US3260372A

US3260372A - Reflector strip

Info

Publication number: US3260372A
Application number: US389911A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jauslin Alfred
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-09-04
Filing date: 1964-08-17
Publication date: 1966-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 1983-07-12

Description

July 12, 1956 JAUSLIN 3,260,372

REFLECTOR STRIP Filed Aug. 17, 1964 INVENTOR ALFRED JAUSLIN United States Patent 3,260,372 REFLECTOR STRIP Alfred Jauslin, 310 E. 13th Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Aug. 17, 1964, Ser.'N0. 389,911 Claims priority, application Canada, Sept. 4, 1963,

2 Claims. (Cl. 21113) My invention relates to reflector strips of the type used on advertising or other signs.

A particularly eye-catching sign in fairly common use today is one on which the letters, figures etc. are made up of a myriad of small light reflecting discs. These discs are mounted so that they have independent and limited free swinging movement on their supporting members and, when the discs are moved about by a breeze, the sign gives the illusion of having mechanically moved and illuminated parts. Sign manufacturers are faced with the problem of finding a convenient and economical means of attaching the discs to the sign, the conventional fastening devices taking a great deal of time to assemble and often detracting from the appearance of the sign or interfering with the movement of the discs.

The objects of this invention are to provide a reflector strip which is simple, easily constructed, and is entirely preformed so that it may be completely assembled in strip form prior to attachment to the sign, to provide such a strip which will readily lend itself to being attached to the letters on the sign face and when so attached will allow the discs to move freely as required.

These objects will appear in the following specification and be shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is fragmentary perspective view of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section.

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing a disc being fitted to a hanger.

The present reflector strip is preferably formed of a suitable plastic which conveniently may be die cast or otherwise produced in uniform lengths. As shown best in FIG. 1, the strip has a thin flexible base band which is substantially rectangular in cross section. Preferably the rear face 11 of the band is provided with very shallow and closely spaced grooves 12 which extend between the side edges 14 of said band and at right angles thereto.

On the outer face 16 of the band a number of integral bottle-shaped hangers 17 are formed. The hangers are equidistantly spaced from one another and are disposed at right angles to the face of the base band 10. Each hanger has a substantially cylindrical body portion 18 and a neck 20. The reduced neck 20 of the hanger may be cylindrical and the shoulder 21, defined between the body portion and the neck, is preferably bevelled. An oval-shaped flange 23 is formed on the upper end of the neck 20 and it will be noted that this flange and all of the base band and other hanger parts are formed in one operation so that no further processing of this support member is required during assembly of the reflector strip.

The hangers are adapted to support light reflecting discs 25 which are stamped out of very thin material, again plastic preferably, the material being highly glossed and having sufficient resilience to withstand some distortion. If desired the plastic material may be striated to improve the light reflecting properties of the discs. Preferably the discs are subtantially octagonal and adjacent one edge said discs are provided with a circular opening 28. The diameter of this opening is slightly less than the major diameter of the flanges 23, is substantially equal to the minor diameter of said flange and is approximately twice the diameter of the neck 20.

To attach a disc 25 to a hanger 17 the former is first supported at a slight angle to the latter as shown in FIG. 4. While in this position a small end of the flange 23 is threaded through the opening 28 and the disc is turned until a resistance is felt to further movement. A slight pressure is then applied to the disc in the region of the opening so as to distort the opening somewhat and allow the disc to pass over the flange and be supported entirely on the neck 20 of the hanger. In this position the disc is free to slide back and forth between the shoulder 21 and the flange 23 and may also rotate through 360. Since the size of the opening 28 is considerably greater than the size of the neck 20 the disc is also free to rock or turn to a limited extent about its then vertically disposed axis.

The above described reflector strip is attached to the letters etc. of an advertising sign which may be painted on the surface of a panel 30, for example. Glue may be employed to fasten the strips to the face of the panel with the roughened or grooved face 11 of the base band ensuring that proper adhesion takes place. Alternatively staples may be driven into the panel 30 so as to straddle the base band 10 at suitable intervals along the length of the reflector strip.

The strip is attached ot the sign to give emphasis to the signs letters and/or figures and this attachment is done without further shaping or the like being done to the hanger as is necessary with conventional reflector strips. If it becomes necessary to remove and replace the discs 25 this may be done also without the use of special tools or altering the shape of the hangers in any way.

What I claim is:

1. A reflector strip comprising a thin flat flexible base member, a plurality of integrally formed hangers equi-distantly spaced along a face of the base member, said hangers each having a body portion, a cylindrical neck and a preformed oval shaped flange at the extreme end of said neck, said flange being disposed in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the hanger, and a plurality of flexible light reflecting discs adapted to be supported by the hangers, said discs each having an opening through which the neck of a supporting hanger extends, said disc opening being circular with a diameter less than the major diameter of the oval-shaped flanges whereby the disc material is momentarily distorted as the flange is passed through the openings to freely support the disc on the cylindrical neck.

2. A reflector strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of the disc opening is substantially equal to the minor diameter of the oval-shaped flanges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,744,624 5/1956 Hoogstoel 20665 2,765,998 10/1956 Engert 248205 2,896,352 7/1959 Marlo 161-25 2,969,606 1/1961 Battaglia 40-l38 3,043,039 7/ 1962 Battaglia 40138 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,176,704 11/1958 France.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A REFLECTOR STRIP COMPRISING A THIN FLEXIBLE BASE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF INTEGRALLY FORMED HANGERS EQUI-DISTANTLY SPACED ALONG A FACE OF THE BASE MEMBERS, SAID HANGERS EACH HAVING A BODY PORTION, A CYLINDRICAL NECK AND A PREFORMED OVAL SHAPED FLANGE AT THE EXTREME END OF SAID NECK, SAID FLANGE BEING DISPOSED IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HANGER, AND A PLURALITY FLEXIBLE LIGHT REFLECTING DISCS ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE HANGERS, SAID DISCS EACH HAVING AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE NECK OF A SUPPORTING HANGER EXTENDS, SAID DISC OPENING BEING CIRCULAR WITH A DIAMETER LESS THAN THE MAJOR DIAMETER OF THE OVAL-SHAPED FLANGES WHEREBY THE DISC MATERIAL IS MOMENTARILY DISTORTED AS THE FLANGE IS PASSES THROUGH THE OPENINGS TO FREELY SUPPORTED THE DISC ON THE CYLINDRICAL NECK.