Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Display device with gas or liquid movement
Patent
1996-06-21
1998-10-13
Green, Brian K.
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Display device with gas or liquid movement
40219, 40427, G09F 1900
Patent
active
058194525
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display device at least provided with a light source and image-carrying means which comprises an effervescent effect generator, which is provided with a housing of at least partially light-transmitting material. The housing is filled, during use, with a liquid and a gas. The effervescent effect generator also comprising pumping means and hose-like means to be connected thereto for pumping round the liquid and/or the gas and generating gas bubbles.
Such a display device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,564. The known display device comprises a light source and a tank of transparent material filled with a liquid. In the tank a conduit provided with apertures is positioned, which is connected to a source of gas under pressure located outside the tank. At the top portion thereof the tank is provided with a relief aperture to permit the gas passing through the liquid in the form of bubbles to escape from the top of the tank. The light source is positioned such that the light beams are in the plane of movement of the stream of bubbles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device according to the invention is characterized in that the housing is a sealed closed housing. An effervescent effect generator of this type has the important advantage that said generator requires little maintenance and, therefore, in addition to low production costs also has low maintenance costs.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the liquid comprises demineralized water, by which means it is possible, in a simple manner, to prevent turbidity in the effervescent effect generator as a result of, inter alia, the growth of algae.
A display device is for instance disclosed in Netherlands Patent Application 89010125. In this publication a screen is described which can be irradiated on one side by a light source, symbols being displayed on the other side. To this end the screen comprises a sheet of opalescent plastic material provided with a light-excluding layer, in which openings are made which correspond with the symbols to be displayed.
The known display device has the disadvantage that the dimensions thereof are large, particularly in respect of the thickness thereof. This is mainly due to the distance which is maintained in the known display device between the light source and the image-carrying means in order to eliminate the so-called adverse "washboard effect", which arises when such light sources are placed too close to the image-carrying means. In practice, the known display device is therefore installed in a wall in order to save space, which appreciably increases the installation costs.
In order to overcome the abovementioned disadvantage in one embodiment of the display device according to the invention reflecting sheet means are arranged essentially behind the light source and parallel to the image-carrying means.
Furthermore, the display device has the advantage that, as a result of the use of reflecting sheet means, the light source has a greater effective light output, as a result of which a standard light source, for example a fluorescent tube, can be used, with which an outstanding light effect can be obtained, both in a light room and in a dark room. There is therefore no need to make use of expensive UV tubes (so-called "black lights") in order to obtain special light effects. Because of the bright display, the display device according to the invention attracts the attention of passers-by and is therefore extremely suitable for advertising purposes.
A display device at least provided with a light source and image-carrying means, wherein reflecting sheet means are arranged essentially behind the light source and parallel to the image-carrying means is known per se from DE-8809904.
In a further embodiment, reflecting sheet means are arranged essentially adjacent the light source and transversely to the image-carrying means. In this embodiment the light output is further increased in a simple and advantageous manner and the light is better distributed
REFERENCES:
patent: 1887285 (1932-11-01), Burrell et al.
patent: 2145747 (1939-01-01), Askew
patent: 3101564 (1963-08-01), Stoessel
patent: 3386197 (1968-06-01), Elfstrom
patent: 3964194 (1976-06-01), Gugeler
patent: 4144663 (1979-03-01), Saenger et al.
patent: 5106660 (1992-04-01), Vorel
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