FR2700631A1 - Automatic display for advertising or other poster - Google Patents

Abstract

A series of rollers (110) supporting posters (116) are arranged within a casing and connected by a continuous chain drive. The chain runs over a pair of cylinders (210,220) which rotate about horizontal axes at the top and bottom of the casing.Each of the rollers includes a recall mechanism which tends to roll the poster about its roller in the absence of any exterior force. The recall mechanism also causes the drive chain to be tensioned such that the rollers are driven in sequence by simple frictional interaction with their respective cylinders.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY DISPLAYING INFORMATION
The present invention relates to a method and a device for the selective display of information carried by flexible strips wound on supports, said supports being connected together so as to constitute a deformable chain closed on itself, said chain being installed in a frame so as to constitute a mobile store of information carriers.

 According to the invention, said method consists in selecting from said store the support containing the information to be presented, then bringing it to the right of a display window, and unrolling the flexible strip which it contains in order to render visible information carried by it.

 The invention also relates to a device for implementing said method.

 The invention finds a particularly interesting application in the field of displaying information, in particular advertising.

 The first known methods for displaying information consisted of installing, by various means, the poster containing the information previously produced on a fixed display support panel.

 Developments in the requirements of operators of display devices have advanced the technique in this area, and we now know various methods for successively displaying several different pieces of information. Methods are known which consist in moving the poster to be displayed stored in a fixed store laterally or vertically so as to bring it in line with a display window.

 These methods have the major drawback of requiring a front surface substantially equal to twice the useful surface of the display window to store the posters that are not presented, and thus having a very large bulk.

 Methods are also known which consist in using an information medium consisting of several faceted elements, each of which is capable of pivoting about an axis.

 Each poster is divided into as many parts as there are facets, so that the simultaneous rotation of all facets allows new information to be presented. These systems have, on the one hand, the drawback of limiting the number of different posters that it is possible to present to the number of facets that each element comprises, and on the other hand of requiring a long and tedious implementation each time the stock of posters installed in the system is changed.

 The current advertising market, particularly with regard to highly publicized events, does not find in the use of such devices an appropriate response to its needs. It has frequently become essential for optimizing the performance of a poster campaign to have means whose implementation is simple, quick, inexpensive, and above all offering great flexibility in the choice and modification of the order of passage and display times.

 A more advantageous method, in particular adapted to this type of need, consists in installing the posters on a single support of great length which is wound on a transmitting roller. The rotation of this transmitter roller allows the successive display of information by scrolling, and the simultaneous winding of the posters already presented on a receiver roller.

 This system has the disadvantage of not allowing direct access to a poster without having to scroll in one direction or the other all the posters which precede it on the support. In addition, it does not allow the easy replacement of one or more of the posters carried by the support.

 Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a display device which is simple to implement, inexpensive, and which overcomes the drawbacks of existing methods. This process should in particular make it possible to selectively display information carried by supports previously installed in a store of the display device, and offer a simple solution to the problem of the rapid replacement of one or more of the posters of stored information carriers. . It is also desired that the method and the device according to the invention make it possible to simply define and modify the order of passage and the duration of presentation of each poster.

 The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in using flexible bands wound on supports stored in a store, in bringing the flexible band which contains the information to be presented to the right of a display window and in unroll it to make the information carried by it visible.

 The implementation of the method thus described presents the technical difficulty of knowing how to carry out in a simple and reliable manner the three functions of selection, transport, and unfolding of each information medium.

 A second difficulty consists in knowing how to roll up the flexible strip previously displayed and in bringing its support in its initial position in the store, and this without the intermediate phase between the suppression of the first poster and the presentation of the following having a duration. nor does it affect the visual quality of the display.

 The solution to these technical problems posed is according to the present invention, in particular remarkable in that the method consists in using a mobile magazine made up of several supports connected together so as to constitute a deformable chain closed on itself and arranged in two cylinders of which at least one is a motor, so as to make it mobile.

 The method also consists in using a particular arrangement of the various supports constituting the mobile magazine in order to ensure that the unfolding of the poster to be presented at the right of the display window simultaneously causes the rewinding of the poster previously presented and returning to its original state in the store.

 The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the said process consists of and proposes an implementation device according to the invention, as well as its mode of operation.

 Figure 1 is an external view of the entire display device according to the invention, showing the rigid frame (500) serving as a support for the movable parts, said frame, comprising on its front face an opening called window display (510).

 FIG. 2 is an external view of one of the supports containing the flexible wound information support bands, called rollers (110).

 Figure 3 is a partial cutaway view of one of the rollers (1.10) produced according to the method of the invention.

 Figure 4 is a cross section along line IV.IV of Figure 2 of one of the rollers (110) produced according to the method of the invention.

 Figure 5 is a cross section of the entire display device produced according to the invention.

 Figure 6 is an overview of the means for transferring the rollers to the right of the display window according to the invention.

 Figure 7 is an overview of the display unwinding means to be presented to the right of the display window according to the invention.

 FIGS. 8A to 8D illustrate the various phases of a display cycle of one of the posters, according to the method of the invention.

The rollers (110) in FIG. 2 containing the flexible information support bands, known as posters (116) in FIG. 3, comprise means (112), mobile in rotation in a rigid framework (111) of elongated shape and substantially cylindrical or parallelepipedic, said "casing", in which the poster (116) is wound in the absence of any external action under the effect of a return means (113) which may be a coil spring for example. Said poster can be unrolled outside the roller under the effect of a tensile force applied to its outer end (117). Each of the rollers (110) produced according to the invention must include at least the following elements
- two unlockable hooking devices, called "upstream" (114) (FIG. 4) and "downstream" (115) connections, located on either side of the casing (111), and diametrically opposed, making it possible to link in translation said casing having two other casings comprising identical devices, while leaving free the relative rotation of said casings about an axis parallel to their largest dimension, and
- A third attachment device (118), said "end" link, easily unlocked by an operator, and making it possible to connect the casing (111) to the end (117) of the poster carried by another roller .

 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upstream and downstream connections are constituted by an elastically deformable mechanical connection of the "clip" type, well known to those skilled in the art.

These connections are made between two elements carried by the casings, the shape of which is suitable for obtaining
a locking effect in translation in the direction of the force which the connection undergoes during operation, by simple pressure, and
- Unlocking of said link, by simple traction in the direction of the force that the connection undergoes in operation.

 This connection can be achieved by a simple mechanical connection, easily lockable or unlockable by an operator, by simple pinching or pinning for example.

 According to the method of the invention, the rollers (110) described above containing the wound posters (116) are then connected together by means of the upstream (114) and downstream (115) connections carried by their casings (111), so as to constitute a deformable chain of which each of the rollers constitutes a link.

 Each rolled up poster (116) is then connected by its external end (117) to the casing (111) neighboring in the chain by means of the end link (118) carried by said casing.

 The frame (500) Figure 5, is equipped with at least two cylinders (210) and (220) whose ends are linked to bearings integral with the side walls, and at least one means for driving in rotation (230 ) of said cylinders.

 The chain thus formed is arranged on said cylinders, so as to constitute a belt for transmitting the rotational movement between them by simple friction.

 The number N of rollers thus arranged is advantageously calculated so that the total length "L" of the chain arranged around the two cylinders (210) and (220) is substantially equal to the sum of the useful length of a poster and the number of rollers constituting the chain multiplied by the length of each link.

 The length "a" of a link is understood to mean the constant distance separating two identical points on two consecutive rollers of the chain.

 The term useful length "L0" of a poster is understood to mean the length which it is necessary to unroll to present said poster at the right of the display window.

The relationship described above is expressed by the formula
L = N xa + Lo
The number of rollers is thus calculated as follows
N = (L - Lo) / a
This characteristic makes it possible to obtain a chain which, once placed on the cylinders, comprises several links constituted by rollers indexed from 1 to N, connected together as described above, and an unrolled poster carried by the roller N, connected in its end to the roller 1 so as to close the chain on itself.

 The chain tension is naturally ensured by the return force exerted on the assembly by the spring (113) in Figure 3 of the roller N carrying the unrolled poster.

 Another of the original features of the invention consists in using the mobile assembly thus constituted as an information storage store.

The entire device produced according to the invention also includes the following elements
a means of recognizing the rollers (410) in FIG. 5, allowing each display cycle to identify the roll containing the information to be displayed,
a means for selecting the rollers (420), allowing the roll containing the poster to be presented to be held in an adequate position during its unfolding, and
a means of unfolding the posters making it possible to ensure the unfolding of the poster to be displayed at the right of the display window. This unwinding means comprises at least two mobile cylinders in rotation (310) and (320) interconnected by at least one belt (330), and at least one drive means (350).

 The belt (330) is equipped with at least one finger (340) in FIG. 7 of a suitable shape to be able to be inserted between the roller containing the poster to be presented and the neighboring roller in the chain, so as to drive the latter on the entire height of the display window when the cylinders (310) and (320) are rotated.

 An electronic control unit (430) in FIG. 5 enables the entire display device to be controlled during the various stages of the display cycle.

 This control unit is capable of recognizing and using the information defining the order of passage of the posters at the right of the display window, and the duration of each display cycle.

The operating mode of the device thus implemented according to the invention is as follows:
In a first phase, the device is stationary in the initial state described above (Figure 8A). The poster carried by roller N is unrolled and presented to the right of the display window.

 In a second phase (FIG. 8B), the control unit (430) rotates the cylinders (210) and (220) of the frame, which causes, by simple friction, a circumferential linear movement of the entire chain of rolls, one of which, roll N, remains unrolled.

 The rotation continues until the recognition means (410) of the rollers identifies the passage to the right of its sensor of the roll N1 containing the next poster to be presented to the right of the display window.

 The cylinders (210) and (220) controlled by the control unit (430) continue their rotation until said roller N1 is located in line with the selection means (420).

 The selection means (420) is then actuated so as to block the circumferential linear movement of the roller NI, and to unlock the connection between the "upstream" connection device (114) of the roller N1 and the "downstream" connection device ( 115) from the neighboring roller (N1 + 1) in the chain.

 In a third phase (FIG. 8C), the cylinders (310) and (320) of the unwinding device are rotated by the control unit (430).

 The roller N1 remains blocked in its circumferential movement by the selection means (420), while the roller (nui + 1) is driven by the finger (340) of the belt (330).

 The entire chain is then made up of two separate parts in which each of the links is connected to the neighboring link by the "upstream" (114) and "downstream" (115) connecting devices.

A first part contains all the rollers included between the roller 1 and the selected roller N1, in abutment on the selection means, and a second part contains all the rollers included between the roller (Ni + 1) and the roller N,
These two parts are themselves linked together by two posters:
- on the one hand, the poster wound in the selected roller N1, connected at its external end (117) to the casing of the roller roller (N1 + 1),
- on the other hand, the unrolled poster carried by the roller N, previously presented at the right of the display window, and connected at its end to the casing of the roller 1.

 The first part of the chain remains stationary because the roller N1 is blocked by the selection means.

 The second part of the chain is driven in a circumferential movement by the roller (N1 + 1), itself driven by the finger (340), so that its movement has the double effect of unrolling the poster contained in the roller N1 to the right of the display window, and to simultaneously rewind the poster previously presented to the right of the display window in the roll N.

 In a fourth phase (FIG. 8D), the cylinders (310) and (320) controlled by the control unit (430) continue their rotation until the roller N comes to abut against the roller (i), to which is attached the end of the poster previously presented.

 The collision of the two rollers has the effect of locking the upstream (114) and downstream (115) connections which they bear opposite one another.

 This position coincides with the end of the display cycle, the device being stationary in a state identical to the initial state, except that the poster carried by the roller N is then fully rewound, while the he poster carried by the roller N1 is unrolled over its entire useful length at the right of the display window so as to present the information it contains.

 The selection means (420) is put in the "retracted" position, position in which it allows free passage of the rollers, immediately before the start of the next cycle.

 The start of the next cycle will be triggered by the control unit from the first phase when the exposure time of the information carried by the poster of the N1 roller, has elapsed.

 All of the above elements constituting the display device according to the invention are described in their function, but their embodiment is not described in detail because they can be of very simple design, and produced without any difficulty by the skilled in the art.

 At least one preferred embodiment of said devices according to the invention is given below, by way of nonlimiting examples.

The frame (500) in Figure 1 could be constituted by a rigid structure comprising
- two side walls serving to support the axes of the cylinders,
- a front face comprising a display window (510) and two strips (upper and lower) intended to hide the rollers during the display,
- three other faces (rear, upper and lower), intended to close the entire frame and to give it good rigidity.

 Likewise, a removable support leg (520) is provided at the rear of the display device in order to give it good stability when the latter is placed on the ground.

 If necessary, the stand (520) is movable around an axis and lockable in several positions, in order to allow the inclination of the entire device to be adjusted, so as to provide better visibility of the poster.

 Mobility around the axis also makes it possible to make the foot retractable when the entire display device is transported.

 The drive means of the cylinders (210) and (220) (FIG. 5) consist, for example, of a motor driving the two cylinders in rotation simultaneously by means of a belt transmission, or of two motors synchronized by the 'control unit which controls them, each of the two motors driving one of the two cylinders in rotation.

With regard to the production of the information support rollers (110), it is in particular ensured that
- the chain tension generated by the unrolled poster induces sufficient friction on the curved parts in contact with the cylinders (210) and (220) so that said chain is driven by the rotation of the cylinders in its circumferential linear movement,
the winding speed of the poster when its end is free is greater than the speed of unwinding of the posters under the action of the unwinding device.

Advantageously for poster replacement operations, the rolled up tape can be made up of two parts
- a central part of short length carrying no information, linked to one end by means (112) of the roller,
- a part carrying the information, the length of which is equal to the useful length of the roll as defined above, and connected to the central part by an unlockable pinning or clamping device.

 This embodiment allows the replacement of the poster carried by the roller without requiring the chain roller to be removed.

 According to another embodiment of the rollers, the useful part of the rolled up strip is a transparent case comprising on one side a slot allowing the poster carrying the information to be inserted therein.

 This solution allows the use of traditional paper posters, without the risk of tearing, which has a considerable advantage from the point of view of implementation costs.

 Likewise, in order to preserve the aesthetic quality of the display when the rollers located in the chain between two successively displayed posters are scrolled to the right of the display window, the rollers comprise on the external face a flat surface, possibly decorated, making the rollers seemingly contiguous, and masking their structure.

 The upstream (114) and downstream (115) connection means carried by each roller are produced by an elastically deformable mechanical connection which can be unlocked by simple pressure, as described above and represented in FIG. 4.

 The connection means (118) at the end (117) of the posters carried by each roller are produced by a mechanical connection that can be easily locked and unlocked by an operator, as described above.

 This mechanical connection is, for example, a "clip" or clamp device known to those skilled in the art.

 It is understood that the three aforementioned types of connection can be produced by any other mechanical, magnetic, electrical or other method known to those skilled in the art, provided that they fulfill the function assigned to them according to the invention. 'invention.

 The recognition means (410) consists, for example, of an optical cell capable of reading a code such as, for example, a bar code carried by the roller which passes in front of its sensor, or any other sign allowing to characterize said roller.

 This device must be capable of transmitting to the control unit (430) the information thus noted.

The selection means (420) (Figure 5) consists, for example, of a movable finger constituting the core of an electromagnet secured to the frame. The movement of this finger is triggered by the control unit. The shape of the finger is appropriate so that it can
- unlock in its outgoing movement the connection between the selected roller and the neighboring roller,
- maintain, when in the extended position, the selected roller in a fixed position behind the frame strip when the rotation of the cylinders continues, and
- leave, when it is in the retracted position, free passage for the rollers running past it.

The control unit (430) is an electronic unit capable of performing the following functions in particular
a) controlling at the start of the display cycle the rotation of the cylinders (210) and (220), and the retraction of the selection means,
b) recognize the information transmitted to it by the recognition means and identify the roll containing the poster to be presented,
c) controlling the selection means so that it fulfills its function described above when the roller containing the poster to be presented reaches the appropriate position,
d) controlling in the third phase of the display cycle according to the description made above, the rotation of the cylinders (310) and (320),
e) interrupting the rotation of the cylinders (310) and (320) when the useful length of the roll containing the poster to be presented has been completely unrolled, and the roll containing the previous poster has been locked on the first roll of the first part of the chain, according to the description made above of the third phase of the display cycle,
f) know how to recognize and use information concerning the order in which posters are displayed and the display times requested.

 This information is contained in a memory previously loaded and installed in the frame.

 They can also be transmitted or modified, in part or in whole, remotely by means of a suitable link, this continuously before each display, or by blocks of information defining several display cycles. In this case, the information is entered by an operator on a computer system, for example, connected remotely to one or more control units.

 Various improvements described below, by way of nonlimiting examples can, if necessary, be made to the display device described above in its minimal embodiment to ensure its operation according to the method of the invention.

 Another embodiment makes it possible to reduce the cost of the assembly and to simplify the mechanism by eliminating the unwinding device composed of the cylinders (310) and (320), the belts (330), the finger (340), and the motor (350). This leaves only one drive belt and one motor. The roller drive system is implemented as follows: a closed flexible strip is positioned under the roller chain, resting on the main cylinders, to be driven in rotation by said cylinders. Said strip comprises at least one retractable finger, the movement of which is controlled by the control unit. After locking the roller (N1) by the selection means as described in the third phase of the operating cycle, said finger is put in position. "output" position and fits between the roller (N1) and the roller (Nî + 1). The main cylinders (210) and (220) are then rotated by the control unit, driving the flexible strip secured to said finger, the latter ensuring the unfolding of the poster carried by the roller (N1 + 1) such as described in the fourth phase of the operating cycle.

 This embodiment also makes it possible, if necessary, to overcome the "upstream" (114) and downstream "(115) connections between the rollers. In fact, their essential role is to ensure the rotation of the the whole chain by simple rubbing without the possibility of sliding of a few rollers on at least one of the main cylinders (210) and (220) with which they are in contact during the movement. above, all of the rollers are in contact with the flexible strip carrying the retractable finger, which ensures in all intermediate positions their friction drive without sliding on said strip.

 As a variant, the posters are not wound on rolls, but simply folded back on themselves in the form of an accordion. The advantage of such a variant lies in the simplification of the device, as well as in the reduction in size and cost. As a result, more posters can be included in the device.

 It will be noted that in the event of a failure of the device according to the invention, for whatever reason, provision is made to mask the display window by a curtain placed manually.

 The display device according to the invention can be produced indifferently so as to provide a direction of movement of the vertical posters as described above, or horizontal, without this increasing the overall size, or modifying its operating mode.

 Several identical display devices can be installed side by side in order to produce a large width (or height) display by juxtaposing several posters.

 In this case, the rollers have a length substantially equal to the width of the device, reduced by the thickness of the side plates of the frame and the clearance necessary for the proper functioning of the device, so as to minimize the empty space existing between two posters presented. side by side simultaneously.

 It is also possible in this embodiment, to couple the devices together by means of a mechanical or electrical connection aimed at ensuring good synchronization of their movements.

 This link can possibly make it possible to produce "motor" devices synchronously driving other "slave" devices, which do not comprise any means for driving the cylinders, neither recognition unit nor control unit, which considerably reduces their cost of production.

 It is possible to minimize the time from one poster to the next poster by choosing, for each display cycle, the direction of rotation of the cylinders so that the path necessary to transport the poster to be presented to the right of the display window is minimum.

 It is also possible to equip the display device with interior or exterior lighting in order to improve the visibility of the information if necessary.

 Likewise, the poster is protected against the various types of external aggression by a transparent plate disposed on the surface of the display window (510).

 When it is only a question of protecting the device from frontal shocks from projectiles (such as balloons, etc.), it will be noted that it is possible to install a plate located behind the poster presented, provided with slots. allowing the passage of the finger (340), on which it will come to bear in the event of an impact, which has the advantage of not generating parasitic reflections detrimental to the visibility of the information.

In conclusion, the method according to the present invention, implemented according to the device also subject of the invention, has several advantages over existing methods
- it allows the successive and rapid display of a large number of different information without external intervention,
- it allows direct access for each display cycle to any of the information stored in the store,
- it offers an excellent quality of display by the process used which naturally provides the poster with a suitable voltage so that it is presented perfectly flat and without unwanted folds,
- it stores information in a minimal volume and offers a very small overall size thanks to a front surface very little greater than the useful surface of the display window, as well as a very reduced depth by the very process of storage and transport of information,
- it is simple to use and maintain, reliable and inexpensive, in particular thanks to a very limited number of constituent elements, each of them performing a simple function, the technique of which is perfectly mastered by the skilled person,
- it allows very easy and fast poster change operations in the store,
- it is capable of being adapted to meet most of the requirements of the current market for the display of information, in particular advertising (vertical or horizontal scrolling, juxtaposition of several devices so as to produce a very wide display ( or height), modification of the twisting distance and the duration of the posters, lighting, impact protection, absence of reflections, etc.).

 Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and covers any variant within the reach of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims (10)

 1 / - Device for selective display of information, in particular advertising, characterized in that it comprises rollers (110) containing the posters (116) wound information carriers, connected together so as to constitute a closed deforming chain on itself, said chain being installed on two mobile cylinders (210, 220) rotating around an axis supported by a frame, so as to constitute a mobile magazine of rollers (110) containing the posters (116) supports d 'information.  2 / - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the rollers (110) containing the wound information includes at least one return means (113) tending to wind the support in the absence of any external action, said means reminder (113) having the double function of facilitating the winding of the poster (116) after it has been presented, and of ensuring the tensioning of the chain formed by the rollers so that it is driven by simple friction in a circumferential linear movement on the cylinders (210, 220) when the latter are rotated.  3 / - Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that each of the rollers (110) may comprise at least two connecting means (114, 115) easily lockable and unlockable by simple pressure for connecting said roller to each of the two rollers located on either side in the chain, and at least one connecting means (118) easily lockable and unlockable by an operator making it possible to connect to said roller the end (117) of the information support poster carried by one of the rollers located immediately before or after in the chain.  4 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage store for the rollers containing the information carriers consists of the whole chain formed by the rollers connected together by means of the connecting means ( 114, 115, 118).  5 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one means for driving in rotation of at least one of the cylinders (230), at least one means of recognition (410) of the rollers constituting the chain, at least one means for selecting (420) and holding the rollers in a fixed position during display, and at least one means for unwinding (340) the poster to be displayed in front of the display window .  6 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one control unit (430) capable of recognizing and using the information concerning the order of passage of the posters (116) and the duration of each display, and to control all the drive means (230, 350), recognition (410), and selection (420) during each display cycle.  7 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can be provided with means of connection and synchronization with one or more other devices produced by the same process, so as to produce a display of large width by juxtaposition of several posters.  8 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can be produced so as to provide a display with vertical or horizontal unfolding of the posters, without this modifying its operating characteristics, or its total size.  9 / - Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the circumferential length occupied by the chain is substantially equal to the length of one of its links multiplied by the number of rollers, plus the useful length of a poster.  10 / - Method using the device according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it consists  - selecting in said store the roll (110) containing the poster (116) to be presented,  - bring it to the right of a display window (510), and  - unrolling said poster (116) in order to make visible the information carried by it.