Patent Application
20120299741
The present invention relates to a media display device for presenting selectively changeable product information in a mattress showroom environment.
Mattresses are displayed in showrooms during the sale and distribution from the mattress manufacturer to the consumer. First of all, mattress manufacturers may display mattresses in wholesale showrooms so that retailers can get an idea of how the mattress will look in their own retail showrooms. In retail showrooms, display mattresses are arranged on the retail floor so that the prospective purchaser can peruse the various types of mattresses offered by that retailer. In each situation, marketing and/or technical features of the mattresses are communicated to the prospective purchaser via signage, labels or a personal communication between the sales representative and the prospective purchaser.
The inventor has developed a way to display product information regarding a mattress to a prospective purchaser in a mattress showroom. A mattress showroom display device for a mattress, headboard or pillow presents selectively changeable product information regarding the mattress. The display device comprises a flexible panel of such size and shape as to cover at least a portion of a surface of the mattress, headboard, or pillow. The display device includes a media display in the form of an area of programmable light emitting units associated with the flexible panel for presenting the selectively changeable visual product information. The media display is capable of having an electronic connection with a power source and the programmable product information control source.
The term “foot portion,” as used herein, means the lower inches (10-30 inches) of the upper surface of the mattress where a customer's feet would rest if the customer were to fully lie on the mattress to test the comfort and support. The term “foot protector,” as used herein, means a device used to cover at least a part of the foot portion of a mattress. The term “product information” as used herein refers to any video content, presentations, images, or any other audio, video or audio/visual content for displaying advertising materials, sales materials, manufacturer's logos and trademarks, or promotional materials arranged and/or developed for display on a media device.
Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, modifications, and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.
The mattress showroom display device 20 displays selectively changeable product information to a customer considering a mattress 30. As mattress products in the showroom change, or marketing programs change, product information may be developed and displayed via the media display device 20 on the corresponding mattress foot protector 10, headboard 110 and/or pillows 210, respectively. In other embodiments, more than one media display device may be associated with a foot protector 10, headboard 110 or pillows 210.
The media display device 20 is in electronic communication with a programmable product information source 24 to present a selectively changeable product information to the customer. The programmable product information source 24 can present differing information over the same display device 20. For example, the display device 20 can be programmed to show and/or describe one type of information, then moved to a different mattress and be reprogrammed to properly show and/or describe that mattress. The programmable product information source can also change the information periodically to present differing text or media about the same mattress to the customer as he/she is inspecting or approaching the mattress. Although not shown in the figures, the media display device can also play audio signals coordinated with displayed product information, via an audio source. The audio source may be played through speakers in the media display or a separate receiver in the showroom. In other embodiments, a sensor (not shown) in the display device or mattress activates the media display device when a person approaches the mattress 30 to attract his/her attention.
According to one aspect, the media display device 20 comprises an area of programmable light emitting units embedded in the flexible fabric panel 12. The media display is embedded in one or more fabric layers, a fabric-plastic film laminate, or other combination of textile and polymeric material that forms the flexible panel 12. “Programmable light emitting units” refers to light sources that can be programmed to display the product information. For example, the media display device may include light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, polymer light emitting diodes, inorganic light emitting diodes, electroluminescent materials, electroluminescent pixels or electroluminescent pixel arrays, or any light source capable of being programmed to present video and/or moving images. One example of technology that makes this possible is the Phillips Lumalive displays available from Koninklijke Phillips Electronics N.V. This technology is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,034, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In another example, the technology is flexible media displays available from NanoLumens, LLC, which is further described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0219225, which is also hereby incorporated by reference. In an alternate embodiment, the media display includes thin plasma and/or a thin LCD screens embedded in the flexible panel 12. Further, one or more additional light diffusing layers may be included with the light emitting units as needed.
The media display device 20 can present product information it receives from the corresponding product information source 24. As shown in
The flexible panel 12 may include a wire housing 28 that begins proximate the media display device and extends toward the perimeter of the flexible panel. The wire housing 28 routes and protects various wires emanating from the media display device 20 e.g., power cords, ethernet cables, coaxial cable, A/V cables, S-video cables, HDMI wires, etc. The wire housing may be a hook and loop fastener casing, a fabric panel attached to the undersurface of the flexible panel or any other mechanism for managing and protecting wires on the panel.
In a preferred embodiment, the flexible panel 12 is a textile material including, but not limited to, a woven, knit, or non-woven material. In other embodiments, the flexible panel is a polymeric material including, but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terepthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). In still other embodiments, the flexible panel is a laminate of one or more layers of any combination of a textile or polymeric material.
The media display device 20 may be used with any type of mattress and mattress and/or bedding component. For example, twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, the “California king,” are exemplary sized mattresses, and associated headboards. In addition, the media display device 20 may be used on any mattress including, but not limited to, innerspring, foam (viscoelastic and/or latex), air, futons, and waterbeds.
Turning now to
In the embodiment shown in
Further, the foot protector 10 shown FIG. 1A and 10′ shown in 1B minimizes damage, soiling or wear to the mattress when a prospective purchaser is testing the mattress in the showroom. The mattress foot protector 10 (and 10′ in
As shown in
The display device 20′ shown in
Turing now to
As shown in
As shown in
Although the present invention has been described with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
