AU651842B2 - Display apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DISPLAY APPARATUS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to advertising displays and in particular discloses a display apparatus that is provided in a ready for use configuration.

Background Art Neon lamps have been used for advertising and other displays for many years and are well known throughout the art. Such displays compris glass tubes filled with an inert gas, generally neon, or another gas or mixtures thereof. The gas is energised by a very high voltage which excites the gas until it glows. Neon lamps have the distinct advantage over other illuminated displays in that their light is penetrating and most distinct and appeals to the eye in a particular way.

However, there exist numerous problems in such display systems, referred to herein as neon lamps for the sake of convenience. Firstly, such lamps, being manufactured out of glass, are highly prone to breakage. Generally, neon lamps are arranged in shop front windows or o the sides of buildings so as to attract the attention of passers by. In such applications, the glass tubes are not enclosed and can be struck by hail or other objects and damaged quite easily. Also, rigid mechanical supports are used to secure the glass tubes in position. Such supports transmit vibrations and jarring to the glass which can result in fracturing and failure of the lamp.

Also, as such lamps operate at a very high voltage, corona discharge about electrodes connecting the lamps can cause the formation of the poisonous gas ozone <0₃). Also, such lamps emit substantial ultraviolet light which is known to cause skin cancers. As the glass tubes are generally open to the atmosphere, and due to their electrical charge, they attract dust and dirt and because of the general configuration of such displays are very difficult to clean.

There are also numerous problems associated with known neon lamps in their handling. Firstly, whilst they can be handled when operating, many electricity authorities require some form of shield or screen arranged near the neon display so as to prevent injury to persons. Problems also arise with the characteristics of the glass tubing in that there are reasonable restrictions upon the amount of bending that can be applied to the glass tube. This is particularly relevant when forming letters out of the glass in that perfect 90° bends cannot be achieved. As such, letters such as "E" appear bent and curved. Also as the glass tube is continuous, it is generally required for intermediate sections of glass tube to be blacked out in order to distinguish different symbols and letters over the entire display. This is generally achieved by painting, using black paint, those intermediate sections. Because of their inherent character, neon displays are assembled on-site which gives rise to freighting problems and packaging which can cause breakages at various stages of transport and erection. Also, on-site erection and maintenance can involve substantial expense on the part of the display owner.

Furthermore, light from known neon displays travels in every direction from the glass tubing and hence prior art signs are often visible in reverse from behind. This can be unsightly and in some cases requires the provision of a screen plate and a duplication of the display on the reverse side. Again, further expense is required.

Object of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or ameliorate, the abovementioned problems through provision of an improved display apparatus. Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the present invention there is disclosed a display apparatus comprising a transparent panel forming a window through which a visual display can be seen, said transparent panel having formed on its rear surface a series of channels within which a light means can be located, a substantially two-dimensional representation formed on or located adjacent to said rear surface, said representation and said light means forming said visual display, a rear panel including means for supporting said light means within said channels and between said transparent panel and said rear panel, and a frame adapted to support said panels. Preferably, the display apparatus is adapted to be energised so as to illuminate the light means and to enhance the appeal of the visual display.

Also, the representation can be either painted or printed onto the rear surface of the transparent panel, or most preferably, is provided as a poster which is locatable in a sandwich fashion between the transparent and rear panels. Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of an advertising display of the preferred embodiment omitting some details for clarity;

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-section along the line II—II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cut away perspective view of the various layers of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 illustrates the arrangement of the glass tubing and the advertising poster.

Best and Other Modes for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to Fig. 1, a front elevation of the advertising display 1 is shown. The display 1 is supported by a frame 2 which defines a display window 3 through which advertising matter 4 can be seen. As seen in Fig. 2, a transparent front panel 5 is provided for the display window 3. The front panel 5 is laid upon or, preferably, affixed to a moulded transparent panel 6 which includes channels 12 within which glass tubing 8 can be located. Glass tubing 8 runs behind the rear surface 13 of the moulded panel 6 and is supported by sponge supports 10 which are affixed to a rear panel 9. The sponge supports 10 are preferably polyurethane and provide a strong sponge support for the glass tubing. The supports 10 also act to hold against the rear surface 13 an opaque advertising poster 7 which, together with the glass tubing 8 forms the advertising matter 4 of Fig. 1. The manner in which the glass tubing 8 is formed into letters and display illustrations is best seen in Fig. 3. Specifically, the glass tubing 8 is exposed through the display window 3 via the channels 12 and corresponding cut-out portions 15 in the advertising poster 7. Glass tubing interconnecting various letters and symbols runs behind the advertising poster 7 and is not seen through the window 3.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the glass tubing 8 can be filled with any variety of inert gases such as neon, xenon and other gases so as to produce colour displays when energised. Also, separate sections of tubing can be interconnected via electrical cables so as to provide various illumination colours in the display 1. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the advertising display 1, by virtue of its frame 2, front panel 5 and rear panel 9 provides a sealed unit which substantially protects the glass tubing 8 from breakage as well as ensuring confinement of any gases that may be ionised by the electric conductors supplying the glass tubing. A such, the generation of toxic gases such as ozone can be confined if not substantially reduced or eliminated. Also, the front panel 5 and moulded panel 6 are preferably made of plastics materials which are formed out of laminations of acrylic including ultraviolet stabilisers. Those skilled in the art will realis that other plastics and possibly glass can be used as substitute materials. The provision of the UV stabiliser in the panels 5 and 6 prevents discolouration of the plastics material caused by sunlight and also reduces transmission of ultraviolet light from the illuminated glas tube 8 to persons viewing the display.

The panels 5 and 6 can be formed as a single panel and this is mos preferred where a clear transparent panel is required. If a tinting of the display window 3 is required, use of separate panels 5 and 6 as illustrated is preferred. This is because tint materials can cause deterioration of the mould required to form the moulded panel 6. This i overcome if only the front panel 5 is tinted. Alternatively, if mouldin of the panel 6 is not preferred, the channels 12 can be formed by cuttin out sections of the panel 6 and overlaying the front panel 5.

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that, instead of using an advertising poster 7, the rear surface 13 of the moulded panel can be painted so as enhance the appearance of the display 1. Due to light in all directions through the panel, the rear surface 1 illuminates. Hence any artwork, background, or in the present case, a poster 7 is illuminated thus enabling the poster 7 to be easily recognised whilst maintaining and enhancing the traditional effect of th lighting tubes. In previous systems, recognition of any such surface is extremely difficult due to the relative intensity and position of the light source.

Fig. 4 illustrates a preferred use of an advertising poster 7 in relation to the channels 12 of the moulded panel 6. As seen in Fig. 4, and as earlier described, for small displays it is not possible to achieve accurate bending of the glass tubing 8. In this example, the letter "E" includes rounded edges and where the tubing 8 is required to return to other letters behind the advertising poster 7, the tubing must be bent rearwardly and folded under the poster 7. At the centre of the the tubing 8 is folded back on itself so as to form the lower part of the letter. The problems of bending the glass tube 8 cause Inaccuracies in the ultimate display which can be rectified by suitable positioning of the advertising poster 7 about the channel 12. As seen in Fig. 4, the advertising poster 7 includes a printed E 16 indicated by the cross-hatching. The interior section of the printed E 16 is formed as a cut-out 15, better seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The cut-portion 15 is arranged so as to overlap the channel wall 17 In order to encroach upon the channel 12. This arrangement provides for a number of effects. Firstly, as the tubing 8 of the letter E protrudes into the channel 12, as seen best in Fig. 2, light is reflected about the walls of the channel 12 and in particular off mirror coatings 11 applied to the walls of the channel 12. As such, the overlapping portion of the advertising poster 7 that protrudes into the channel 12 becomes illuminated and gives the effect of squaring-up the letter and reducing the visual impact of the rounded edges of the glass tubing. As such, trade marks can be rendered with integrity even for small displays.

In an alternative configuration, a metalised film 18 or other like material can be applied to the bottom of the channels 12 (facing the window 3), as is illustrated for example, in the left channel seen 1n Fig. 2. The use of the film 18 provides for partial transmission of light from the tubing 8 through the transparent panels 6 and 5 as well as for some reflection of light back into the cavity 14, 1n a manner similar to the mirror coating 11. This can be used to provide a variety of visual effects such as enhancing the aura of the display representation or advertising poster 7 or for permitting the display of colours generally not available using neon lamps. For example, colours such as gold and silver are not readily provided by energized gas filled tubes but a suitably coloured metal film 18 can permit the transmission of such coloured light. Alternatively, the metalised film can be dark

(translucent) or otherwise opaque to produce a substantially dark visual image on a light background.

There are numerous advantages provided by the advertising display 1. As already described, production of poisonous gases and ultraviolet light can be substantially reduced or eliminated. Also, due to the enclosing of the glass tubing 8 and the use of a solid back panel 9, there is no reverse illumination. In order to obtain other visual effects, it will be understood that a transparent or translucent rear panel can also be used. Also, the front panel and moulded panel can also be translucent. Because the advertising display 1 is a sealed unit, there is essentially no build up of dust and dirt on the glass tubing 8. Also, the advertising display is substantially resistant to shock and breakage due to its complete construction and protection of the glass tubing using sponge supports 10. Accordingly, such a display lends itself to mass production and assembly in a factory environment and in a ready for sale configuration in which the purchaser can install his own sign. It is therefore envisaged that substantial savings in time and money will be achieved by using the advertising display 1 especially with respect to installation and repair.

Also, as the advertising display mainly comprises plastics material, so, depending on the size, a substantially lightweight article is provided. The display 1 can be constructed in a variety of shapes and sizes and is especially useful for indoor displays of a size similar to that of a picture frame. Because of its construction, the cross-sectional depth of the display 1 depends of the size of glass tubing 8 and as such, the typical depth of the display 1 in its smallest configuration is about 50 millimeters. Because intermediate tubing connecting various letters and symbols of the display run behind the advertising poster 7, there is no requirement to paint these tubes black as is done in the prior art. Also, due to this tubing not being painted black, it emits light which provides soft illumination behind the poster 7 which provides for general illumination of the entire display 1. Because of the abundance of light within the cavity 14 (Fig. 2) various visual effects can be implemented by providing variations in the construction. For example, the frame 2 can be manufactured of transparent material or have transparent windows so that light can be shed to the sides of the display 1. Alternatively, the back panel 9 can have windows which provide for illumination of a wall behind the display 1. Those skilled in the art will understand that various other effects can be achieved in a similar way.

Also, due to the arrangement of the glass tubing 8 and the depth of the entire display, it is possible for a high voltage transformer to be located within the channel 14. This transformer (not illustrated) provides for the conversion of main electricity supply to the high voltage required for the illumination of the gas within the glass tubes 8. Accordingly, the display 1 provides an entirely sealed unit for which mains supply can be directly applied and hence, if manufactured of plastics material is doubly insulated and presents no substantial electrical hazard.

In an alternative arrangement to that described above, the gas filled glass tubing 8 (the neon lamp), can be replaced by an optical fibre arrangement, which emits light from the fibre surfaces.

Australian Patent Application Nos. 75325/87 and 53667/90 disclose polymer-based optical fibre that not only transmits light along it's length in a conventional manner, but also emits light along the length o the fibre surface thus creating a "wand" of light.

Such fibres can be provided in a variety of diameters such as 30 mm and 50 mm as known to the Applicant, and hence can be used for replacing neon tubing. The fibres are illuminated by a high intensity lamp, such as a mercury vapor lamp preferably focussed onto one end of the fibre. The lamp can be located within the channel 14 in a similar manner to the transformer described above.

One advantage of this arrangement is that the fibres are flexible and hence assembly costs are substantially reduced. Also, the fibres are ductile and hence not fragile like glass tubing. Additionally, unlike the glass tubing described, which includes a return forming a loop for energization, the fibre can be illuminated from one end. Hhere the length of the fibre incurs substantial loss of luminance, the fibre can be illuminated from both ends using the same lamp or an additional lamp. However, generally, the intensity of illumination is not as high as that obtainable with neon lamps.

The foregoing describes only a number of embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, as earlier described, the front panel 5 and moulded panel 6 can be formed as a single panel which reduces the manufacturing process. Also, the display 1 can be located back to back with another display 1 so as to provide a bidirectional display.

Industrial Applicability The present invention is applicable to advertising displays and the like.

Claims (22)

1. A display apparatus comprising a transparent panel forming a window through which a visual display can be seen, said transparent panel having formed on its rear surface a series of channels within which a light means can be located, a substantially two-dimensional representation formed on or located adjacent to said rear surface, said representation and said light means forming said visual display, a rear panel including means for supporting said light means within said channels and between said transparent panel and said rear panel, and a frame adapted to support said panels.

2. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light means is selected from the group consisting of gas filled glass tubing, and an optical fibre, said optical fibre both transmitting light along its length and emitting light from surfaces thereof.

3. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, where said gas filled glass tubing is adapted to be energized to emit light via a transformer.

4. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said transformer is located within said apparatus.

5. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one end of said optical fibre is supplied with high intensity light from a lamp.

6. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said lamp is located within said apparatus.

7. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said representation is printed onto the rear surface of the transparent panel.

8. Display apparatus as claimed In claim 1, wherein said representation is painted onto the rear surface of the transparent panel.

9. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said representation is a poster locatable in sandwich fashion between the transparent and rear panels.

10. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said poster includes cut-out sections through which said light means protrudes into said channels.

11. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the periphery of said cut-out sections protrude past adjacent walls of said channels.

12. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein walls of sai channels formed in said transparent panel are mirror coated.

13. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coating is provided on the bottom of said channels facing said window.

14. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said coatin is a metalised film adapted to both transmit light therethrough and reflect light therefrom.

15. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said coating is translucent or opaque.

16. Display apparatus as claimed 1n claim 1, wherein said light means is mounted upon a plurality of supports depending from said rear panel .

17. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said representation is a poster locatable in sandwich fashion between said transparent panel and said supports.

18. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent front panel adjacent the front surface of said transparent panel .

19. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said front panel is affixed to said transparent panel.

20. Display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transparent panel is formed of a front sub-panel and an adjacent or affixed rear sub-panel in which said channels are formed by cutting out sections of said rear sub-panel.

21. A display device including two display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, arranged 1n back to back configuration.

22. A display device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said rear panels are provided as a single common rear panel to each said apparatus and representing a central panel of said device.