Patent Application
20080160494
1. Field of Technology
The present invention generally relates to erasable boards, and more particularly, to a system and method for covering the exposed writing surface of an erasable board to prevent unauthorized viewing/access to the written subject matter the expose writing surface.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Most erasable black boards have been replaced in homes, offices and schools with so-called ‘white boards’ or erasable boards which typically have a bright white, writable surface comprised of a polyester film. Erasable markers and the like are typically used for writing on white boards.
It is often desirable to leave written material on a white board for a period of time. That is, it is often not feasible to immediately erase all written material after each use, for purposes of presentation to other parties, etc. However, a white board may contain written material which is confidential or other sensitive information which is not desired to be disclosed to unauthorized viewers. Existing means for concealing the contents of a white board may include, e.g., a pull-down screen, but such means are easily tampered with and/or removed, thus freely revealing any confidential written contents of the underlying white board.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a secure erasable board covering system which is efficient, tamper-proof, practical and adaptive to different white board units.
It is therefore an aspect of the present principles to provide an improved erasable board covering system which securely conceals a white board and is resistant to tampering by unauthorized users in an efficient, practical manner. Advantageously, the present principles eliminates the need to erase or remove erasable boards containing sensitive subject material written thereon when visitors or employees are present who might pose a security risk. An erasable board cover according to the present principles is attachable, rollable or otherwise positionable over a white board to securely conceal the front writable surface of the erasable board from view. In a preferred embodiment, a rollable (‘slidable’) cover is provided, which is described below with reference to
According to a first aspect, an erasable board cover system is provided having An erasable board having a front writable surface including a left and a right edge and a cover configured to be extendable and retractable over substantially the entire erasable board writable surface via a reel system. The cover includes a top edge and at least two vertical edges substantially parallel to said left and right edges of the erasable board surface. At least two side panels are provided, each panel being affixed to one of said left and right edge of the erasable board and each panel being configured to overlap each of said two vertical edges. A locking mechanism is provided configured to secure and prevent movement of the cover when in a locked position.
According to another aspect, a method of covering an erasable board is provided having the steps of providing an erasable board having a front surface including a left and a right edge, providing a cover configured to be extendable and retractable over substantially the entire erasable board surface via a reel system, the cover including a top edge and at least two vertical edges substantially parallel to said left and right edges of the erasable board surface, providing at least two side panels, each panel being affixed to one of said left and right edge of the erasable board, the panels being configured to overlap each of said two vertical edges, and providing a locking mechanism configured to secure and prevent movement of the cover when in a locked position.
According to yet another aspect of the present principles, an erasable board cover is provided having a cover configured to be extendable and retractable via a reel system, the cover including a top edge and at least two vertical edges, and at least two side panels, the panels being configured to overlap each of said two vertical edges. A locking mechanism is provided configured to secure and prevent movement of the cover when in a locked position.
These and other aspects and features of the present principles will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the present principles, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:
a is a top perspective interior view of the right-side rotating mechanism of the white board cover system according to one aspect of the present principles;
b is a top perspective interior view of the right-side rotating mechanism of the white board cover system according to another aspect of the present principles;
The side panels 103 are preferably comprised of a rigid material and are configured to prevent the vertical edges of the cover 102 from being pulled back, thus preventing unauthorized viewing of the underlying erasable board.
The reel system may include a set of left and right side reels 305, 401, respectively, each having a retractable cord 303, 403 wound thereon. Preferably, one end of each cord 303, 403 is attached to the reel while a second end is affixed to a top edge 105 of the cover 102, thus preventing slack from being developed in the cover 102 by the push-pull cord system. For example, in a retracted position, the cover 102 is caused to be wrapped around a center reel 309 so as to allow the erasable board 101 to be viewed. As the center reel 309 is turned, either by knob 301 or a motor (not shown), the cords 303, 403 and corresponding reel mechanisms, enable the raising and lowering of the terminated end or top edge 105 of the cover 102 without bunching or stretching. The slack or tension is predetermined and preset at the manufacturing stage of the system, and may be controlled by a spring or other known means to maintain a predetermined tension. During use, each reel and cord assembly is covered (as shown, e.g., in
It is to be contemplated that a stop mechanism (not shown) may also be provided to prevent the leading edge 105 of the cover 102 from being drawn into the real housing.
The reel system may include a knob 301 functionally connected to the reel 305 or 401 for enabling rotation of the reels and thereby provide, manual extension/retraction of the cover 102 at various increments of extension. In an alternate embodiment, a motor 320 or other automated means can be provided in addition to or in lieu of the manual knob 301. As shown in
In use, when the surface of a erasable board 101 is desired to be entirely concealed, the cover 102 is caused to be extended to the fully closed position as shown e.g., in
b shows another embodiment where a motor 320 replaces the manual rotating knob 301. The motor 320 can be any suitable type of motor, and can include a remote receiver 322 for receiving wireless commands from a remote control device 324.
Preferably, the cover 102 is comprised of a durable, tear-resistant, highly abrasion resistant and/or ballistic material which has a high tear strength and is designed to be particularly resistant to cutting, for providing further security against tampering and unauthorized viewing of the erasable board surface 101. Such materials may comprise, e.g., nylon Cordura®, nylon composites with or without coatings, materials made out of synthetic fiber comprising poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide which is constructed of para-aramid fibers (e.g., Kevlar®), etc. The top edge 105 of the cover 102 is preferably positioned as close as possible to the surface of the erasable board 101 during all cover positions (e.g., from fully open to fully closed and all positions in between) without obstructing the movement of the cover 102 across the top of erasable board 101. The leading edge 105 may include a reinforcing element comprising e.g., a rigid structure (e.g., a metal or plastic bar) affixed along its horizontal length to prevent unauthorized viewing of the erasable board surface from the top. This reinforcing element can also function as the stop mechanism discussed above.
The side board panels 103 are comprised of a rigid, shatterproof, impact resistant and/or ballistic material to similarly afford protection against tampering, breakage and cutting. Such materials may comprise, e.g., ballistic plastics, metals, nylon composites, etc.
In other embodiments, the cover 604 can include a light 620 for illuminating the front surface thereof. In this instance, cover 604 can be used to either display some art work, or may even be manufactured to include a preferred design, corporate logo, art, or any other desired images.
While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
