Patent Application
20060059748
The present invention is directed to a poster board display system, and more particularly, to a poster board display system having a magnetized portion.
Business enterprises, individuals, schools and other organizations often use poster boards as a means of communication and decoration, as well as for advertisements, presentations and artwork. Poster boards are typically used for temporary display and are frequently attached to a mounting surface. Users may manually mark or draw on the poster boards to create a personalized or individualized display. However, it can be difficult to attach the poster board to a mounting surface in a secure manner.
Accordingly, there is a need for a poster board that can be easily and securely coupled to a mounting surface.
The present invention utilizes a poster board with a magnetized portion that can be coupled to a magnetizable mounting surface, such as a metal mounting surface. In particular, in one embodiment the invention is a method for display including the steps of providing a sheet-like poster board including a display panel with a front surface and a back surface, and a permanently magnetized portion located on the back surface. The method includes the steps of manually marking on the display surface and placing the magnetized portion against a magnetizable mounting surface to thereby magnetically mount the poster board to the mounting surface.
Referring to
The poster board 10 may include a permanently magnetized portion 18 affixed to or located on the back surface 16 of the display panel 12 to allow the poster board 10 to be mounted to a magnetically attractive or magnetizable mounting surface 19. As used herein, “magnetized” means that magnetic properties have been induced in the object or that the object is producing an external magnetic field. As used herein, “magnetically attractive” or “magnetizable” means that the surface will attract or be allocated to a magnet or magnetized object.
The magnetized portion 18 may include ferromagnetic particles suspended in a thermoplastic binder as described in United States published patent application 2002/0081446, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The '446 application is directed to a magnetic assembly including a thin magnetic layer directly adhered to a printable layer (such as a display panel) and a method of manufacturing the magnetic assembly. In one embodiment, the poster board may include the magnetic assembly described in the '446 application. The magnetized portion 18 may have a thickness of less than about 0.030 inches or less than about 0.006 inches or between about 0.002 inches and about 0.030 inches. In an alternate embodiment, the magnetic portion 18 has a thickness of between about 0.002 inches and about 0.020 inches. In yet another embodiment, the magnetic portion 18 has a thickness between about 0.002 inches and about 0.012 inches.
Referring now to
In one embodiment of the poster board 10, the magnetized portion 18 may be coextensive with the back surface 16 of the display panel 12 and cover the entire back surface 16. In this case, the poster board 10 can be mounted on or to a magnetically attractive mounting surface 19 and the poster board 10 can lay flat against the surface 19 without curving or bowing. When the poster board 10 contacts the magnetically attractive mounting surface 19, the entire poster board 10 is drawn to the mounting to securely couple the poster board 10 to the mounting surface 19.
In addition, covering the entire back surface 16 with the magnetized portion 18 allows the poster board 10 to be more easily mounted on uneven mounting surfaces or mounting surfaces that include gaps. If the poster board 10 had only patches or discontinuous strips of the magnetized portion 18, a user would need to ensure that the magnetized portion 18 did not coincide with a gap in the mounting surface 19. Also, if the entire back surface 16 is covered with the magnetized portion 18, a user may trim or shape the poster board 10 without significantly affecting the magnetic properties of the poster board 10. Finally, if the entire back surface 16 is covered with the magnetized portion 18, the poster board 10 will be of a substantially uniform thickness, giving the poster board a smooth appearance when it is applied to a smooth mounting surface 19.
Covering the entire back surface 16 with the magnetized portion 18 has the added advantage of increasing the durability of the poster board, which allows the use of a thin display panel 12. In one embodiment, the display panel 12 may have a thickness of less than about 0.010 inches, or between about 0.003 inches and 0.010 inches. In an alternate embodiment, the display panel 12 may have a thickness of between about 0.003 inches and 0.008 inches. In yet another embodiment, the display panel 12 may have a thickness of between about 0.003 inches and 0.005 inches.
When the display panel 12 is covered by the magnetized portion 18, the poster board 10 may be relatively thin. In one embodiment the poster board 10 may have a total thickness of less than about 0.040 inches, or between about 0.005 inches and about 0.040 inches. In an alternate embodiment, the poster board 10 may have a total thickness of between about 0.005 inches and about 0.028 inches. In yet another embodiment, the poster board 10 may have a total thickness of between about 0.005 inches and about 0.016 inches. The thinness of the poster board 10 allows large quantities of the poster board 10 to be stored and shipped easily. In addition, the relative thinness of the poster board 10 and its proportionately light weight allows a relatively low magnetic attraction between the magnetic portion 18 and the magnetically attractive mounting surface 19 to secure the poster board 10 to the mounting surface 19.
The thinness of the poster board 10 may also allow it to be significantly rolled or curved without permanent deformation. Permanent deformation occurs when the poster board cannot return to a substantially planar state without the application of an outside force, or when the poster board becomes permanently creased, or when the poster board develops significant cracks. Rolled poster board, which is not permanently deformed, may be more easily stored and shipped. In one embodiment, the poster board 10 may be rolled into a cylinder with a diameter at least as low as about 2.5 inches without permanently deformation of the poster board 10. In another embodiment, the poster board 10 may be rolled into a cylinder with a diameter at least as low as about 1.60 inches without permanently deformation of the poster board 10. In a further embodiment, the poster board 10 may be rolled into a cylinder with a diameter at least as low as about 0.88 inches without permanently deformation of the poster board 10.
The thinness and resulting flexibility of the poster board 10 may also allow the poster board 10 to be mounted on non-planar or curved surfaces. The pliable nature of the poster board 10 may allow the poster board 10 to be molded around corners and into indentations, thereby maximizing the surface area of the magnetized portion 18 in contact with the magnetically attractive mounting surface 19. This maximizes the strength of the bond between the magnetized portion 18 and the magnetically attractive mounting surface 19. In addition, the poster board 10 may be significantly curved without permanent deformation, as discussed above. Therefore, the poster board 10 may be detached from an uneven or curved mounting surface 19 and reused on a mounting surface with an alternate shape or curvature.
Although the magnetized portion 18 is shown in
To utilize the poster board 10, a user may first write, draw or mark on the display surface 12 of the poster board 10 using pens, markers, pencils, crayons and the like. The user may then hold the poster board 10 up against a magnetically attractive mounting surface 19 to determine the appropriate position for the poster board 10. The poster board 10 is then pressed against the mounting surface 19 and the magnetized portion 18 and mounting surface 19 magnetically attract each other to thereby couple the poster board 10 against the mounting surface 19. The poster board may be removed from the mounting surface 19 and reattached or repositioned to multiple times. As outlined above, the mounting surface 19 can be nearly any magnetizable surface, such as metal surfaces including lockers, metal walls, metal supports, metal framing (i.e., for cubicles) refrigerators, metal cabinets, etc. Alternatively, the user may draw or mark on the display surface of the poster board 10 after the poster board 10 is positioned on the mounting surface 19.
In an alternate embodiment, the display surface 12 of the poster board 10 may include pre-printed graphics located thereon. For example, the display surface 12 may be pre-printed with a calendar grid, common phrases such as “For Sale,” or a common design such as party balloons. The user may manually add specific information such as event dates, prices or event information to the display surface 12.
The device and method shown herein allows a user to manually mark a poster board and mount the poster board to a magnetically attractive mounting surface. Once the poster board has served its purpose, the user may remove the poster board by simply pulling the poster board away from the mounting surface. The poster board may be mounted and removed from magnetically attractive mounting surfaces numerous times without affecting the mounting surface.
In order to manufacture the poster board 10 shown in
The solidified ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture 13 is then reformed into a liquid and deposited or coated on the display surface 12 using any of a variety of coating processes known in the art. In one embodiment, a high pressure extruder may be used to melt and pressurize the ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture. The ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture may be forced through an application head and deposited directly on to the display panel 12. The ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture may be applied to the display panel 12 while still in a pliable state. The ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture may be magnetized by providing a magnetic field as the ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture is applied to the display panel 12. The cooled, magnetized ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture comprises the magnetized portion 18 of the poster board.
As noted above, in an alternative embodiment, an adhesive promoting layer 20 is used. The adhesive promoting layer 20 may be applied to the display panel 12 using a nozzle just seconds prior to the application of the ferromagnetic/thermoplastic mixture, such that the adhesive promoting layer 20 is applied between the display panel 12 and the magnetized portion 18.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various additional changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
