US1190069A - Bulletin-board. - Google Patents

Description

J. S. ABERNETHY.

| lfl- 1 1 90,069. Patented July 4, 1916.

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'J'. S. ABERNETHY.

BULLETIN BOARD.

APPLICATION FiLED DEC. 3, 915.

1 1 90,069 Patented July 4, 1916.

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BULLETIN -BOARD.

Application filed December 3, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. ABERNETHY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newton, county of Catawba, State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bulletin-Boards, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

This invention has relation to that class of bulletin boards of an elastic nature, namely, that class in which the unit or sectional system is utilized to render it possible to enlarge or contract the sign-letter receiving surface, the board being constructed of interchangeable units to enable this to be readily done.

The object of my improvements is to simplify and improve this type of bulletin board, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings Fi ure 1 is a perspective view of my bulletin board complete; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of thesections or units detached; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. l with one of the foot pieces partly broken away; and Figs. i to 13, inclusive, detail views fully explained in the following specification. Fig. 1% is a side elevation, enlarged, of the type of screw that I prefer employing for carrying the clamping thumb nuts.

In the drawings annexed, 1 designates a base section; 2, a top section; and 3, a 1nultiplicity of intermediate letter-carrying sections, all these sections being detachably connected together to form the bulletin board proper. This board may be suspended by means of a screw-eye d attached to the head section, or may be supported 011 an easel or against a wall, or, especially in case the board is of considerable height, by means of a pair of foot members 5 and a pair of telescoping braces (5, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Each of the intermediate or letter-carrying sections consists of a pair of end blocks 7 connected rigidly by a bar 8 on whose front face is attached two or more flat springs 9 which are bowed outwardly. Fastened to the upper edge of the bar 8 and extending practically its full length is a flat metal strip 10 whose front edge projects forwardly beyond the vertical plane of the outer face of the bowed springs 9, said front edge being provided with two flanges 11, one projecting upwardly and the other downwardly. The face of this double flange 11,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4., 1916. Serial no. 64,858.

at its ends, abuts against inwardly-extending shoulders 12 formed on the inner vertical edges of the end blocks 7. A plate 13 1s resiliently pressed forwardly by means of the bowed springs 9 and between this plate and the flange 11, the letter blocks or plates 14 are clamped, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1.

Each strip or plate 13 is supplied along its upper edge with a flange 15 which is formed by bending over the upper edge of said plate. This flange 15 depends behind the plate and is sprung or curved rearwardly away from the rear face of the plate. The letter plates 14 are attached to the lettercarrying plate 13 by being hung along the upper edge thereof, each of the letter plates being provided with a hook 16 at its upper end to enable this to be readily done, this hook being'adapted to have a frictional fit over the upper edge of the letter-carrying plate, so that its depending part will clamp against the rear face of the depending spring flange 15. It will be seen that the letters may be thus easily attached to the letter-carrying plate 13 at any point along its length. The letter plates may be any suitable width, but it is desirable that most of them shall have approximately the same width. It will be observed that the bowed springs 9 are arranged near the end blocks 7, so that they will not be in the way ofthe depending hooks 16 of the letter plates, thereby enabling the letter plates 14- to be spaced may be desirable'along the plates 13. It will be observed also that when the letter-carrying plate 13, with the letters disposed thereon as desired or needed, is pressed up behind the depending flange 11, the bowed springs will press against the lower edges of the springflanges 15 and thus resiliently clam) the plate with its letters in position. To insure the letter-carrying plate being pressed upwardly against the strip '10 and outwardly against the depending flange 11, the length of the depending flange 15 is I such that it engages the'bowed springs 9 at points above their centers, as shown particu larly in Fig. 4.

lVhen the units, constructed in the manner above described, aresuperposed, with the end blocks 7 mounted one upon .the' other, it will'be seen that the depending ends of the letter plates 14- and the lower edge of the letter-carrying plate 13 will en gage behind the upstanding one of the flanges 11 of the section below, so that both the plate 13 and the lower ends of the letter plates will be clamped along the lower edge as well as along the upper edge of the section, thereby firmly holding all the parts in position.

In assembling the letters on each section, it is simply necessary to spring them along on the upper edge of the letter-carrying plate and then shove the plate up behind the flange 11 of the section to which the plate is to be attached, the bowed springs 9 being pressed inwardly sufficiently to permit this to be done; the bowed springs will then hold the plate 14 and itsletters in position until the section is put into place in the board. In the act of putting the section in place into the board, the lower edge of the plate 13 and the lower ends of the letters are sprung inwardly far enough to pass down behind the upstanding flange 11 of the section below. It will thus be seen that each of the sections may have its letters arranged independently of each of the other sections and will lit in between any two sec tions of the board, thereby enabling me to increase or decrease the length and capacity of the board at will.

As a ready means of detachably connecting the sections together and holding them in rigid alinement when superposed in the manner described, I rigidly attach to each of the end blocks 7 an upwardly projecting metal plate 17 provided in the part which projects above the section with an upwardly-opening vertical slot 18. Along the outer front edge of the plate 17 is a verti-' cal flange 19, and at the upper end of the plate is formed a pair of rearwardlyextending stop lugs 20. In the rear face of each of the blocks, directly under the plate 17 and in alinement with the slot 18, I fasten into the block a rearwardly-extending screw provided at its rear end with a head 21. On the screw, between the head 21 and the block, is mounted a thumb nut 22. The screw may be fastened into the wooden block 7 in any suitable manner, but I prefer to point and thread the inner end of the screw after the manner of a wood screw, so that it may be fastened to the block by simply screwing it thereinto by applying a screw driver to the head 21. But, whatever manner of screw is fastened to the wooden block, it will be understood, of course, that the portion of the screw upon. which the thumb nut works shall be threaded in the manner of a metal screw. WVith the sections thus provided with the slotted plate 17 and the thumb nut clamping devices, it will be seen that they may be readily connected together by simply placing the sections one upon the other in such manner that the two screws of one section will pass down into the open slot of the plates of the lower section, whereupon, by screwing up the thumb nuts 22, the sections will be rig idly secured together in alinement. lhe vertical flanges 19 assist in holding the parts in alinement by engagement in the grooves 23 in the end blocks 7, as will be obvious; and to assist in positioning the sections one upon the other, I prefer bevelin the upper front corners of the plate 17, as at 2d.

It will be observed that the lugs 20 overhang the thumb nuts, so that in order to detach a section the thumb nuts must be screwed backwardly far enough to pass freely over these lugs; it will be observed, therefore, that the mere loosening of one or more of the thumb nuts will not permit disconnection of the sections, thereby preventing mere carelessness in the tightening up of the nuts from rendering the bulletin board liable to separation or disconnection at any point in its length. In other words, the employment of one or more lugs at the upper end of each of the plates 17 renders it p "actically certain that accidental disconnection of the sections cannot occur, since it is necessary, in order to disconnect the sec tions, to unscrew the thumb nuts to a considcrable distance before they can pass the lugs. These lugs are further advantageous in that they permit the sections to be loosened up purposely without liability of disconnection of the sections, this loosening up of the sections on purpose being desirable in some cases, such as where the sections are distorted slightly or too much strained by weather conditions.

It will be observed that the sections may be made of varying heights so long as they do not vary in length, and it will be observed also that in some cases where large letters are desired there will be provided one or more sections of greater height or depth than the others, the letters for these enlarged sections being correspondingly lengthened and widened. It will also be observed that without departing from the spirit of my invention, the sections maybe secured together in reversed relation, that is, the parts may be so arranged that they may be attached together from the bottom instead of at the top, as in the sample of my invention I have illustrated and described; and it will be further observed that various details of my device may be varied without departing from the invention as expressed in the claims appended. The foot pieces 5 are provided with the plates 17 so that they may be attached to the base section 1 in the same manner as the letter-carrying sections are attached to each other. The braces 6 have their lower ends set in sockets in the foot pieces, and the upper member 25 of the telescoping braces may be provided with an eye 26 which may be detachably engaged over the head of one of the upper screws or to any other part of the board proper. The upper member 25 is fastened in its adjusted position in the lower member of the brace by means of one or more set screws 27.

It will be understood that while I prefer.

to use the metal letter-plates herein de scribed and shown, it is within the spirit of my invention to employ plates made of cardboard or other material, either with or without the hooks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A bulletin board embodying interchangeable superposed sections and means for detachably attaching the sections together in vertical alinement, a letter-carrying strip or plate for each section, detachable letter plates carried by said strip or plate, and means for detachably attaching said strip and letters to the section, said means embodying springs pressing forwardly against said letter-carrying strip or plate.

2. A bulletin board consisting of superposed interchangeable sections and means for detachably connecting them together, each section consisting of end blocks, a connecting board, a metal strip attached to one edge of this board and projecting forwardly and provided with upwardly and clownwardly extending flanges, bowed springs attached to the front faces of these boards, a letter-carrying plate for each section having a width approximating that of said board and being adapted to be held against said upwardly and downwardly extending flanges by said springs, and letter plates held in position on said plate by the pressure of said springs.

3. A bulletin board comprising interchangeable superposed sections and means for detachably locking said sections to gether, said means consisting of plates fastened to each section and projecting beyond one longitudinal edge thereof, the projecting ends being provided with open-ended slots; screws on each section adapted to enter the slots in the plates on the adjacent section; and clamping thumb nuts on these screws, for the purpose set forth.

a. A bulletin board comprising interchangeable superposed sections and means for detachably locking said sections together, said means consisting of plates fastened to each section and projecting beyond one longitudinal edge thereof, the projecting ends being provided with open-ended slots; screws on each section adapted to enter the slots in the plates on the adjacent section; and clamping thumb nuts on these screws; each of said plates being provided at one vertical edge with a rearwardly-extending lug adjacent the open end of the slot, to form a stop for the thumb nut.

5. A bulletin board comprising interchangeable superposed sections transversely grooved and means for detachably locking said sections together, said means consisting of plates fastened to each section and projecting beyond one longitudinal edge thereof, the projecting ends being provided with open-ended slots; screws on each section adapted to enter the slots in the plates on the adjacent section; and clamping thumb nuts on these screws; the projecting slotted part of each of said plates being provided with a vertical flange fitting into one of said transverse grooves in the adjacent section.

6. A bulletin board comprising interchangeable superposed sections and means for detachably locking said sections together, said means consisting of slotted plates fastened to each section and screws and thumb nuts attached to each section, each of said screws having a wood screw point screwed into the section and a rearwardly-projecting headed end portion threaded for the reception of the thumb nut.

7. A bulletin board comprising superposed interchangeable sections, means for detachably connecting them together, metal strips projecting forwardly at the joint between each two adjacent sections and each strip provided at its front edge with an upwardlyextending and a downwardly-extending JOHN SAMUEL ABERNETHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

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