Highway sign post

Claim 1

An open channel post for highway signs and the like, comprising two aligned open channel post sections, one extending downwardly into the ground and terminating just above the surface and the other extending upwardly to support a sign or other object with the open channel of the section facing the oncoming highway traffic and a frangible coupling securing said sections together in alignment, said coupling constituting the sole support for said upper post section upon said lower post section and comprising two complemental relatively brittle clamp members enveloping the adjacent ends of the sections with a bolt passing through apertures in the back of each section and each clamp member centrally of the channel for securing the same tooghter, one of said clamp members comprising a substantially flat plate bridging the open channel of said sections and having a transverse zone of reduced cross-section so as to provide a transverse zone of weakness between said bolts to provide for initial severance in said transverse zone of the one clamp member upon impact against the upper post section in a direction tensioning the said zone subsequent tilting of the upper post after impact stresses its bolt and allows the head or nut thereof to move into the channel upon further vertical cracking of the brittle flat plate so as to provide a controlled tilting of the upper post.