Claims
- 1. A case for displaying notices, comprising, in combination:
- a parallepipedal body of the type including
- bottom, rear, side and top wall parts and
- an at least translucent, non-removably mounted front face in
- a substantially vertical, opaque frame, constituting
- a front wall part; said wall parts being sealingly interconnected; said bottom wall part having therein
- a single access opening substantially below said front wall part, including
- a removable shutter and
- means for sealing the latter in a substantially water- and dust-proof manner when closed; said body including in its
- upper inner space and behind
- the upper edge of said front face
- at least one rotatable drum in substantially parallel alignment with said upper edge of the front face and with said access opening;
- at least one flexible element haivng
- two ends, one by which said flexible element is removably attached to said drum along a generatrix of the latter, and another, free end, and having
- a length greater than a path that runs from the generatrix of said drum to said access opening, when said flexible element is passed from said drum about said upper edge of the front face and thence along the inside of the latter, substantially vertically down toward said access opening;
- means for attaching at least one notice to said free end of the flexible element so that the notice is suspended as an extension of and lengthwise beyond said flexible element;
- said access opening having a width and a length that allow at least the notice and said attaching means to pass therethrough by gravity, upon rotation of said drum in a first direction;
- drive means for selectively rotating said drum in the first direction, which corresponds to the unwinding of said flexible element attached thereto, with said free end moving downward along said inside of the front face and toward said access opening, and in a second direction which corresponds to winding up said flexible element onto said drum; and
- means for arresting said drive means, on the one hand, when said attaching means have just passed beyond said bottom wall toward the outside through said access opening, the notice being then entirely on the outside; and,
- on the other hand, when said attaching means have attained a height just below said upper edge of the front face, the notice being then fully exposed through said translucent front face, said arresting means also constituting
- means for preventing the notice from ever reaching, and being rolled up even partly on, said drum.
- 2. The case as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one flexible element is constituted by a pair of spaced-apart straps such as chains, cables, wires and the like.
- 3. The case as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one flexible element is constituted by at least one soft panel.
- 4. The case as defined in claim 1, wherein said attaching means are constituted by at least two clips for connecting the at least one notice to said free end of the flexible element.
- 5. The case as defined in claim 1, further comprising a freely rotatable roller supported in the area just above said upper edge of the front face, said at least one flexible element being trained thereabout in the path that runs from said drum toward said access opening.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
71.15505 |
Apr 1971 |
FR |
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Parent Case Info
The present invention relates to a panel structure forming an illuminated display case for notices, posters or placards, lighted by transparence.
Illuminated display devices are known which use a case containing electric means which form a light source and of which the front face consists of two plates one being transparent to diffuse light uniformly to an illumined area, and the second or outer plate being of translucent material.
The notice or poster for display is inserted between the diffusing and the translucent plates; for that purpose the outer plate is made detachable or is articulated on a hinge so as to allow it to be opened as a window, and to give free access to the diffusing face onto which the notice or poster is fastened, for example, by means of adhesive tape.
Such devices are, however, far from satisfactory nor do they allow convenient and easy use.
Paper posters, generally of a fairly large size, are frangible and run the risk of tearing during insertion or showing unsightly creases, thus harming the requisite aesthetic effect of the display. Furthermore, the fastening of the poster remains a delicate matter since the latter must be arranged in a vertical position, held down with one hand while fastening it flat with colorless adhesive tape, running along the top edge of the poster, and adhering to the diffusing plate which acts as a support for the poster.
This movement is made difficult in devices where the outer wall is fastened and hinge-mounted, since the outer wall forming the show window being kept in place impedes free access to the top of the supporting wall and makes it difficult to change each poster. When the outer wall is taken out, changing the poster is easier but the taking-out and replacement of the show window represent additional work and a risk of breakage or wear and tear.
For all these reasons the replacement of each poster, which is fairly frequent operation, must be entrusted to departmental personnel having a modicum of experience, which entails a noteworthy operational overhead.
Moreover cases according to the prior art are not sealed and are poorly protected against intrusion of moisture and the risks of unsticking, condensation effects inside the case, and cockling of the poster.
In addition, cases are known which contain a drum on which the poster can be wound like a window shade so as to take two positions according to whether the poster is wound on the drum or unwound.
Such cases are described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,026,214, 1,621,407 and 3,640,482.
The illuminated display case according to the invention has as its object to remedy the various disadvantages mentioned above and to provide a display device for quick, simple changing of notices or posters, while at the same time offering improved working conditions as against previous similar products, and differing radically from the cases described in the above U.S. patents. While the case according to the invention does contain a drum, the poster, by reason of a totally different conception, does not have to be windable thereon.
Thus, the present invention relates to a case for displaying notices, forming a definitively positioned homogeneous whole, the window or outer glass whereof is not opened and remains permanently incorporated with the body of the case.
Insertion is effected through a lower slot or access opening allowing access to a space between two walls, the poster or notice being joined onto some windable components previously brought into a bottom position, then wound upward, thus bringing the poster into a suitable position behind the translucent wall and in front of a light-diffusing wall.
Clearly with the case according to the invention a changing of posters is obtained which is particularly simple and quick and no longer requires experienced and specially trained personnel since the emergence of the outcoming poster and the placing of the rising poster are automatic.
Finally, the device allows usage of plasticized posters, facilitating their better color reproduction and correct positioning.
This device allows the frequent changing of posters or notices, thus extending the field of use of illuminated cases to new domains. For example, the illuminated display case according to the invention lends itself to the display of movie programs requiring frequent changes and easy handling.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
671,166 |
Aug 1929 |
FR |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
247631 |
Apr 1972 |
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