Patent Grant
10977967
The present disclosure relates to signage and more particularly pertains to a new large structure display system for providing information in a large format on existing structures often not utilized as an advertising platform.
The present disclosure relates to a system for displaying information in a large scale format. The system may comprise a structure extending upwardly with respect to a ground surface and the structure may have an exterior surface. The system may also include a display apparatus mounted on the structure, and the display apparatus may comprise a housing having an interior and a display member mounted on the housing and being movable with respect to the housing between a retracted condition and an extended condition. The display member may be formed of a sheet material with markings on the sheet material, the markings being visible when the display member is in the extended condition on the structure and being hidden when the display member is in the retracted condition.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the more important elements of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional elements of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment or implementation in greater detail, it is to be understood that the scope of the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and implementations and is thus capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosure. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The advantages of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the disclosure, are disclosed in the following descriptive matter and accompanying drawings.
The disclosure will be better understood and when consideration is given to the drawings and the detailed description which follows. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
Large portions of the country are rural devoid of many of the structures that populate urban areas, but do tend to include a multitude of large structures typically having agricultural purposes. The applicants have recognized that the large structures offer a platform for conveying information to individuals, such as travelers in vehicles moving down rural highways. In addition to their normal agricultural functionality, these large structures have the potential to be used as a platform for displaying information to people traveling in vehicles along those roads. Such venues do present a challenge in the exposure to environmental elements not present in many conventional advertising spaces.
One aspect of the disclosure relates to a system 10 for displaying information 12 in a large scale format, such as a structure 20 which may extend upwardly with respect to the ground surface 1. In some implementations of the system, the structure may comprise an agricultural structure, and such agricultural structures may comprise storage bins or silos for storing materials such as harvested grains or silage. Suitable structures 20 may have an exterior surface 22 which in turn may be formed by a perimeter wall 24 of the structure. In some applications, and in particular bins and silos, the exterior surface 22 may have a substantially cylindrical shape and may be elongated upwardly with a top 26 and a bottom 27 located at the ground surface. The exterior surface of the perimeter wall of such structures may have alternating ridges 28 and grooves 29 that extend about the circumference of the cylinder, which is typically the result of the perimeter wall being formed of a corrugated material such as steel. Other types of structures, such as conventional roadway signs or billboards, may also form the structure upon which other elements of the system may be utilized. Further, the structures contemplated in this disclosure are not necessarily limited to those structures which are stationary in character, and could comprise moving structures such as, for example, trucks, trains, ships and other movable structures with relatively broad substantially vertical surfaces.
Another aspect of the disclosure is a display apparatus 30 which may be utilized in combination with, or independent of, the structure 20. When utilizing the combination, the display apparatus 30 may be mounted on the structure, such as on the perimeter wall 24, and may be positioned adjacent to or on the exterior surface 22 of the structure. Typically, the display apparatus 30 may occupy the exterior surface to a variety of different extents, and a large portion of the exterior surface 22 may be covered, although the portion may not extend over a majority portion of the exterior surface.
In the illustrative embodiments, the display apparatus may include a housing 32 which may enclose the interior 34 of the housing. A slot 36 may extend between the interior and the exterior of the housing. The housing may be elongated along a longitudinal axis 37 which extends between opposite ends 38, 39 of the housing. Typically, the longitudinal axis 37 may be oriented substantially vertical when the housing is mounted on the structure for use, although other embodiments had may have the axis 37 oriented substantially horizontally or at various degrees of inclination between the horizontal and the vertical.
The housing 32 may include a tubular sleeve 40 which defines the interior of the housing and may be elongated between the opposite ends 38, 39 of the housing. The slot 36 may extend through the tubular sleeve 40 into the interior. In some embodiments, the effective length of the housing may be increased through the use of a plurality of sleeve portions 42, 44 to form the tubular sleeve 40. The sleeve portions may be arranged along the longitudinal axis 37 to provide an effective length for the sleeve 40 that is greater than would be practical in a sleeve formed of a single piece or part. In those embodiments in which more than one sleeve portion is employed, a joiner element 46 may be positioned between adjacent sleeve portions to join the sleeve portions together in alignment and provide a degree of weather tightness to the juncture of the sleeve portions.
The housing 32 may further include at least one end cap 50 which is located at an end of the housing, and typically a pair of end caps may be utilized with each of the end caps be located at one of the ends of the housing to close the ends of the tubular sleeve and to provide a degree of weather tightness to the housing. In some embodiments, each end cap may include a mounting element 52 for abutting against the structure and providing a mounting means for mounting the housing as well as other aspects of the display apparatus to the structure. Illustratively, the mounting structure 52 may include at least one ear 54 and optionally a pair of ears 54, 55 which extend in substantially opposite directions. Each ear may be adapted for attachment to the structure, such as by having a hole for receiving a fastener to pass through the ear and into the perimeter wall of the structure. Other means of attachment may also be utilized.
The display apparatus 30 may further include a display member 60 which is mounted on the housing 32 and may be movable with respect to the housing between a retracted condition (see
The display member 60 may have an outboard end 62 which moves away from the housing as the display member is moved from the retracted condition to the extended condition. The display member 60 may have any suitable length. Illustratively, the display member 60 may have a length ranging from approximately 10 feet (approximately 3 m) to approximately 40 feet (approximately 12 m), with a length in the range from approximately 20 feet (approximately 6 m) to approximately 30 feet (approximately 9 m) being highly useful. The material forming the display member 60 may be suitably flexible to generally conform to any curvature in the exterior surface 22 of the structure. Resistance to stretching or elongation of the material is also desirable in order to be able to maintain a desired degree of tension in the display member over a period of time to resist sagging. One illustrative suitable material for the display member is sold under the tradename UltraMesh® Blockout—12.5 oz. sold by UltraFlex Systems Incorporated of Riverview, Fla. 33578.
The display member 60 may have opposite lateral side edges 64, 65 and an outboard edge 66 located at the outboard end 62. Embodiments of the display member may include two or more portions or segments (see
In some embodiments, the display member 60 may also include a stiffener member 68 which is attached to the sheet material at the outboard end 62 of the display member and which may be attached to the structure in addition to the housing in order to provide support to the display member in the extended condition adjacent to the structure. Additionally, or alternatively, the member 68 may function as a handle or a grip on the outboard end 62 which facilitates pulling withdrawal of the display member from the housing into the extended condition and may also help prevent the outboard end from unintentionally being retracted fully into the interior of the housing.
The display apparatus 30 may also include a support assembly 70 which may be positioned in the housing and may have at least a portion of the display member 60 wrapped thereabout in the retracted condition of the member 60. Illustratively, the support assembly 70 may include a support shaft 72 which extends longitudinally in the interior of the housing, and the support shaft may be positioned inside the tubular sleeve in the interior of the housing. The support shaft 72 may be rotatably mounted on the housing, such as on the end caps thereof to permit rotation of the shaft as the display member moves between the retracted and extended conditions. The support shaft may also have opposite end portions 74. An inboard end of the display member 60 may be secured to the support shaft 72 in any suitable manner in order to permit spooling or wrapping of at least a portion of the display member about the shaft, and optionally the securement may be releasable to permit replacement of the display member as desired. Sufficient space may be provided in the interior 34 of the housing to permit substantially the entirety of the length of the display member to be spooled about the support shaft in the retracted condition.
In some embodiments, the rotation of the support shaft may be biased towards retracting the display member into the housing. In some optional embodiments, a ratchet apparatus 76 may be provided to secure the display member at a selected degree of extension of the display member from the interior of the housing and effectively resist the retracting bias imposed on the display member. Illustratively, the ratchet apparatus 76 may include a ratchet gear 78 which is mounted on the support shaft, such as on one of the end portions 74 of the shaft. The ratchet gear may include a plurality of teeth 80. The ratchet apparatus 76 may also include a ratchet pawl 82 which is mounted on the housing and engages the ratchet gear to permit rotation of the ratchet gear with respect to the pawl in a first rotational direction but resists rotation of the ratchet gear with respect to the ratchet and pawl in a second (and opposite) rotational direction when the pawl is in the in engaged position or condition with respect to the ratchet gear. The ratchet pawl may be movable or rotatable from the engaged position to a release position with respect to the ratchet gear in which the pawl 82 no longer resists rotation of the ratchet gear. A release actuator 84 may be mounted on the housing and may engage the ratchet pawl in a manner such that when the release actuator is actuated (for example, depressed) the ratchet pawl may be moved from the engaged position to the release position.
The support assembly 70 may also include a biasing apparatus 86 which is configured to apply a tension force to the display member 60 which tends to bias the display member toward the retracted condition in the interior 34 of the housing 32. The biasing apparatus 86 may be configured to apply a rotational force or torque to the support shaft 72 such that support shaft is biased to rotate in a direction that tends to retract or pull the display member into the retracted condition in the housing. Illustratively, the biasing apparatus 86 may comprise a torsion spring configured to apply a torsion force to the support shaft with respect to the housing 32. Optionally, other means for retracting the display member and/or applying tension to the display member may also be utilized, such as a crank assembly engaged with the support shaft to rotate the support shaft.
The support assembly 70 may also include at least one support strand 90 which extends along at least a portion of the length of the display member 60. The support strand 90 may be located at one of the lateral side edges 64, 65 of the display member. In the illustrative embodiments, a pair of the support strands 90, 92 is utilized with each of the support strands being located adjacent to one of the lateral side edges of the display member. Each of the support strands may be united with the display member along a respective one of the lateral side edges. Optionally, the support strands may extend along the side edges 64, 65 without being connected to the display member along those edges. Each of the support strands 90, 92 may extend from the outboard end 62 of the display member toward the housing 32 of the display apparatus, and each may be mounted to the stiffener member 68 at laterally spaced locations on the member 68. Each of the support strands may have a distal end 94, and an exterior of the distal end of the support strands may be threaded with a nut 96 being threaded on the threads. In the illustrative embodiments, each of the support strands may be formed of a cable or cord with suitable flexibility to follow the curve (if any) of the exterior surface 22 of the structure, and may also have suitable resistance to stretching or elongation in order to be able to maintain tension in the strand. Other materials may be utilized for the support strands, such as, for example, straps of woven fiber with suitable strength and elongation characteristics.
The support assembly 70 may also include at least one support element 100 which is configured to mount the support strand to the structure 20 to thereby support at least a portion of the display member on the structure. In some embodiments, the support element may also be utilized to mount the housing 32 on the perimeter wall. Typically, a pair of the support elements 100, 102 may be utilized with each of the support elements being associated with a respective support strand. The support elements 100 may be utilized to support end portions of the support strand, and optionally additional support elements may be positioned at locations in between the outboard end 62 and the housing 32 to provide additional points of support to the support strand.
In the illustrative embodiments, each of the support elements 100, 102 may include an inner portion 104 for positioning adjacent to the exterior surface of the perimeter wall of the structure. The inner portion 104 may have an inner surface 106 which is configured to abut against and may contact the exterior surface of the structure. The inner surface may have a shape that is complementary to the shape of the exterior surface of the structure, and illustratively may have a corrugated shape which is configured to engage the ridges 28 and grooves 29 of the corrugations of the exterior surface of the perimeter wall. The inner portion 104 may also form a pocket structure. The inner portion of each support element may include a base 110 for positioning against the exterior surface of the perimeter wall of the structure. The base 110 may define a hole 112 which is configured to receive a fastener which may fasten the inner portion to the perimeter wall the structure. Illustratively, the fastener may comprise a bolt that passes through the hole 112 as well as a hole formed in the perimeter wall of the structure, and a nut may be positioned on the bolt at a location adjacent to the interior surface of the perimeter wall of the structure to effectively secure the inner portion to the perimeter wall. The inner portion 104 may also include a pair of pocket walls 116, 118 which extend from the base 110 to define the pocket with the base. Each of the pocket walls 116, 118 may extend outwardly from the base and may also extend centrally inward to form the pocket. A slot 120 may be defined between the pocket walls to receive a portion of the support strand 90.
Each support element 100, 102 may also include an outer portion 124 which may be configured to removably mount on the inner portion 104 of the support element. The outer portion 124 may be removably positionable in the pocket formed by the inner portion such that the outer portion may have a mounted condition in which the outer portion is positioned in the pocket, and a dismounted condition in which the outer portion is removed from the pocket. The outer portion may also define a channel 126 which is configured to receive a portion of the support strand 90.
In an implementation of the disclosure, the inner portion 104 of the support elements may be mounted on or otherwise secured to the perimeter wall of the structure 20. The support elements may be mounted in locations suitable for mounting the housing 32 to the perimeter wall, as well as in locations which are suitable for securing the extended display member to the perimeter wall. For example, the inner portions of the respective support elements may be mounted to the perimeter wall at locations generally corresponding to the positions of the distal ends 94 of the support strands 90, 92 when the display member is in the extended condition. The outer portions 124 of the support elements 100, 102 may each be mounted on the distal ends of the respective strands 90, 92 by inserting a portion of the strand through the channel 126 in the outer portion 124 and (optionally) positioning a nut 96 on the distal end to retain the outer portion 124 on the respective strand.
Once the housing has been suitably mounted on the perimeter wall, the display member may be at least partially withdrawn from the interior of the housing and out toward the retracted condition toward the extended condition. The outer portions 124 of the respective support elements 100, 102 may be positioned in the respective pockets of the inner portions 104 of the support elements 100, 102 by positioning a portion of the respective strand in the slot 120 of the respective support element such that the outer portion is positioned in the pocket and thus resists movement of the strand, as well as the display member, back toward the housing 32. Tension in the strands 90, 92, as well as the display member 60, may be adjusted by adjusting the position of the nut 96 on the threaded distal end 94 of the support strand by rotation of the nut with respect to the strand.
Advantageously, the display apparatus of the disclosure may provide a solution that is substantially self-contained prior to installation and deployment of the apparatus on a structure.
It should be appreciated that in the foregoing description and appended claims, that the terms “substantially” and “approximately,” when used to modify another term, mean “for the most part” or “being largely but not wholly or completely that which is specified” by the modified term.
It should also be appreciated from the foregoing description that, except when mutually exclusive, the features of the various embodiments described herein may be combined with features of other embodiments as desired while remaining within the intended scope of the disclosure.
In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the disclosed embodiments and implementations, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosed subject matter to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the claims.
This application claims the benefit of the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/827,903, filed Apr. 2, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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