GB2326753A - Display apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Display apparatus This invention relates to display apparatus for use in advertising or the like. The display apparatus may be such as to be suitable for stand-alone use or it may be incorporated in other equipment such as a cabinet or a dispenser.

According to one aspect of the invention we provide a display apparatus for use in advertising or the like comprising a conduit having one or more transparent or partially transparent walls and an entry and a exit, means for propelling fluid through said conduit, and one or more display surfaces moveable within said conduit and visible through a conduit wall.

The display apparatus may incorporate illumination means adapted to project one or more beams of light (including infra-red or UV) along said conduit so as to illuminate said display surface or surfaces.

The display surface or surfaces may be incorporated in one or more bodies which may extend within the conduit from one end of the conduit to or towards another end. One example of such a body is a thin plastic strip which is anchored at one or both ends of the conduit.

Advertising material in the form of letters or other graphic representation may be printed on one or both surfaces of the strip.

Another example of such a body is a light-weight bead or balloon or bubble which would be held in suspension within the fluid so as to be visible through the conduit wall.

The apparatus may be adapted such that the conduit extends upwardly from a base to be located on a surface such as a floor or a counter-top. The propelling means and or any illumination means may be located within such a base. The propelling means would typically be adapted to direct air from the base into said conduit, whilst the illumination means would be adapted to direct light into the conduit.

The conduit may be tubular e.g. in the form of a cylinder. The cylinder could be a right cylinder or alternatively it could be curved, twisted or bent. The conduit could also be in the form of a flat parallelsided panel. The fluid may be air which may be exhausted from the conduit exit, thereby carrying away any heat associated with the illumination means or the propelling means.

The propelling means is typically a fan driven by a motor. There may be a fan speed control system associated with such a fan.

Where a plastic strip (or strip of any other material) forms the extending body, it may be substantially longer than the length of the conduit. The additional length would provide for the strip to move in the form of a wave in response to the passage of fluid through the conduit.

The conduit may have a frosted surface or a lining of a translucent material. This may provide additional visual effects which draw attention to the display apparatus.

The conduit may be transparent or partially transparent only over part of its length.

The display apparatus may form part of another piece of equipment. Thus it may form part or all of a door pillar of a display cabinet. Alternatively the conduit may be in the form of a flat hollow panel comprising a door panel of a cabinet. In another application, the display apparatus may form part of a drinks dispense tower which extends above the counter-top in a bar or restaurant. The display apparatus, and particularly the conduit thereof, may be in the form of a representation of another article such as a cup or a beer glass.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1 shows schematically a first example of a display apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows schematically a second example of the invention with parts omitted but similar to those of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows schematically an application of the invention in relation to a drinks dispense tower; and Figure 4 illustrates schematically a cup-shaped display apparatus in accordance with the invention.

In Figure 1, an upstanding conduit is indicated by arrow 10.

Conduit 10 comprises a transparent plastics cylinder of circular construction having relatively thin walls. Conduit 10 has an entry 12 at its lower end and an exit 13 at its upper end.

The lower end 12 of conduit 10 is located within a base unit indicated by arrow 14 which may be located on a floor or counter-top.

The base unit uses a fan 15 for circulating air upwardly through conduit entry 12 via a transparent perforated plate 21, the air exiting at conduit exit 13 through a similar transparent perforated plate 21. The base unit also contains a lamp 17 for providing illumination within the conduit 10 through the transparent perforated plate 21. The lamp may have a reflector (not shown) to assist in directing the light.

Within conduit 10 extends a thin plastic strip 18 which is provided with anchorages 19 and 20 respectively at the upper and lower ends of the conduit and mounted upon perforated plates 21. The plastic strip 18 is typically 50% longer than the length of transparent conduit 10 such that it is free to move in a wave-like manner in response to air blown upwards from the fan 15. Plastic strip 18 is coloured or printed so as to display a visual effect or for persons viewing conduit 10. A fan control unit 16 is provided to enable the fan speed to be changed to create different effects by means of different movements of the plastic strip.

In the alternative construction shown in Figure 2, only the conduit portion of the display apparatus is shown. Conduit 30 (similar to conduit 10) may have a frosted surface or a lining of translucent paint or other material and contains small polystyrene beads 25. Whilst the base unit 14 is not illustrated in Figure 2, the fan provided for this embodiment may be adjusted to ensure that the air supplied into conduit 30 is sufficient to enable the polystyrene beads 25 to float within the air column in conduit 30 or to oscillate to provide a snowstorm or bubble effect.

Figure 3 shows a drinks dispense tower 31 mounted on a bar counter 32. An arcuate-shaped conduit 40 extends from the upper surface of the tower 31. Conduit 40 may be similar in principle to either of the conduits shown in Figures 1 or 2 (but shaped differently) with the fan and or illumination means being hidden within the carcase of the tower 31.

In Figure 4 a cup-shaped conduit 50 is shown mounted upon a bar counter 32. Again, the conduit may be similar in principle to those previously illustrated, with the fan and any illumination means located beneath the bar counter 32.

In embodiments which utilise particles such as polystyrene beads or other suspendable shapes within the air stream, one or more surfaces of the conduit may be coated with material which enables a shadow effect to be created on the surface of the conduit. The illumination means may provide for continuous or intermittent illumination to enhance or create the effect of movement of display surfaces present in the conduit.

Claims (11)

1. A display apparatus for use in advertising or the like comprising a conduit having one or more transparent or partially transparent walls and an entry and an exit, means for propelling fluid through said conduit, and one or more display surfaces moveable within said conduit and visible through a conduit wall.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 incorporating illumination means adapted to project one or more beams of light (including infra-red or uV) along said conduit so as to illuminate said display surface or surfaces.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the display surface or surfaces are incorporated in one or more bodies which extend within the conduit from one end of the conduit to or towards another end.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the conduit extends upwardly from a base to be located on a surface such as a floor or a counter-top.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the propelling means and or any illumination means may be located within such a base.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the conduit is in the form of a cylinder or a flat parallel-sided panel.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or in any claim dependent on claim 3, in which the body is a thin plastic strip which is anchored at one or both ends of the conduit.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or in any claim dependent on claim 3, in which the body is a light-weight bead or balloon or bubble which is held in suspension within the fluid so as to be visible through the conduit wall.

9. A drinks dispense tower incorporating the apparatus claimed in any preceding claim.

10. A cabinet in which a door pillar or door panel incorporates the apparatus claimed in any of claims 1 to 8.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.