Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Changing exhibitor – Alphanumeric device
Patent
1995-08-02
1997-12-16
Green, Brian K.
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Changing exhibitor
Alphanumeric device
40476, 40508, 34081562, 345108, G09F 304
Patent
active
056971745
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a matrix-shaped display device having a display foil in which display elements stamped out in the shape of tabs are arranged in columns and lines. The display elements can be brought in front of or behind strips that have a contrasting color, by a setting device in accordance with the desired display. The display elements are alternately directed up and down from line to line and face each other. Pairs of display elements support a strip.
Description of Prior Art
Such a matrix-shaped display device is known from DE 38 03 715 C1. The display foil is a transport belt which runs over two spaced-apart transport rollers. The transport rollers engage rows of transport receivers by catches which act in the areas of the top and bottom edges of the transport belt. The strips are arranged in individual lines behind the display foil, and behind the transport belt. The setting device remains stationary and is disposed in the area of a transport roller. This known display device can be produced in a cost-effective manner, however, it has the disadvantage that the transport receivers in the transport belt are heavily stressed, in particular if large-area displays are involved. Further, the transport receivers can be damaged or destroyed, which limits the service life of the transport belt.
A matrix-shaped display device with a display foil held in a fixed display frame is known from DE 39 34 054 C1. Strips laid out in contrast colors are not used, but instead a cover foil is positioned in front of the display foil. The cover foil and the display foil only perform a small movement relative to each other during setting and cancelling. The setting device moves over the display device and sets the display in columns, wherein the stamped-out cover elements of the cover foil can be respectively brought in front of or behind the associated display element to form the desired display.
This known display device operates considerably more reliably and is simpler in construction, because the display foil and the cover foil practically remain stationary and need not be provided with transport receivers. Instead, the setting device is displaced. However, the relative movement between the display foil and the cover foil causes a new problem. Such relative movement must be extremely accurate and in addition includes not only a back-and-forth movement but also a movement of the entire area of one of these foils directed vertically thereto. The cancellation movement can therefore not be cost-effectively realized.
A matrix-shaped display device is known from DE-OS 29 17 394, which has a movable setting device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of this invention to create a matrix-shaped display device of the type mentioned at the outset which includes the advantages of the two known display devices so that no transport receivers are required in the display foil and that the display can be realized without a cover foil.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of this invention this object is achieved in a display foil that is held in a stationary display frame. Ends of strips are connected to the setting device which can move over the display foil, and which guides the strips in columns, depending on the desired display, in front of or behind display elements. Other ends of the strips are fastened on a winding roller from which the strips can be rolled off when a display is being set and on which they can be wound again for cancelling the display.
In such embodiment, strips are pulled into or out of the display foil by the setting device or the winding roller. The display foil is stationary and supports, line-by-line, the drawn-in strips in the set display. This is achieved by display elements that are directed against each other. The display device operates reliably and the display foil has a considerably longer service life. The desired display is set by the moving setting device, while resetting by the setting device and cancellation of t
REFERENCES:
patent: 4110922 (1978-09-01), Leemann-Dittmann
patent: 4733487 (1988-03-01), Gassmann
patent: 4986014 (1991-01-01), Gassmann
patent: 5301200 (1994-04-01), Killinger
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