Claims
- 1. An apparatus, comprising:
an electronic display associated with a floor; a protective cover for the electronic display; and a device associated with the protective cover, for at least one of preventing damage to the protective cover and removing dirt from over the electronic display.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a plurality of separable sheets formed from a protective material.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sheets is configured to adhere to the protective cover.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a continuous roll of protective material arranged over a surface of the protective cover.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the device is configured to advance at least a portion of the material.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the device is configured to automatically advance the material.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein device is configured to enable manual advancement of the material.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a contact sensor to detect the presence of a person in contact with the apparatus.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the device is configured to inhibit automatic advancement of the material when the contact sensor detects a person in contact with the apparatus.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dirt sensor for measuring a degree of dirtiness associated with the electronic display.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the dirt sensor comprises a transmission device for measuring a dirt accumulation.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the material is plastic.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the material is plastic.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is an automated cleaning mechanism.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mechanism comprises a cleaning member.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning member is formed as a thin, elongated member.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning member includes at least one of a brush, a sponge, paper, cloth and a squeegee.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning member is configured to be received within a recess in a floor covering.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning member is arranged between tensioning members for moving the cleaning member across the protective cover.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the tensioning members are coupled to a motor for moving the tensioning members.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 15, further including tracks configured to engage the cleaning member, to guide the cleaning member as it is moved across the protective cover.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mechanism is configured to move a cleaning member from a resting position across the protective cover to a predetermined point.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the mechanism is further configured to return the cleaning member to the resting position.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mechanism is configured to automatically activate a cleaning operation comprising moving a cleaning member across the protective cover.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, comprising a sensor for detecting the presence of a person near or on the apparatus, to prevent the mechanism from automatically activating the cleaning operation.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a processor for controlling the mechanism to perform the cleaning operation at predetermined times.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a dirt sensor for measuring a dirt accumulation associated with the electronic display.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 1, the device comprising:
a loop of protective material arranged to at least partly encircle the electronic display and the protective cover; a cleaning member arranged to contact a section of the loop below the electronic display; and a mechanism for causing the loop to rotate, to clean the section by passing it across the cleaning member.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the mechanism is configured to automatically rotate the loop to position the cleaned section over the protective cover and clean a different section by passing it across the cleaning member.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the mechanism is configured to automatically rotate the loop at predetermined time intervals.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 60/361,066, filed Mar. 1, 2002. Further, this application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/285,639, filed Nov. 2, 2002. Application Ser. No. 10/285,639 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/137,357, filed May 3, 2002, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,285 on Jan. 14, 2003. Application Ser. No. 10/137,357 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/767,846, filed Jan. 24, 2001, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,778 on Jul. 9, 2002. Application Ser. No. 09/767,846 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/418,752, filed Oct. 15, 1999, and now abandoned. Application Ser. No. 09/418,752 is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/304,051, filed May 4, 1999, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,876 on Apr. 24, 2001. Each of the foregoing applications/patents is fully incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60361066 |
Mar 2002 |
US |
Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10137357 |
May 2002 |
US |
Child |
10373191 |
Feb 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09767846 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Child |
10373191 |
Feb 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09418752 |
Oct 1999 |
US |
Child |
10373191 |
Feb 2003 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10285639 |
Nov 2002 |
US |
Child |
10373191 |
Feb 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09304051 |
May 1999 |
US |
Child |
10373191 |
Feb 2003 |
US |