Patent Application
20080276507
The present invention is in the field of graphic displays viewed by persons rapidly moving past them, such as passengers in a subway car or a train.
Advertising is a pervasive fact of today's world. It seems as if it appears everywhere and advertisers are always looking for new ways to get their message across and attract the attention of target audiences. Indeed, industries have grown up around advertising in various media, including new, specialized media, as well as around new ways of advertising, product placement, and so on.
It has long been known that subways and trains present an advertising opportunity. A subway or train is filled with passengers and they often go through tunnels not visible to the outside world. This means that signage in such tunnels presents a rather unique advertising opportunity. A sign in such a location will have a captive audience as riders pass by it. Locating signage in such tunnels will not generate the same types of concerns that often arise in connection with billboards and other signage in open, public places, which often is subject to regulation. However, there are some difficulties with such signage, such as access for changing the signs and lamps, size and the need to catch the attention of riders, especially when they are passing through a tunnel at a relatively high rate of speed.
One idea that has been around for quite some overcomes the smearing effect of a speeding subway train to create the appearance of a stationary picture, which can be a still image or animated, by use of a series of fixed still frames. This can be analogized to motion pictures in the pre-digital age when motion pictures relied upon a series of still photographs on film projected in rapid succession onto a screen by a movie projector, which, with persistence of vision, produced the effect of moving images. However, unlike motion pictures, the screen in a subway tunnel is not fixed. It is, instead the movement of the train past a series of pictures fixed on the subway wall that is roughly analogous to the movie projector by providing the rapid succession of images to the viewer. This means that the series of pictures must be correctly positioned on the subway wall, and lighted, and if animated, the pictures must be created to take into account the speed of the train relative to the fixed images to display the animated commercial at the correct speed. This, in turn, has created many challenges, and a great many inventors have sought to address such challenges for a long time.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,299,731, issued in 1942, a display system for moving vehicles is described which provides for illumination of a series of displays by successive brilliant flashes of light of extremely short duration. Roughly thirty years later, stroboscopic systems for display were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,694,062 and 3,951,529 while U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,064 disclosed a flash tube for use in a subway signage animation system. One of the problems with such systems was high cost, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,742, issued in 1983, sought to reduce such cost by using a sensor to measure the velocity of a train and then initiate the flash cycle based upon the results of the sensor. Another problem with such systems was the triggering mechanism for illuminating the series of displays, and one invention directed to this problem is U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,171, issued in 1992.
With the dawning of the new millennium, a number of new patents have issued in the art of subway signage. U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,368 discloses the use of a sensor to activate a controller upon the approach of a train to trigger an electronic display mechanism controlled by a computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,468 discloses use of flat screen LED monitors in the display. U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,183 discloses a video display apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,596 discloses a subway movie/entertainment medium and news reports indicate that the company which owns this patent, Sidetrack Technologies Inc., has installed its system in a number of subways throughout the world.
Thus, it is clear that there is a need and demand for subway signage systems and this is a medium of advertising that has drawn considerable attention, including commercial attention, over the years.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,486, issued in 2003 to Spodek et al. (“Spodek”), an approach to subway signage is disclosed which is analogous to a zoetrope for use in subway signage systems in an attempt to overcome problems associated with stroboscopic displays, such as timing. Spodek uses a display in which a series of still pictures are viewed through a slitboard mounted between the images and the viewers in a train. The details and math associated with such a display are discussed in rather great detail in Spodek and will not be repeated herein, but simply incorporated herein by reference for use as part of the background to the present invention. The technology of Spodek has been licensed to a company named Submedia that has advertising systems that are now located in some of the world's top media markets, including New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mexico City.
The present invention seeks to advance the art of subway signage by advancing the teachings of Spodek through use of novel apparatus and methods that greatly increases the efficiency and ease of use of subway signage systems according to the teachings of the present invention.
The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus and method for displaying a visual message to a viewer moving along a path of travel past one or more viewing boxes, each containing transparent images illuminated by a substantially vertical reflected light of narrow width relative to the transparent images, the reflected light for more than one image being provided by a single substantially vertical light source located in the viewing box behind the transparent images.
In a first, separate group of aspects of the present invention, the back-lighted images can have the appearance of either a still or moving image and the images can be displayed on a video display (such as an LCD video display). The reflected light is obtained by use of curved reflectors (such as a rod, a tube and a rounded shape stamped in a reflective sheet or reflective film) that may be spaced symmetrically behind the substantially vertical light source. Baffles can be used so only one bright reflection appears behind each transparent image and to prevent secondary reflections, and a baffle located between the substantially vertical light source (such as a fluorescent lamp) and two transparent images can be an opaque black baffle.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide improved back-lighted images for viewers moving rapidly past such back-lighted images that rely upon a single vertical light source to provide multiple reflected line scans of transparent images located between the light source reflections and viewers.
This and further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment set forth below.
a is an enlarged section through a light box showing at left a magnified view of the adhesive-backed velvet VEL attached to the back wall.
a shows an alternate technique to simplify assembly is shown by attaching black velvet VEL to a strip of velvet-backing material VBM which has been fitted with snap fasteners SF, used to attach that strip to the back metal wall of the light box LB.
As this application is an improvement over the invention that I disclosed in my earlier application of which this is a continuation-in-part application, I will first describe the original invention for context and then describe the improvement thereto. However, to aid the reader in understanding my disclosures, the following is a glossary of the elements identified in the Figures:
My original invention provides a lighted subway system that is much more energy efficient, and thus less costly, than prior lighted subway systems. The display of the present invention simulates the experience of a train rider who is viewing the scene out of the train window, passing distant landscapes, mountains, landscapes, trees, buildings etc. In this setting, the scene looks real and natural, as is the case. Even when the train might pass a tall fence or pass through a wooden covered bridge with sides of vertical slats with narrow slits between the boards, the train rider still sees the scene as the train rushes past the slits between the boards, although a darker image because the slits occupy a small portion of the pitch distance from board to board. Example: if the boards are turned vertically and placed on 6 inch centers however have a 1/16-inch wide gap, the brightness is reduced to 0.0625/6=1%. If the train is traveling at an adequate speed, the passing slits (or boards) will blur and will not appear to be in motion; however, the distant scene will appear normally but attenuated to 1% brightness.
Using the principle of a Zoetrope, viewing an image through a rapidly passing slit, it is possible to simulate the experience of the train rider by providing slits in the foreground through which lighted images are displayed behind the slit. In accordance with simple geometry and proportions, when the depth of the light box is reduced, the width of the image must be reduced in proportion. The width of the image behind the slit is such that from the train rider's viewing distance, the image width is compressed so that the width of the perceived image is in proportion to the height of the image, for example when displaying a TV commercial. Depending on viewing distance, in order to provide the appropriate width, the actual image must be horizontally compressed approximately 6:1 to 10:1.
When the subway train is traveling fast enough, these slits blur and due to the persistence of vision, multiple images from the series of lighted images appear to superimpose one over the other. By displaying images with slight changes, an animated effect is created from these passive displays. This explains the conventional thinking on passive lighted subway signage by viewing the image through a slit.
The subject of this invention however switches the foreground/background relationship of the slit and image so that the image is in the foreground and the equivalent of a slit, a narrow vertical light source, is in the background. The bare light source is viewed through the foreground image as the viewer passes the light box.
My earlier invention will now be described in connection with several especially preferred embodiments with references, where appropriate, to the Figures.
As already noted in the background of the invention, my earlier invention is especially well suited to use in subway tunnels where there is no natural light, where viewers are riding in a subway car at a relatively rapid speed (as compared, for example, to walking or running), and where signage has the ability to be viewed by a great many viewers as they travel through such tunnels.
A viewing box, LB, according to my invention may have one or more transparent images, I, and it is especially preferred that any such image(s) be protected by a transparent cover, TC.
Each transparent image I in a viewing box according to my earlier invention is illuminated by its own substantially vertical light source, LS, of narrow width relative to the transparent image, the light source being located in the viewing box behind the transparent image, relative to the viewer. The vertical light source provides a line scan of the image as a viewer moves past the image, in much the same way as a slit provides a similar line scan when the slit is located between the viewer and the lighted image in a device such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,486 to Spodek et al. In contrast to Spodek in which the illumination is greatly attenuated by either being (1) reflected off of a front-lighted opaque print, or (2) transmitted through a back-lighted diffuser and image, both about 10% efficient, the present invention provides that the viewer is looking directly at the bare light source LS. To further illustrate the point, consider the difference in brightness of light that falls on a book from a reading lamp to looking at the bare hot tungsten filament of a clear light bulb in the reading lamp. This approximate 10:1 increase in brightness allows the subway signage of this invention to be illuminated, to the same level as Spodek, with a light source LS of approximately 10% of the energy requirements.
The vertical light source LS used in my earlier invention can take many forms, examples of which are illustrated in
The transparent image(s) can take many forms. For example, the transparent image may be a photographic film such as Agfa Cibachrome®, Kodak® Duraclear® or Endura® film, or a transparency that might be printed on a computer color printer or planar sheet of material such as transparent vinyl or Mylar® that may be obtained from rolls. To insure proper alignment of such a transparency within a viewing box the transparency can include one or more markings or registration holes for alignment with one or more registration pins RP (see, e.g., FIGS. 6 and 8-15) and, as is depicted in
As an alternative to a physical transparent image that must be replaced when the image is changed, the image can be formed by a transparent video display, V, such as an LCD video display with its typical backlight and omni-directional diffuser removed, or any other form of image display equivalent to such a display in the context of my invention in which the display is lit from within the display box but can be changed (or altered) without physically changing the actual display.
One advantage of a video display over a film image is that it can be updated remotely by an update signal. Such a signal can be delivered via a wired connection or via a wireless connection (see antennae
In an embodiment using a video display that can be updated remotely from the light box, the video display can be programmed so that passengers in different train or subway cars moving past it might actually see different images; in other words, passengers in the first car in a train might see a first image (such as an advertisement) while passengers in a second car of the train might see a second image or advertisement, and so on. As a result of such flexibility, an advertiser using such a system might be charged different rates for times of peak travel or the advertiser might be charged based upon the number of cars that pass by the viewing box(s) of a particular location, all of which create far more flexibility than can be obtained by use of film image, especially since the number of potential images that can be displayed, and their sequence and timing of display, can all be controlled electronically, instead of manually.
Another advantage of a video display over a physical transparent image is that its image can be individually adjusted remotely vertically and horizontally to make images register, image to image, when multiple display boxes are being used together to create a still or animated image. This is very important because if images in a series of boxes are not properly aligned the image or images that are being viewed appear to jump around. Also, the pace of the animated commercial can be adjusted to compensate for train speed, something that obviously cannot be done with a physical transparent image.
In connection with my earlier invention, it will usually be the case that multiple viewing boxes will be mounted along a path of travel past the boxes, even if the image to be displayed is only a still image. However, multiple images can be displayed in a single viewing box, as is illustrated in
Persistence of vision is such that the images will need to be pass the viewer frequently to prevent the perception of flicker. The minimum flicker frequency is approximately 18 Hz. Preferably, lighted images need to be refreshed at or above 48 Hz. A horizontal spacing, or image pitch IP, of 2.2 feet provides 20 images per second for a train traveling 30 miles per hour. By placing images closer than 2.2 feet, a higher frame rate is achieved and the illumination appears continuous. Particularly with the more expensive LCD video displays, it is important to use them efficiently and to take advantage of available image resolution. By choosing the image pitch IP and spacing between light boxes LB carefully the image pitch IP can be made uniform between multiple images within one light box and from light box to adjacent light box as shown in
I will now turn to the improvement over my earlier invention that is disclosed in this continuation-in-part application.
So far this application has disclosed the new subway-tunnel signage system I described in my prior patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/801,891 which requires tall, narrow light sources to back light the images. The images are visible to the commuters in the train because of the combination of motion parallax, persistence of vision and the horizontal line scanning of the images by the vertical light sources behind the front images.
My prior patent application describes several directly viewed vertical light sources, each with various advantages; however, one light source was required per image, and several increased the depth of the light box.
Subway regulations limit the maximum thickness of any such signage that reduces the clearance between the train and the tunnel wall. Proposed here is a compact, simple and economical lighting technique that alleviates several of the mentioned problems by reflecting light, from vertical light sources off vertical reflectors in the back of the light box. The vertical light source, typically a fluorescent lamp, is placed just behind the front image plane but also behind an opaque black baffle so that light is directed toward the reflectors at the back of the light box, and not into the viewers' eyes. The reflected light off each curved reflector becomes the light source for each image.
Further, the width of the light-source reflection LSR, the light-source width LSW, affects the image resolution. The wider the LSW, the lower the horizontal image resolution but the brighter the image. The narrower the LSW, the sharper the horizontal image resolution, but the dimmer the image. In the case of displaying a video image, using a liquid-crystal display LCD, the light-source width LSW can be as wide as one column of pixels of the LCD without compromising the image resolution. To have the light-source width narrower than a single column of pixels would unnecessarily dim the image.
The light box LB is assembled with modules comprised of one light source and multiple reflective rods, and their associated baffles. Each module is designed so that each light-source reflection LSR is centered with its corresponding film or video image. The lateral spacing of images determines the lateral spacing of the reflective tubes RT, reflective surfaces RS or strips of reflective film RF. Because the light-source reflections LSR occur at different portions of alternate rods (approximately the 5 o'clock or 7 o'clock positions), the modules are spaced so that the light-source reflections LSR between reflective rods of adjacent modules are maintained uniformly across the width of the light box LB.
Because each light source can reflect off multiple reflectors, only a fraction as many light sources are required, reducing lamp replacement cost, electricity, heat and the need for cooling fans.
The reflectors at the back of the box could be solid rods, not shown, or hollow tubes as in
The curvature of all reflectors discussed here narrows the width of the light-source reflection LSR without affecting the vertical length, the height, of the reflection. The width of the light-source reflection LSR is easily changed during the design stage by (a) using a different curvature reflector, (b) different diameter fluorescent lamp, or (c) altering the distance between the lamp and reflector.
It is important that only one bright reflection appear behind each film or video image. Therefore, light control within the light box LB is important, which is why a “V” shaped light-source baffle LSB shown in
An internal reflection barrier IRB shown in FIGS. 18 & 20-27 is placed behind the lamps with enough gap between it and the “V”-shaped light-source baffle LSB to allow light to illuminate the reflectors RT, RS or RF.
Further, an additional baffle, the internal-reflection barrier IRB is placed between the pairs of reflectors to prevent secondary reflections, first off one reflector, then onto an adjacent reflector, creating an undesirable “false” reflected light source, and thereby a ghost image to the train rider. As shown in
In
When the fluorescent lamp light sources LS need to be replaced, the front door DR of the light box LB hinges open, carrying the LCD video display (or film image), hinged on a hinge typically horizontal and at the bottom, carrying with it the “V”-shaped baffles LSB and SB, leaving the lamps accessible for replacement.
In theory, numerous reflected-light sources RLS can be generated by reflecting light from a single light source off multiple reflectors.
It is important that the light-source width LSW, in
In
While the invention has been described herein with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. Additional embodiments thereof will be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this detailed description. Further, modifications are also possible in alternative embodiments without departing from the inventive concept.
Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that still further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed inventions as defined by the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/801,891 filed May 11, 2007, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11801891 | May 2007 | US |
| Child | 12150534 | US |
