US 7,500,325 B2
Apparatus and method for retaining and selectively tensioning a sheet material display to a billboard
Michael Wayne Pulliam, 351 Exchange St., West Monroe, La. 71292 (US)
Filed on Nov. 15, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/988,665.
Prior Publication US 2006/0101687 A1, May 18, 2006
Int. Cl. G09F 17/00 (2006.01); G09F 15/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 40—603  [40/599; 40/604; 40/606.14] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for retaining and selectively tensioning a sheet material display on a billboard, comprising:
a base plate capable of being affixed to a back face of said billboard, said base plate having a top face, a bottom face, and four interconnected side walls;
a first and second handle connecting brackets, each of said first and second handle connecting brackets having a distal end, a proximal end, an outer face, an inner face, and four interconnecting side walls, said proximal end of each of said first and second handle connecting brackets being fixedly attached to said top face of said base plate so that said first and second handle connecting brackets are positioned perpendicular to said base plate in spaced-apart, parallel relation;
a U-shaped handle having a first and second arms, each of said first and second arms having a distal end, a proximal end, an outer face, and an inner face, said distal end of said first arm of said handle being pivotally connected to said distal end of said first handle connecting bracket and said distal end of said second arm of said handle being pivotally connected to said distal end of said second handle connecting bracket so that said handle is capable of being pivoted from a sheet material display released position to a sheet material display tensioned position;
a draw bar operationally associated with said handle, said draw bar being at least partially positioned between said inner face of said first arm of said handle and said inner face of said second arm of said handle, said draw bar having a draw bar pin cutout for receiving a portion of a draw bar pin, said draw bar pin cutout being capable of causing said draw bar to be movably positioned about said handle in at least two different positions, each of said at least two different positions capable of causing said draw bar to exert a different amount of tension to said sheet material display when said handle is placed in said sheet material display tensional position, said draw bar pin extending from said inner face of said first arm of said handle through said draw bar pin cutout of said draw bar to said inner face of said second arm of said handle, said draw bar pin including a first end and a second end, said first end of said draw bar pin being fixedly secured to said inner face of said first arm of said handle and said second end of said draw bar pin being fixedly secured to said inner face of said second arm of said handle;
a spring means having a central coiled section, a first U-shaped wire retainer section, and a second U-shaped wire retainer section, said central coiled section of said spring means having a first end and a second end, said first U-shaped wire retainer section of said spring means extending from said first end of said central coiled section of said spring means and said second wire retainer section of said spring means extending from said second end of said central coiled section of said spring means, said first wire retainer section of said spring means being detachably secured to said draw bar;
a chain having a first end detachably connected to said second wire retainer section of said spring means and a second end detachably connected to an S-hook, said S-hook capable of being detachably secured to said sheet material display.