Banner hanger

Claim 2

A banner hanger comprising: a. an upper plate having upper retaining means and capable of being connected to an upright; b. a lower plate capable of being connected to an upright at a point below the upper plate; c. a roller having lower retaining means and coupled to the lower plate; d. a banner having an upper attachment element capable of being removably retained by the upper retaining means and a lower attachment element capable of being removably retained by the lower retaining means; and e. tightening means coupled to the lower plate and roller for tightening the banner to a desired degree of tautness.

Claim 3

The structure according to claim 1, wherein the tightening means includes: a detent coupled to the lower plate, and; a disc fixed to the roller and formed with a series of locking openings, a selected opening of which can be releasably engaged by the detent to maintain the banner at the desired degree of tautness.

Claim 4

The structure according to claim 2, wherein; the locking openings are circularly aligned holes extending transversely through the disc, and, the detent is a spring connected to the lower plate at one end and formed with a hook at the other end sized for entrance into the holes.

Claim 5

The structure according to claim 1, wherein; the upper retaining means is a slide channel with a relatively narrow entrance slot, and, the banner upper attachment element is an enlarged margin sized to slide sideways into the slide channel.

Claim 6

The structure according to claim 1, wherein; the lower retaining means is a pair of oppositely facing hold down tabs with inner ends defining an entrance passage for the banner, the tabs being separated by shallow space from the roller, and the banner lower attachment element is an enlarged margin sized to be slipped through the entrance passage and beneath the hold down tabs.

Claim 7

The structure according to claim 1, wherein; the roller is aligned beneath the lower plate, and, the upper and lower retaining means are oriented so that the sign cloth conceals virtually all of the upper plate and most of the lower plate.

Claim 8

The structure according to claim 1, including: clamping bands coupled to the upper and lower plates for securing the upper and lower plates to an upright.

Claim 9

A banner hanger assembly comprising: a. an upright; b. an upper plate connected to the upright by a clamping band and having upper retaining means characterized by a slide channel with a relatively narrow entrance slot; c. a lower plate connected to the upright by a clamping band at a point below the upper plate; d. a roller coupled to the lower plate and having lower retaining means characterized by a pair of oppositely facing hold down tabs which define an entrance passage and are separated from the roller by shallow spaces; e. a banner having an upper attachment element characterized by an enlarged margin placed in the slide channel and a lower attachment element characterized by an eNlarged margin engaged by the hold down tabs; f. tightening means including a detent coupled to the lower plate and a disc fixed to the roller and formed with locking openings, one opening with which the detent is releasably engaged; and, g. a handle coupled to the roller for rotating the roller, wherein when the banner attachment elements are retained by the upper and lower retaining means and the handle is operated to rotate the roller through a sufficient distance to obtain a desired degree of tautness which can be maintained by releasably engaging the detent with a corresponding locking opening.

Claim 10

A banner hanger assembly comprising: a. an upright; b. an upper plate connected to the upright by a clamping band and having upper retaining means characterized by a slide channel with a relatively narrow entrance slot; c. a lower plate connected to the upright by a clamping band at a point below the upper plate; d. a roller coupled to the lower plate and having lower retaining means characterized by a pair of oppositely facing hold down tabs which define an entrance passage and are separated from the roller by shallow spaces; e. a banner having an upper attachment element characterized by an enlarged margin placed in the slide channel and a lower attachment element characterized by an eNlarged margin engaged by the hold down tabs; f. tightening means including a detent coupled to the lower plate and a disc fixed to the roller and formed with locking openings, one opening with which the detent is releasably engaged; and, g. a handle coupled to the roller for rotating the roller, wherein when the banner attachment elements are retained by the upper and lower retaining means and the handle is operated to rotate the roller through a sufficient distance to obtain a desired degree of tautness which can be maintained by releasably engaging the detent with a corresponding locking opening.