Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
11~3153
The invention relates to a mechanical panel for
representing adaptable or changing proyrams or activities
within a master project.
In, for example, the management of a number of programs
within a master project, the various activities of each
program may or may not take place according to the master
schedule of events contemplated for that project.
Hence, events may change relative to the calendar of
time of the project and also relative to each other.
In the broadest aspect, therefore, this invention
contemplates that the programs of a pro~ect and the calendar
be graphically represented on a tablet of moving tapes or
members wherein the members or tapes may be relatively
positioned to display the relative time relationship and
wherein the tapes themselves carry thereupon indicia or other
static representations for example a colour depicting an event
or a series of events of a given program and hence,
cumulatively represent the events of the project.
In the prior art, there are such diverse systems such as
the PERT-CPM~ which allows for graphic form expression of
different pr~grams such as industrial, building, urbanistic,
scientific, political and economic ones. In general, such
systems may depict, all those activities -that require
organzation in agreement with a dynamic time frame or period
that the world is living in today.
The program monitor systems which are known in the prior
art are generally expressed by means of static or relatively
fixed diagrams which depict the program or more particularly
the events in each program and their relative occurance. With
them it is not possible to bring the program and their
respective events up to date according to current changes in
the time frame or in the actual execution of the events of
thep rogram if the execution takes place other than on
sched~le.
Consequently, the making of another program or update
diagram which reflects the update situation is normally
required and this implies, in addition, generally substantial
costs and a considerable amount of time for making the
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adjustments to the programs ancl their events.
~ ollowing the know methods that exist in the prior art
any alteration in a critical activity or event within a
program, which has not been graphically represented, leads to
a total reprogramming of the depictions or of the program.
Thus, a new plate or drawings are required with the
consequential loss of time, costs and monitoring efficiency.
The invention therefore contemplates a new program
display panel for adjustably representing changing programs in
a dynamic and changing manner, while also allowing the
representation of the individual events at the moment they are
created or occur without the need to make a totally new
program or chart thereof. This allows depiction on the
display panel of the modified scheduling of thep rojec-t in
view of alterations to programs or events within the project
while maintaining the depiction of project events relatively
current and up to date.
Thus, in one aspect, the invention contemplates a
mechanical panel to display events oE a project, the panel
comprising:
- ~a) a housing with a hollow interior;
(b) first, second and third transport means;
(c) a first display member within the interior upon
which is depicted indicia of an original program,
the indicia exposed to view and attached, for
transport, to the ~irst transpor-t means;
(d) a plurality of laterally extending second
display members each disposed relatively
parallel with the first display member, each of
the second display members including a long
; ribbon member, wherein each of the ribbon
members is adapted to have indicia similar to
those imposed upon the first display member,
said ribbon members attached for transport to
~- the second transport means;
(e) a third display member constituting a calendar
and having representative indicia thereon, the
third dlsplay me~ attached to said third
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transport means, and also extending relative:Ly
parallel to the first and second display members;
and,
(f) means selectively moving each transport means,
either in concert; or, relative to any of the
others .
In another aspect the display members are endless loops
which are held in tension over parallelly arranged yet
spacially disposed axels, the acels relatively rotatable so as
to transport the endless loops.
The invention will now be described by way of example
and reference to the drawings but only as it relates to a
preferred embodiment of the invention represented thereby.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a panel from its
outside.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same panel but
from its inside.
Figure 3 is a cross-section along lines A-A of Fic3ure 2.
Figure 4 is a detailed, in plan, of axels 1 and 2 which
are housed within the panel.
Figure 5 is a detailed plan view of axles 3 and 4 as
housed within the panel.
Figure 6, located with Figure 2, is a section along
lines B-B of Figure 2 (that is in a direction that is opposite
to that of section A-A and Figure 4).
As a review of the foreyoing of this specification and
the drawings will indicate, the attached Figures show a
display panel 100 with a marginally disposed display region 5
upon which may be affixed thereon, for example, adhesively,
indicia which depict a list that is vertically arranged of
activities (not shown in detail) of a project~ Laterally
adjacent to this upper display region 5, and in registry with
each entry on the list of activities of the region 5, there
extends laterally across the upper surface of the panel a
plurality of vertically disposed longitudinal movable members
preferably as endless tapes 7. The tapes 7 have thereon, not
shown, indicia indicative of the activities of the events of
the project. Below tl~ lurality of movable tapes 7, for
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example, adjacent to the last tape 7' is a movable sheet 6
UpOIl which is depicted an original program of events.
Further, adjacent to this original program sheet 6, and
running along the bottom of the display panel 100 is on
endless calendar tape ~3, also horizontally movable, as will
become apparent. Thus, the calendar tape 8, may be movable
relative to the program tape 6 and each of the event tapes 7;
similarly, each of the event tapes 7 is relatively movable to
each other, to the program tape 6 and also relative to the
calendar tape 8.
The relative movement of the plurality of event tapes 7,
program tape 6, and calendar tape 8, is performed by a
composite transport mechanism that includes four axles, 1, 2,
3 and 4; axles 1 and 4 of larger diameter than axles 2 and 3,
and with the aid of an endless loop structure to each of the
tapes. The axles 2 and 3 are also relatively positioned
within the housing 10 at opposite ends thereof but are of
relatively smaller diameter to those of 1 and 2 and mounted
respectively adjacent but inboard of the axles 1 and ~, as
clearly shown.
Generally, each of the tapes 7 is continuous and, as
-clearly seen in Figure 3, forms a loop, to circumscribe in
frictional engagement around the larger outside axles 1 and
4. The program tape 6, is also a continuous loop but it is
relatively looped in frictional engagement around axles 2 and
3. The calendar tape 8 is disposed laterally away from the
event tapes 7 and, is a continuous loop, looping around the
larger axle 1, on the one hand, and the smaller axle 3, on the
other, all as clearly seen in F`igure 6.
The axles, 1, 2, 3 and 4, may, conveniently terminate at
bearings 9 as shown in Figure 4 and 5.
It is now convenient to more specifically describe each
of the axles.
Axle 1 has surmounted thereon a plurality of adjacently
positioned (only two are shown) stepped reels 10, which are
press fitted over the axle 1 so that there is substantial
frictional engagement between each of the reels 10 and
circumference of axle 1, ~ reby to constrain each of the
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reels 10 relative angular position, and to the axle 1 ancl in
lateral position as well. Thus, when the axle 1 is rotated,
as will become apparent, each of the reels 10 will
correspondingly rotate. It is on each of the stepped reel 10,
for instance, on the ~lange 10' thereof, that a single event
tape 7 is frictionally passed as an endless loop (now shown as
such in Figure 4) and the continuous event tape extends to
loop over the opposite larger axle 4. Along the other large
axle 4 are a plurality of grooves 18, as shown in F`igure 5,
and these grooves each accommodate one of the looped event
tapes 7. The cooperation, therefore, between the adjacent
reels 10 on axle 1 and the fixed location of the grooves 18
located in axle 4 holds each of the parallelly positioned
event tapes in relative parallel alignment and in registry
with a vertical segment of the display region 5.
Since each of the reels 10 is frictionally bound to an
axle, by relatively rotating one of the reels 10 relative to
the axle 1 so that the relative pOSitiOIl of its member event
tape 7 will be change relative to all other event tapes. This
will also change the position of these event tapes relative to
the program project tape 6. Ereedom to change relative
relationships, therefore, of the mandatory intervening events
(steps) - commonly known as "PERT CHART STEPS", is thus
achieved.
Referring to the section Figure 5, the axle 4 has a
projection which extends beyond the wall 13' of the housing so
as to terminate at an exterior control knob 11. ~ithin the
housing wall 13' is a recess which is in alignment with the
-~ axle 4 and accommodates a gear 13 that is coincident with the
exterior control knob 11 and axle 4. The adjacent sma~ler
axle 3 likewise terminates at a gear 12 as shown. An idler
wheel 14 meshes with both gears 12 and 13. Hence, when the
knob 11 is rotated both axles 3 and 4 will rotate
synchronously in the common direction. It is essential,
however, that the number of gear teeth for gears 13 ancl 12 be
relatively porportional to the respective diameters of the
axles 4 and 3 so that on rotation of the exterior control knob
11 the degree of rotation imparted to both axles 3 and 4 is
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the same; thus the transport of the tapes 6, 7 and 8 will
occur in unison. This wlll allow additional events to be
moved into the display moc]e on the upper surface of the
monitor 100, and passed events, to be moved off from the
display.
The relative lateral disposition with the housing of the
axles 1, 2, 3 and 4 is such that the continuous loop tapes 6,
7 and 8 are in constant tension, thus, rotation of the knob 11
will cause relative lateral transport of the tapes while, on
the other hand, rotation only of one of the reels 10 will
cause transport of that event t:ape 7 uniquely associatecl with
that reel 10.
: A small device or special latch 15, as a transvere axis,
permits the isolation of gear L2 and hence of axle 3 from axle
4. In that respect, therefore, when the special latch 15 is
engaged and the knob 11 is rotated, the axle 4 will rotate but
not axle 3. This causes the event tapes 7 t.o transport
relative the original program t:ape 6.
Interspaced, within the looped program tap~ 6 as a sheet
member and disposed between the smaller axles 2 and 3 in a
plane that is coincident to the longitudinal axis of rotation
of the axles 2 and 3 is a display panel 17. Upon this panel
17 may be mounted a copy of the master program for permanent
record or reference.
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