GB2376790A - Multi-faceted rotating display apparatus. - Google Patents

Abstract

Display apparatus comprises a plurality of prisms 12 arranged about a central axis such that the outwardly facing faces 16 of the prisms form a viewing surface. Each prism can rotate about its own axis with at least one of the faces of the prism providing means for displaying information. The whole display apparatus may be rotatable around its central axis. The prisms, which may be triangular or square in cross-section, are preferably arranged so that they move from a first display position to a second rotating position, in which the prisms are rotated to reveal the display information on another face of the prism, back to the first display position (Fig. 3).

Description

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1 Display Apparatus 2 3 This invention relates to display apparatus, 4 particularly but not exclusively to apparatus for 5 displaying artwork.

6 7 Artwork and advertising signs require to be 8 displayed in a manner which is prominent, 9 attractive, eye-catching and preferably protects the 10 material involved.

11 12 It is often the case that the space required for the 13 material is at a premium, generally due either to

14 space restrictions or to costs.

15 16 It is also the case that it is desirable that the 17 material can be viewed by as large an audience as 18 possible at the same time, giving the material 19 maximum exposure.

20 21 According to a first aspect of the present invention 22 there is provided a display apparatus comprising a

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1 plurality of prisms arranged about a central axis, 2 each prism being rotatable about its own respective 3 axis, at least one of the side faces of each prism 4 providing a means for displaying information, the 5 outwardly facing faces of the prisms forming a 6 viewing surface.

7 8 Preferably, the prisms are of triangular cross 9 section.

10 11 Preferably, the information displaying side faces 12 are substantially vertical.

13 14 Preferably, each prism is moveable from a first, 15 display position to a second, rotating position.

16 17 Preferably, there are seven prisms, more preferably 18 located equidistant from the central axis of the 19 display apparatus.

20 21 Preferably, the rotation of the prisms is automated, 22 more preferably by use of electric motors.

23 24 Preferably, each side and substantially vertical 25 face of each prism has means for displaying 26 information.

27 28 Preferably, the display apparatus is rotatable 29 around its central axis, more preferably the 30 rotation is automated, more preferably by use of at 31 least one electric motor.

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1 According to a second aspect of the present 2 invention there is provided a method of displaying 3 information such that it can be viewed from any 4 position about a central axis comprising the steps 5 of providing a plurality of prisms arranged about 6 the central axis and applying display information to 7 at least one surface of each of the prisms to form a 8 viewing surface.

9 10 Preferably, the method further comprises the steps 11 of applying display information to at least one 12 other face of each prism and rotating the prisms to 13 provide alternative display information.

14 15 Preferably, the method further comprises moving the 16 prisms from a first, display position to a second, 17 rotating position, rotating the prisms to reveal the 18 display information on the other face of each prism 19 and returning the prisms in the rotated state to the 20 first display position.

21 22 An embodiment of the present invention will now be 23 described, by way of example only, with reference to 24 the following drawings in which; 25 26 Figure 1 is a plan view of a display apparatus 27 according to the present invention; 28 29 Figure 2 is a side view of the display 30 apparatus of Figure 1; and 31

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1 Figure 3 is a plan view of the display 2 apparatus of Figure 1 showing the rotational 3 and radial movement of one of the triangular 4 prisms.

5 6 Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1 7 there is provided a display apparatus generally 8 indicated as 10. The display apparatus 10 comprises 9 seven prisms of triangular cross section 12. The 10 prisms are mounted on their triangular ends 18 upon 11 a heptagonal base 14. The prisms 12 are arranged 12 such that their rectangular outer faces 16 are flush 13 with the base 14. The display apparatus is 14 therefore in the form of a heptagonal display unit.

15 16 On each of the outer faces 16 of the triangular 17 prisms 12, there is display information or artwork.

18 Since the apparatus is in the overall form of a 19 heptagonal display unit, the information or artwork 20 forms a continuous viewing surface which can be 21 viewed from any point around the apparatus.

22 23 As a whole, the apparatus is rotatable around its 24 central axis. A first electric motor in the 25 heptagonal base 14 drives the heptagonal display 26 unit around the central axis, thus rotating the 27 overall viewing surface and eventually revealing the 28 entire information to a viewer standing at a fixed 29 location distanced from the apparatus.

30 31 Alternative or complimentary artwork is also 32 presented on the other two rectangular faces of each

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1 prism 12. The prisms are rotatable so that each 2 alternate face set can be presented for viewing.

3 4 A set sequence of movements is utilised when the 5 display apparatus reveals the second and third face 6 sets.

7 8 As mentioned above, the heptagonal prism formation 9 firstly rotates slowly through 360 so the entire 10 first viewing surface is presented to one fixed 11 point located at a set distance from the apparatus.

12 Once the apparatus as a whole is fully rotated, each 13 individual prism requires rotation to reveal the 14 second viewing surface.

15 16 Once overall rotation is complete, each individual 17 triangular prism 12 moves radially outward from the 18 central axis of the display apparatus using a second 19 electric motor (see Figure 3, only one prism shown 20 to move for clarity). This is so that each prism 12 21 is clear from its immediate neighbours and can 22 freely rotate. Then each prism 12 rotates around 23 its own axis through 120 powered by a third 24 electric motor and a suitable gearing system. This 25 is the angle required for the second face to be 26 revealed using a triangular prism. If the prisms 27 were of different section then a different 28 corresponding angle would be require, 90 for square 29 prisms, 72 for pentagonal prisms, 60 for hexagonal 30 prisms, etc.

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1 The prisms then move back in towards the central 2 axis of the display apparatus, returning to a 3 position where the outer faces 16 of each prism are 4 flush with the heptagonal base 14.

5 6 The display apparatus then rotates 3600 again, 7 revealing the entire second viewing surface to a 8 fixed point.

9 10 The above sequence is then repeated so that the 11 third and final viewing surface is revealed and 12 displayed.

13 14 Finally, the sequence is repeated and the first 15 viewing surface is again revealed returning the 16 apparatus to its initial state.

17 18 Various modifications are envisaged without 19 departing from the scope of the invention. The 20 prisms do not require to be triangular but may be 21 square, pentagonal, spherical, etc.

22 23 The overall viewing surface does not require to 24 rotate but may be fixed.

25 26 The invention is not dependent on the viewing 27 sequence shown above (first surface to second 28 surface to third surface back to first surface) but 29 may employ any sequence (first surface to second 30 surface to first surface to third surface for 31 example) which may be appropriate to the material 32 deployed on the apparatus.

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1 2 The invention is not limited to the embodiments 3 hereinbefore described but may be varied in both 4 construction and detail.

Claims (1)

1 CLAIMS 2

3 1 A display apparatus comprising a plurality of

4 prisms arranged about a central axis, each prism

5 being rotatable about its own respective axis, at

6 least one of the side faces of each prism providing

7 a means for displaying information, the outwardly

8 facing faces of the prisms forming a viewing

9 surface.

10 11 2 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the 12 prisms are of triangular cross section.

13 14 3 Apparatus as claimed in either preceding claim, 15 wherein the information displaying side faces are 16 substantially vertical.

17 18 4 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, 19 wherein each prism is moveable from a first, display 20 position to a second, rotating position.

21 22 5 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, 23 wherein there are seven prisms, each located 24 equidistant from the central axis of the display 25 apparatus.

26 27 6 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, 28 wherein the rotation of the prisms is effected by 29 use of electric motors.

30

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1 7 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim,

2 wherein each side of each prism has means for

3 displaying information.

4

5 8 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim,

6 wherein the display apparatus is rotatable around

7 its central axis.

8

9 9 A method of displaying information such that it 10 can be viewed from any position about a central axis 11 comprising the steps of providing a plurality of 12 prisms arranged about the central axis and applying 13 display information to at least one surface of each 14 of the prisms to form a viewing surface.

15 16 10 A method as claimed in Claim 9 and further 17 comprising the steps of applying display information 18 to at least one other face of each prism and 19 rotating the prisms to provide alternative display 20 information.

21 22 11 A method as claimed in Claims 9 or 10 and 23 further comprising moving the prisms from a first, 24 display position to a second, rotating position, 25 rotating the prisms to reveal the display 26 information on the other face of each prism and 27 returning the prisms in the rotated state to the 28 first display position.

29 30 12 A display apparatus as hereinbefore described 31 with reference to the accompanying drawings.

32

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1 13 A method of displaying information as 2 hereinbefore described with reference to the 3 accompanying drawings.

4