EP0074989A1 - Optoelectronic fancy article or ornament - Google Patents

Abstract

An optoelectronic novelty or decoration item has a display unit for the visual representation of plan configurations, a control unit comprising a program source and an attack means positively connected to the display unit and having in addition a source of electric current supply. These articles or decorations are designed and constructed as plan lights having a decorative and / or recreational effect and / or a fun aspect with an enclosure itself decorative which can be used for personal use such as small jewels, charms, articles of jewelry, or as decorative components of other articles such as lighters, key rings, pencils or pens, watches, calculators, etc., or even as decorative objects inside tables or shelves or as decorative accessories for the latter. The display unit (3) of the fancy or decorative article comprises an optoelectronic indication device (s) capable of displaying at least two colors using of colored segments such as spots, dot frames and / or integrated fields formed by these spots and / or frames activated only or jointly by the control unit (2) having a reported source of periodic and / or random signals and / or an ambient signal detector. Thus, the display unit (3) of the novelty or decoration item represents a substantially cyclical and / or random flow of alternate configurations, of series of two-dimensional mobile figures or of non-figurative mobile images.

Description

OPTOELECTRONIC FANCY ARTICLE OR ORNAMENT

Technical Field

The invention relates to an optoelectronic fancy article or ornament having at least one display unit for visual representation of substantially planar configurations, a control unit including a program source and a driving means positively connected to said display unit and further having an electric power supply source. Background Art In different fields of application there are knswn electrically operated, mainly large-size articles and ornamental pieces capable of visually representing programmed light effects. Such devices are generally known as light or colour show mobils or luminars and their typical examples are illuminated advertisements, electric signs and the so called light organs for converting sound signals of amplifiers into different light effects of changing colour and/or intensity by frequency filtering and modulation. As another example, luminous effect ornaments of artistic value such as the luminar towers of Nicolas Schδffer form part of the prior art concerned. In smaller size range illuminated glass-fibre bunches usually equipped with electromechanically operated colour changing means are known and used as decorative home appointments.

When in operation, the ends of the glassfibres appear as illuminated light spots of different colours of highly decorative effect.

On the other hand, small size electronic devices and articles for personal use such as digital clocks, watches, calendars, calculators and combinations thereof are nowadays widely used and very common. Such known devices comprise a display unit capable of visual representation of digits and/or of characters and also of some other simple symbols, an electronic control unit including a program source and a driving means usually in form of compact integrated circuits, and an electric power supply source usually arranged within a suitable casing or housing of the device. Sueh prior art devices have in common that their display unit, particularly their optoelectronic indicator devices are designed and as such, merely capable of digital and/or of semi-analogue visual representation of informative data, in particular of that of digits, characters and symbols giving practical information to the user in accordance with their fields of application as instruments, indicators of practical purpose.

In such known prior art electronic articles, in instruments and also in known electronic entertaining devices, commonly known as "brown goods", reflective or light emitting optoelectronic indicator devices especially of the liquid crystal and of the electroluminescence kind are widely in use. Owing to the rapid technical-technological progress in the field concerned, today, plasma, electrochrome and electrophoretic indicator devices for the same purpose are already available. Depending on the type of the crystals and of the liquid media applied the known indicator devices are capable of representing symbols and characters not only in black and white but also in different other colours. As another development result, liquid crystal displays for alternative visual representation of three or of even four different colours on one and the same display segment have also become available by applying two different d liquid crystal layers between three thin glass sheets. Disclosure of Invention An object of the present invention is to provide electronically controlled small size autonomous fancy articles and/or ornaments of in itself decorative and/or entertaining and/or pleasing, amusing effect, and/or of playful, toyish appearance by a novel application of the above listed prior art electronic and optoelectronic devices. Another object of the present invention is to provide small, pleasing, substantially two-dimensional luminars for awaking visual experience and impression, such small luminars being applicable in a wide range of applications such as personal fancy articles, home appointments, small pieces of furniture, as means of advartising or even as essential decorative constituent parts, ornaments of said articles.

It has been recognized that by a novel application and utilization of the rapidly growing available sortiment of miniaturized electronic mass-products electronic devices for generating bright, coloured light effects, changing colour phases and/or moving geometric or even non-figurative patterns and pictures in a reproducible manner, mainly if not exclusively for pleasing and attracting purposes can be designed and manufactured. In addition to this, it could be proved that there is a wide public need for such fancy articles being in the order of centimeter or less in size, manufactured and used either as bijous, trinkets, pieces of jewelry, articles of fashion for strictly personal use or as means of advertising, pieces of home furniture, appointments or even as accessories for said and certain other articles in order to improve their appearance and decorative effect.

In accordance with the above described objects by this invention there is provided an optoelectronic fancy article or ornament having at least one display unit for visual representation of substantially planar configurations and having an electronic control unit including a program source and a driving means positively connected to said display unit and further having an electric power supply source wherein the invention is characterized in said at least one display unit comprising optoelectronic indicator devices capable of at least two-colour visual display, the display unit being encased in and being thereby substantially integral with an in itself decorative housing, said optoelectronic device(s) of the display unit(s) having preferably coloured segments such as spots, dot-rasters and/or shaped integrated fields of such spots, dot-rasters and capable of being activated solely and/or jointly by said control unit having a periodic and/or random signal source and/or an ambient signal sensor, said display unit showing thereby a subtantially cyclic and/or random flow of alternating at least two-colour patterns and/or series of moving planar, two-dimensional figures and/or moving nonfigurative pictures.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the display unit comprises upon their activation light reflecting or light generating optoelectronic indicator devices, the display unit particularly comprising at least one display of liquid crystal or electrochrome or electrophoretic or electroluminescence or of plasma type and/or compound combinations of said types of display indicator devices. Such devices are known throught their very low energy consumption and throught high resolving power. In some preferred embodiments the display unit further comprises at least one of fixed masks arranged substantially around and/or within the displaying area, said fixed mask(s) may have one or more particular fields of different shape and/or colour.

In many forms of the invention optoelectronic fancy articles or ornaments are provided wife an in itself decorative housing being designed and shaped so as to serve as a personal fancy article, in particular as bijou, a small trinket, as a piece of jewelry, as an article of fashion or as a component part or appurtenance of same. Said decorative housing may be combined as ornamental accessory to a number of articles for personal use such as stationery, office supplies, cigar or cigarette lighters, keytainers, calculators and/or digital watches, etc. In further fields of application said in itself decorative housing may have the function and appearence of particular home appointments such as table and/or shelf and/or wall decorations or accessories to such articles.

In different embodiments of the invention the housing of in itself decorative effect can be made of metal or of glass or of plastics and/or of compound composites of these and other materials. Said housing may preferably yet not necessarily be coloured and/or made more attractive and valuable by application of noble metals and/or of semi-precious stones and/or of jewels and/or of fine gold and silversmith's work. In accordance with their particular application, said housing of the fancy article may also be equipped with suitable support, mounting or suspending means to provide better use and handling. In preferred embodiments of the invention the control unit may consist of partially or even entirely integrated electronic circuits including at least a program source, a driving means and further including a central integral switch means for programmed positive activa tion of segments of the display unit. In a very simple embodiment of the invention the program source of the display unit includes an electronic memory, preferably a ROM having at least one entered fixed program. Other preferred embodiments may be provided with a control unit including an electronic memory having at least one entered fixed program and/or erasable and reenterable programs too. The program source may include a random signal generating device and/or an ambient signal sensor, particularly a microphone or an infra-red radiation sensor or a visible light sensing device. The control unit is further equipped with known signal processing electronic circuits. In certain embodiments, manually operable switches for starting and stopping operation and/or for sequentially selecting and setting the desired program or the mode of operation may be provided.

The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament subject to the present invention may have an electric power supply source arranged either within or remote, i.e. separately from its in itself decorative housing. The power supply source preferably consists of or comprises at least one galvanic cell and/or light cell and/or storage battery and/or mains adaptor. In some preferred embodiments of the invention where the power supply source is arranged remote, i.e. separately from the housing, the supply source may particularly be placed into a spectacles temple or otherwise hidden behind the ears or it may be located in pockets, etc. Between the electric power supply source and the control unit or between certain functional parts of the latter and/or of the display unit an energy and/or signal transmitting, connection may be provided either via cord or in a cordless, wireless manner. Yet another group of preferred embodiments of the invention may include a display unit designed and arranged as a combined or additional display to different electronic devices of not exclusively decorative use. In particular, such articles may be watches, clocks, and/or calendars and/or calculators as examples only, said electronic articles being equipped with at least one change-over switch means for selecting between the different possible modes of operation including that of the device displaying a substantially cyclic and/or random flow of alternating at least two-colour patterns or a series of moving planar, two-dimensional figures and/or of moving pictures for pleasing, entertaining purposes, only. Optoelectronic fancy articles or ornaments of the kind as invented and substantially described above are primarily designed and manufactured as autonomous novel articles of highly decorative effect capable of attracting and pleasing, of offering visual impression, of awaking curiosity and interest and of arresting the spectator's attention by means of their displaying figures, shapes, pictures, light and colour effects changing preferably both in time and in eolour. As mentioned already, certain embodiments of the invented miniaturized two-dimensional display luminars are able to show moving, coloured flows of patterns of practically any kind and shape including even those offering the impression of advancing and/or of rotary movements. Naturally enough, characters and/or defined groups of other symbols changing in time and/or in colour may also be visually represented. In that manner, the invented fancy article or ornament may also be designed for displaying names, e.g. conference tags, for showing company names, trade mark figures, short advertisements, etc. in predetermined programmed sequence. According to the most important essential feature of the present invention the fancy article or ornament is designed and manufactured to be capable of reproducibly displaying the widest range of shapes and colours including relative simple geometric figures, pictures of objects to be found in nature like flowers, etc., and also including more complicated flowing pictures like that of flying birds or of other digitalized moving light and shade effects. Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to h the attached drawings showing different preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example only. In the attached drawings are Fig. 1 a plane view of the liquid crystal display of a relative simple embodiment of the invention designed as a light cell operated ear pendant, Fig. 1 showing a momentary activated pattern configuration of a first group of the display segments in dark, Fig. 2 the same plane view of the display of an ear pendant showing activated pattern configuration of a second group of display segments in similar manner, Fig. 3 a sectional side view of the ear pendant, and Fig. 4 a plane view at the back side of the ear pendant indicating the light cell collector surface extending substantially over the whole rear wall of its decorative housing, Fig. 5 an elevational rear view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention designed for use as a breast-pin or brooch with the back cover of its housing remove for demonstration purpose only, Fig.6 a cross-sectional side view of the brooch, Fig. 7 a front elevation view of the brooch demonstrating by way of example only one preferred segment configuration of its display unit and showing one just activated group of segments, Fig. 8 the front elevational view of the brooch showing another preferred display pattern configuration with just momentarily activated segment areas of the same, Fig. 9 a front elevational view of a third preferred embodiment of the invention designed and constructed as necklace medal equipped with a buil t-in ambient signal sensor, in particular with a built-in microphone, Fig. 10 a side elevational view of the necklace medal as shown in Fig. 9, Fig. 11 a front plane view of a further preferred embodiment of the invention constructed as a mediumsize mobil sound-converting light organ for use as a table or shelf decoration, and Fig. 12 a schematic block diagram showing by way of example only, essential parts of a preferred embodiment of a fancy article or ornament according to the invention, indicating the connections between functional means and circuits within an integrated control unit and between the electric power supply source, between the control unit and a display unit, said display unit being equipped with three different groups of segments that may be activated in different cycles and modes of operation. Modes of Carrying out the Invention A preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 to 4 of the drawings is designed as a small size ear pendant having a suspending eye 8 secured to an in itself decorative housing 4. When dealing with relatively cheap, simple embodiments, the housing 4 may be made of some plastic material. However, having an ear pendant as a piece of more valuable jewelry, the housing 4 may be manufactured of some known noble metal, expecially of gold or of silver duly decorated with fine gold and silversmith's work along its edges. On the back of the housing 4 extending substantially over the whole surface of the rear wall there is a light cell that serves as power supply source 1 for continuous operation. On the front face of the ear pendant there is a display unit 3 having in this particular piece of fancy article seven segments of a liquid crystal display of aesthetically matching colour combination. Said seven segments are electrically connected to from two groups of segments that are to be activated alternatively by an integrated control unit 2 which is arranged substantially in the central area of the housing 4 between the display unit 3 and the light cell as shown in Fig. 3. In a simple case the ear pendant may be equipped with a control unit 2 having a supply voltage oscillator for the LCD capable of alternatively activating said two groups of segments of the display unit 3, the display unit of the pendant showing thereby an activated enlighted coloured pattern configuration as indicated in Fig. 1 in a first phase of activation, and switching over to another activated coloured pattern configuration as shown in Fig. 2 in a second phase of activation, followed by switching back to the first phase and to the second phase again in a blinking, continuously alternating manner. By applying more complicated control units 2 a large variety of multiphase programs can be performed through step by step activation of different changing groups and other subgroups of the seven display segments according to predetermined programmed cyclic sequences. Thus, a large number of attracting, pleasing light effects may be displayed in shape, in colour combination and in sequence of representation.

Another preferred embodiment of the invented optoelectronic fancy article designed and constructed such as a breast-pin or brooch as an example is shown in Fig. 5 to 8. The inner arrangement and connection wiring of its essential component parts i.e. of an electric power supply unit 1, a fully integrated control unit 2 and of a display unit 3 within a substantially decorative housing 4 are indicated in Figures 5 and 6. As one example out of an endless variety of possible display units, Fig. 7 shows a liquid crystal display unit 3 the round active face of which being surrounded by a fixed mask 11. This mask in itself or together with the housing 4 may be a substantially decorative mass product (stamped and surface processed) when dealing with a relatively cheap bijou or trinket as an example. Certain more valuable embodiments however may be of high artistic value with fine gold or silversmith's work involved. The round faced display shown in Fig. 7 comprises eight substantially equal shaped segments of freely selectable colour combination. When in operation, the impression of a rotary motion is generated by activating the segments in a continuous, strictly sequentional flow. This is performed by having always two adjacent segments activated at the same time in a fashion that simultaneously with the deactivation of the segment lying rearwardly in the sense of rotation (see arrow in Fig. 7) the segment proceeding in the direction of rotation is activated. Fig. 8 shows another example of a display unit 3 having segments arranged to form a dot-raster of squares. The control unit 2 activates groups of segments in a programmed sequence showing towards the outer edges of the display growing or towards its center gradually diminishing squares. As electric power supply source 1 an ultra thin lithium cell is applied. By using such cells, resulting thickness of the brooch can be kept substantially small. In some more valuable embodiments a microprocessor operated control unit 2 may be used whereby a great variety of multiphase programs can be stored and performed. Such embodiments of the invention are generally equipped with an on-off switch 5 for starting and stopping operation, and with a program select switch 6 enabling the user to sequentially select a desired program by repeated stepwise pushing the latter.

A third preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in Figures 9 and 10 as a substantially thin necklace medal, comprises on the front side of its decorative housing 4 a display unit 3 having liquid crystal segments of the pattern configuration as seen in Fig. 9 as an example. These segments may be activated in pairs similarly to known linear or non-linear bar indicators, but preferably in a push-pull manner following suitable processed signals of an ambient signal sensor 9 that can preferably be a small built-in microphone. Thus, sound signals originating from the wearer's proximity will activate the segments of the display unit in a manner to show coloured bright fields of alternatively growing and diminishing surface size, moving pair-wise in opposite directions when setting the necklace medal into such mode of operation by means of the program select switch 6. Fig. 11 shows another example of an optoelectronic fancy article as a preferred embodiment of the invention To be applied both as table or as shelf decoration of substantially larger size Fig. 11 indicates an electronic light organ having a display unit comprising three suitable arranged liquid crystal indicator fields of different colours for displaying coloured patterns that move individually following the VU levels of filtered frequency bands of a compound sound, preferably of a music piece duly sensed by a built-in microphone as ambient signal sensor 9. The display unit 3 is constructed so as to form the front wall of a substantially decorative housing 4 encasing a control unit 2 and being mounted to a stay plate 10. Fig. 12 indicates, by way of example only, a schematic block diagram showing essential component parts of a preferred embodiment of an optoelectronic fancy article or ornament. In this diagram possible connections between certain functional means and circuits within a substantially integrated control unit 2 and connections to the electric power supply source 1 and to the display unit 3 are shown. The preferably liquid crystal type display unit 3 is equipped with three groups of segments that are to be activated in different modes of operation and by various programmes. Within a housing 4 indicated in Fig. 12 by phantom lines, the power supply source 1, the control unit 2 and the display unit 3 are encased. In this particular embodiment of the invention the control unit 2 comprises a pace generator a, a binary coder and counter means b, a program storing memory c, and LGD power supply oscillator d, and a central driving means e. Segment outputs f of the dirving means e are electrically connected to three different groups of segments of the display unit 3. These groups of segments are not particularly shown in Fig. 12 since they can be of any desired shape and configuration as it could already be understood from the description of the foregoing embodiments. Internal outputs g of the driving means e serve to certain intermanufacturing purposes like the setting of different program speeds, time gaps, spacings, etc. during manufacture. The memory c is equipped with an external program erase and input connection 7 while for the driving means e an on-off switch 5 and a program switch 6 for sequentially selecting the desired program to be displayed are also provided. Since the optoelectronic fancy articles or ornaments according to the present invention are not designed and constructed for chronological use, there is no need for applying a quartz crystal pace generator.

For that purpose a very simple oscillator, an astable multivibrator may readily be used. Impulses of the latter duly processed by a frequency divider so as to arrive at a frequency range of e.g. 0,1 Hz to 1,0 Hz, are fed into the binary coder and counter means b which in turn is connected to the dirving unit e through four output channels. Through the driving means e the LCD power supply oscillator d is positively connectable to the display unit 3 for predetermined programmed actuating respective display segments and/or groups of segments by means of supplying a substantially fully filled square-wave voltage of the frequency range between 40 Hz and 1000 Hz to said (groups of) segments. The term "programmed activation" as used above includes not only activating by using periodic, substantially cyclic programmes but, in certain preferred embodiments, also the possibility of activation by means of a random signal source or generator included in or connected to the driving means e. When using a power supply source 1 of the 1,5 V type, a 3 V supply voltage for the LCD may be derived by cascading the former preferably within the driving means 3. By cross-connecting certain internal outputs g of the driving means e in the control unit 2 different program sequences and program speeds may be adjusted.

The present embodiments of this invention are to be considered in all respect as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims therefore are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

Claims :

1. An optoelectronic fancy article or ornament having at least one display unit for visual representation of substantially planar configuration, a control unit including a program source and a driving means positively connected to said display unit and further having an electric power supply source, char a c t er i z e d in said at least one display unit (3) comprising optoelectronic indicator device(s) capable of at least two-colour visual display, said display unit (3) being encased in and being thereby substantially integral with an in itself decorative housing (4), said optoelectronic device(s) of the display unit (3) having preferably coloured segments such as spots, dot-rasters and/or shaped integrated fields of such spots and/or rasters capable of being activated solely and/or jointly by said control unit (2) having a built-in periodic and/or random signal source and/or an ambient signal sensor (9), said display unit (3) showing thereby a substantially cyclic and/or random flow of alternating at least two-colour-patterns, and/or series of moving planar, two-dimensional figures and/or of moving non-figurative pictures.

2. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display unit (3) comprises upon activation light reflecting or light generating optoelectronic indicator devices, said display unit particularly comprising at least one display of liquid crystal or electrochrome or electrophoretic or electroluminescence or plasma type, and/or comprising compound combinations of said types of indicator devices.

3. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said display unit (3) further comprises at least one fixed mask (11) substantially around and/or within the displaying area, said mask (11) having one or more particular fields of different shape and/or colour.

4. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said in itself decorative housing (4) is designed and shaped so as to serve as a personal fancy article, in particular as bijou, a trinket, as a piece of jewelry, as an article of fashionor as a component part or appurtenance of same, or said housing (4) being combined as an ornamental accessory to different articles of mainly personal use such as stationery, office supplies, lighters, keytainers, calculators and/or digital watches, or said decorative housing (4) having the function and appearance of particular home appointments such as table and/or shelf and/or wall decorations or accessories to said articles.

5. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 4 wherein the in itself decorative housing (4) is made of metal or of glass or of plastics and/or of compound composites thereof, said housing (4) being preferably but not necessarily coloured and/gr made more attractive by application of noble metal(s) and/or of semi-precious stone(s) and/or of jewel(s) and/or of gold or silversmith's work.

6. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in any of the preceding claims 1 to 5 wherein said control unit (2) consists of at least partially integrated electronic circuits including at least one program source, a driving means (e) and further including an internal central switch means for programmed positive activation of the display unit (3).

7. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 6 wherein the program source of said control unit (3) includes an electronic memory (c) having at least one entered fixed program.

8. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 6 wherein the program source of the control unit (2) includes an electronic memory (c) having at least one entered fixed program and/or erasable and reenterable programs, and/or the program source including an ambient signal sensor (9) particularly a microphone, a visible light sensor or infrared radiation sensing device and/or the program source including a random signal generating device, and the control unit (2) further comprising signal processing electronic circuits, and in certain embodiments, manually operatable switches for starting and stopping operation (5) and/or for sequentially selecting the mode of operation (6).

9. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in any of the preceding claims 1 to 8 wherein the article or ornament comprises an electric power supply source (1) arranged either within or remote from the in itself decorative housing (4),said power supply source (1) consisting of at least one galvanic cell and/or light cell and/or storage battery and/or mains adaptor.

10. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in claim 9 wherein said electric power supply source (1) is arranged remote from the housing (4), the supply source being particularly placed into a spectacles temple or otherwise behind the ears, in pockets, etc., and between said electric power supply source (1) and the control unit (2 ) or between certain functional component parts of the latter and/or the display unit (3) there being provided an energy and/or signal transmitting connection via cord or in a cordless manner.

11. The optoelectronic fancy article or ornament as claimed in any of the preceding claims 1 to 10 wherein said display unit (3) is designed and arranged as combined or additional display to another device of not exclusively decorative use, in particular to devices like electronic watches, clocks and/or calendars and/or calculators, said electronic device having at least one change-over switch means for selecting between different modes of operation including that of displaying a substantially cyclic and/or random flow of alternating at least two-colour patterns or of series of moving planar, two-dimensional figures and/or of moving nonfigurative pictures.