GB2326262A

GB2326262A - Display device

Info

Publication number: GB2326262A
Application number: GB9709687A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Edward Banham; Alan Charles Penn; Bharat Devani; Martin Tye; Barry James Everitt; Murray Wallis
Original assignee: ADLAMPS; RABBITREPRO
Current assignee: ADLAMPS; RABBITREPRO
Priority date: 1997-05-13
Filing date: 1997-05-13
Publication date: 1998-12-16
Also published as: WO1998052180A1; GB9709687D0; AU7344798A

Abstract

A display unit 2 is mounts upon a lamp post 1 and comprises a plurality of transparent display faces 38 back it by light tubes (5, Figure 2). The light tubes are supplied with power from the lamp post 1 through a timer and control unit (7). Each of the display faces may be attached to the frame of display unit 2 by hinges 3C and a lockable catch mechanism. In an alternative arrangement, the display panel may be curved, about a vertical axis, rather than flat.

Description

Display Device This invention relates to display devices and in particular to illuminated display devices.

The effectiveness of illuminated display devices for displaying information and in particular for displaying advertising material is very high.

One typical form of illuminated display is a back lit display in which a translucent or transparent display surface is back illuminated by a light and display material in sheet form, such as an advertising poster, is attached to the inside of the display surface.

Such back lit illuminated displays are commonly used for display and advertising purposes but the cost and difficulty of arranging a reliable and safe power supply for the light has generally limited their use to wall mounted structures on or in buildings, such as on shop fronts or bus shelters, or on private property, for example to display product price and availability information in petrol stations.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above referenced problems, at least in part.

In a first aspect, this invention provides a display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light contained within the display unit and arranged to be able to back illuminate the light transmissive region, the display unit being mounted on a powered pillar and the light being supplied with power through the powered pillar.

In a second aspect, this invention provides a display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and including means for mounting a light to back illuminate the light transmissive region and suitable for mounting on a powered pillar so that the light can be powered by electrical power through the powered pillar.

In a third aspect, this invention provides a method of providing an illuminated display comprising the steps of mounting a display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light arranged to illuminate the light transmissive region on a powered pillar and providing power to the light through the powered pillar.

By mounting the display unit on a pre-existing powered pillar and powering the display unit from the powered pillar power supply the cost and difficulty of providing illuminated displays can be greatly reduced.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatical figures, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of display means incorporating the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a cut-away view of the display means of figure 1, with one of the display panels removed.

Referring to the figures, a lamp post 1 is enclosed by a rectangular display housing 2 having four rectangular side faces 3 arranged perpendicularly to one another so that the display is square in horizontal cross-section. The display unit 2 is mounted on the lamp post 1 so that the bottom of the display unit 2 is above the eye level of pedestrians in order to improve the visibility of the display unit 2. Preferably, the display unit 2 is mounted on the lamp post so that the bottom of the display unit 2 is out of reach of pedestrians in order to reduce the risk of vandalism.

The display unit 2 comprises a rigid frame secured to the lamp post 1 and supporting square top and bottom faces of the display unit 2. Each of the rectangular side faces 3 of the display unit 2 comprises an outer rectangular frame 3A defining a display area 3B formed by a sheet of toughened laminated glass.

Preferably, the rectangular frame 3A of each of the rectangular display panels 3 is made from stainless steel for damage resistance and to minimise maintenance.

Each of the display faces 3 is secured to the frame of the display unit 2 by three vertically spaced apart hinges 3C and a lockable catch mechanism. To provide the maximum strength and rigidity to the display unit 2, each lockable catch mechanism can advantageously be arranged to releasably attach one of the rectangular display faces to the frame at a plurality of points.

Inside the display unit 2, a pair of light holders 4 are provided on opposite sides of the lamp post 1. Only one of the light holders 4 is shown in the figures, while the other light holder would be a mirror image of the illustrated light holder.

Each light holder 4 supports a pair of fluorescent light tubes 5. The use of fluorescent light tubes is not essential, but is preferred because of their low power consumption and reliability.

Each of the light holders 4 is supplied with electrical power along a lead 6 from a timing and control unit 7. The timing and control unit 7 connects the light units 4 to a power supply line enclosed within the street light 1 to illuminate the light tubes 5 at prearranged times.

As a safety precaution, the control and timer unit 7 is interconnected with the locking catch mechanisms closing the display panels 3 to automatically stop the supply of power to the light holders 4 when any one of the locking catch mechanisms is unlocked.

Inside each of the rectangular display faces 3 a plurality of clips 3C are disposed around the edge of the display area 3B on the rectangular frame 3A to allow display material such as a translucent poster to be attached to the rear face of the display area 3B.

In the illustrated example, the lamp holders 4 are secured to the lamp post 1 separately from the frame of the display unit 2 in order to minimise as far as possible the transmission of vibration and mechanical shock from the external structure of the display unit 2 to the lamp tubes 5 and also to provide the maximum possible protection against any damage or failure of the lamp holders 4 and lamps 5 resulting in the external structure of the display unit 2 becoming electrically live. However, the lamp holders 4 and the frame of the display unit 2 may be linked together and mutually secured to the lamp post 1 if desired.

Preferably, the timer and control unit 7 includes means to sense malfunctions in the light holders 4 and light tubes 5, for example a residual current detector, so that in the event of any potentially dangerous failure of the light holders 4 and light tubes 5, the power supply to the light holders 4 can be shut off. Similarly, it is preferred that the timer and control unit 7 be linked to anti-tamper devices to automatically stop the supply of electrically power to the light holders 4 if any of the panes of glass are broken or any of the rectangular display panels 3 are forced loose from the frame.

Preferably, the power supply is taken from a power supply line extending up the inside of the lamp post to the lamp. However, a dedicated connection to a main power supply at the lamp post base could be provided if necessary.

The provision of a timing and control unit 7 is not essential although it is preferred for reasons of safety and economy.

If the timing and control unit 7 were omitted, the display unit 2 would simply operate simultaneously with the light mounted on the lamp post, with switching on and off of the display unit 2 being controlled by the switch mechanism controlling the lamp post light. A disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the lamp post control mechanism must be accessed to ensure that the power supply is isolated before the display unit 2 can be opened for maintenance or to change the display materials.

The described embodiment has rectangular display faces arranged to form a display unit 2 which is square in horizontal cross-section. It would of course be possible to vary the number of faces so that the display unit is triangular, pentagonal etc. in horizontal cross-section. Similarly, the shape of the display area on each face could be varied although having the outside of the frame of each display face rectangular is mechanically convenient.

Another alternative would be to make the individual display panels 3 curved around a vertical axis rather than flat so that the display unit 2 had a circular horizontal cross-section or a horizontal cross-section including one or more arcuate sections.

Preferably, the light tubes 5 are selected so that the lamp post power supply can be connected directly to the light tubes 5. However, where this is not possible, it is preferred that any necessary conversion circuitry be contained within the light supports 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the display panels 3 is separately hinged to the frame so that all of the display panels 3 can be opened for cleaning and changing the display materials and to allow easy access to the light supports 4, light tubes 5 and timer control unit 7 for maintenance. However, this is not essential and depending upon the actual dimensions of the display unit, it may be sufficient to have only some or one of the display panels operable for access. In particular, if a display unit 2 having a circular, horizontal cross-section is used, it may be preferred to have only a single access point in order to improve the aesthetic appearance of the display. Further, with such a circular display unit, it may even be preferred to have access to the display unit only through the bottom or top surface or employ an internal pivoting mount mechanism in order to allow the continuous cylindrical display area to be illuminated to increase the visual impact of the display although such an arrangement will be more mechanically complex.

In the above description, the display unit is mounted on a lamp post 1. The display unit could be mounted on any pillar or post of suitable height incorporating a power supply. Such a post, pillar or standard structure incorporating a power supply for equipment in addition to the display device is referred to as a powered pillar herein.

Although lamp posts are likely to be the most suitable and readily available powered pillars, other powered pillars such as CCTV surveillance pillars could be used.

The aforegoing description has been given by way of example only and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light contained within the display unit and arranged to be able to back illuminate the light transmissive region, the display unit being mounted on a powered pillar and the light being supplied with power through the powered pillar.

2. A display unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the powered pillar is a lamp post.

3. A display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and including means for mounting a light to back illuminate the light transmissive region and suitable for mounting on a powered pillar so that the light can be powered by electrical power through the powered pillar.

4. A display unit substantially as shown in or as described with reference to the accompanying figures.

4. A display unit as claimed in claim 3 in which the powered pillar is a lamp post.

5. A method of providing an illuminated display comprising the steps of mounting a display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light arranged to illuminate the light transmissive region on a powered pillar and providing power to the light through the powered pillar.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the powered pillar is a lamp post.

7. A display unit substantially as shown in or as described with reference to the accompanying figures.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light contained within the display unit and arranged to be able to back illuminate the light transmissive region, the display unit being mounted on a lamp post and the light being supplied with power through the lamp post.

2. A display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and including means for mounting a light to back illuminate the light transmissive region and suitable for mounting on a lamp post so that the light can be powered by electrical power through the lamp post.

3. A method of providing an illuminated display comprising the steps of mounting a display unit having an outer surface comprising a light transmissive region and a light arranged to illuminate the light transmissive region on a lamp post and providing power to the light through the lamp post.