WO2009063266A1

WO2009063266A1 - Digital advertising system on stairs

Info

Publication number: WO2009063266A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/003533
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Innovative Media Solutions
Priority date: 2007-11-12
Filing date: 2007-11-12
Publication date: 2009-05-22

Abstract

An apparatus and method for displaying visual images to the audiences on the LCD Panels mounted to series of stationary vertical surfaces which the present invention uses the front surfaces of risers of a stairway in the stadiums, transportation hubs, amphitheaters, shopping malls, concert venues, libraries and the like is disclosed. The present invention uses the software to split the visual images to the appropriate pieces accordingly to the number of the vertical surfaces and the each part of the visual image is delivered to the desired position of LCD Panels. Those process is come to alive with using the placed modem to obtain the communication between LCD's and central processor and the signals of the visual image update via a wireless or a wired connection. Consequently after send the different or same part of the visual images the invention provides an overall view of coherent visual images seen by the LCD Panels on the stairs.

Description

DIGITAL ADVERTISING SYSTEM ON STAIRS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is field of digital advertising system on stairs with using LCD panel which is mounted on vertical surfaces of stationary stairs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Advertising is an all-encompassing way to reach the target audience and capture the consumer attention. It seems as if advertisers are always looking for new ways to get their massages attract the attention of audiences.

It has been long known that numerous types of media are used to advertise products and services in various settings. For example, large billboards and other types of signage or displays along highways, on windows, on side of vehicles and the like can be effective in attracting the attention of persons passing the display. Point of purchase displays are another advertising option, often used to direct a consumer's attention to product offerings placed inside a store.

A specific example of a current industry trend in the point of purchase area is referred to as "step advertising system." The term of "step advertising system" basically refer to a substrate with graphic printed on a surface. The substrates are releasably attached to series of stationary offset vertical surfaces, for example, the front surfaces of risers of stairway.

For example, in US Patent No. 6,041 ,533, issued in 2000, a step advertising system is described which provides a single visual image on a series of horizontally or vertically offset surfaces comprising laminated, adhesive backed, printed pieces of a flexible thermoplastic polymer based film, The details associated with such a system are discussed I rather great detail in Lemmond, Jr and will not be repeated herein, but simply incorporated herein reference for use as part of background to the present invention. The technology of displaying images on series of offset stationary vertical surfaces has been licensed to a company named StareWays. Roughly 3 years later, technology of displaying video on riser surfaces of staircases was disclosed in Japan Patent No. JP2003216087A [1]. According to the technology of the image separation system separates an image B of for example a tree A fetched by a video camera into a lattice-like separated image C. Light sources are arranged on the rear sides of the riser surfaces of the staircases so that they are made correspond one to one to the separated image C. The light sources project projected lights with colors corresponding to the separated image C from the rear sides of the riser surfaces on transmission screens installed on the riser surfaces. Thus, the video of the tree A can be displayed on the riser surfaces of the staircases.

Thus, it is clear that there is demand for outdoor steps advertising system and this is a medium of advertising that has drawn considerable attention. In addition while those technologies which above mentioned are enough effective, in contrast such displays can be expensive and time consuming to program, display and change. The present invention seeks to advance the step advertisings systems by mounted LCD screens on the front surfaces of risers of stairway.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to an advertising system and method of displaying a visual message which can be seat a large number of spectators, such as stadiums, amphitheaters, shopping malls, transportation hubs, concert venues, libraries and the like.

The invention includes opposite of the US Patent No. 6,041,533, a plurality of individual LCD Panels, each of which carries visual image is send via central processor. The panels are mounted series of stationary vertical surfaces which the present invention uses the front surfaces of risers of a stairway.

In a first separate group of aspects of the present invention, each individual mounted LCD panels can carry a different visual image or same visual images. Thus the combination of the panels when mounted to the surface of the stairs provides a repetitive pattern of the same image. That means each apparatus contains specific part of a single visual image so that when the LCD Panels are placed in a specific sequence on the series of surface, separate images are seen from an overall coherent visual images.

In another aspect of the invention, the visual images on the LCD Panel can be updated remotely from a central processor. By this way while images on the LCD^{^}s are delivered as either wireless or wired signal and the update visual image can be generated based upon a preselected criterion and can be changed any time of the day. That brings images to be arranged to suit the time of day.

In present invention while LCD Panels might be formed accordingly on any size of rises surfaces of the stairs, and because of the advantage of controlling the images via central processor, images configured online network of systems can effectively be accessed through a portal.

Some of the advantages and further objects will be apparent following descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig.1 depicts a LCD Panel which the present invention uses could be any size accordingly the stairs size

Fig.2 shows the a LCD Panel is similar Fig.1 except its unbreakable glass which the LCD^'s special feature to protect it

Fig.3 illustrates a LCD Panel contains specific part of a single visual image

Fig .4 shows the combination of the panels each of which carry specific part of a single visual image

Fig. 5 is a perspective view depiction of mounting of the LCD panels which are placed in a specific sequence on the series of surface front surfaces of risers of a stairway.

Fig.6 depicts a central processor which is system control mechanism. Fig. 7 illustrates a modem and the LCD Panel which communicate each other while the modem is controlled by central processor which send the images to the panels via wireless or wire signals

Fig. 8 is a description of the software which is installed in central processor first of all to split the visual image into a appropriate pieces accordingly LCD Panels which is mounted on the vertical surfaces of the stairs and then deliver them to the desired position of LCD Panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The details of the present invention having been described herein after above illustrated figures of it.

Basically the present invention provides a digital advertising system which is comprised of LCD Panels mounted on the series of stationary vertical surfaces which the invention uses the front side of risers of a stairway, and a single visual image that is delivered from central processor to LCD Panels via modem by using wireless or wired signals.

Each panel is supported with unbreakable glass and has been able to made in any size accordingly to the size of the front side of the stairs.

The LCD Panels are of used in the digital advertising system on the steps readily manufactured using known techniques. Especially after the 4^th wave technological developments on LCD Panels, today techniques present, first of all producing as much wider area as could be for display, so that brings the larger display area for image and remove the gaps between image and panel. In addition, because of manufacturing LCDs in high resolution, the image could be display in more high quality view and that makes the system less image failing. All those applications on manufacturing LCD Panels as above mentioned is already been using, prove the reasons of used LCD's in the present invention. The present invention uses the stairways which are placed in stadium, shopping malls, transportation hubs and the like. Such a stairway is depicted in Fig.5 includes a plurality of stair steps and each individual stair step includes a horizontal tread and a vertical riser.

In contrast of US Patent No. 6,041 ,533 and as illustrated in Fig.5 the present invention provides LCD Panels, each of which is releasably mounted to a front face of an individual riser. In addition this, as shown in Fig.3 each LCD Panel carries a visual image.

A different parts of the same visual image is shown by the grouping of the individual LCD's on a series of stationary vertical surfaces. In this embodiment of the present invention, each LCD Panel which carries the part of the visual image is mounted to a corresponding front face of a riser in sequence. Consequently the combination of the LCD^'s after mounting on the risers produces a single overall visual image.

Each visual image above mentioned in fact is installed in central processor which is comprised of the present invention. In this embodiment of system the main software of the invention is installed in the central processor. After creation of the visual image in any known and used application software such as Free Hand or image creator, the same visual as overall is send to the software as illustrated in Fig. 8 and the image is split to the appropriate pieces accordingly the number of LCD's on the vertical surfaces. After all, the each part of the visual image is delivered to the desired position of LCD Panels mounted front face of a riser by the software of the present invention which is installed in central processor.

It is obvious that there must be an apparatus between LCD Panel and the central processor to make them communicate. By this reason as illustrated in Fig.7 the present invention uses a modem. Consequently the image is send via modem from software installed in central processor to the LCD^'s by wireless or wired connections.

One of the most important advantage of the present invention is that can be less costly and the putting onto a practice is much easier, than prior step advertising systems because of its feature of being digital. Especially the upgrading the different visual image on the LCD's via central processor brings the is mechanism of control remotely.

Another advantage of the controlling system via central processor and displaying mechanism on LCD Panel named as a digitalizing is that can be updated remotely by an update system. Such a signal can be delivered via wired connection or via a wireless connection as above mentioned. By this way the update signal can be based on preselected criteria such as, for example, daily time scheduled.

The present invention also eliminates cost of the printing or any other system which is based on the printing and that is result of the using a LCD Panel which can be updated remotely via processor in the embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention has been described herein with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. Additional embodiments thereof will be obvious to those skilled in the system having the benefit of this detailed description. Further, modifications are also possible in alternative embodiments without departing from the inventive concept. Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the system that still further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed inventions as defined by the following claims.

Claims

What is the claimed is:

Claim 1 : Apparatus for displaying visual images carried by LCD Panels mounted on vertical surfaces of stationary stairs, comprising:

a LCD Panel

a series of stationary vertical surfaces a visual images

Claim 2: The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the LCD Panel is mounted on the front side of vertical surfaces of stationary stairs.

Claim 3: The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said the LCD Panel is produced by the unbreakable glass.

Claim 4: The apparatus of claim 3, where the unbreakable glass is for protection of the said LCD Panels

Claim 5: The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the series of stationary vertical surfaces can be any staircase.

Claim 6: The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said the LCD Panel is of each carrying a different part of said visual image.

Claim 7: The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a visual image is of a still image.

Claim 8: The apparatus of claim 2, wherein LCD Panels is placed in a specific sequence on the series of surface, said separate images are seen from overall coherent visual images.

Claim 9: The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the visual image can be updated remotely from modem by an update signal.

Claim 10: The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the update signal is a wireless signal. Claim 11: The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the update signal is a wired signal.

Claim 12: The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visual image is delivered via central processor

Claim 13: The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said the central processor is placed for the communication with said LCD Panel.

Claim 14: The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said the communication of central processor is obtain via modem.

Claim 15: The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said LCD Panel carries the visual image delivered from central processor via placed modem by using wireless or wired signal.

Claim 16: The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the central processor is of stored special software

Claim 17: The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the special software split the visual images to the appropriate pieces accordingly to the number of the vertical surfaces.

Claim 18: The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the split pieces of the visual images is delivered to the desired position of LCD Panels by said software.