacle of a type currently used on city streets in keeping with environmental service requirements comprising, a walled enclosure, at least one vertical wall portion embodying a vertically recessed portion providing a sign inserting receiver designed and adapted to house and retentively but removably retain and present a sign for viewing, and a bodily insertable and removable sign adapted for use within the encompassing confines of said receiver, said recessed receiver comprising an inset main vertical wall, bordered along two vertical edges and across a horizontal bottom edge with outstanding relatively narrow auxiliary walls, said receiver being open at its front and at its upper end in a manner to accommodate the necessary steps of bodily inserting and removing the sign, said auxiliary walls in conjunction with said main wall providing track means for the frame members which orient themselves therewith, the surfaces of the auxiliary walls which face into said receiver having centralized longitudinally extending keying ribs, and the outer perimeter edges of the frame members having elongated grooves, said grooves providing keyways for said keying ribs, said keying ribs being aligned with and slidingly keyed and retained in given positions in their respectively coordinating keyways, an upper outwardly facing surface of said wall being provided with a fixed Z-shaped bracket having an outwardly offset upstanding retainer flange adapted to retentively seat itself in a downwardly opening coacting portion of said inward channel in a manner to assist in securely positioning and anchoring the sign in its viewable position, said Z-shaped bracket extending substantially completely across the receiver, the flange on the Z-shaped bracket and the keying ribs on the auxiliary walls of the receiver engaged with the grooves in the frame members coacting to prevent entry of water and other material deleterious to the sign.

2. In combination, a portable support, for example, an outdoors solid waste receptacle for use on city streets embodying a self-standing enclosure open at an upper end and having at least one vertical side wall having a vertically recessed portion constituting a sign inserting and viewing receiver, said receiver comprising an inset vertical wall marginally bordered along two vertical edges and a complemental horizontal bottom edge with integral outstanding interconnected marginal sign encompassing, positioning, and retaining walls, said receiver being wholly open at its front and also across its top in a manner to accommodatingly facilitate inserting and removing a changeable sign, the median surfaces of said encompassing and positioning walls facing into said receiver having associatively aligned and coordinating longitudinally extending keying and retaining ribs, bodily insertable and removable sign adapted for display use within the encompassing confines of said receiver, said sign comprising an attractive picture-type frame, the members of said frame being E-shaped in cross-section, the inwardly facing perimeter surfaces of said frame members providing inward and outward spaced parallel channels, one inward channel being of a depth appreciably less than the depth of the other companion channels, a transparent window having marginal edges provided with weather-strips fitted and sealingly seated in coacting outward channels, a panel-type advertising placard opposed to and protectively parallel with said window and having marginal edges retentively but removably seated in said inward channels, the outer perimeter edges of the frame members having coordinating elongated grooves providing keyways, the aforementioned keying ribs being aligned with and slidingly keyed and retained in given positions in their respectively coordinating keyways.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 and wherein an outwardly facing surface of an upper portion of said vertical wall is provided with a horizontal fixedly mounted bracket having an outwardly offset upstanding retainer flange which is aligned with and adapted to removably but retentively seat itself in a downwardly opening coacting channel portion of said inward channel in a manner which assists in securely positioning and anchoring the sign in its viewable position within the confines of said receiver.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 and wherein said offset retainer flange extends completely across said inset side wall and has terminal end portions cooperatively associated with coordinating upper portions of adjacent keying ribs.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, and openable and closable cover means for and normally spanning and closing the upper end of said enclosure, said cover means embodying a depending skirt portion oriented with and residing atop an upper member of said frame.

6. The combination defined in claim 5, and wherein said cover means is hingedly mounted on a predetermined portion of said enclosure and is equipped with a key-controlled lock.

---

Description

---

This invention relates, broadly classified, to card, picture and sign exhibiting devices and pertains, more specifically, to an outdoor changeable frame-equipped sign which lends itself to serviceable use in a recessed receiver built into a vertical wall portion of a portable self-standing waste receptacle such as is currently being endorsed for city use by environmental service authorities.

To the ends desired, the waste receptacle (litter, refuse or trash container) is not only constructed for outdoors on-the-street "pitch in" use, it is so designed and constructed that it presents an attractive and harmonizing appearance in keeping with the street, park or other area in which it is set for use. The exterior wall structure or enclosure which encompasses the concealed trash collecting receptacle, is not only designed with requisite nicety, circumferentially spaced vertical wall portions are provided with novelly constructed pocketing receivers for retentive reception of the insertable and removable display type signs. Each sign is an innovation in that it is characterized by a picture frame equipped with an outward window panel protectively shielding an inwardly located sign, more precisely, a highly decorative and attractive placard-type panel. This panel is readily attachable to and detachable from the inner perimeter portions of the encompassing frame members.

In carrying out the principles of the overall concept the framed sign can be readily applied and subsequently unfastened merely by sliding it upward from track means provided therefor, thus expediting the step of changing the placard or show card and also washing and cleaning the plastic protective window. The frame is uniquely constructed in order that the panel-type placard can be removed and replaced without using tools or implements. Also, the complete framed sign can be clampingly held down and in place by the hinged cover overlying the frame and can be locked in place, if found to be necessary.

The broad concept of presenting and displaying advertising signs and advertisements of one type or another on viewable wall surfaces of trash containers is not new. Then too, the basic concept of incorporating removable advertising panels on trash container walls is known to be old. For background information reference may, if desired, be made to prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,424,519; 1,424,520 of Aug. 1, 1922; or U.S. Pat. No. 1,363,122 of Dec. 21, 1920.

Briefly, and considering first the bodily attachable and detachable sign, it comprises a four-sided aluminum or an equivalent frame. The cross-section of the horizontal top member and vertical frame members is E-shaped. The horizontal bottom frame member is likewise E-shaped. The outward channel portions accommodatingly receive and position the vinyl molding on the marginal edges of the plastic window panel. The inward channel portions receive and support the readily insertable and removable sign, that is, the aforementioned sign or placard. The inward flange of the horizontal bottom channel is reduced in height and functions in a manner which allows the placard to be removed, replaced and retentively retained in its given position. The vertical wall portion (or portions) of the shell or enclosure of the solid or equivalent waste receptacle is recessed and otherwise expressly constructed to provide a sign receiver and holder which has an open sign revealing front, is open at its upper sign entrance and exit end and embodies features hereinafter set forth.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in persepctive of a waste receptacle illustrating an acceptable form of the same and showing, what is more significant, the aforementioned readily attachable and detachable advertising frames or signs constructed in accordance with the invention and readied for use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail section with parts in elevation taken approximately on the plane of the vertical section line 2--2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and with the major portion of the cover omitted for clearness of illustration.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the sign receiver on one wall portion of the walled enclosure, showing the window-equipped frame and, below it, the readily insertable and removable placard or sign.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a framgentary type taken on the plane of the vertical section line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

By way of introduction to the description of the details, it is to be pointed out that the walled enclosure will vary in shape, size and materials and could be either circular or substantially so or non-circular. The adaptation shown is rectangular in cross-sectional dimension. In actual practice wach vertical wall will be constructed to accommodate the attachable and detachable sign. The self-standing substantially rigid attractive enclosure is denoted, as an entity, by the numeral 6. The single wall means herein under consideration is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 8. This enclosure is adapted in practice to encompass and conceal an inner open top receptacle 10 in the receptacle portion of which is denoted in, FIG. 2 at 12. The upper open end is of appropriate construction as at 14 and is located in cooperative alignment with the dome-type or equivalent cover means 16. In actual practice the left-hand or rearward end portion 18 of the cover means is hinged in place (not detailed). The diametrically opposite depending skirt or wall portion 20 may be and preferably is provided with an appropriate key-controlled lock which is denoted generally at 22 and is partly detailed at 24 in FIG. 2. The entrance openings which permit trash and waste to be inserted are denoted at 26. The container or receptacle may be provided with a plastic bag or liner (not shown).

For sake of simplicity a single receiver and sign is shown. With respect to the receiver, it is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 28 and is formed by recessing the wall in a manner to provide an inwardly offset main vertical wall 30 whose upper edge portion 32 is provided exteriorly with a sign stabilizing and retaining bracket 34. In actual practice this bracket, which is Z-shaped in cross section, is welded in place as at 36 and embodies a fixed horizontal flange 38 and a vertical keeper flange 40 which functions in the manner illustrated at the upper right in FIG. 2. The receiver is open at the top and open at its front. The outstanding lateral vertical narrow auxiliary walls, which are joined with the main wall 30 are denoted at 42 and 44 respectively, the latter wall being the so-called horizontal bottom wall. The median portions of these relatively narrow walls 42 and 44 are provided with integral coacting keying ribs 46 (FIG. 3). The vertical corner portions and other surface portions may be rounded, otherwise shaped and finished as suggested at 48 for appearance purposes.

The readily attachable and detachable bodily insertable sign is characterized by a substantially rectangular frame 49. The side members are constructed of aluminum extrusion mitered and fastened securely at each corner as suggested at 50. These frame members are basically alike and are denoted by the numeral 52. The top or upper frame member and two vertical frame members are identical in construction and are E-shaped in cross section. This construction is brought out in detail in FIG. 4 wherein it will be seen that the outer channel means is denoted at 54 while the inner channel means is denoted at 56. The outer channel means serves to accommodate and retain the plastic window pane or panel 58. It will be seen particularly in FIG. 4 that the marginal edge portions of the panel are weatherproofed with vinyl molding suitably secured in place and fitted snugly in the channel means provided therefor, the molding being denoted at 60. The advertising or show card is denoted at 62 and will be finished for such artistic display purposes as called for by the advertiser. With reference again to FIG. 4 it will be seen that the bottom short lip or flange 64 is such that it cooperates with the other flanges of the channel means to permit the card 62 to be insertably fitted in place, shoved up by hand and then dropped down and in this manner retained against displacement.

With further reference again to FIG. 4 it will be noted that the aforementioned inturned wall or flange means 42 and 44, being provided with laterally projecting ribs 46 which constitute keys and which are adapted to be fittingly seated in keying grooves 70 provided therefor in the outer peripheral or marginal surfaces of the frame members 52.

It follows that the ribbed walls provide tracks for insertion and retaining of the insertable and removable sign with the vertical and bottom ribs 46 also serving as seals against entrance of moisture which could damage the card. Also, the Z-shaped bracket 34 extending completely across the top portion of the wall and generally equal to the distance between the side frame members 52 forms a water seal for the card. The extreme upper ends of the ribs 46 may be omitted (not detailed) to enable the flange 40 of bracket 34 to be positioned in alignment with the inner top channel means 56 for best results, that is, when the assembled sign is lowered to its final display position.

The aforementioned bracket means 34 fits into the groove means as shown in FIG. 2 to assist in stabilizing the sign once it is inserted and properly seated in place.

A careful consideration of the views of the drawings singularly and collectively will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the receiver means 28 and the sign means 48 and how they are constructed and cooperate. Therefore a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

* * * * *

---