Abstract:
A message display is described having a message display surface with a first area. At least one hook fastening element with a second area is affixed to the message display surface. The message display also includes at least one message display panel with a third area. The display panel has a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to maintain the at least one message display panel in a fixed relationship to the message display surface. A message display construction system and a method of creating a message display are also described.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a system and method for creating a message display of the type often affixed to roadside billboards. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the attachment of a single panel (or a number of separate panels) onto a message display surface. The method and system of the present invention greatly facilitate installation, removal, and replacement of the panel (or panels) by the use of hook fastening elements, which engage an entangled fiber sheet backing thereon to secure the single panel (or multiple panels) to the message display surface. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Several methods and apparatuses for displaying large-scale (or over-sized) messages, such as those displayed on roadside billboards, are known in the art. 
     One method is to hire an artist to paint the large-scale message (e.g., an advertisement) onto an appropriate message display surface, such as a billboard. To replace the painted advertisement with another, the advertiser simply paints over the old advertisement. While effective, this technique is used infrequently due to the high cost associated with the labor required. Despite the high cost, however, there are some instances, such as when the advertisement is to remain on the side of a building for a long period of time, where the expense associated with this technique may be justified. 
     A more common technique for creating an over-sized message display is to have the message or advertisement printed onto several large sheets of paper or plastic film. The sheets are then assembled, like a tiling, onto the display surface (e.g., the billboard). With this technique, the sheets are usually affixed to the advertising surface using a glue or an adhesive that assures the panels will remain attached to the advertising surface under just about any type of weather condition. Since the advertisement is affixed to the advertising surface with glue, however, it is difficult, if not impossible, to remove. Therefore, newer advertisements are usually glued on top of the advertisements previously affixed to the advertising surface. 
     Alternatively, it is known to stretch the advertisement over the display surface by attaching the advertisement to the edge or the rear of the display surface using hooks connected together with a ratchet cord. The hooks at one end of the ratchet cord are threaded through eyelets in the advertisement while the hooks at the other end of the ratchet cord are attached either to the edge of the display surface or to a suitable location at the rear of the advertising surface. With this technique, removal and replacement of the. advertisement is relatively simple—the hooks need only to be disengaged from the advertisement panel or the advertising surface. However, this fastening technique is limited to advertisements constructed as a single sheet (or assembled as a single sheet from a number of sheets) and cannot be applied to multiple panels or sheets that are to be attached to the same display surface. Moreover, sign or message displays of this type are usually made from a fabric that is woven to give the message display high tensile and tear strength. If signs of this type are not manufactured from a woven fabric with sufficient tensile and tear strength, the hooks simply tear through the edges of the sign upon application of a sufficient amount of force. 
     Other methods of attaching advertising materials to advertising surfaces are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,451 (“the &#39;451 patent”) describes an apparatus for attaching advertisements to the exterior of a truck, which the patent refers to broadly as a mobile information conveyance system. The attachment apparatus involves attaching a lower retaining channel  11  and an upper retaining channel  12  (with angle brackets  13 ) to the sides of a standard forty-foot semitrailer. A number of advertising panels  15  are inserted between the retaining channels  11 ,  12  and are held in place with a safety cable  16  that is held taut between anchors  16 B. End channels  14  prevent air (moving at 60+MPH) from dislodging the panels  15  from the retaining channels  11 ,  12 . For the rear rolling door  61  of the semitrailer, the &#39;451 patent describes the use of hook and loop fastening means (e.g., Velcro®) to hold a single panel  65  in place. The loop portion  60 B of the hook and loop fasteners is attached to the rear of the vinyl sign  65 . Hook fastener strips  60  are attached to the door  61 . 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,464 (“the &#39;464 patent”) also describes a way to attach an advertising sign to a truck. In this case, however, the display element  12  is attached to the tailgate of a pickup truck  15 . Straps  34  and  36  extend from the top and bottom edges of display element  12  and wrap around the top and bottom of the tailgate where they meet at the rear. Straps  34  and  36  may be provided with hook and loop strip fastening arrangements  94  and  96  to hold the display element  12  onto the tailgate of a pickup truck  15 . 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,129 (“the &#39;129 patent”) describes removable scene-scapes bordered by an interchangeable window frame for decorating the walls of a child&#39;s room. The background scene-scape  12  is painted with a background scene. The scene-scape  12  is provided with pressure sensitive adhesive for removably affixing the scene-scape  12  to a wall. Hook and loop fasteners  15 ,  17  may be affixed to the wall around the scene-scape  12  so that a window frame  18  may be removably attached to the wall around the scene-scape  12 . 
     While each of these patents describe the use of hook and loop fasteners for removably attaching elements to a surface, none of them address any of the problems described in connection with the assembly of a large-scale message display from a single panel or from a plurality of separate panels. Moreover, the prior art does not address the construction of a large-scale message display made of flexible sheets with an entangled fiber sheet backing incorporated into the rear surface thereof. Also, none of the prior art describes any technique that simplifies the removal and replacement of a large-scale advertisement from an advertising surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for creating a message display that overcomes the deficiencies in the prior art. 
     It is further object of the present invention to provide a method and system that facilitates assembly and disassembly of message displays constructed from one or more panels. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a message display having a message display surface with a first area. At least one hook fastening element with a second area is affixed to the message display surface. The message display also includes at least one message display panel with a third area. The display panel has a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to maintain the at least one message display panel in a fixed relationship to the message display surface. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a message display panel (or a number of panels) where the area of the entangled fiber sheet backing (or loop fastening element) is an integral part of the entire message display panel (or panels). 
     The present invention has of one of its objects the provision of a display where the hook fastening elements are disposed in a predetermined pattern on the message display surface. Other objects of the present invention provide the shape and construction of that predetermined pattern. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hook fastening element that is affixed to the display surface with an adhesive or other attachment method such as staples, rivets, screws, etc. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a message display where the message display panel or panels have a printable surface integrally formed with an entangled fiber sheet backing to provide the loop fastening element that engages at least one hook fastening element affixed to the message display surface. The printable surface may be made from polyvinyl chloride. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a message display construction system that includes at least one hook fastening element capable of being affixed to a message display surface, and at least one message display panel having a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to maintain the at least one message display panel in a fixed relationship to the message display surface. 
     One further object of the present invention is to provide a method of creating a message display with at least one message display panel with a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The method involves affixing at least one hook fastening element to a message display surface. Following that, the at least one message display panel is positioned so that the entangled fiber sheet backing is adjacent to the at least one hook fastening element. Finally, pressure is applied to the at least one message display panel so that the at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to hold the at least one message display panel in a relatively fixed relation to the at least one hook fastening element. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The various embodiments of the present invention are illustrated throughout the figures, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view schematic illustration of one type of equipment used to manufacture a material with a printable surface on one side and to join it with an entangled fiber sheet backing on the other to create a monolithic product where the entangled fiber sheet backing is imbedded into the printable surface (or film) for maximum attachment value, which is suitable for use with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is top view of a portion of the material illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the printable surface as the top surface and the entangled fiber sheet backing as the bottom surface; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the material illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the relative thickness of the materials used to construct the material; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a first embodiment of a message display as assembled onto a message display surface; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of a message display as assembled onto a message display surface; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the message display surface shown in FIG. 4 with the message display panel removed to expose the hook fastening elements underneath, which are shown in a first preferred pattern; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a second pattern for the hook fastening elements of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a third pattern for the hook fastening elements of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a fourth pattern for hook fastening elements, in the form of panels, of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-section of a portion of the message display assembly shown in FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Throughout the specification, the use of “message display” and similar appellations are intended to refer to the overall display of a message, whether or not it is a commercial (e.g., advertising), political, or personal statement. While it is expected that the present invention will be used primarily for commercial advertising, it should be kept in mind that the present invention may be used for any large-print media, regardless of the reason motivating the use of such media. 
     FIG. 1 is a side view schematic illustration showing the formation of a material  10  onto which a message may be printed for the assembly of a message display. To fabricate material  10 , a heated mixer  12  supplies a thermoplastic material  14 , in molten form, to a nozzle  16  that applies molten thermoplastic material  14 , in the form of a film, to an entangled fiber sheet backing  18 . Thereafter, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  and molten thermoplastic material  14  are carried to a pair of calendering rollers  20 ,  22  where thermoplastic material  14  and entangled fiber sheet backing  18  are pressed together to form material  10 . The direction of rotation of the calendering rollers  20 ,  22  is indicated by the arrows in FIG.  1 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, thermoplastic material  14  that is applied to entangled fiber sheet backing  18  is polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”). While any PVC may be selected for this invention, it is preferred that the PVC be of sufficient quality so that, after calendering, the PVC presents a smooth surface  24  onto which graphic and textual information may be printed easily. PVC of this type is often referred to as “printable PVC.” 
     The preferred printable PVC for the present invention is mixture of a PVC-based resin with a number of additives such as an ultra-violet (UV) light stabilizer, any of a number of anti-oxidants, and other ingredients that enhance ink receptivity. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the exact formulation of the thermoplastic film  14  may be varied depending upon the particular application and environmental conditions to which the film  14  will be exposed. The present invention is not limited to any particular formulation, and any of a number of formulations may be employed without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     While PVC is preferred for the thermoplastic film  14 , those skilled in the art would readily recognize that any suitable thermoplastic material or other film-forming material may be substituted therefor, so long as material  10 , after manufacture, presents a printable surface  24 . 
     Entangled fiber sheet backing  18  is basically any group of fibers put together in web form to present a sheet that can have a polymer film applied to one side, and on the reverse side, have an entanglement of fibers that engage hook fastening elements such as hook tape. Preferably, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  is a non-woven material made of polyester. While polyester is preferred, specifically a non-woven polyester, those skilled in the art would readily recognize that any material may be substituted therefor. For example, polypropylene and other fibers may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     What is required of the entangled fiber sheet backing  18  is that it provide a structure that is readily grasped by hook fastening elements, which will be described in greater detail below. In addition, it is preferred that the entangled fiber sheet backing  18  be strong enough to hold firmly to the hook fastening elements. Also, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  preferably should be dimensionally stable so that it resists the tendency to stretch or shrink over the lifetime of its use. Additionally, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  preferably should resist degradation by water, sun, and exposure to other outdoor environmental conditions and stresses. 
     In the present invention, material  10  preferably is between about 5 and 40 mils (thousandths of an inch) thick. Of this thickness, PVC film  14  is preferably between about 4 and 40 mils thick. It is more preferred that PVC film  14  have a thickness between about 4 and 8 mils. In the most preferred embodiment, PVC film  14  has a thickness of about 4 mils. Entangled fiber sheet backing  18  preferably has a weight per unit area of between about 1 and 8 ounces per square yard (“ounces/sq. yd.” or “oz./sq. yd.”). In a more preferred embodiment, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  has a weight per unit area of between about 2 and 4 ounces/sq. yd. In the most preferred embodiment, entangled fiber sheet backing  18  has a weight per unit area of about 3.1 ounces/sq. yd. 
     As FIG. 1 illustrates, in the preferred embodiment, material  10  is made using a continuous process. As a result, the final construction of material  10  is a continuous sheet  11  that may be rolled onto a cylinder drum  13 . 
     It should be noted that the equipment illustrated in FIG. 1 for the manufacture of material  10  is merely exemplary of one such arrangement. It is possible to manufacture a material with a printable surface  24  and an entangled fiber sheet backing  18  by any number of alternative methods or apparatuses. Certain of these methods do not require a thermoplastic material. Nevertheless, they create materials that are equally well suited for the present invention. 
     To create a message display, material  10  is partitioned into panels. For the example in FIG. 4, four panels, designated as  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and  32 , are shown. While panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  may be of any size suitable for a particular advertising application, panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  generally are cut to a predetermined size so that they have uniform dimensions. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  have a width  38  of between about 3 and 12 feet and a height 40 of about 10 feet, depending upon the final size for the message as well as the size of the message display surface. As a general rule, the most preferred size for the completely-assembled message panel  34  is 10 feet tall by 25 feet wide, which is a standard billboard size. Also, message panel  34  may be constructed so that it is 17 feet tall by 48 feet wide, which is a larger standard size known in the art. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  are pre-assembled into unitary message panel  34  by pre-attaching the panels to one another along seams  35 ,  37 , and  39 , as illustrated. Panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and  32  are preferably welded together at seams  35 ,  37 , and  39 . However, as would be understood by those skilled in the art, seams  35 ,  37 , and  39  may be made by any suitable technique that assures message panel  34  will not split apart during its operative lifetime. Moreover, message display  34  may not include any panels or seams at all but may be constructed from a single sheet of material. 
     Message  36  may be printed onto message display  34  after panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and  32  are assembled. In the alternative, message  36  may be printed onto each of individual panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  before seams  35 ,  37 ,  39  are created in the manufacture of message panel  34 . When message  36  is pre-printed onto panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  before assembly of message panel  34 , register marks  41  are provided to align the various parts of message  36  to one another. 
     The size of the message  36  and the size of the printing equipment control whether message  36  is printed onto message panel  34  after it is assembled or whether message  36  is printed onto individual panels  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and  32  prior to their assembly into message panel  34 . For purposes herein, the message  36  displayed is “ADVERTISING MESSAGE.” While only text is displayed herein, those skilled in the art would readily recognize that graphical information may also be provided for message  36 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative arrangement of panels  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48  that have been assembled to construct a message panel  50 . As with the previous example, while only four panels  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  are illustrated, those skilled in the art would readily recognize that any number of panels may be utilized without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, panels  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  may be made with any suitable width  52 , height  54 , or shape that is required for the particular message panel  50 . 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a first embodiment of the pattern for hook fastening elements  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68 ,  70 ,  72 ,  74 ,  76 , and  78  that may be affixed to the display surface  80 . In this figure, strips of hooks fastening elements  60 - 78  are arranged in three box-like configurations  82 ,  84 ,  86  with X-shaped interior configurations  88 ,  90 ,  92 . As illustrated, it is not required that hook fastening elements  60 - 78  occupy the complete display surface  80 . As would be understood by those skilled in the art, all that is required is that hook fastening elements  60   78  provide enough surface area to firmly engage entangled fiber sheet backing  18  on message panel  34 ,  50  so that message panel  34 ,  50  does not disengage from hook fastening elements  60 - 78  during its operative lifetime. 
     When hook fastening elements are applied as strips or as tape, such as with hook fastening elements  60 - 78 , the width of the strips is preferably between about 2 and 4 inches. However, any suitable width of hook fastening strips may be used. For example, hook fastening tape of up to 2 feet in width is commercially available. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, any width of the hook fastening strips may be used without deviating from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     In addition, there are many different varieties of hook fastening elements that are commercially available, all of which are suitable for use with the present invention. For example, hook tape is made with a variety of different hook sizes. The design (or shape) of the hooks also may differ from one variety of hook fastening element to the next. The closeness and direction of the hooks also can vary from one hook fastening element to another. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of the pattern for the hook fastening elements on message display surface  80 . In this embodiment, the edges of message display surface  80  are provided with hook fastening edge elements  94 ,  96 ,  98 , and  100 . Vertical hook fastening strips  102  are disposed evenly between left-edge hook fastening strip  100  and right-edge hook fastening strip  96 . Interposed between vertical hook fastening strips  102  are regions without hook fastening elements  104 . 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a third embodiment of the pattern for the hook fastening elements on message display surface  80 . In this embodiment, the edges of message display surface  80  are provided with hook fastening edge elements  106 ,  108 ,  110 , and  112 . Horizontal hook fastening strips  114  are disposed evenly between top-edge hook fastening strip  106  and bottom-edge hook fastening strip  110 . Interposed between horizontal hook fastening strips  114  are regions without hook fastening elements  116 . 
     As shown in FIG. 9, hook fastening elements in the form of hook fastening panels  118 ,  120 ,  122 , and  124  may also be affixed to message display surface  80 , but, as mentioned above, this is not required. In this fourth embodiment, hook fastening panels  118 ,  120 ,  122 , and  124  are co-extensive with the entirety of the message display surface  80 , and each of the four hook fastening panels  118 ,  120 ,  122 , and  124  have a width  126  and a height  128  that is suitable for the message display surface  80 . In the embodiment illustrated, width  126  and height  128  are equal to width  52  and height  54 , but this is not required. 
     As indicated above, there are infinite number of patterns possible for the hook fastening elements or panels on message display surface  80 . The embodiments depicted in FIGS. 6-9 are merely illustrative of four such embodiments. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the message panel  34  shown in FIG.  4 . Message display surface  80  includes a hook fastening element (e.g.,  56 ) affixed thereon by a suitable adhesive  130 . Hook fastening element (e.g.,  56 ) includes a multitude of hook elements  132  extending therefrom to releasably engage entangled fiber sheet backing  18  of panel  34 . When panel  34  is pressed against hook fastening elements (e.g.,  56 ), hook elements  132  engage and retain the fibers from entangled fiber sheet backing  18  so that display panel  34  is retained in a fixed relationship to message display surface  80 . while the hook fastening elements (e.g.,  56 ) preferably are affixed to message display surface  80  with adhesive  130 , staples, nails, rivets, or other forms of positive attachment systems may be used to assure that the hook fastening elements are properly attached to message display surface  80 . Moreover, any of adhesive  130 , staples, nails, rivets, or other fasteners may be used in combination with one another to act as redundant attachment systems for the hook fastening elements to message display surface  80 . 
     One advantage of the present invention, among others, is that entangled fiber sheet backing  18  is incorporated into the back of message display panel  34 . As a result, it is not necessary to attach separate, loop fastening elements to the rear of message display panel  34  so that the hook fastening elements (in whatever pattern they are arranged) may hold message panel  34  in place. This reduces the number of steps required to assemble message display panel  34 . In addition, it reduces the overall thickness of message display panel  34 . Moreover, the design permits message display panel  34  to be quickly removed from message display surface  80  and readily replaced with a new message  36 . 
     As would be recognized by those skilled in the art, the embodiments described and illustrated herein are merely representative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto.