The present invention relates to a device for at least temporarily displaying visual information, comprising a frame, a frame included in the sheet of material which under local pressure will change to a new colour from its original colour, and that upon exposure to a magnetic field will adopt its original colour, at least a first, connected to the frame, along the plate movable magnet and guide means, connected to the frame to guide the first magnet, wherein the first magnet is arranged to delete the first part of the carrier generated by the magnetic field during the movement along the sheet.
Such devices are known, in particular as a toy. It is the plate of a composite material, that under local pressure changes colour and when exposed to a magnetic field, again assumes its original colour. At to the state of the art devices there is always associated with a magnet movable along the plate, which in its movement along the plate, will erase the entire plate.
Such devices are also suitable for other applications, for example to display rapidly changing information, such as sport matches, in which the position can be tracked. In such applications, it is important that a part of the plate can be erased and on the other part of the plate the present information will be maintained.
In order to meet this demand, the invention provides such an apparatus in which the guide means are arranged for a deviation from the first position to a second position along a path guiding the first magnet and wherein the by the first magnetic-generated magnetic field to the first part of the plate will not be erased and that the apparatus comprises means for operating it from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position of the first magnet.
As a result of these measures it is possible to move the magnet in such a way along the plate that in dependence on the position of the magnet, the plate may or may not be erased. Herewith it is possible, for example, starting from a lower position of the magnet, to move the magnet in the non-wiping position to a part of the plate which should be erased, to take the magnet into the wiping position and to further move the erasing magnet to the end of the portion to be deleted. The magnet can then be moved back again to its non-wiping position, and can be brought back to its starting position.
According to a first structurally attractive embodiment the first magnet in the second position will move to a second path, deviated from the first path, and the distance between the second path and the plate is greater than the distance between the first path and the plate. This embodiment uses the fact that the strength of a magnetic field decreases with increasing distance to the magnet. In the first path, the distance between the magnet and the plate is so small that the magnetic field is sufficiently strong to allow the plate to return to its original colour and to ensure that the plate is erased, and the second path, the distance between the magnet and the plate is so large that the magnetic field at the location of the plate is so weak that there is no erasing operation.
It is, however, possible to use other features such as the application of a magnetic screen. The particular embodiment provides the measure that only in the second position of the first magnet between the first magnet and the carrier a magnetic screen is placed. In this case the magnetic screen is capable of operation so that in the absence of the screen between the magnet and the plate the magnetic field emanating from the magnet performs its wiping operation and in the presence of the screen between the plate and the magnet, the magnetic field at the location of the plate, is so weak that no wiping action occurs.
In the above-illustrated embodiment, the magnetic shield can be attached to the frame, but it is also possible that the magnetic screen is mounted to the sledge and the magnet moves with the sledge.
It is also possible that the first magnet in the second position is rotated with respect to its first position about an axis which intersects the connecting line between the magnet poles. To this end, the magnet should be rotatable or tiltable to the slide to be fixed. This embodiment uses the fact that the magnetic field generated by a magnet, is strongly dependent on the direction of the magnet.
In the described embodiments up to now, there is always a part of the plate which it is optional whether or not to be erased, which parts by themselves transversely to the direction of movement of the plate extending lines are separated from the other parts of the plate. In some cases, for example in scoreboards, there is a need to choose whether or not to delete the portions of the plate that are separated by lines extending parallel to the movement direction. To this end a further embodiment, the measure that the device is provided with at least a second magnet, in that the guide means are adapted to it along the sheet guiding the first magnet in which the by the first magnet in its first position generated magnetic field only a first part of knew that the plate and the guide means are arranged for guiding the sheet along the second magnet in which the second magnet by the magnetic field generated in its first position only a second portion of the plate did.
In particular, but not exclusively with scoreboards it is attractive when a number of columns is available, parts of which either may or may not be erased. To this end, a further embodiment provides the measure that the first part of the plate and the second part of the plate are mutually exclusive. This results in adjacent columns which can be erased independently of each other.
Although other configurations, such as centered configurations cannot be excluded, it is preferred that the guide means are arranged to flow linear paths by the magnets and for the erasing of parallel to each other extending strips of the plate in the first position.
According to a constructively attractive embodiment, the guide means comprises at least one to the frame associated guide strip, at least one of the guiding lines comprises part of the sledge, at least one with the slide connected magnet carrier for carrying the magnet, at least a pusher element for the manual pushing of the sledge and an operating element to move the magnet between the first and the second position.
When use is made of the property of a magnetic field which its strength decreases with increasing distance from the magnet, it is structurally attractive that the magnet carrier about an principally parallel to the direction of movement of the sledge tiltable with the sledge is connected, and that the control element is linked to the magnet holder to move the magnet between a first and a second path.
The construction is further simplified when the device contains at least two guide strips, each of which included to the frame, at least one sledge is provided on each of the guide strips, on each sledge a magnet carrier and a pushing element has been placed and when, on each sledge at least one magnet carrier linked by an element carrier has been inserted.
According to a further preferred embodiment, on each guide strip at least two sledges are provided. In the first place, this measure makes it possible to erase more than one strip with one single conductor, wherein the strips can coincide and can differ from each other. In particular, in the case of a coincident strip it may be attractive to approach strip portions from two ends of a strip, because the distance to be maintained between the parts to be deleted is reduced. In case of separate strips a single conductor is sufficient.
Furthermore, it may be attractive to delete only one part of the extending width of a strip. To this end, a further embodiment provides the measure that the trajectories of the slides at least partially overlap each other, and that the strip covered by the second magnet forms a part of the strip covered by the first magnet.
A first field of application of the invention lies in the use as a notice board, but perhaps a more important field of application is the application as a scoreboard, in particular, a scoreboard for dartsport.
The invention will be elucidated with reference to the drawings, in which:
In
With the structure thus obtained the surface of the magnetic plate 4 could be described by means of a pin. Indeed, the pin exerts pressure on the magnetic plate 4 so that in place the pin is pressuring, the colour of the magnetic plate 4 will change.
To delete the visual information thus made on magnetic plate 4, use is made of the wiping course of the device which will be partly discussed on the basis of
In the in
In the in
In this embodiment, it is of importance that the by placing it in the active position of one of the magnets 34a to move the sledges 29a of the magnetic plate across the half-width of the scoreboard will be deleted, as in the previous embodiment. The present embodiment, however, offers in addition the possibility of only a part of the half-width to be deleted, namely, with the magnets 34b and the sledge 29b for the part towards the center is situated, and with the magnets 34c and the sledge 29c for the part that is to the edges of the scoreboard is located. This makes it possible for only a part of the score to be deleted, for example, a correction. It is important that the magnets 34b and 34c, only a portion of the path of the magnet cover 34a, so that only a part of the magnetic plate 22 in the present information may be erased.
It will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made to the above-explained embodiments. Thus, it is possible, for example the features of the invention to be applied to a bulletin board as it does in the kitchen is used.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007168 | Jul 2011 | NL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/NL2012/000057 | 7/20/2012 | WO | 00 | 5/6/2014 |