Patent Application
20190066547
This application claims the benefit of non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/568,128.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to card, picture, or sign exhibiting devices that use forces to effect a common alignment of independent rotatably mounted display elements to display one or more pictures in upright orientations.
Concrete mixer drums typically sport artwork featuring their company's logos or company names on them for marketing and advertising purposes. That artwork, physically applied to the outside of the drum, is properly displayed and oriented right-side up on one side of the mixing drum, but is upside-down on the opposite side of the drum.
The inverted logo and text, repeatedly employed over the years, has always been a Pink Elephant of that industry. Some attempts to work around the restrictions on the mode of display have been to eliminate all recognizable images, trademarks, names, and any text markings from the drum's surface, opting for solid colors or simple graphic designs which have no tops or bottoms. Other approaches have been to place copy on a text baseline located on a circumference of the drum, providing a somewhat readable message. Text on the circumference of the drum was readable and acceptable in that it was never inverted, being readable from both sides, but was used as merely a best case alternative as there was no way to provide for generally horizontally placed text to be displayed right-side up on both sides of the drum.
Any other placement of text on a concrete mixer drum at any orientation other than around its circumference will inevitably appear in an improper orientation, still somewhat readable, but angled and at some point in its rotation, inverted nonetheless.
A preferred solution to the inverted logo dilemma would be simple in design and simple in operation. The concrete hauling vehicles are heavy enough when empty. A solution should add minimal additional weight to the vehicle. Any solution has to be simple, lightweight, and self-sufficient.
Additionally, in an unrelated arena, point-of-purchase and point-of-sale display manufacturers are continually searching for ways to create attractive, interactive, or dynamic displays that are simple in operation and low in cost. Dynamic displays work because they attract people's attention and communicate more information in the same amount of space as a static display. If a way to create a dynamic display on a vertical surface were to be created which would be simple in construction and operation, it would provide yet another tool for the companies that are involved in the design and manufacture of displays for point-of-sale and point-of-purchase displays.
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the invention described in this specification, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
to provide an easily changeable force-orienting display system which provides alignment and display of an image segmented and mounted on receiver substrates on a number of display segments through the application of existing or applied forces;
to provide an easily changeable, inexpensive, dynamic advertising device for use in point-of-purchase and point-of-sale displays and others; and
to provide an easily changeable, segmented exhibitor display device which through the application of known or applied forces displays multiply sectioned images into their composite images through the employment of a common alignment scheme.
Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The present invention includes an easily changeable, or semi-permanent, force-orienting display system with a number of display segments positioned proximally to each other attached rotatably to movable supports and mounted to a moving surface. The materials used in construction of the display segments can include but are not limited to polymers, plastics, metals, or other materials which may be opaque, semi-transparent, or transparent. The weighted characteristic of the display segments implies that its center of balance is not colinear with the display segment's axis of rotation, guaranteeing alignment of all display segments due to the effect of gravity, or by similar argument if a force other than gravity is involved. The external surfaces of the multiple display segments have receiver substrate areas determined, and any number of images which are cut into image sections are applied to these receiver substrate areas in a variety of ways, including but not limited to painting, decals, hook and loop, slidable trays, sleeves, and other manners of attachment. As the mounting surface moves, the weighted display segments are acted on by gravity to effect a common alignment of each display segment with respect to each proximal display segment and also with respect to the mounting surface, showing common display faces on all display segments in such a manner as to display one or more pictures properly aligned top to bottom in a plurality of views. This allows for right side up orientation of logos lettering or images on two sides of a concrete mixer drum. Two images are displayed, one on each side of the concrete mixer drum.
In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
In
The following terms will be used throughout the specification and will have the following meanings unless otherwise indicated.
“Picture” refers to artwork, a physical image, sign, graphic, or the like.
“Picture section” refers to a subportion of a picture that has been cut into smaller pieces.
“Graphic section” refers to a graphic or a portion of a graphic within a picture.
“Display segment” refers to an elongated display elements with defined receiver substrate areas on its exterior whose receiver substrate areas are used to mount picture sections.
The present invention includes a force-orienting display system for displaying a picture in right side up orientation in multiple viewing orientations. Comprising rotatable display segments, mounted proximally to each other on a movable drum surface, display segments each have receiver substrate areas established on their exteriors, any number of pictures can be displayed, having been cut into smaller picture sections, and mounted onto the receiver substrate areas. These are explained in greater detail in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
In a preferred embodiment a force-orienting display system 10 of the present invention is illustrated in
The display segments are attached to two conventional mounts 101 attached to a surface 104 in such a way that the display segments are able to rotate freely on their longitudinal axis with respect to the mounting surface. The mounted display segments are proximally located to each other. Each display segment has sufficient length to define areas on its exterior as a receiver substrate for picture sections to be displayed.
The center of mass of each display segment is not colinear with its axis of rotation.
Receiver substrate areas for mounting picture sections are determined by examining a display segment at rest. Its orientation will have its center of balance below the axis of rotation. A plane through the axis of rotation and the resting center of balance defines a left and right receiver substrate area. Display segments displaying image segments mounted on their receiver substrate areas on the display segments are shown in
Pictures selected and cut into smaller picture sections are calculated to fit the physical dimensions of and are attached to the right side half and left side half receiver substrate areas defined.
In a most preferred embodiment, the picture sections are printed onto the surface of curved, removable display sleds with semicircular cross sections extending the length of the display segments and slidably attached to a plurality of tongues 320 as illustrated in
Whereas the picture segments from
In its preferred embodiment, a display system as illustrated in
Referring to
As the rotating, generally vertical surface is rotated 180°, the picture displayed will change from displaying the picture on its “1” right side to displaying the picture on its “2” left side. As the rotating, generally vertical surface is rotated through another 180°, the picture displayed will alternate from displaying the picture on its “2” left side to displaying the picture on its “1” right side. The picture displaying cycle then repeats.
Yet another alternate embodiments has a procedure for mounting the system on non-flat surfaces.
Still another alternate embodiment incorporates the application of one or more known different forces to act on the display segments, such as magnetism, acting on an internal, ferrous mass, which is used simultaneously as a mass to alter its overall center of mass.
There is an alternate embodiment in defining the number of receiver substrate areas, defining four receiver substrate locations around the display segments instead of two. Gravity and magnetism could then be used in conjunction to display one of four images.
An alternate embodiment for affecting the center of mass of the display segments is noted by designing a portion of the display segment to comprise materials of differing densities 105 and 106, thus making one portion of the display segment heavier or lighter than the other. Alternately, hollow display segments can be extruded to have differing wall thicknesses around its circumference yet consistent along its length, giving that portion of the display segment with its thicker walls more mass.
Locating the rotational mechanism 110 has alternate embodiments, as the rotational mechanism may be integral to the display segment, or it may be integral to its mount.
An alternate embodiment provides for display segments with different diameter display segments.
Another embodiment uses transparent tubing which is slid over the display segments and picture sections to attach, secure, and retain the picture sections to the display segments.
Yet another additional embodiment for providing conventional mounts can be established in using mounts which conduct electricity or incorporate electrical conductors for conducting electricity for light generating elements 310, such as a light emitting diode, or powering any subsequent internal devices.
Another embodiment for attachment of picture sections is that they can be removably secured to by any appropriate attachment expedient, such as magnetic backed picture sections and a magnetically attractive surface, by the use of hook and loop material on the backs of the picture sections and on the receiver substrate areas.
An alternate embodiment for attaching the graphic sections is evident in that some picture sections will bear a convenient adhesive layer on their obverse, protected by a strippable liner, where the liner can be pulled away from the picture section, exposing an adhesive surface.
Yet another alternate embodiment is for pictures which are painted or printed onto the receiver substrate areas.
Referring again to
The result of the present invention is a system for displaying one or more pictures mounted on one or more independent, freely rotatable elongated display segments which are attached proximally to each other on a movable surface. The movable surface acts to change the position and orientations of the different display segments with respect to the surface and to nearby display segments, causing a coordinated change of display between one of two different pictures in non-inverted orientations. For example, it correctly displays logos in proper top to bottom orientation on both sides of a concrete mixer drum.
A mounting surface need not be completely flat, but the display segments rotate freely with respect to the mounting surface, taking into account all possible movements of the mounting surface. Each display segment attached to a rotating surface must have free, unobstructed rotation throughout the entire range of motion of the surface.
The display segments must remain generally parallel to each other. They will properly align to display pictures while their axes of rotation are synchronized left sides to left sides, and in a primarily non-vertical orientation. They are not required to be confined to horizontal orientations only, as gravity continues to act on the horizontal component of the center of mass acting on the center of rotation of the display segment to provide a rotational moment when the display segment is not in a true horizontal orientation. However, as the axes of rotation of the display segments approach a vertical orientation, the centers of mass of the display segments become more closely aligned with the axes of rotation, the rotational moment of the horizontal component of gravity on the center of mass acting along the center of rotation approaches zero, and gravity begins to have less effect in providing its novel, desired alignment force on the display segments, and the display coordination breaks down.
While the above description contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but as exemplifications of the presently preferred embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the invention.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14568128 | Dec 2014 | US |
| Child | 16151189 | US |
