WO2003063116A1

WO2003063116A1 - Billboard

Info

Publication number: WO2003063116A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/000158
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ha-Young Yoon
Original assignee: Ha-Young Yoon
Priority date: 2002-01-24
Filing date: 2003-01-24
Publication date: 2003-07-31
Also published as: KR20030063938A

Abstract

Disclosed is a billboard. The billboard comprises an outer frame (10), hollow triangular advertising prisms (20) each having surfaces provided with advertising patterns and both ends which are rotatably supported by upper and lower bars of the outer frame; a pair of rotation support sections (40, 50) for rotatably supporting both ends of each hollow triangular advertising prism, one of the rotation support sections having a triangular driving piece; a belt (60) for drivably surrounding apexes and sides of triangular driving pieces; a slot (67) defined through the belt so that one apexes of the triangular driving pieces can be temporarily inserted into and removed out of the slot and thereby the triangular driving pieces can be rotated inside the belt without being hindered; and a power transmitting section rotated integrally with the belt to sequentially rotate the triangular driving pieces.

Description

BILLBOARD

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a billboard, and more particularly, to a billboard which is modified in its construction to allow easy and clear changing of an advertising pattern.

Background Art

Generally, billboards are installed on public institutions, schools, stores, etc., on which a use of a building, an establishment object, a trade name, etc. are described with the aim of public relations or advertisement. The conventional advertisement methods are classified into a first one, of forming an advertising pattern on a piece cloth, etc. as in the case of a placard, and a second one, of describing a trade name on a acrylic plate, as in the case of store sign.

However, these two advertisement methods encounter a problem in that, once formed, the advertising pattern cannot be easily changed. To cope with this problem, while there is disclosed in the art a billboard which adopts an electronic control unit to allow an advertising pattern to be easily changed, the billboard suffers from defects in that manufacturing cost is greatly increased and the controlling procedure is quite complicated.

To solve these defects, U.S. Patent No. 4,771,558 discloses a billboard which adopts a mechanical operating system to change an advertising pattern after a predetermined time interval. In this type of billboard, a pair of pins are formed at a side of a drum, and a cord of a long rope-shaped configuration is looped about the pair of pins. By rotating the drum, the drum is elastically biased against springs of a top plate and a locking ring. By this mechanism, vanes can be aligned one with another (at an angle of 180°) by themselves. However, this type of billboard is quite different from the present invention in terms of technical solutions.

Other billboards are disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2000- 13991 and Korean Utility Model Application No. 2000-7969. These billboards are operated as described below. First, rotation force generated by a motor rotates a rotation shaft in the form of a hexagonal rod at a low speed, and the rotation shaft is rotated together with a plurality of cam members coupled to a circumferential outer surface thereof. At this time, since the rotation shaft is formed so that its left and right distal ends are twisted at an angle of 90°, as the cam members sequentially drive triangular guide portions which are brought into contact with them, advertising surfaces of the triangular guide portions are changed.

Nevertheless, each of these billboards has drawbacks in that, since the rotation shaft in the form of a hexagonal rod must be prepared and the cam members must be prepared in correspondence with the number of the triangular guide portions, construction of the billboard is complicated and manufacturing cost is increased.

Further, inconvenience is caused in that lubricant must be periodically supplied in order to ensure smooth rotation of the rotation shaft having the left and right distal ends twisted at 90° and the cam members. If the rotation shaft and the cam members are partially worn out, the respective triangular guide portions cannot be sequentially rotated or may be excessively rotated, a desired advertising pattern being unable to be clearly expressed on the billboard.

Moreover, in the conventional billboards, it is difficult to use a relatively cheap and simple illuminating device such as a fluorescent lamp, and replacement of the illumination device cannot be easily performed.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a billboard which is simple in its construction and easy to manufacture, thereby contributing to a reduction in manufacturing cost, and which has a reduced failure rate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a billboard in which triangular advertising prisms are sequentially rotated and each triangular advertising prism is precisely rotated by a predetermined angle in one direction to clearly express a desired advertising pattern.

Still another object of the present invention is a billboard which is constructed to allow a fluorescent lamp provided in a triangular advertising prism to be easily replaced with new one.

In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a billboard comprising: an outer frame; hollow triangular advertising prisms each having respective surfaces on which advertising patterns are provided, and both ends of which are rotatably supported by upper and lower bars of the outer frame; a pair of rotation support sections for rotatably supporting both ends of each hollow triangular advertising prism with respect to the upper and lower bars, one of the rotation support sections having a triangular driving piece; a closed loop-shaped belt for drivably surrounding apexes and sides of triangular driving pieces, which are opposite to each other; a slot defined through the belt so that one apexes of each triangular driving piece can be temporarily inserted into and removed from the slot and thereby the triangular driving pieces can be rotated inside the belt without being hindered, and one side of the rotated triangular driving pieces can come into contact with an inner surface of the belt to be supported thereby; and a power transmitting section rotated integrally with the belt to sequentially rotate the triangular driving pieces.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the billboard further comprises a driving section for rotating the belt.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the driving section comprises a driving motor positioned at one side of the outer frame, a driving pulley coupled to a driving shaft of the driving motor, and a driven pulley positioned at the other side of the outer frame for rotatably supporting the belt in cooperation with the driving pulley. According to another aspect of the present invention, the driving section further comprises a reduction gearbox which is coupled to the driving motor to reduce rotation force of the driving motor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the driving section further comprises a power supply for supplying power to the driving motor, and a timer or a limit switch is disposed between the power supply and the driving motor to control an operating cycle of the driving motor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, one of the rotation support sections, which is positioned lower than the other, comprises a triangular driven piece which is inserted through a lower end of the hollow triangular advertising prism to be integrally rotated therewith, the triangular driving piece, and a lower connecting piece which is fitted into a hole defined through the lower bar to operatively connect the triangular driving and driven pieces with each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the power transmitting section comprises a ring-shaped engaging member at least one end of which is inserted inside the belt through the slot, to be positioned adjacent to one of the triangular driving pieces and thereby sequentially engaged with, and then disengaged from, the respective corners of the triangular driving pieces.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the inward exposing end of the engaging member is bent upward by a predetermined angle, and the engaging member is installed in a manner such that the inward exposing end can be alternately raised or lowered through the slot.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the power transmitting section further comprises a belt support frame for rotatably supporting the belt, and a plurality of lifting bars, of an amount corresponding to that of the hollow triangular advertising prisms, are fastened to the belt support frame in a manner such that, while the belt is rotated, each lifting bar lifts the exposing end of the engaging member through the slot toward the apex of the triangular driving piece. According to another aspect of the present invention, the other of the rotation support sections, which is positioned upper than the one, comprises a third triangular piece which is inserted through an upper end of each hollow triangular advertising prism to be integrally rotated therewith, an upper connection piece having one end which is coupled to the third triangular piece and the other end which is exposed to the outside through a hole defined through the upper bar, a bearing housing positioned around the upper connection piece, an upper bearing placed between the upper connection piece and the bearing housing, and an upper cap detachably coupled into the bearing housing and defined with a groove for allowing passage of an electric cord. According to another aspect of the present invention, a fluorescent lamp is inserted into each hollow triangular advertising prism in a state in which the fluorescent lamp is supported by a fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism comprises a first electrode terminal which is separated from the lower rotation support section and is electrically connected with and supports a lower end of the fluorescent lamp exposed to the outside through a lower passage hole defined in the lower rotation support section, a second electrode terminal which is fitted into an upper passage hole defined in the upper cap and is electrically connected with and supports an upper end of the fluorescent lamp, a starter lamp which is coupled to the second electrode terminal, and an electric cord for electrically connecting the first and second electrode terminals, the electric cord having an end which extends to the outside through the groove defined in the upper cap.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism further comprises a dummy bar which is disposed below the lower bar to extend in a lengthwise direction of the lower bar and functions to support the first electrode terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the power transmitting section comprises a driven gear fastened to each triangular driving piece and formed on a circumferential outer surface thereof with a plurality of teeth, and a driving gear fastened to the belt to be meshed with the driven gear and thereby rotate the triangular driving piece when the belt is operated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, rotation angle of the triangular driving piece can be determined by adjusting the number of teeth of the driving and driven gears, which are meshed with each other.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the power transmitting section comprises at least one driven projection which is formed on a lower surface of the triangular driving piece to be separated one from another in a circumferential direction; and a driving projection formed on the belt to be brought into contact with each of the driven projections and thereby rotate the triangular driving piece when the belt is operated.

According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a billboard comprising: an outer frame; hollow triangular advertising prisms, each having respective surfaces on which advertising patterns are provided and both ends which are rotatably supported by upper and lower bars of the outer frame; a pair of rotation support sections for rotatably supporting both ends of each hollow triangular advertising prism with respect to the upper and lower bars, one of the rotation support sections having a triangular driving piece; a closed loop-shaped belt for drivably surrounding apexes and sides of triangular driving pieces, which are opposite to each other; a slot defined through the belt so that one apex of each triangular driving piece can be temporarily inserted into and removed from the slot and thereby the triangular driving pieces can be rotated inside the belt without being hindered, and one side of each rotated triangular driving piece can come into contact with an inner surface of the belt to be supported thereby; and a power transmitting section rotated integrally with the belt to sequentially rotate groups of the triangular driving pieces, with each group being constituted by at least two triangular driving pieces.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a billboard in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial rear view illustrating a lower bar region;

FIG. 5 is a partial transverse sectional view of FIG. 1; FIGs. 6a, 6b and 6c through 9a, 9b and 9c are views sequentially schematically illustrating operations of the billboard according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting section of a billboard in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting section of a billboard in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting section of a billboard in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, a billboard in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention includes an outer frame 10, and a plurality of hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 rotatably positioned in the outer frame 10. Advertising patterns are provided on the respective surfaces of each hollow triangular advertising prism 20. The outer frame 10 of a quadrangular configuration which is adopted in the first embodiment of the present invention has upper and lower bars 12 and 14 and first and second side bars 16 and 18, when viewed depending upon a position.

As shown in FIG. 2, upper and lower ends 20a and 20b of the plurality of hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 are positioned between the upper and lower bars 12 and 14 of the outer frame 10, in a state wherein edges of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 are brought into contact one with another. Due to the fact that desired advertising patterns are provided on the respective surfaces of each hollow triangular advertising prism 20, it is possible to render three advertisements using one billboard. Since the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 can be rotatably supported in the outer frame 10, by allowing the advertising patterns provided on the respective surfaces of each hollow triangular advertising prism 20 to have a relationship one with another, as the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 are rotated, it is possible to deliver the desired advertisements to the customers in a more and active and effective manner.

Also, as a fluorescent lamp 22 is inserted into each hollow triangular advertising prism 20, the advertisement can be efficiently delivered to the customer even in the nighttime. At this time, the fluorescent lamp 22 having a length greater than that of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 is employed in a manner such that the fluorescent lamp 20 is supported outward of both ends 20a and 20b of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20. Consequently, lights generated by the fluorescent lamp 22 can be advantageously emitted to the outside through the entire surface of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20. This is enabled by structures of rotation support sections 40 and 50 and a fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism 80, as will be described later in detail.

The upper and lower ends 20a and 20b of each hollow triangular advertising prism 20 are rotatably supported by the upper and lower bars 12 and 14 of the outer frame 10 by way of a pair of rotation support sections 40 and 50. Each of the upper and lower bars 12 and 14 has substantially a U-shape. Both free ends of each bar 12 and 14 have flange portions, respectively. Hereafter, the upper rotation support section 40 provided on the upper bar 12 and the lower rotation support section 50 provided on the lower bar 14 will be divisionally described. The fluorescent lamp support mechanism 80 for supporting both ends 22a and 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 is detachably coupled to the upper and lower rotation support sections 40 and 50. At this time, as described above, both ends 22a and 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 project beyond both ends of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 to be fitted into passage holes 40a and 50a (see FIGs. 3 and 5) defined in the upper and lower rotation support sections 40 and 50, respectively, then to be supported by the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism 80. Therefore, as lights generated by the fluorescent lamp 22 can be emitted to the outside through the entire surface of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20, even in the nighttime, the advertising patterns provided on the surfaces of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 can be clearly viewed.

As shown in FIGs. 2 and 3, the upper rotation support section 40 includes a third triangular piece 41, an upper connection piece 42, a bearing housing 43, an upper bearing 44, and an upper cap 45. The third triangular piece 41 has the same sectional shape as the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 and an area less than that of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 so that the third triangular piece 41 can be fitted into the upper end 20a of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20. The upper connection piece 42 has one end which is coupled to the third triangular piece 41 and the other end which is exposed to the outside through a hole 12a defined through the upper bar 12. The bearing housing 43 is positioned around the upper connection piece 42. The upper bearing 44 is placed between the upper connection piece 42 and the bearing housing 43. The upper cap 45 is detachably coupled into the bearing housing 43. The upper cap 45 is defined with a groove 45a for allowing passage of an electric cord 84.

The third triangular piece 41 and the upper connection piece 42 can be integrally formed with each other. The upper connection piece 42 is inserted into the hole 12a of the upper bar 12 and fastened to the upper bar 12 by a conventional coupling technique such as welding, screwing or interference-fitting. The bearing housing 43 can also be coupled to the upper bar 12 by a conventional technique such as welding, etc.

Due to the fact that the upper cap 45 is detachably fitted into the bearing housing 43, the upper cap 45 provides a passage for enabling replacement of the fluorescent lamp 22 inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism 20. That is to say, after the upper cap 45 is detached from the bearing housing 43, the fluorescent lamp 20 can be inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 so that the lower end 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 is coupled to the first electrode teπninal 81. Next, after the upper cap 45 is fitted into the bearing housing 43, the second electrode terminal 82 is inserted through the upper passage hole 40a defined in the bearing housing 43 to be coupled to the upper end 22a of the fluorescent lamp 20, and the starter lamp 83 is coupled to an exposed surface of the second electrode terminal 82. In cases where an electronic stabilizer is employed, the starter lamp 83 may not be needed. At this time, the electric cord 84 for electrically connecting the first and second electrode terminals 81 and 82 is exposed to the outside through the groove 45 a of the upper cap 45 to be electrically connected to a power supply 85 which is provided on the upper bar 12. The first embodiment of the present invention additionally provides an advantage in that the fluorescent lamp 22 can be replaced with new one as described above.

As shown in FIGs. 2 and 5, the lower rotation support section 50 includes a triangular driven piece 51, a triangular driving piece 52 and a lower connecting piece 53. The triangular driven piece 51 has the same sectional shape as the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 and an area less than that of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 so that the triangular driven piece 51 can be fitted into the lower end 20b of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20. The triangular driving piece 52 is exposed out of the lower bar 14 and is brought into contact with a power transmitting section defined on a belt 60 to be rotated by a predetermined angle as the belt 60 is rotated. The lower connecting piece 53 is located in a hole 14a defined in the lower bar 14 to integrally connect the triangular driven and driving pieces 51 and 52 with each other.

A lower bearing 55 is defined between the lower connecting piece 53 and a lower connection shaft 54 formed on the triangular driven and driving pieces 51 and 52. At this time, the lower bearing 55 can be replaced with a bushing. The lower connecting piece 53 can be integrally formed with the lower bar 14 at the hole 14a or separately formed to be located at the hole 14a.

Here, holes are defined through the third triangular pieces 41, the upper connecting piece 42, the bearing housing 43, the upper bearing 44 and the upper cap 45 which constitute the upper rotating support section 40, so that the upper end

22a of the fluorescent lamp 22 can pass through the holes. Similarly, holes are defined through the triangular driven and driving pieces 51 and 52 and the lower connecting piece 53 which constitute the lower rotating support section 50, so that the lower end 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 can pass through the holes. However, because it is difficult to separately distinguish the holes defined in these component elements, hereinafter, for the sake of convenience in explaining the drawings, the holes defined in the component elements constituting the upper rotation support section 40 will not be separately distinguished and totally referred to as an upper passage hole 40a (see FIG. 3). Further, the holes defined in the component elements constituting the lower rotation support section 50 will also not be separately distinguished and totally referred to as a lower passage hole 50a (see FIG. 5).

As in the case of the upper bar 12, the lower bar 14 has substantially a U- shaped sectional shape. Both free ends of the bar 14 have inward bent flange portions. As shown in FIG. 4, a belt support frame 62 is provided to the lower bar 14 to support the belt 60.

The belt 60 is rotated by a driving section 70 while defining a closed loop along a lengthwise direction of the lower bar 14. At this time, the belt 60 is rotated in a state wherein it surrounds and presses apexes and sides of the triangular driving pieces 52 which are opposite to each other, so that the advertising patterns can be clearly expressed.

At this time, as the belt 60 firmly surrounds the triangular driving pieces 52, it is natural that the triangular driving pieces 52 cannot be properly rotated inside the belt 60. In this consideration, in order to ensure that the triangular driving pieces 52 can be rotated inside the belt 60 without being hindered and one side of the triangular driving piece 52 having completely undergone rotation can be brought into contact with an inner surface of the belt 60 to be supported thereby, the belt 60 is defined with a slot 67. When the triangular driving piece 52 is rotated, one corner of the triangular driving piece 52 is temporarily inserted the slot 67, whereby the triangular driving piece 52 can be easily rotated inside the belt 60 without being hindered. It is preferred that the slot 67 is defined in the belt 60 to extend in a lengthwise direction of the belt 60. The power transmitting section is provided to the belt 60, so that the power transmitting section can sequentially rotate the triangular driving pieces 52 while being integrally rotated with the belt 60, to allow the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 to be rotated. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the power transmitting section comprises a ring-shaped engaging member 68. At least one end of the engaging member 68 is inserted inside the belt 60 through the slot 67, to be positioned adjacent to one of the triangular driving pieces 52 and thereby sequentially engaged with and then disengaged from the respective corners of the triangular driving pieces 52. In this way, the hollow triangular advertising prisms

20 can be rotated.

At this time, an inward exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 is bent upward by a predetermined angle, and the engaging member is 68 installed in a manner such that the inward exposing end 68a can be raised and lowered through the slot 67. This is enabled by a plurality of lifting bars 64. The lifting bars 64 have the number corresponding to that of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20. The lifting bars 64 are fastened to the belt support frame 62 in a manner such that, while the belt 60 is rotated, each lifting bar 64 lifts the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 through the slot 67 toward the apex of the triangular driving piece 52.

Accordingly, while the belt 60 is driven by the driving section and moved along the lengthwise direction of the lower bar 14, if the engaging bar 68 approaches one of the lifting bars 64, starting from a proximal of the engaging member 68, the engaging member 68 is brought into contact with the lifting bar 64 which is fixedly positioned, to be biased upward so that the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 is moved upward through the slot 67. In a state wherein the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 is moved upward, as the belt 60 is continuously rotated, the one corner of the triangular driving piece 52 of the lower rotation support section 50 is engaged with the engaging member 68 and then rotated by a predetermined angle to rotate the corresponding hollow triangular advertising prism 20 by the same angle. One side of the triangular driving piece

52 rotated by the engaging member 68 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the belt 60 to be prevented from being further rotated. As shown in FIG. 5, the driving section 70 for rotating the belt 60 includes a driving motor 71, a driving pulley 72, and a driven pulley 73. The driving motor 71 is installed adjacent to the first side bar 16 of the outer frame 10. The driving pulley 72 is coupled to a driving shaft of the driving motor 71. The driven pulley 73 is installed on the second side bar 18 to rotatably support the belt 60 extending along the belt support frame 62 in cooperation with the driving pulley

72.

The driving section 70 further comprises a power supplier (not shown) for supplying power to the driving motor 71. A timer 74 or a limit switch is disposed between the power supplier and the driving motor 71 to control an operating cycle of the driving motor 71. Further, a reduction gear box 75 is coupled to the driving shaft of the driving motor 71 to velocity-reduce rotation force of the driving motor 71.

If the driving motor 71 is operated by power application, rotation force generated by the driving motor 71 is reduced by the reduction gear box 75 to rotate the belt 60 wound on the driving and driven pulleys 72 and 73 at a low speed. The engaging member 68 serving as the power transmitting section integrally rotated with the belt 60 is sequentially engaged and thereby rotates corners of the triangular driving pieces 52 of the lower rotation support section 50 to sequentially rotate the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20. At this time, if selected one surfaces of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 are completely rotated to face the front in conformity with an operating cycle set in the timer 74, operation of the driving motor 71 is interrupted with a predetermined time interval. Then, after a predetermined time is lapsed, the driving motor 71 is operated again to rotate the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 so that another selected one surfaces of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 face the front.

Referring to FIG. 2, the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism 80 includes a first electrode terminal 81, a second electrode terminal 82, a starter lamp 83, and the electric cord 84. The first electrode terminal 81 is separated from the lower rotation support section 50. The first electrode terminal 81 is electrically connected with and supports the lower end 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 exposed to the outside through the lower passage hole 50a defined in the lower rotation support section 50. The second electrode terminal 82 is fitted into the upper passage hole 40a defined in the upper cap 45. The second electrode terminal 82 is electrically connected with and supports the upper end 22a of the fluorescent lamp

20. The starter lamp 83 is coupled to the second electrode terminal 82. The electric cord 84 functions to electrically connect the first and second electrode terminals 81 and 82 with each other. The electric cord 84 has an end which extends to the outside through the groove 45 a defined in the upper cap 45. As in the case of the upper cap 45, the second electrode terminal 82 and the starter lamp 83, the first electrode terminals 81 to be connected to the lower end 22b of the fluorescent lamp 22 are provided to the number corresponding to that of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20. The first electrode terminal 81 can be detachably attached to the lower connection shaft 54. In the present embodiment, the first electrode terminal 81 is locked by a bolt 90, etc. to a dummy bar 90 which is provided below the lower bar 14 to extend along the lengthwise direction of the lower bar 14.

Hereinbelow, a procedure for replacing the fluorescent lamp 22 in the billboard according to the first embodiment of the present invention, constructed as mentioned above, will be described.

First, the upper cap 45 is detached from the bearing housing 43 provided to the upper bar 12. Then, the fluorescent lamp 22 is inserted along a longitudinal direction into the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20, and the lower end 22b of the fluorescent lamp 20 is coupled to the first electrode terminal 81 provided below the lower bar 14.

Then, after the upper cap 45 is coupled to the bearing housing 43, the second electrode terminal 82 is inserted into the upper passage hole 40a defined in the bearing housing 43 and connected to the upper end 22a of the fluorescent lamp 22. Next, the starter lamp 83 is coupled to the exposed surface of the second electrode terminal 82.

At this time, the electric cord 84 for electrically connecting the first and second electrode terminals 81 and 82 is partially wound around the fluorescent lamp 22 inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism 20 and is exposed to the outside toward the upper bar 12 through the groove 45a of the upper cap 45. Then, the electric cord 84 is electrically connected to the power supply 85 provided to the upper bar 12 (see FIG. 3). In this way, the fluorescent lamp 22 can be conveniently replaced with new one.

Hereinafter, a procedure for sequentially rotating the plurality of hollow triangular advertising prisms 20' and 20" to change the advertising patterns formed on the respective surfaces of the hollow triangular advertising prism 20' and 20" will be described. In this description, in order to sequentially illustrate the operations of the billboard according to the first embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made to FIGs. 6a, 6b and 6c through 9a, 9b and 9c which schematically show the first embodiment.

Referring to FIGs. 6a, 6b and 6c through 9a, 9b and 9c, a pair of hollow triangular advertising prisms 20' and 20" are provided in the outer frame 10. A desired advertising pattern, for example, "ADVERTISEMENT" is formed on one surfaces of the pair of hollow triangular advertising prisms 20' and 20", and another desired advertising pattern, for example, "PUBLICITY" is formed on another surfaces of the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20' and 20". Third surfaces are not shown in the drawings.

In this connection, hereafter, a procedure for changing the advertising pattern from the "ADVERTISEMENT" to the "PUBLICITY" in the billboard will be described. In this description, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same component elements as the first embodiment.

First, in a state wherein the advertising pattern of "ADVERTISEMENT" is formed on a front surface of the billboard, if the driving motor 71 is operated by power supply, rotation driving force generated by the driving motor 71 is velocity- reduced by the reduction gear box 75, whereby the belt 60 wound on the surfaces of the driving and driven pulleys 72 and 73 to be integrally rotated therewith is rotated at a low speed.

With the rotation of the belt 60 which defines a closed loop, the engaging member 68 which is provided to the belt 60 is also integrally rotated. In the course in which the belt 60 is moved from an initial starting position adjoining the driving pulley 72 toward the driven pulley 73, as the engaging member 68 approaches the first lifting bar 64' fastened to the belt support frame 62, the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 is moved upward through the slot 67 by the first lifting bar 64' (see FIGs. 6a and 6b).

Thereafter, the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 which is upward moved is moved along with the belt 60 in a state wherein the exposing end 68a is engaged with the corner 52'a of the triangular driving piece 52' of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' (see FIG. 7b), to rotate the triangular driving piece 52' of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' by a predetermined angle in one direction.

In other words, as shown in FIGs. 7a and 7b, the corner 52'a of the triangular driving piece 52' of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' which is engaged with the exposing end 68a of the engaging member 68 is inserted into the slot 67 while being rotated. Thereafter, at the time that the corner 52'a is disengaged from the exposing end 68a, the corner 52' is removed out of the slot 67. At this time, the advertising pattern is not clearly formed as shown in FIG. 7c.

The friangular driving piece 52' of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' which is removed out of the slot 67 is rotated by inertial force of the bearing, and then one side surface 52'b of the triangular driving piece 52' is brought into contact with the inner surface of the belt 60 (see FIGs. 7b and 8a). Thereupon, further rotation of the triangular driving piece 52' not by the engaging member 68 is prevented. At this time, the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' is held completely rotated by the predetermined angle.

The engaging member 68 which have rotated the triangular driving piece 52' of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20' is inserted again through the slot 76 and moved integrally with the belt 60. Then, the engaging member 68 starts to rotate the triangular driving piece 52" formed at the lower end 20"b of the second hollow triangular advertising prism 20" in the same way as described above

(see FIGs. 8a, 8b and 8c).

After the engaging member 68 sequentially rotates the first and second hollow triangular advertising prism 20' and 20" while being moved along with the belt 60, the engaging member 68 is returned to its original starting position (see FIGs. 9a and 9b). At this time, as can be readily seen from FIG. 9c, the advertising pattern of "PUBLICITY" appears on the front surface of the billboard.

By setting the timer 74 in consideration of one cycle defined as described above, at the time that the engaging member 68 is returned to its original starting position, power supply from the power supplier to the driving motor 71 is interrupted, whereby it is possible to advertise the changed advertising pattern for a predetermined time.

After the predetermined time is lapsed and it is time to change the advertising pattern, the timer 74 is turned on to enable power supply from the power supplier to the driving motor 71. Then, in the same way as described above, as the belt 60 is rotated, the engaging member 68 starts to rotate the corner of the triangular driving piece 52' formed at the lower end 20'b of the first hollow triangular advertising prism 20'. Next, the second hollow friangular advertising prism 20" is rotated. If the engaging member 68 is returned to its original position after rotating the triangular driving piece 52" of the second hollow triangular advertising prism 20", operation of the driving motor 71 is interrupted by the timer 74. In this way, advertising pattern which is different from the previous one appears on the front surface of the billboard.

As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to easily and clearly change advertising patterns with a relatively simple construction.

Moreover, the fluorescent lamp inserted into the hollow triangular advertising prism can also be replaced with new one. Second Embodiment

While it was described in the first embodiment of the present invention that the power transmitting section comprises the engaging member 68. In this second embodiment of the present invention, as can be readily seen from FIG. 10, the power transmitting section includes driven gears 168' and 168" and a driving gear 169. The driven gears 168' and 168" are fastened to the triangular driving piece 52' and 52" and formed on their circumferential outer surfaces with a plurality of teeth. The driving gear 169 is fastened to the belt 60 to be meshed with the driven gears 168' and 168" and thereby rotate the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" when the belt 60 is operated.

Of course, in this second embodiment, in order to ensure that, when the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" are rotated through meshing of the driving gear 169 and the driven gears 168' and 168", the corners of the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" are not hindered by the belt 60, the belt 60 is defined with the slot 67 serving as a space into and out of which the corners of the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" can be inserted and removed.

Accordingly, as in the first embodiment, while the belt 60 is rotated, if the driving gear 169 is meshed with the driven gear 168' of the triangular driving pieces 52^s, the triangular driving pieces 52' is also rotated in one direction. At this time, one corner of the triangular driving pieces 52' is inserted into the slot 67. Thereafter, if the rotation of the triangular driving pieces 52' is completed and the driving gear 169 and the driven gear 168' are unmeshed from each other, the one corner of the triangular driving pieces 52' which is inserted into the slot 67 is removed out of the slot 67, and one side surface of the triangular driving pieces 52' is brought into contact with the inner surface of the belt 60. In the same manner, the triangular driving pieces 52" can also be rotated. At this time, a rotation angle of the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" can be determined by properly adjusting the numbers of teeth of the driving gear 169 and driven gears 168' and 168" which are meshed with each other. Third Embodiment FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting section of a billboard in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the power transmitting section according to this third embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of driven projections 268' and 268", and a driving projection 269. The plurality of driven projections 268' and 268" are formed on a lower surface of the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" to be separated one from another in a circumferential direction. The driving projection 269 is formed on the belt 60 to be brought into contact with each of the driven projections 268' and 268" and thereby rotate the triangular driving pieces 52' and 52" when the belt 60 is operated.

Of course, it is to be noted that, by decreasing the teeth of the driving gear 169 and the driven gears 168' and 168" shown in the second embodiment, the power transmitting section of the third embodiment corresponds to that of the third embodiment. In any cases, there is caused no problem in accomplishing the working effects provided by the present invention. Fourth Embodiment When viewed with reference to FIG. 1, the first through third embodiments correspond to the case where the plurality of hollow triangular advertising prisms are sequentially rotated. However, there may be the case in which the plurality of hollow triangular advertising prisms are to be rotated in a group by group rather than one by one. Of course, even in this case, the object can be achieved by adopting the construction of FIG. 12 which is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting section of a billboard in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, three triangular driving pieces 152a through 152c are provided for three hollow triangular advertising prisms, and driven coupling portions 153a through 153c are formed on the triangular driving pieces 152a through 152c at different positions along a width wise direction of the belt 60. The belt 60 is formed with driving coupling portions 154a through 154c which correspond to the driven coupling portions 153a through 153c, respectively. Accordingly, if the belt 60 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, the driving coupling portion 154c which are positioned ahead of other driving coupling portion 154a and 154b first approaches toward the triangular driving pieces 152a through 152c. At this time, however, since the driving coupling portion 154c and the driven coupling portions 153a and 153b have different phases, they are not brought into contact with each other. Therefore, finally, the driving coupling portion 154c is meshed with the driven coupling portion 153c.

At the time that the driving coupling portion 154c is meshed with the driven coupling portion 153c, the driving coupling portions 154a and 154b which are integrally moved with the driving coupling portion 154c are meshed with the driven coupling portions 153a and 153b having corresponding phases, respectively. Therefore, as the belt 60 is rotated in a state wherein the driving coupling portions 154a through 154c are meshed with the driven coupling portions 153 a through 153c having corresponding phase, respectively, the three triangular driving pieces 152a through 152c can be simultaneously rotated. In this way, the hollow triangular advertising prisms 20 can be sequentially rotated group by group.

In the above-described embodiments, it was described that the outer frame 10 has quadrangular configuration. However, a person skill in the art will readily recognize that the outer frame 10 may have a variety of configurations such as of a trapezoid, an oval, etc. and may possess a longitudinally extending contour, in consideration of harmony with the surrounding environment and elevation of interest.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the billboard according to the present invention provides advantages in that the billboard is simple in its construction and easy to manufacture, thereby contributing to reduction of (a) manufacturing cost, and has a reduced failure rate.

Further, in the billboard according to the present invention, since triangular advertising prisms are sequentially rotated and each triangular advertising prism is precisely rotated by a predetermined angle in one direction, it is possible to clearly express a desired advertising pattern.

Moreover, in the billboard according to the present invention, a fluorescent lamp provided in the triangular advertising prism can be easily replaced with new one.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A billboard comprising: an outer frame; hollow triangular advertising prisms each having respective surfaces on which advertising patterns are provided and both ends which are rotatably supported by upper and lower bars of the outer frame; a pair of rotation support sections for rotatably supporting both ends of each hollow triangular advertising prism with respect to the upper and lower bars, one of the rotation support sections having a triangular driving piece; a closed loop-shaped belt for drivably surrounding apexes and sides of triangular driving pieces, which are opposite to each other; a slot defined through the belt so that one apex of each triangular driving piece can be temporarily inserted into and removed from the slot and thereby the triangular driving pieces can be rotated inside the belt without being hindered, and one side of the rotated triangular driving pieces can come into contact with an inner surface of the belt to be supported thereby; and a power transmitting section rotated integrally with the belt to sequentially rotate the triangular driving pieces.

2. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a driving section for rotating the belt.

3. The billboard as set forth in claim 2, wherein the driving section comprises a driving motor positioned at one side of the outer frame, a driving pulley coupled to a driving shaft of the driving motor, and a driven pulley positioned at the other side of the outer frame for rotatably supporting the belt in cooperation with the driving pulley.

4. The billboard as set forth in claim 3, wherein the driving section further comprises a reduction gear box which is coupled to the driving motor to reduce rotation force of the driving motor.

5. The billboard as set forth in claims 3 or 4, wherein the driving section further comprises a power supply for supplying power to the driving motor, and a timer or a limit switch is disposed between the power supply and the driving motor to control an operating cycle of the driving motor.

6. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the rotation support sections, which is positioned lower than the other, comprises a triangular driven piece which is inserted through a lower end of the hollow triangular advertising prism to be integrally rotated therewith, the triangular driving piece, and a lower connecting piece which is fitted into a hole defined through the lower bar to operatively connect the triangular driving and driven pieces with each other.

7. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power transmitting section comprises a ring-shaped engaging member at least one end of which is inserted inside the belt through the slot, to be positioned adjacent to one of the triangular driving pieces and thereby sequentially engaged with and then disengaged from the respective corners of the triangular driving pieces.

8. The billboard as set forth in claim 7, wherein the inward exposing end of the engaging member is bent upward by a predetermined angle, and the engaging member is installed in a manner such that the inward exposing end can be raised and lowered through the slot.

9. The billboard as set forth in claims 7 or 8, wherein the power transmitting section further comprises a belt support frame for rotatably supporting the belt, and a plurality of lifting bars of an amount corresponding to that of the hollow triangular advertising prisms are fastened to the belt support frame in a manner such that, while the belt is rotated, each lifting bar lifts the exposing end of the engaging member through the slot toward the apex of the triangular driving piece.

10. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein the other of the rotation support sections, which is positioned upper than the one of the rotation support sections, comprises a third triangular piece which is inserted through an upper end of each hollow triangular advertising prism to be integrally rotated therewith, an upper connection piece having one end which is coupled to the third triangular piece and the other end which is exposed to the outside through a hole defined through the upper bar, a bearing housing positioned around the upper connection piece, an upper bearing placed between the upper connection piece and the bearing housing, and an upper cap detachably coupled into the bearing housing and defined with a groove for allowing passage of an electric cord.

11. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein a fluorescent lamp is inserted into each hollow triangular advertising prism in a state in which the fluorescent lamp is supported by a fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism.

12. The billboard as set forth in claim 11, wherein the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism comprises a first electrode terminal which is separated from the lower rotation support section and is electrically connected with and supports a lower end of the fluorescent lamp exposed to the outside through a lower passage hole defined in the lower rotation support section, a second electrode terminal which is fitted into an upper passage hole defined in the upper cap and is electrically connected with and supports an upper end of the fluorescent lamp, a starter lamp which is coupled to the second electrode terminal, and an electric cord for electrically connecting the first and second electrode terminals, the electric cord having an end which extends to the outside through the groove defined in the upper cap.

13. The billboard as set forth in claim 12, wherein the fluorescent lamp supporting mechanism further comprises a dummy bar which is disposed below the lower bar to extend in a lengthwise direction of the lower bar and functions to support the first electrode terminal.

14. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power transmitting section comprises a driven gear fastened to each triangular driving piece and formed on a circumferential outer surface thereof with a plurality of teeth, and a driving gear fastened to the belt to be meshed with the driven gear to thereby rotate the triangular driving piece when the belt is operated.

15. The billboard as set forth in claim 14, wherein a rotation angle of the triangular driving piece can be determined by adjusting the numbers of teeth of the driving and driven gears which are meshed with each other.

16. The billboard as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power transmitting section comprises at least one driven projection which is formed on a lower surface of the triangular driving piece to be separated one from another in a circumferential direction; and a driving projection formed on the belt to be brought into contact with each of the driven projections and thereby rotate the triangular driving piece when the belt is operated.

17. A billboard comprising: an outer frame; hollow triangular advertising prisms each having respective surfaces on which advertising patterns are provided and both ends which are rotatably supported by upper and lower bars of the outer frame; a pair of rotation support sections for rotatably supporting both ends of each hollow triangular advertising prism with respect to the upper and lower bars, one of the rotation support sections having a friangular driving piece; a closed loop-shaped belt for drivably surrounding apexes and sides of triangular driving pieces, which are opposite to each other; a slot defined through the belt so that one apex of each triangular driving piece can be temporarily inserted into and removed out of the slot and thereby the triangular driving pieces can be rotated inside the belt without being hindered, and one side of each rotated triangular driving pieces can come into contact with an inner surface of the belt to be supported thereby; and a power transmitting section rotated integrally with the belt to sequentially rotate groups of the triangular driving pieces, with each group being constituted by at least two triangular driving pieces.