Message center enclosure and method for making same

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6675514
  • Patent Number
    6,675,514
  • Date Filed
    Friday, May 5, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 13, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A display enclosure includes a case, a driver board assembly configured to provide signals to a display, a clamp assembly having a head configured to slidably engage the case and a protrusion configured to secure the driver board assembly to the case. A message center enclosure includes a case, a driver board assembly configured to generate a display, a pivot clamp assembly coupled to the case, and configured to couple the driver board assembly to the case, in a manner that is devoid of apertures through the driver board assembly for coupling the driver board assembly to the case. A method of manufacturing a message center enclosure includes obtaining a case having opposing first and second ends and at least one pivot clamp assembly, sliding a driver board assembly into the case, and sliding the pivot clamp assembly into the case.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates generally to the field of message center enclosures for indoor, outdoor, and transportation applications. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved message center enclosure that greatly reduces manufacturing and assembly costs without compromising the enclosure's function or aesthetics. The invention also relates to a method for making the improved message center.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In the art of message center enclosures, including light emitting diode (“LED”) message center enclosures, two manufacturing methods are primarily, currently in use. The first manufacturing method involves forming a sheet metal enclosure, which involves the steps of shearing a flat piece of sheet metal, punching the required holes into the sheet metal, forming additional metal parts, and welding the sheet metal and the parts together. This method requires expensive and time-consuming operations such as machine set-up, welding and metal finishing, and is typically only cost effective for large production volumes. The second manufacturing method involves an aluminum extrusion case and additional sheet metal parts. In this method the case is extruded in the desired shape; therefore, most of the machine set-up time and costs are eliminated. Although this method is better suited for a message center enclosure due to the lower production volumes and the large number of different required lengths for message centers, this method still requires costly secondary operations, such as drilling, tapping and punching holes, for the mounting of additional components such as a front panel, a power supply, circuit boards, etc. Secondary operations can increase the manufacturing cost of an extrusion design by 100 percent or more.




Message centers are used in a variety of indoor and outdoor applications that require message center enclosures to have design features that protect the message center from one or more of the following conditions: liquids, ice, vibration, dust, dirt, lint, fibers, or incidental contact. Message center enclosures typically require different enclosure features to meet different applications. Message center enclosures, capable of operating in a variety of applications, typically have higher costs due to the increased number of required design features and the cost of the secondary operations in the manufacture of such enclosures.




Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide, a multi-purpose message center enclosure that is less expensive to manufacture. What is needed is a message center enclosure that eliminates most secondary operations such as the drilling, tapping and punching of holes. What is also needed is a message center enclosure design that is readily adaptable to most indoor and outdoor applications. It would be advantageous to provide a method of making a message center that is less expensive, quicker, cleaner, and safer.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




According to one exemplary embodiment, display enclosure is disclosed which includes a case and a driver board assembly configured to provide signals to a display. The message center enclosure also includes a clamp assembly having a head configured to slidably engage the case and a protrusion configured to secure the driver board assembly to the case.




According to another exemplary embodiment, display enclosure is disclosed which includes a case having a first end positioned opposite a second end and a driver board assembly inserted into the case configured to provide signals to a display. The message center enclosure also includes a clamp assembly coupled to one of the case and the driver board assembly, the clamp assembly configured to secure the driver board assembly to the case.




According to yet another exemplary embodiment, message center enclosure is disclosed which includes a case, a driver board assembly configured to generate a display, and means for coupling a pivot clamp assembly to the case. The message center enclosure further includes means for coupling the driver board assembly to the case, the means for coupling the driver board assembly devoid of apertures through the driver board assembly for coupling the driver board assembly to the case.




According to yet another exemplary embodiment, method of manufacturing a message center enclosure includes obtaining a case having opposing first and second ends and at least one pivot clamp assembly and sliding a driver board assembly into the case. The method of manufacturing a message center enclosure further includes sliding the pivot clamp assembly into the case.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, in which:





FIG. 1

is a front perspective view of a message center enclosure in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a front, exploded perspective view of the enclosure of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a partial cut-away view of the enclosure of

FIG. 1

without the power supply assembly;





FIG. 4

is a front, perspective assembly view of a portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 1

showing the case and the driver board assembly;





FIG. 5

is a front, perspective assembly view of the portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 4

further showing the pivot clamp assemblies;





FIG. 6

is a front, perspective assembly view of the portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 5

further showing the tape;





FIG. 7

is a front, perspective assembly view of the portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 6

further showing the front opening;





FIG. 8

is a rear, perspective assembly view of a portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 1

showing the case and the power supply mounting brackets;





FIG. 9

is a rear, perspective assembly view of the portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 8

further showing the power supply base;





FIG. 10

is a rear, perspective assembly view of the portion of the enclosure of

FIG. 9

further showing the power supply and the power supply housing;





FIG. 11

is an outer perspective view of an end cap; and





FIG. 12

is an inner perspective view of an end cap.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a message center enclosure


10


according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. Enclosure


10


includes a case


12


having first and second ends


14


,


16


, first and second end caps


18


,


19


a front panel


20


and a power supply assembly


22


. Case


12


is, for example, an extrusion, preferably an aluminum extrusion. End caps


18


,


19


are secured to ends


14


,


16


, respectively, of case


12


by fasteners, such as screws


23


,


24


. Other fastening arrangements such as clamps, resilient members, snap-tight assemblies, etc., are contemplated. Front panel


20


is made of a generally transparent material. According to an exemplary embodiment, enclosure


10


can satisfy at least four different applications: an indoor application; an indoor or outdoor application, NEMA


4


, that provides protection against incidental contact, falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, external formation of ice, windblown dust, splashing liquids, and hose-directed water; an indoor application, NEMA


12


, that provides protection against incidental contact, falling dirt, circulating lint, fibers, and light splashing of liquids; and a transportation application, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)/TMC J1455 environmental practices for electronic equipment design.




Referring to

FIGS. 2 and 3

, case


12


includes first and second side walls


26


,


28


integrally formed to and extending forwardly, generally perpendicular from a rear wall


30


. Each side wall


26


,


28


includes a front extension


32


,


33


that is integrally formed to each side wall


26


,


28


, respectively, and perpendicularly extends from one side wall toward, but without contacting, the other side wall to form a longitudinally extending front opening


34


. Front panel


20


extends between front extensions


32


of first and second side walls


26


,


28


to cover front opening


34


. A pivot clamp assembly


36


is slidably connected to each side wall


26


,


28


. Each pivot clamp assembly pivots on an axis longitudinally extending between first and second ends


14


,


16


of case


12


. Referring to

FIG. 3

, a driver board assembly


38


, for example, a driver board, is slidably engaged to first and second sides


26


,


28


of case


12


and longitudinally extends through case


12


in a plane generally parallel to rear wall


30


and front panel


20


of case


12


. Driver board assembly


38


includes display components


39


(e.g., seven-segment LEDs, light emitting diodes, lamps, bulbs, etc.) configured to present a message through front panel


20


based on control signals received from driver board assembly


38


. In alternative arrangements, driver board assembly


38


may connect to only one side wall and occupy only a portion of the space between first side wall


26


and second side wall


28


. In an exemplary embodiment, driver board assembly


38


is made of an aluminum alloy having a base thickness of approximately 0.06 inches.




Referring to

FIG. 3

, first and second sides walls


26


,


28


each further include first and second curved members


40


,


42


inwardly extending from each side wall


26


,


28


positioned adjacent to front extension


32


. First and second curved members


40


,


42


curve toward each other forming a generally round boss slot


46


. A protrusion


48


positioned adjacent to second curved member


42


extends inwardly from each side wall


26


,


28


. Protrusion


48


has a forwardly curved front face


50


. Each side wall


26


,


28


and front face


50


of protrusion


48


define a generally circular slot


62


within which pivot clamp assembly


36


rotates. Protrusion


48


further includes a stub


52


forwardly and generally perpendicularly extending from protrusion


48


and an end


54


extending from each side wall


26


,


28


. Stub


52


and end


54


of protrusion


48


form a ledge


60


which, in combination with pivot clamp assembly


36


, holds driver board assembly


38


. Driver board assembly


38


is slidably inserted between end


54


and pivot clamp assemblies


36


, which eliminates the need for fasteners and secondary operations such as drilling or punching holes in case


12


and driver board assembly


38


, and then tapping the holes for purposes of securely fastening driver board assembly


38


within case


12


.




Referring to

FIGS. 2

,


3


and


11


, end caps


18


,


19


include a pivot clamp aperture


136


. Screw


24


extends through pivot clamp aperture


136


of each end cap


18


,


19


and into round boss slot


46


along the longitudinal axis of round boss slot


46


. Each pivot clamp aperture


136


secures one end cap


18


,


19


to case


12


, forces the rotation of pivot clamp assembly


36


about an axis of rotation extending longitudinally through a circular slot


62


by contacting a second arm


70


of clamp assembly


36


, and braces clamp assembly


36


against driver board assembly


38


thereby securing driver board assembly


38


to case


12


. Clamp pivot assemblies


36


provide more clamping force than other fastening techniques and the force is uniformly applied over the entire length of driver board assembly


38


.




Referring to

FIGS. 3

,


4


and


5


, driver board assembly


38


is slidably inserted into enclosure


10


at ledge


60


of first and second side walls


26


,


28


. Enclosure


10


includes two pivot clamp assemblies


36


longitudinally extending through case


12


and slidably couplable to first and second side walls


26


,


28


, respectively, through circular slot


62


of each side wall


26


,


28


. Referring to

FIGS. 3 and 5

, pivot clamp assembly


36


is an extrusion that includes a base


64


integrally formed to a first arm


66


. First arm


66


extends from base


64


and integrally connects to a cylindrical head


68


. Head


68


is sufficiently sized to fit within circular slot


62


. First arm


66


is sized to allow for rotation of pivot clamp assembly


36


at head


68


about an axis of rotation longitudinally extending through circular slot


62


. Second arm


70


positioned substantially perpendicular to first arm


66


is integrally connected to base


64


of pivot clamp assembly


36


. Second arm


70


is sized to fit within round boss slot


46


. Base


64


further includes a bracing surface


72


positioned substantially opposite second arm


70


. Bracing surface


72


and ledge


60


form a control board channel


74


for securing driver board assembly


38


to case


12


. According to an exemplary embodiment for NEMA and SAE/TMC applications, pivot clamp assemblies


36


are made of aluminum. While the exemplary pivot clamp assembly has been explained in detail, alternate clamp assemblies may be used. For example, clamp assembly


68


may extend only a portion of the distance between ends


14


,


16


.




Referring to

FIGS. 4

,


6


and


7


, each front extension


32


of case


12


includes a recessed front mounting surface


76


at the edges of opening


34


. A double-sided, very high bond (“VHB”) tape


78


is bonded to front mounting surfaces


76


. Front panel


20


is placed over and permanently bonded to tape


78


thereby covering opening


34


of case


12


. Mounting of front panel


20


to front mounting surfaces


76


of case


12


with tape


78


eliminates the need for fasteners and secondary operations such as the drilling or punching, followed by the tapping, of holes into front extensions to accommodate fasteners for the purpose of mounting front panel


20


and the need to seal such holes to prevent water, dust or dirt from entering case


12


. Tape


78


also provides a watertight seal between front panel


20


and case


12


that meets industry standards, particularly National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standards. According to an exemplary embodiment, front panel


20


is permanently bonded to front mounting surfaces


76


of case


12


using double-sided VHB tape


78


having a thickness of approximately 0.06 inches as manufactured by 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minn.




Referring to

FIGS. 3 and 8

, rear wall


30


of case


12


includes longitudinally extending first and second sections


82


,


84


integrally formed to first and second side walls


26


,


28


, respectively. Rear wall


30


further includes a longitudinally extending and forwardly positioned center section


86


positioned in a plane that is parallel to first and second sections


82


,


84


of rear wall


30


. Center section


86


includes an aperture


90


for routing wires between power supply assembly


22


and driver board assembly


38


and is integrally formed to two landings


92


. Landings


92


are aligned spaced apart and generally perpendicular to center section


86


and first and second sections


82


,


84


. Landings


92


couple center section


86


to first and second sections


82


,


84


so as to leave overhanging portions


94


,


96


of first and second sections


82


,


84


disposed over center section


86


. Each overhanging portion


94


,


96


, landing


92


, and center section


86


defines a power supply mounting groove


98


. Two rectangular shaped power supply mounting brackets


100


are slidably connected to case


12


through power supply mounting grooves


98


. Each bracket


100


includes two rearwardly and perpendicularly extending fasteners (shown as studs


102


in FIG.


8


). Each bracket


100


is sized to cover only a portion of center section


86


in a longitudinal direction, thereby allowing brackets


100


to be placed in a variety of locations along power supply mounting grooves


98


to accommodate a variety of power supply configurations without blocking aperture


90


in center section


86


. Referring to

FIG. 3

, center section


86


includes first and second rearwardly curved edges


104


,


106


disposed over first and second sections


82


,


84


of rear wall


30


, respectively. First and second sections


84


,


86


each include a forwardly extending and longitudinally positioned ridge


108


,


110


positioned opposite the first and second center section edges


104


,


106


, respectively. First center section edge


104


, landing


92


and first ridge


108


define a first fastener slot


112


. Second center section edge


106


, landing


92


and second ridge


110


define a second fastener slot


114


.




Referring to

FIGS. 9 and 10

, power supply assembly


22


(as shown in

FIG. 10

) includes a power supply base


116


coupled to case


12


, a power supply


118


coupled to power supply base


116


by fasteners (not shown), and a power supply housing


120


coupled to power supply base


116


. Power supply base


116


includes four holes


122


to accommodate studs


102


from brackets


100


. Power supply base


116


fits over studs


102


and is secured to case


12


by four nuts


125


. Power supply base


116


includes a plurality of bosses


126


each containing a bore


128


to which housing


120


is mounted to power supply base


116


by fasteners (shown as pan screws


130


in FIG.


10


). Other fasteners for coupling power supply base


116


to case


12


and power supply housing


120


to power supply base


116


are contemplated such as clamps, glue and snap-tight assemblies. Power supply base


116


further includes three sets of conduit holes


132


with removable plug hole seals (not shown), two of the three sets are positioned adjacent to first and second side walls


26


,


28


, and the third set is positioned toward first end


14


of case


12


. A power supply low porosity grade foam gasket (not shown) is attached to housing


120


to make power supply assembly


22


water, dust, and dirt resistant. According to an exemplary embodiment, the power supply low porosity foam gasket is a Poron gasket supplied by Rogers Corporation of Woodstock, Conn. which includes an acrylic adhesive coating of approximately 0.005 inches in thickness on one side. The mounting of power supply base


116


to case


12


eliminates secondary operations such as drilling or punching, and then tapping, holes in case


12


to accommodate fasteners for the purpose of mounting power supply assembly


22


to case


12


and the need to seal such holes to prevent water, dust or dirt from entering case


12


. This type of mounting also eliminates the need for sealing washers to seal holes that result in conventional mounting methods. According to an exemplary embodiment, power supply base


116


is an aluminum alloy casting having a nominal thickness of approximately 0.156 inches and is symmetrical about a centerline extending longitudinally through enclosure


10


. According to an exemplary embodiment, housing


120


includes a nominal wall thickness of approximately 0.125 inches and a plurality of external, outwardly extending fins


140


disposed in a spaced apart, parallel configuration. The external fins


140


increase the surface area of housing


120


and assist in dissipating heat generated from power supply


118


.




Referring to

FIGS. 2

,


3


,


11


and


12


, end cap


18


,


19


(as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

) includes two pivot clamp assembly apertures


136


and two rear wall apertures


138


. Two pivot clamp assembly apertures


136


are positioned over round boss slot


46


of first and second side walls


26


,


28


. Two rear wall apertures


138


are positioned over first and second fastener slots


112


,


114


at each end of rear wall


30


. Each end cap


18


,


19


includes an inner surface


142


and is symmetrical about a centerline


144


extending longitudinally through case


12


with the exception of a vibration mount support


146


integrally connected to and inwardly extending from inner surface


142


of end cap


18


,


19


. A vibration mount


148


is threadedly connected to vibration mount support


146


. In an exemplary embodiment, vibration mount


148


of end cap


18


,


19


is made of rubber. An end cap low porosity grade foam gasket attaches to the inner surface


142


of end cap


18


,


19


. According to an exemplary embodiment, end cap low porosity foam gasket is a Poron gasket, part #4701-40-15188-04 supplied by Poron by Rogers Corporation of Woodstock, Conn. having an uncompressed thickness of approximately 0.1875 inches and includes an acrylic adhesive coating of approximately 0.005 inches in thickness on one side. End cap


18


,


19


is also supplied with a stop when the Poron gasket material is compressed by approximately 50 percent. End cap


18


,


19


is coupled to case


12


by screws


23


,


24


inserted through pivot clamp assembly apertures


136


and rear wall apertures


138


into round boss slots


46


and first and second fastener slots


112


,


114


of case


12


. End cap


18


,


19


is configured for mounting on either first end


14


or second end


16


of case


12


. End cap


18


,


19


mounted to first end


14


has vibration mount


148


located in close proximity to first side wall


26


and end cap


18


,


19


mounted to second end


16


has vibration mount


148


located in close proximity to second side wall


18


. This end cap configuration allows end cap


18


,


19


to fit on either end of case


12


. Round boss slots


46


and first and second fastener slots


112


,


114


of case


12


eliminate the need to drill or punch, and then tap, holes in case


12


to accommodate screws


23


,


24


for connecting end cap


18


,


19


, respectively, to case


12


.




According to an exemplary embodiment for NEMA and SAE/TMC applications, housing


120


and end caps


18


,


19


are watertight aluminum castings that add to the structural integrity of enclosure


10


and are capable of withstanding a 30 G shock test and vibration testing. According to an exemplary embodiment for NEMA and SAE/TMC applications, end caps


18


further include recessed molded seals. According to an exemplary embodiment for indoor (non-NEMA) applications, end caps are made of injection molded plastic. The injection molded plastic end cap is less expensive to manufacture and can be molded in a number of colors to match a decor and to eliminate painting of end cap


18


.




According to an exemplary embodiment, the outer surfaces of case


18


, power supply housing


120


, and end caps


18


,


19


can be painted in a number of different colors to coordinate the enclosure to a decor. According to an exemplary embodiment, wall mounting brackets are attached to enclosure


10


.




A method of manufacturing the exemplary embodiment of

FIG. 1 through 12

includes extruding or obtaining case


12


and pivot clamp assembly


36


extrusions. The method further includes cutting case


12


and clamp assembly


36


extrusions to the desired length. Preferably, the case


12


and clamp assembly


36


extrusions are cut to approximately equal lengths. The method further includes obtaining driver board assembly


38


and sliding driver board assembly


38


into ledges


60


of case


12


. The method further includes sliding two pivot clamp assemblies


36


into circular slots


62


of case


12


. The method further includes allowing second arm


70


of clamp assembly


36


to enter round boss slot


46


between first and second curved members


40


,


42


. The method further includes sliding two brackets


100


into power supply mounting grooves


98


of case


12


, placing power supply base


116


over studs


124


of brackets


100


and fastening power supply base


116


to case


12


with nuts


125


. The tightening of nuts


125


over studs


102


of bracket


100


compresses brackets


100


against power supply mounting grooves


98


of case


12


. The method further includes coupling power supply


118


to power supply base


116


with fasteners, attaching power supply gasket to supply base


116


, and coupling housing


120


to bosses


126


of power supply base


116


with pan screws


130


. The method further includes applying tape


78


to front mounting surfaces


76


of case


12


and placing and bonding front panel


20


on tape


78


to secure front panel


20


to case


122


The method further includes cleaning the inside surface of end cap


18


with isopropyl alcohol and water and letting dry, attaching end cap gasket to the inner surface


142


of end cap


18


, and fastening vibration mounts


148


to end caps


18


. The method further includes securing end caps


18


to first and second ends


14


,


16


of case


12


to seal the ends of case


12


and front panel


20


by inserting screw


24


through pivot clamp aperture


36


of end cap


18


and into round boss slot


46


along the longitudinal axis of round boss slot


46


. Pivot clamp aperture


136


secures end cap


18


to case


12


, forces the rotation of pivot clamp assembly


36


about an axis of rotation extending longitudinally through circular slot


62


by contacting second arm


70


of clamp assembly


36


, and braces clamp assembly


36


against driver board assembly


38


thereby securing driver board assembly


38


to case


12


.




While the embodiments illustrated in the FIGURES and described above are presently preferred, it should be understood that these embodiments are offered by way of example only, and various alternatives would be apparent to those of skill in the art. For example, the case could include a first side wall as described above and a second side wall having a fixed driver board assembly groove which would allow the enclosure to include only one pivot clamp assembly to secure the driver board assembly to the case. Under this alternative embodiment, the driver board assembly would be slidably inserted into the fixed driver board assembly groove and the ledge of the case, and then a single pivot clamp assembly would be slidably inserted into the first wall for the purpose of holding the driver board assembly in place when secured by the end caps and associated fasteners. In another alternative embodiment, each end cap includes a single pivot clamp assembly aperture and a wedge inwardly extending from the inner surface of the end cap. The wedge inserts into the round boss slot of one side of the case and secures the pivot clamp assembly against the driver board assembly without securing the end cap to the case. A screw placed through the single pivot clamp assembly aperture inserts into the round boss slot at the other side of the case to secure the end cap to the case and to position the pivot clamp assembly against the driver board assembly. In another alternative embodiment, the clamp assembly includes a round head and a leg, and each side of the case includes two slots positioned side by side, the round head is inserted into the first slot creating a hinge and the leg inserts into a second slot to provides a means for rotating and securing clamp assembly against the driver board assembly when a fastener is inserted longitudinally into the second slot. In another alternative embodiment, the front panel is secured to the front mounting surfaces of the case by a glue. In an alternative embodiment, the front extensions of case include front panel grooves for slidably mounting a front panel over the front opening of the case. In an alternative embodiment, the first and second side walls of the case further include a second round boss slot for inserting a second circuit board assembly into the case. In an alternative embodiment, the end caps are secured to the case by an alternative fastening means such as clamps, glue, etc. In an alternative embodiment a cross support mounting bracket is secured to the case by sliding into a T groove in the case to increase the tightening of the bracket to the case. The invention is not limited to a particular embodiment, but extends to various modifications that nevertheless fall within the scope of the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A display enclosure, comprising:a case; a driver board assembly configured to provide signals to a display; a clamp assembly having a head configured to slidably engage the case and an extrusion configured to secure the driver board assembly to the case; and an end cap coupled to an end of the case and configured to provide a force against the extrusion to secure the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 2. The display enclosure of claim 1, wherein the case has a length, the clamp assembly extending substantially the length of the case.
  • 3. The display enclosure of claim 1, wherein the clamp assembly is configured to pivot on the head.
  • 4. The display enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the driver board assembly.
  • 5. The display enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a second clamp assembly disposed in the case a distance from the first clamp assembly, the second clamp assembly having a head configured to slidably engage the case and a protrusion configured to secure the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 6. A display enclosure, comprising:a case having a first end positioned opposite a second end; a driver board assembly inserted into the case and configured to provide signals to a display; a first clamp assembly having a head coupled to one of the case and the driver board assembly, the first clamp assembly having a protrusion configured to contact the driver board assembly: and at least one end cap coupled to the case and configured to engage the first clamp assembly to secure the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 7. The display enclosure of claim 6, wherein the at least one end cap further comprises a first end cap coupled to the first end of the case and a second end cap coupled to the second end of the case, the first end cap and the second end cap configured to provide a force against the protrusion to secure the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 8. The display enclosure of claim 6, wherein the case has a length, the clamp assembly extending substantially the length of the case.
  • 9. The display enclosure of claim 6, wherein the clamp assembly is configured to pivot on the head.
  • 10. The display enclosure of claim 7, wherein the first and second end cap has at least one aperture, and further comprising at least one fastener for coupling the first and second end cap to the case.
  • 11. The display enclosure of claim 6 further comprising a second clamp assembly coupled to the case for securing the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 12. The display enclosure of claim 6, wherein the driver board assembly is devoid of apertures for mounting the driver board assembly to the case.
  • 13. The display enclosure of claim 6 wherein the driver board assembly and the first clamp assembly are slidably coupled to the case.
  • 14. The display enclosure of claim 6 further comprising a front panel coupled to the case.
  • 15. The display enclosure of claim 14 further comprising a tape connecting the front panel to the case.
  • 16. The display enclosure of claim 6 further comprising a power supply coupled to the case.
  • 17. The display enclosure of claim 6 wherein the case further comprises first and second side walls coupled to and extending forwardly, substantially perpendicular from a rear wall, wherein each side wall has first and second longitudinally extending slots.
  • 18. The display enclosure of claim 9, wherein the clamp assembly comprises:a base, the base having a bracing surface; and first and second arms extending from the base.
  • 19. The display enclosure of claim 18, wherein the first arm includes a head, the head pivotally coupled to a first slot of either side wall, and the second arm is sufficiently sized to fit within a second slot of the same side wall.
  • 20. The display enclosure of claim 17, wherein the rear wall has a plurality of longitudinally extending overhanging portions.
  • 21. The display enclosure of claim 20, wherein the overhanging portions of the rear wall form a channel and further comprising:at least one power supply mounting bracket slidably inserted into the channel, and; a power supply assembly coupled to the power supply mounting bracket.
  • 22. The display enclosure of claim 7 wherein the case, the first and second end caps, and the clamp assembly or a combination thereof are made of aluminum.
  • 23. A message center enclosure comprising:a case; a driver board assembly configured to generate a display; means for coupling a pivot clamp assembly to the case; and means for clamping the driver board assembly to the case along substantially an entire length of the driver board assembly.
  • 24. The message center enclosure of claim 23 further comprising a front panel coupled to the case.
  • 25. The message center enclosure of claim 23 further comprising a power supply coupled to the case.
  • 26. The message center enclosure of claim 23, further comprising an end cap coupled to an end of the case and configured to provide a force against the pivot clamp assembly to secure the driver board assembly to the case.
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