Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
ILLUMINATED IDENTIFICATION PANEL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. This invention is directed to a back-lighted phosphorescent panel for
silhouetting
identification indicia, such as house numbers, and in particular to a panel
having long range
visibility, for remote viewing.
2. There are products presently available in the market for use with house
address numbers,
wherein a planar panel is backlighted by phosphor-based luminescence, to
silhouette dark
numbers which block off selected areas of the lighted surface.
These prior art products are characterized by a number of disadvantageous
aspects:
1) the panels are limited in size, usually to rectangles about 3-inches by 5-
inches;
2) many of the panels are permanently energized, being connected to the door-
bell power
circuit, thereby reducing the working life of the panel;
3) the panels are subject to ultra-violet degradation, becoming bleached by
sunlight.
4) being exposed to the elements, and with the repeated thermal loading and
unloading that can occur
under the effects of sunlight or if the panels m~e intermittently energized,
differential
expansion/contraction can permit the ingress of moisture, to the extreme
detriment of the panel.
The small, three inch by five inch size of existing panels defeats a major
safety potential of such
signage, which is the rapid identification of a property address by distant-
viewing from a remote
vantage point in the adjacent street at times of crisis and extreme emergency.
At the present time, when an emergency alarm is generated for a service such
as the Fire Service,
in answer to a domestic call involving a fire or a heart attack, it is
frequently necessary for a pilot
spotter vehicle to precede the response team, in order to locate the given
address of the premises
where the crisis has originated. In such instances, the currently available
above-mentioned
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
illuminated signage is generally completely indecipherable from the street,
owing to its undue size
limitation, rendering it virh~ally useless at a time when it is most n~ded.
The delay presently
associated with this circumstance may prove in some instances to be fatally
critical.
BRIEF StTMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an illuminated signage consisting of a
weatherproof, wall-
mountable display having a frame enclosing a planar, backlighted screen. In
one embodiment
the screen is some 4'/4 inches by 91/4 inches, suitable for use with
characters as large as four
inches high, such as four such numbers, which are mounted upon the face of the
screen, in
obscuring relation with predetermined areas of the screen, so that the
characters appear in
silhouette, with a lighted background. Customized graphics may also be used
with the panel.
The "lamp" (i.e. the lighted area of the screen) can be rectangular, ovoid or
other selected shape, in
accordance with the shape of the screen housing, which is usually a plastic
moulding..
In the dark, signs in accordance with the invention are readable from some two
hundred feet away.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has a u/v protective coating
applied to the face
of the screen, to limit or preclude damage from the sun.
A further characteristic of the subject invention is the use of a photocell,
to de-energise the screen
when a predetermined level of local illumination, such as daylight occurs.
This de-energizing is
achieved by interrupting the low voltage D.C. circuit of the photoluminescent
screen. The result of
interrupting the energization of the screen is to terminate its light
emission, and to correspondingly
extend the life expectancy of the screen.
A further characteristic of the present invention is the operation of the
screen at a reduced voltage
such that the level of luminescence is reduced to an acceptable degree without
unduly
compromising visibility, while correspondingly extending the life expectancy
of the phosphor.
2
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
As a consequence of the foregoing innovations, the subject invention provides
a unitary photo-
luminescent signage of sufficient area to illuminate a plurality of four-inch
high symbols,
possessing ulv protection of the screen face, and operating at a reduced
voltage, less than the
permissible optimum, and possessing anticipated extended life expectancy.
The screen has a light-toned colour, so that in daylight conditions when the
screen is not
energized, the dark-colout~ed indicia are clearly visible, in contrast against
the light-toned screen.
The indicia may be protected against the elements and unauthorized tampering
by a clear
protective mask. This mask may incorporate the u/v protective layer.
In order to provide optimal protection against the ingress of moisture, the
protective mask may
be ultrasonically welded about its edges,to the housing, to provide a hermetic
seal.
As an alternative arrangement to the use of superimposed indicia, an opaque
mask may be used,
having the indicia or other visual display matter as clear surface areas of
the mask, so that the
revealed illuminated surface of the screen will be in the form of the desired
indicia or display.
The term "opaque indicia means" is intended to encompass both the superimposed
opaque
individual indicia and the opaque mask having indicia as unobstructed screen
areas.
Despite the extremely close fits of casing components that can be achieved
with present day
injection moulding, the subject casing incorporates a clear plastic protective
face over the
viewing surface that is ultrasonically welded into place, to totally inhibit
the ingress of moisture.
The peripheral joint of the two halves of the casing incorporates a gasket
seal of round
(O-ring) section.
Back-up protection of the surface of the lamp is provided by a peripheral
gasket of shallow
rectangular section that separates the face of the electric lamp from the
adjacent plastic window,
to permit limited relative expansion between the lamp face and the adjacent
viewing window, that
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
may occur due to thermal changes, such as those caused by the operation of the
lamp, while
maintaining the lamp face in a sealed condition.
The subject signage may be powered by household power, through a step-down
transformer, by
a solar cell, or alternative electrical sources.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Certain embodiments of the invention are described by way of illustration,
without limitation
thereto other than as set forth in the accompanying claims, reference being
made to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective front view of a domestic embodiment of the subject
illuminated identification panel;
Figure 2 is a schematic section view of the subject panel, illustrating
certain of its
Characteristics;
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the panel of Figure 1 in an opened
condition, and;
Figure 4 is a scrap section taken at section 4-4 of Figure 3
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Figure 1, a photo-luminescent panel 10 in accordance with the
present invention is
of a size to show a plurality of four-inch indicia 12, indicated herein as
four Arabic numerals, 7,
5, 4, 3, 2 indicative of a Street address number.
The illuminated screen 1 S has an exposed area of 4 3/. inches by 9 '/.
inches, to provide good light
profiling of up to four 4-inch, substantially opaque numbers, with adequate
illuminated surround
for easy distant viewing. In the case of a "negative" display (as in
'photographic negative'),
wherein the characters appear as lighted screen surface, with adjoining
surface areas being
blanked off, the characters can be yet larger, and extend to the screen edges.
4
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
A raised bridge portion 16 of the housing 14 has a pair of screw recesses 18
into which support
screws (not shown) are inserted, for mounting the panel on a vertical support
surface..
A photo cell 20 is mounted centrally within the bridge portion 16.
Referring to Figure 2, the panel 10 has a removable back cover 22 through
which is connected a
power cord 24.
Within the housing 14 is a copper backing 26 and phosphor coating 28 which
serves as the light
emitter 30, being connected to an external power source, as representxd by the
connecting cord
24. Power may be by way of a transformer/rectifier 24'connected with a
domestic house circuit,
or by connection to a bell-circuit, or a solar cell, neither of which are
shown.
The photo cell 20 is connected in controlling relation with the 'onloff
switching relay 32 to
control the series connection between the external power supply as represented
by the power
connection 24 and the light emitter 30, so as to open-circuit the connection
34 during daylight
hours, and to close, and energize emitter 30 when ambient light dims to a pre-
set threshold level.
Thus, when daylight diminishes and the photo cell 20 operates, this permits
the emitter 30 to
become energized, and the panel 10 becomes illuminated, thereby back-lighting
the indicia 12,
or lighting the perforations of a 'negative' screen.
One such 'negative' indicia screen may comprise a clear plastic having the
desired indicia areas
unobstructed, and the remainder of its surface blanked off . This particular
arrangement
then permits the use of the full screen dimensions, such that, in the instance
of the embodiment
herein described, indicia may extend to the edges of the screen, i.e. up to 4 -
3 / 4 inches high;
giving an 18% increase in effective indicia dimension, compared to four inch
indicia numbers.
By use of a dark paint as the blanking medium, the "blonde" surface of the
screen shows through
in contrast, in daylight conditions when the screen is not energized.
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the panel 10 is shown in a "folded-open"
condition, with the front
half casing 40 of the panel 10 positioned face-down, being separated from the
back cover 22, by
way of removing the array of securing screws (not shown) from the ring of
spaced positioning
bosses 42.
The transparent screen 15 is sonic welded to the inner face of the casing 40,
to form a
weatherproof, hermetic seal.
The face 28 of the light emitter (or "lamp") 30, which lies closely adjacent
the inner face of the
screen 15 when in their assembled condition, has a peripheral gasket 44 of
shallow rectangular
section. The gasket 44 is held in compressed, sealing relation with the
adjacent faces 28,15, to
serve as a back-up seal for the sonic-welded edge seal of the screen 15,
against the ingress of any
moisture onto the lamp face 28.
A sealing gasket 46 of circular section is laid in a recess that extends about
the internal periphery
of the casing 10, to seal the joint between the two halves 16, 28.
A pair of boss portions 19, that form the interior of screw recesses 18, have
recessed head
portions 21 about which elastomeric O-ring seals (not shown) are positioned,
to complete the
hermetic sealing-off of the interior of the panel 10 against the ingress of
outside moisture.
Concerning the particulars of the actual display ,it is contemplated that a
specialty installation
might comprise a "negative" screen in which the blanking medium (probably a
paint) might be
precisely the same colour as the colour of the non-illuminated screen. In this
case, the screen
would be an apparent blank under non-illuminated conditions, and the indicia
would only be
viewable when the screen is energized.
This type of identification panel might be used within a secured, enclosed
establishment,
wherein access to restricted areas is obstructed, by an absence of room or
zone identification,
6
CA 02505443 2005-04-27
which can be instantly overcome by operation of the energizing circuit for the
identifying sign of
the selected zone.
