Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PORTABLE VISUAL DISPLAY DEVICE WITH REMOVABLE CASSETTE
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is claiming priority of U.S.
Design Patent D 468,362, issued on January 7, 2003 and of
Swedish Patent Application No. 00-1575, filed on August 31,
2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to portable visual
display devices. More particularly, the present invention
relates to a portable visual display device that utilizes a
removable cassette to display a banner, advertising material
or other visual display media.,
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable visual display devices have a variety of
applications. For example, they can be used to display
advertising material. Such devices are commonly used by
exhibitors to display marketing materials in trade shows and
exhibitions.
There are many different types of visual display
devices available. These devices include simple stands that
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are utilized to hold rigid-type displays, as well as devices
that are used to display flexible media.
There often exists a need to provide a temporary or
.5 portable device for displaying a photomural or other
information carrying banner or sign that is readily deployed
to support and display a relatively large sign and yet is
lightweight and easily carried for transport and stoi:age.
Such a device would find advantageous'use in retail sales
displays, trade shows, fairs or the like to provide a
variety of information to those in view of it. Certain
types of signs have been devisc:d that are portable and some
are also collapsi.ble. One-such device is disclosed by U.S.
Patent 'No. 4,694,601 to Dicke et al in which a sign panel is
secured to a frame having four arms pivotally attached to a
rigid central web. The four az'ms extend to form a cross
bracingstxucture to hold the sign and are designed to fold
down in one direction when collapsed.
Other folding signs are shown in U.S. Patent No.
4,875,302 to Noffsinger and U.S. Patent No. 5,362,020 to
Brown. Noffsinger discloses a portable, collapsible display
sign in which hinged leg supports adjust legs from a
collapsed position to a fully extended spread or open
position by a slidable frame member. The sign is in the
form of a stretchable elastic fabria secured to the frame
and each respective leg support such that tension in the
fabric imaintains the display in the open position in a two-
sided system.
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In Br-own, pairs of. pivotal legs are attached to a
common cross member and are adapted to swing between fully
folded and fully deployed positions.
Still another collapsible display system is disclosed
in U.S. Patent No. 6,012,688 to LaMotte. That device
incorporates a pair of spaced hollow mounting tubes, which
carry opposite edge loops of the banner threaded over the
tubes. In such an assembled system, the banner is carried
on and between t.,he spaced apart mounting rods. The banner
is held in tension by a pair of hollow strut members crossed
to form an X-bracing arrangement.
While these and other existing devices have certain
attributes and provide a degree of flexibility and
portability in successful display signs, there remains a
need for a lightweight, durable, portable system that
readily deploys from a storage state to a display mode
readily. There also exists a need for such a system in
which many different banners or murals can be
interchangeably displayed using the same device without the
need to disassemble the device for banner loading purposes.
In addition, there exists the need for such a device, in
which the displayed banner or mural can easily be retracted,
removed from the display, and replaced with another banner
or mural.
SUNMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
lightweight, durable, readily deployed display support
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system for a banner, photomural display panel or other
visual display media.'
It is another object of the present invention to
provide such a lightweight, durable, readily deployed
display 'support system, for a banner, photomural display
panel or other visual display media in which the banner,
photomural display panel or other visual display media can
readily and easily be exchanged relative to the support
structure.
It is a further object ot the present invention to
provide for the easy and convenient exchange of banners,
photomural display panels or other visual display media
relative to the support structure through the use of a
removable cassette that can be readily loaded into and
removed from the support structure.
These and other objects and advantages of the pre5eilt
invention are achieved by inserting and securing into a
holding member a removable cassette that has been pre-loaded
with a banner, photomural display panel or other visual
display media, and then extending the banner, photomural
display panel or other visual display media from the holding
member. The cassette can receive a display media and is
adapted to be inserted into and removed from the holding
member. It is designed to permit movement of the display
media from a closed position to an open, visual position.
There is also a mechanism for removably positioning the
cassette'into theholding member and a second mechanism for
maintaining the display media in the open posit.ion.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the visual display
device of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the visual
display device of Fig. 1, with a pole connected to the
device and banner shown in phantom.
Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view oi` the visual display
device of Fig. 1, with a pole connected tc> the device and
banner shown in phantom.
Fig. 4 is an exploded view of an end portion of the
visual display device of Fig. 1
Fig. 5 is a side view of the visual display device of
Fig. 1, with a side element attached and with a cassette
inserted.
Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectional view taken along lines
6-6 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is an interior view of a side: covering for the
visual display device of Fig. 1.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a cassette for the
visual display device of Fig. 1.
Fig. 9 is an exploded view of a cassette for the visual
display device of Fig. 1.
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Fig. 10 is a side view of a cassette., for the visual
display device of Fig. 1.
Fig. 11 is a plan view of a first erid cap for the
cassette of Fig. B.
Fig. 12 is a plan view of a second end cap.
Fig. 13 is a plan view opposite that; of Fig. 12 of the
second end cap for the cassette of Fig. 8.
Fig. 14 is an edge view of the first, and second end
caps.
Fig. 15 is a front view of the visual display device of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 16 is a bottom view of the visual display device
of Fig. 1, with a cassette inserted.
Fig. 17 is a bottom view of the visual display device of
Fig. 1, with no cassette inserted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings and, in particular, Figs. 1
to 3, there is shown a visual display device generally
represented by reference numeral 10. Fig. 1 shows display
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device 10 in its closed position, while Figs. 2 and 3 show
display device 10 in its open position.
Visual.display device 10 has a base or holding member
20. Holding.member 20 has a first portion 22 and a second
portion 26 separated by an opening 50 running longitudinally
along its top surface. Second portion 26 has an orifice 40.
First portion 22 preferably has a strip 60. In the
preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the holding
member 20 has sides that are each generally el.liptical in
shape. Holding member 20 is preferably made of a
lightweight and durable material such as aluminum. As shown
in Figs. 2 and 3, a banner, photomural display pane7. or
other visual display media 55 can be extended or retracted
from holding member 20, -and thus the cassette 70, through
opening.50 in the holding member.
As shown in Fig. 4, holding member 20 of visual display
device 10 preferably has two side elements 65 (only one of
which is shown). Each side element 65 is connected to a
different end of holding member 20. In the preferred
embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, each side element 65 is
connected to holes 68 of the body of holding member 20 by
screws 67. Each side element 65 preferably also has at
least one open slot 69. A side covering 30 is preferably
removably attached to each side element 65. Referring to
Figs. 4 and 5, at least.one side covering 30 has holes 32
shown in Fig. 7, which line up with holes 62 in side element
65, and which is attached thereto preferably by removable
thumbscrews. Each removable side covering 30 is preferably
made of a plastic material.
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As shown in Fig: 5, each side element 65 of the holding
member 20. has a centrally located opening 64, through which
the cassette member 70 can be inserted into holding member
20. As shown, in Figs. 5 and 6, holding member 20 has ridged
S members 61 and 66 i.n its interior that hook onto and hold
the removable cassette member 70.
As shown in Fig. 6, the front of the holding member 20
has a grooved element 25 running along its length in which
strip 60 is attached. Strip 60 is preferably a curved,
plastic strip. Fig. 4 shows that the removable side
coverings 30 have protrusions 35 that line up with the
plastic strip 60 and allow for an aesthetically pleasing
uniform appearance on the front side of the holding member
20.
In the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9,
cassette 70 has an outer casing 71. Preferably, outer
casing 71 has two C-shaped cylindrical pieces 75 and 76. In
this preferred embodiment, cassette 70 is tube-shaped. The
outer casing 71 is preferably made of a plastic material.
As shown in Fig. 9, the outer casing has two hook-
shaped portions 77 and 78 that latch onto the ridged members
61 and 66 of the interior of holding member 20 shown in Fig.
4, thereby securing cassette 70 in place in the holding
member. Cassette 70 preferably has two end caps 90 and 110,
shown in Figs. 8, 12 and 13, and 10 and 11 respectively.
Each end cap 90,.110 is located at either end of the tube-
shaped cassette 70. Referring to Fig. 14, end caps 90 and
110 are connected to outer casing 71 of cassette 70 via
several hook snaps 95 that fasten into holes 79 located in
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the ends of outer casing 71 as shown in Fig. 4. End caps 90
and 110 also have center holes 92 and 112, respectively, as
shown in Figs. 11 and 13, respectively.
The outer casing 71 of cassette 70 encloses a biased
spindle device 80. As shown in Figs. 4 and 9, biased
spindle cievice 80 is preferably a standard spring-loaded
spindle, substant'ially similar to the devices utilized with
standard retractable home window shades. In the preferred
embodiment, biased spindle device 80 is longitudinally
centered in cassette member 70. As shown in Fig. 9, one end
of biased spindle device 80 preferably has a central
embossment 88 and a hole 94 designed to fit stop pin 93. As
shown in Fig. 12,' end cap 110 has a center hole 112 and a
hole 113. Central embossment 88 fits into hole 112 and aids
in centering biased spindle device 80 in outer casing 71.
Hole 113 of end cap 110 aligns with.hole 94 of biased
spindle device 80. Stop pin 93 may be inserted through tiole
113 and hole 94 to maintain the tension in biased spindle
device 80. Removal of stop pin 93 results in release of the
tension.
As shown in Fig.4, the other end of biased spindle
device 80 preferably has an embossmcnt 87 that is connected
to an inner cylinder 89 of biased spindle device 80. The
tension in biased spindle device 80 is adjusted by the
rotation of,inner cylinder 89. Preferably, a slotted disc
100 is placed between the end of biased spindle device 80
and end cap 90. Disc 100 has a central hole 102 that fits
over embossment 87. Disc 100 also has raised grooves 105
that correspond to slots 91 on the interior of end cap 90.
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Once assembled, embossment 87 passes through hole 102 and
into hole 92.
In the preferred.embodiment shown in Fig. 9, a stiort
leader banner.85 is attached to biased spindle device 80.
In this preferred embodiment, when visual display device 10
is assembled, leacler banner 85 passes through an opening 72
as shown in Fig. 4, in outer casing 71 of cassette 70, as
well as opening 50 of holding member 20. In the preferred
embodiment, a banner, photomural display panel or other
visual-display media 55 is connected to leader banner 85 by
connecting the banner, photomural display panel or other
visual display media 55 to a strip of adhesive material
located on -an edge of ].eader banrier 85. Once connected to
leader banner 85, the banner, photomural display panel or
other visual display media 55, can be retracted into or
extended cut of cassette 70. Preferably, the opposite end
of the banner, photomural display panel or other visual
display media 55 can be connected to a rod that can be
connected to the end of a pole 45 using a hook.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 15 to 17, an orifice 40 is
I.ocat.ed in hold'ing member 20 through second portion 26. In
the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 15, there is
preferably a rigid cup-like receptacle 47 that extends
vertically through orifice 40. When-fully assembled, as
shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a pole 45 can be inserted into
receptacle 47 iri orifice 40. Once cassette 70 is inserted
into holding.member 20, a banner, photornural display panel
or other visual display media 55 that has been previously
attached to leader banner 85 can be extended and fastened to
the top of pole 45 by any conventiozzal connecting mechanism
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CA 02354724 2001-08-01
and displayed in this fashion. The banner, photomural
display panel or other visual display media 55 can also be
disengaged from. pole 45 and retracted back into cassctte 70.
Pole 45 can then be removed and visual display device 10 can
be easily ttansported. For portability purposes, a
collapsible pole cari be used.
The present invention having been thus been described
with particular reference to the preferred forms thereof, it
will be obvious that various changes and modifications may
be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope
of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
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