Protective Guard for a Post, Pole or Leg of a Sign

Abstract

A protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign is provided. The protective guard may be placed around a post, pole and/or leg of a sign to protect the post, pole and/or leg of a sign from the environment and/or the environment from the post. More specifically, the protective guard is ideal for placement around, for example, the posts of a movable real estate sign. The protective guard is inexpensive to produce and may be used, for example, to prevent the posts of a real estate sign from causing wear and tear on the interior of an automobile and further may prevent wear and tear on the posts of the real estate sign. The protective guard is light weight and easy stored and/or transported prior to use.

Description

The present invention generally relates to a protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign. In particular, the invention relates to a protective guard which may be placed around a post, pole and/or leg of a sign to protect the frame, post, pole and/or leg of a sign from the environment and/or the environment from the post, pole and/or leg. More specifically, the protective guard is ideal for placement around, for example, the posts of a movable real estate sign. The protective guard is inexpensive to produce and may be used, for example, to prevent the posts of a real estate sign from causing wear and tear on the interior of an automobile and further may prevent wear and tear on the posts of the real estate sign. The protective guard is light weight and easy stored and/or transported prior to use.

Everyday hundreds of thousands of signs are inserted and removed from the lawns of American homes and businesses. Many of these signs are realtor signs, garage sale signs, campaign signs, temporary ordinance signs or business advertisement signs. Typically, these signs have two posts, poles and/or legs which have a sharp end which are inserted into a lawn to hold the sign upright. When the need for the sign no longer exists, the sign is generally lifted up from the lawn, removed and transported for storage or placement at another location.

Aside from spending a great deal of time driving around and showing homes to clients, realtors often spend a good deal of time driving around placing and removing real estate signs. Many of these signs are high quality and suitable for all weather use outside. Although many of these signs are made from plastic, they often have metal posts, poles or legs having sharp ends which are inserted into the lawn. As such, it is common for the sharp ends of the posts of the signs to scratch and/or tear, for example, the interior of an automobile when they are removed and transported. In addition, the posts, poles and/or legs of the sign often cause dirt, grass and/or other stains in, for example, the interior of the automobile in which the sign is transported.

Aside from the depreciation in the value of the automobile as a result of the stains and/or tears caused by the numerous signs, realtors may also have difficulty impressing a client when their car appears to be messy or in poor condition. Therefore, realtors often strive to maintain the appearance of their car.

A need, therefore, exists for a protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign which protects the post, pole or leg of a sign from the environment and/or the environment from the post, pole or leg of the sign. Further, a need exists for a protective guard which is easily attached and/or removed from a post, pole or leg of the sign. A still further need exists for a protective guard which is inexpensive to produce.

The present invention is directed toward a protective guard for protecting a post, pole or leg of a sign from the environment and/or the environment from a post, pole or leg of a sign. The protective guard is ideal for placement around, for example, the posts of a movable real estate sign. Further, the protective guard is inexpensive to produce and may be used, for example, to prevent the posts of a real estate sign from causing wear and tear on the interior of an automobile and further may prevent wear and tear on the posts of the real estate sign. The protective guard is light weight and easy stored and/or transported prior to use.

In a preferred embodiment, the protective guard may be constructed from a type of plastic; however, the protective guard may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, metal. In an alternative embodiment, the protective guard may be constructed from, for example, cardboard. A protective guard constructed from cardboard may be light weight, stored in a flat position and discarded after a single or limited amount of uses.

In an embodiment, the protective guard for the post of a sign has a tube having a top end; a bottom end; a length; a width; an opening having a length along the length of the tube; and a hollow interior wherein a post is inserted into the opening along the tube.

In another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable cap inserted over the top end.

In still another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable cap inserted over the bottom end.

In yet another embodiment, the protective guard has a removable cap inserted over the top end and the bottom end.

In still another embodiment, the tube of the protective guard is generally cylindrical.

In another embodiment, the protective guard is made from cardboard.

In an embodiment, the protective guard has an adjustable sliding cover.

In still another embodiment a portion of the removable cap of the protective guard covers a portion of the opening of the protective guard along the length of the tube.

And in another embodiment, a portion of the removable cap of the protective guard prevents the post from exiting the opening along the length of the tube when the removable cap is inserted over the top end of the protective guard.

In another embodiment, a second post is inserted into the opening along the tube.

It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign.

A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign which may be transported and/or stored easily prior to use.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign which is economical to produce.

A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which prevents dirt on the post from contacting, for example, the interior of a car.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which prevents any sharp edges on the post from scratching or tearing, for example, the interior of a car.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which is light weight.

A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a protective guard for a post, pole and/or leg of a sign which prevents the post from bending.

For a more complete understanding of the above listed features and advantages of the protective guard for a post, pole or leg of a sign, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and to the accompanying drawings. Further, additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and from the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of the protective guard.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a sign.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the protective guard with the sign post in the process of being inserted.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the protective guard with the post of a sign inserted.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective view of a post within the protective guard wherein the post is secured by a portion of a removable cap.

FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrates a side perspective view of the collapsing of a sign having four posts.

FIGS. 7a and 7b illustrates a front perspective view of two posts being inserted into a single protective guard.

The present invention generally provides a protective guard for placement around a post, pole or leg during transportation. The protective guard may be constructed from plastic or any other suitable material. Alternatively, the protective guard may be constructed from, for example, cardboard and may be discarded after a single use or a limited amount of uses. The protective guard may have removable caps for securing the post, pole or leg within the protective guard as well as blocking dirt or other material from exiting the protective guard.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts, FIG. 1 illustrates a protective guard 1 for protecting a post, pole or leg (hereinafter called a post) 40 (as illustrated in FIG. 2) from the environment and/or the environment from the post 40. The protective guard 1 has a top side 2, a bottom side 3, a length 4 and a width 16. Preferably, the protective guard 1 is cylindrical, but the protective guard 1 may be generally rectangular or any other shape. The top side 2 of the protective guard 1 and the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1 are preferably circular in shape and may have a diameter 15. Further, the protective guard 1 may have an exterior 5 and an interior 6. The interior 6 of the protective guard 1 is hollow, so as to allow a post 40 to be placed inside the protective guard 1.

The top side 2 of the protective guard 1 may have an opening 17 and the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1 may have an opening 18. The two openings (opening 17 and opening 18) may allow an object to pass through the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 to the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1.

A generally rectangular opening 8 may be present along the length 4 of the protective guard 1. The generally rectangular opening 8 may have a top edge 9, a bottom edge 10, a first side 111 and a second side 12. The top edge 9 and the bottom edge 10 of the generally rectangular opening 8 may be shorter than the width 16 of the protective guard 1. The first side 11 and the second side 12 of the generally rectangular opening 8 may be shorter in length than the length 4 of the protective guard 1. In the preferred embodiment, the first side 11 and the second side 12 of the generally rectangular opening 8 is approximately seventy-five percent of the length 4 of the protective guard 1. Although, the first side 111 and the second side 12 of the generally rectangular opening 8 may be of any length. Further, the generally rectangular opening 8 is preferably located closer to the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 than to the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1 (as illustrated in FIG. 1).

More specifically, the generally rectangular opening 8 may be close enough to the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 so that only a thin strip 70 of the protective guard 1 separates the top edge 9 of the generally rectangular opening 8 from the top side 2 of the protective guard 1. Preferably, the thin strip 70 is between one-eight of an inch in length to four inches in length; however, the thin strip 70 may be of any length. The thin strip 70 may help secure the post 40 within the protective guard 1 by, for example, preventing the post 40 from slipping out the generally rectangular opening 8.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a first cap 20 may be inserted over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1. Preferably, the first cap 20 is cylindrical in shape so as to match the shape of the protective guard 1. The first cap 20 may have a length 21, a width 22, a top side 23, a bottom side 24 and a diameter 25. The bottom side 24 of the first cap 20 may have an opening 26 and the top side 23 of the first cap 20 may not have an opening. The diameter 25 of the first cap 20 may be slightly larger than the diameter 15 of the protective guard 1 so that the first cap 20 may slide over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 and be secured by, for example, friction. Further, friction may hold the first cap 20 on the protective guard 1 until, for example, such time as it is desired to remove the first cap 20 from the protective guard 1. The bottom side 24 of the first cap 20 may cover a portion of the generally rectangular opening 8 when the first cap 20 is inserted onto the protective guard 1. A second cap 30 may inserted over the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1. The second cap 30 may have similar dimensions as the first cap 20.

The protective guard 1 may further have an adjustable sliding cover 75 (as illustrated in FIG. 3) which may be used to adjust the size of the generally rectangular opening 8. The adjustable sliding cover 75 may be secured within a track 76 which may allow the adjustable sliding cover 75 to move in a direction parallel to the length 4 of the protective guard 1. The adjustable sliding cover 1 may allow the protective guard 1 to be used for a variety of different sized posts. The adjustable sliding cover 75 is preferably made from the same material as the protective guard 1. Construction of an adjustable sliding cover 75 and the track 76 are generally known by those in the art and will not be discussed in further detail herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a sign 50 may be used to advertise and/or inform the public of a variety of information. Typically, such signs 50 have a first post 40 and a second post 41. Most signs 50 have two posts 40 which are inserted into the ground, one on each side, which are used to elevate and secure the sign 50. Generally, the two posts 40 and 41 are mirror images of each other and, therefore, have the same features. The first post 40 may have a first end 42, a second end 43 and a length 44. The length 44 of the post 40 is generally less than the length 4 of the protective guard 1. The first end 42 of the post 40 may be generally flat and the second end 43 of post 40 may have a sharp edge 45. The sharp edge 45 of the second end 43 of the post 40 may allow the post 40 to be inserted into a lawn for securing the sign 50.

Alternatively, the sign 50 may have four posts (as shown in FIG. 6) wherein the first ends 42 of the posts 40 are connected and the second ends 43 of the posts 40 are separated when the sign 50 is in use. In this design, a side view of the sign 50 in use appears to be generally triangular in shape. Further, the second ends 43 of these posts 40 often do not have a sharp edge. Instead, the user separates the second edges 43 of the posts 40 and forms an inverted “V” shape to balance the sign 50. These signs 50 are especially suitable for use on concrete or other surfaces in which it is difficult or impossible to pierce the ground to support the sign 50. After use, the user collapses the inverted “V” shape by moving the second ends 43 of the connected posts 40 next to each other. The sign 50 is then typically transported in the collapsed position.

Generally, a person either lifts the two post (40 and 41) sign 50 out of the ground or collapses the four post sign after use and places the sign 50 in, for example, his/her automobile for transportation. Because the posts 40 of the sign 50 are often covered in dirt, grass, rust or other material and often have a sharp edge 45, it is common for the posts 40 of the sign 50 to create a mess and/or tear, for example, the seats of an automobile. To prevent the wear and tear on the automobile, the person may place the posts 40 of the sign 50 into the protective guard 1.

More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the second end 43 of the post 40 is inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8 of the protective guard 1. The protective guard 1 is generally constructed so that the length of the top edge 9 and length of the bottom edge 10 of the generally rectangular opening 8 are at least slightly larger than a width 46 of the standard post 40 of a sign 50. As a result, the post 40 may be inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8.

After the second end 43 of the post 40 is inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8, the post 40 is pushed downward toward the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1. More specifically, the post 40 is pushed downward until approximately a connection point 47 on the post 40 (which is connected to an indicia surface 48 surface of the sign 50). When the second end 43 of the post 40 is inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8 and the connection point 47 on the post 40 is near the bottom edge 10 of the generally rectangular opening 8, the first end 42 of the post 40 may slide downward and the post 40 may be essentially completely within the protective guard 1. When the post 40 is within the protective guard 1, the connection point 47 and the indicia surface 48 of the sign 50 may be located essentially outside of the protective guard 1 and connected to the post 40 through the generally rectangular opening 8.

Referring now to FIG. 4, after the post 40 is inserted essentially completely inside the protective guard 1 (as stated above) the first cap 20 may be inserted over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1 and the second cap 30 may be inserted over the bottom side 3 of the protective guard 1. Inserting the first cap 20 and the second cap 30 over the protective guard 1 may prevent, for example, dirt or other material from falling off the post 40 and out of the two openings (openings 17 and 18 as illustrated in FIG. 1) of the protective guard 1. Instead, the dirt or other material is trapped within the interior 6 of the protective guard 1. To remove the post 40 from the protective guard 1 for use, the reverse process takes place.

Further, when the post 40 is inserted into the protective guard 1, any sharp edges (for example, the sharp edge 45 as illustrated in FIG. 2) on the post 40 may be located within the interior 6 of the protective guard 1. As a result, any sharp edges of the post 40 are prevented from damaging any material of, for example, the interior of an automobile.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, while the first cap 20 is inserted over the top side 2 of the protective guard 1, the bottom side 24 of the first cap 20 may cover a portion of the generally rectangular opening 8. More specifically, a portion 80 of the first cap 20 may prevent the post 40 from being removed from the protective guard 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the embodiment of the sign 50 having four posts 40 (FIGS. 6a and 6b), the inverted “V” is collapsed and then two posts 40, instead of one, are inserted into the generally rectangular opening 8 of a single protective guard 1.

Although embodiments of the present invention are shown and described therein, it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A protective guard for the post of a sign comprising:

a tube having a top end, a bottom end, a length, a width;

an opening having a length along the length of the tube; and

a hollow interior wherein a post is inserted into the opening along the tube.

2. The protective guard of claim 1 further comprising a removable cap inserted over the top end of the protective guard.

3. The protective guard of claim 1 further comprising a second removable cap inserted over the bottom end of the protective guard.

4. The protective guard of claim 1 further comprising a removable cap inserted over the top end of the protective guard and a second removable cap inserted over the bottom end of the protective guard.

5. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the tube is generally cylindrical.

6. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the protective guard is made from cardboard.

7. The protective guard of claim 1 further having an adjustable sliding cover.

8. The protective guard of claim 2 wherein a portion of the removable cap covers a portion of the opening along the length of the tube.

9. The protective guard of claim 2 wherein a portion of the removable cap prevents the post from exiting the opening along the length of the tube when the removable cap is inserted over the top end of the protective guard.

10. The protective guard of claim 1 further having a second post inserted into the opening along the tube.

11. The protective guard of claim 1 wherein the protective guard is made from plastic.