Content display for use with conveyor systems

Systems and methods for displaying content in a conveyor system are provided. A content displaying conveyor plate includes a base plate and an upper plate that is configured to be releasably coupled to the base plate. The upper plate can be configured to display content, for example content that is integral to the base plate, content that is disposed between the upper plate and the base plate, or any combination thereof. The upper plate can be coupled to the base plate via one or more connection members defined on the upper plate and/or the base plate. Any, number, such as all of the base plates of an existing conveyor system can be replaced with respective content displaying conveyor plates. The base plate of the content displaying conveyor plate can define one or more recesses, the recesses configured to receive an attachment member and/or other components of a carousel therein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for displaying content and more particularly to systems and methods for displaying advertising content in conveyor systems.

BACKGROUND

Conveyor systems may be used in a wide range of applications. Such applications include baggage handling at airports, automated distribution, and warehousing, to name a few. In general, conveyor systems enable movement of items along an endless loop of conveyor system base plates. Baggage carousels deployed at airports present an opportunity for advertisers to display content to a captive audience of travelers waiting to retrieve their luggage. By affixing advertising content to the moving base plates of a baggage carousel, advertisers can effectively expose the majority of travelers congregated in the area of the baggage carousel.

However, conventional baggage carousel advertising systems often require significant time, effort, and expense in order to deploy and/or maintain. For example, baggage carousel advertising systems that display content in recessed cavities defined in the surfaces of the carousel base plates often provide less than the full amount of viewable, or “rail-to-rail” advertising space between the rails of the conveyor system. In another example, baggage carousel advertising systems that operate by wrapping the carousel base plates with an adhesive coating containing the advertising content are typically difficult to remove, thereby making the process of changing the advertising content both time consuming and labor intensive.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a content displaying conveyor plate includes a base plate that defines at least one first connection member. The base plate has an upper surface and an opposing lower surface configured to be attached to a conveyor system. The content displaying conveyor plate further includes an upper plate that defines at least one second connection member. The upper plate has a contact surface and a display surface. The upper plate is configured to be releasably coupled to the upper surface of the base plate such that content is displayed by the upper plate. A content displaying conveyor system can be constructed using a plurality of content displaying conveyor plates. A conveyor system base plate can be modified to display content by defining at least one connection member in at least one base plate of an assembled conveyor system and releasably coupling an upper plate to the at least one base plate. The at least one connection member is configured to couple the at least one upper plate to the at least one base plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right”, “left”, “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” and “lower” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inward,” “inwardly,” “outward,” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device to which reference is made and/or designated parts thereof. The terminology intended to be non-limiting includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

Referring initially toFIG. 1, an example embodiment of a content displaying conveyor system10is illustrated. The content displaying conveyor system10can include at least one, such as a plurality of content displaying conveyor plates100. The illustrated content displaying conveyor system10includes a baggage carousel system, or carousel12. The carousel12includes a plurality of conveyor system base plates14, at least one of which can be configured as a content displaying conveyor plates100. The base plates14move around the carousel12in an endless loop, such that luggage or other items disposed on the base plates14will be continuously conveyed around the perimeter of the carousel12. The base plates14are coupled to a corresponding plurality of spaced apart attachment members31connected to the drive system of the carousel12, such that the base plates14are conveyed continuously around the perimeter of the carousel12by the attachment members31. The base plates14define respective upper surfaces that are substantially parallel to the underlying surface upon which the carousel12is constructed.

The carousel12further includes inner rails16and opposing outer rails18disposed along the edges of the base plates14around the perimeter of the carousel12, the inner and outer rails16and18configured to retain objects on the base plates14as they move around the carousel. Each base plate14of the carousel12defines a viewable space20along its upper surface between the inner and outer rails16and18, respectively. Advertising content can be affixed to at least one, up to an entirety of the base plates14, thereby defining at least one, such as a plurality of discrete content display sections. For example, a single portion of content can be divided and coupled to a plurality of adjacent base plates14, up to an entirety of the base plates14such that as the adjacent base plates14move around the carousel12, the adjacent base plates14appear to define a single continuous portion of content. The structure of the carousel12will not be described in greater detail as it is well known to those skilled in the art. It should be appreciated that the content displaying conveyor system10is not limited to use with the illustrated baggage carousel12, and that the content displaying conveyor system10can alternatively be used with any other suitable conveyor system.

Referring now toFIGS. 2-4, an example embodiment of a content displaying conveyor plate100for use with the content displaying conveyor system10is illustrated. The illustrated content displaying conveyor plate100includes a number of components, in particular a conveyor base plate, or base plate14and an upper plate22. The base plate14can be constructed of any suitable material, such as stainless steel, hot rolled steel, cold rolled steel, aluminum, KYDEX®, or any other suitable material. The outer surfaces of the base plate14can be coated with a polymer material. The illustrated base plate14is substantially crescent shaped, and defines a leading edge14a, an opposing trailing edge14b, and opposing side edges14c. The leading, trailing, and side edges14a-cdefine an enclosed perimeter of the base plate14. The base plate14further defines an upper surface14dand an opposing lower surface14e. The thickness of the base plate, as defined between the upper and lower surfaces14d-e, respectively, can be uniform throughout the base plate14, can vary between the leading and trailing edges14a-b, can vary between the side edges14c, or any combination thereof. The illustrated base plate14has a thickness of about five eighths of an inch. The upper surface14dof the illustrated base plate14defines a substantially planar surface, but can alternatively define other suitable surface geometries.

The lower surface14eof the base plate14can be configured to be coupled to an attachment member31of the carousel12such that the base plate14will move along with the attachment member31, as described above. A portion, up to the entirety of the lower surface14ecan be configured to couple to the attachment member31of the carousel12such that the height of the upper surface14dof the base plate14is lowered with respect to the bottom edges of the inner and outer rails16and18, thereby providing room for the installation and/or removal of other components of the content displaying conveyor plate100, such as the upper plate22. For example, the lower surface14eof the illustrated base plate14ecan define at least one, such as a plurality of recesses13, the recesses13configured to receive the attachment member31and/or other components of the carousel12therein. The recesses13can be configured such that the content displaying conveyor plate100can be coupled to a particular carousel, for instance carousel12, without requiring any structural or other modifications to the carousel12that are typically required by existing baggage carousel advertising systems, such as raising the height of inner and/or outer rails16and18of the carousel12with respect to the base plates14. It should be appreciated that the content displaying conveyor plate100is not limited to the illustrated recesses13, and that the lower surface14eof the base plate14can be differently constructed to include one or more recesses13of any suitable size, shape, and/or depth, for example to accommodate varying carousel attachment member geometries, additional functional carousel components such as rollers, and/or to define differing heights of the upper surface14dof the base plate14with respect to the bottom edges of the inner and outer rails16and18.

The upper surface14dof the base plate14can define at least one, such as a plurality of connection members, the connection members configured to allow the upper plate22to be releasably coupled to the base plate14. In the illustrated embodiment, the base plate14defines a plurality of connection members in the form of apertures15that extend into the upper surface14dof the base plate14along central axes L that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface14d. Alternatively, the apertures15can be defined through the base plate14, for instance extending into the upper surface14dand out the lower surface14e. At least a portion of the inner surfaces of any number, such all of the apertures15can be threaded. One or more, up to the entirety of the connection members can be defined in the base plate14at the time of manufacture, for instance so that the content displaying conveyor plate100can be deployed as a replacement for an existing base plate14of a carousel12. Alternatively, the base plate14can be modified so as to define one or more connection members while it is coupled to an attachment member31, for instance in an assembled carousel12. The apertures15of the illustrated base plate14are defined spaced apart from each other along the perimeter of the base plate14, but can alternatively be defined in any other locations in the upper surface14das desired.

The illustrated upper plate22has a substantially crescent shape that conforms to the shape of the base plate14, and defines a leading edge22a, an opposing trailing edge22b, and opposing side edges22c. The leading, trailing, and side edges22a-cdefine an enclosed perimeter of the upper plate22that substantially conforms to the closed perimeter of the base plate14. The upper plate22further defines an upper, or display surface22dand an opposing lower, or contact surface22e. The contact surface22eof the illustrated upper plate22defines a substantially planar surface such that the contact surface22econforms to the upper surface14dof the base plate14when the upper plate22is coupled to the base plate14, but can alternatively define other suitable surface geometries. The upper plate22can be constructed of any suitable material, such as plastic or some other suitable polymer or material capable of withstanding the wear and tear associated with placing and/or removing baggage from an exposed surface. Content display sheets28can be defined having various thicknesses. In a preferred embodiment, a content display sheet28of approximately one-fourth of an inch thickness is used.

The upper plate22can define at least one, such as a plurality of connection members, the connection members configured to interface with complimentary connection members defined by the base plate14, so as to allow the upper plate22to be releasably coupled to the base plate14. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper plate22defines a plurality of connection members in the form of apertures23that extend through the upper plate22along central axes L that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface14dof the base plate14. In the illustrated embodiment, the apertures15of the base plate14and the apertures23of the upper plate22are defined along common central axes L such that the apertures are substantially aligned with respect to each other when the upper plate22is disposed onto the base plate14.

The apertures15and23of the illustrated content displaying conveyor plate100are aligned such that anchors, such as screws24, can be inserted through corresponding apertures23and received in the apertures15, thereby securing the upper plate22to the base plate14in a releasably coupled configuration. A portion, up to the entirety of the shafts26of the screws24can have threads25defined thereon, the threads25configured to engage with the threads defined in the apertures15, such that as the screws24are tightened, the lower surface27aof the heads27of the screws24engage with complimentary inner surfaces23aof the apertures23, such that the upper surfaces27bof the heads27of the screws24will be flush with the display surface22dof the upper plate22when fully inserted.

In use, the upper plate22can be installed and/or removed from the base plate14without removing the inner and/or outer rails16and18of the carousel12. For example, in one method of assembly, the upper plate22can be rotated with respect to its coupled position and placed against the upper surface14dof the base plate14. The upper plate22can then be rotated so that its side edges14cslide under the bottom edges of the inner and outer rails16and18, respectively, and the upper plate22can be positioned such that the apertures15and23are aligned with respect to each other. Anchors, such as screws24, can then be inserted into the apertures as described above and tightened to secure the upper plate22to the base plate14. The upper plate22can similarly be removed by performing the above-described steps in reverse order. It should be appreciated that changing out the upper plate22, and thus the content it displays, can be achieved quickly and with low installation overhead when compared with typical existing baggage carousel advertising systems.

It should be appreciated that the content displaying conveyor plate100is not limited to the illustrated connection members of apertures15and23, and that the base plate14and/or the upper plate22can be differently constructed with any other connection members as desired. It should further be appreciated that the content displaying conveyor plate100is not limited to the illustrated crescent shaped base plate14and upper plate22, and that the base plate14and/or the upper plate22can be differently constructed having any other suitable shape. It should further still be appreciated that the base plate14and the upper plate22can be constructed having the same or different shapes, as desired.

The display surface22dof the upper plate22is configured to facilitate viewing of content integral with or contained within the content displaying conveyor plate100, for example by travelers in the proximity of the carousel12. Because the upper plate22substantially conforms to the shape of the base plate14, substantially the entirety of the viewable space20defined by the upper surface14dbetween the inner and outer rails16and18, respectively, is made available for displaying content. The content displayed by the content displaying conveyor plate100can include any type of visual information and/or indicia, such as a printed message, an image, or any combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion, such as the entirety of the upper plate22is constructed of a substantially transparent material and the content is integral with the contact surface22eof the upper plate22, such that when the upper plate22is coupled to the base plate14, the content is visible through the upper plate22. The content can be integral with the contact surface22eof the upper plate via any suitable process, for instance second surface printing onto the contact surface22e, screen printing on the contact surface22e, adhering the content to the contact surface22e, or the like. It should be appreciated that alternatively, a portion, such as all, of the content can be integral with the upper surface14dof the base plate14.

In an alternative embodiment, the content can be integral with the display surface22dof the upper plate, for example using techniques similar to those described for the upper plate22. When the content is integral with the display surface22d, the upper plate22can be alternatively constructed of a non-transparent material. Moreover, when the content is integral with the display surface22d, the display surface22dcan optionally be coated with at least one layer of a protective material, for instance a hard laminate, so as to protect the content from damage and/or premature wear, for example from placement and/or removal of luggage from the content displaying conveyor plate100. Of course discrete portions of content can be integral with both the contact surface22eand the display surface22d. In still another alternative embodiment, at least a portion, such as all of the content can be embedded within the upper plate22, such as between the contact surface22eand the display surface22d, flush with the contact surface22e, flush with the display surface22d, or any combination thereof.

Referring now toFIGS. 5-6, in still another alternative embodiment, the content can be provided as a separate component of the content displaying conveyor plate100, for example as a content display sheet28. Content display sheets28can be quickly and easily inserted or removed from the content displaying conveyor plate100, for example by removing the upper plate22as described in more detail above. In the illustrated embodiment, the content display sheet28has a substantially crescent shape that conforms to the shape of the base plate14and the upper plate22, and has a plurality of apertures30defined therethrough along central axes L that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface14dof the base plate14. The apertures30of the content display sheet28, the apertures15of the base plate14, and the apertures23of the upper plate22are defined along common central axes L such that the apertures are substantially aligned with respect to each other when the content display sheet28is disposed between the contact surface22eof the upper plate22and the upper surface14dof the base plate14. The upper plate22can be constructed of a substantially transparent material such that when the upper plate22is coupled to the base plate14, the content display sheet28is visible through the upper plate22. It should be appreciated that the content display sheet28is not limited to the illustrated shape, and that the content display sheet28can be differently constructed having any suitable shape, for example such that the apertures30are omitted.

As described above, content can be displayed continuously or discontinuously. For example, a discreet portion of content, or indicia, may be divided so that it spans a plurality of adjacent content displaying conveyor plates100, such that as the adjacent content displaying conveyor plates100move around the carousel12, the adjacent content displaying conveyor plates100appear to define a single continuous portion of content. Alternatively, a single discreet portion of content can occupy a single content displaying conveyor plate100. It should be appreciated that one or more individual base plates14or discreet sections of adjacent or nonadjacent base plates14of an existing conveyor system, such as carousel12, can be replaced with adjacent and/or nonadjacent content displaying conveyor plates100, thereby defining respective discreet content displaying portions of the carousel12. Of course all the base plates14of the carousel12can be replaced with content displaying conveyor plates100.

The process of replacing a base plate14of an existing conveyor system with a content displaying conveyor plate100can be achieved by removing a respective section of the inner rail16and/or outer rail18, unfastening the existing base plate14from its respective carousel attachment member31, fastening the replacement base plate14of the content displaying conveyor plate100to the carousel attachment member31, and reinstalling the respective rail section(s). It should be appreciated that the content displaying conveyor system10thus provides a highly customizable advertising system with low installation overhead when compared with typical existing baggage carousel advertising systems.

Referring now toFIGS. 7-8B, the content displaying conveyor system10in use with an alternative type of conveyor system is illustrated. In particular, the illustrated content displaying conveyor system10includes a baggage carousel system, or carousel112. Carousel112is also known as an incline plate baggage carousel, and functions in an endless loop similarly to carousel12. Carousel112includes base plates114that define respective upper surfaces that are inclined with respect to the underlying surface upon which the carousel112is constructed. Each of the base plates114define a viewable space120along its upper surface between the upper and lower rails116and118, respectively. It should be appreciated the base plate114, the upper plate122, and/or the content display sheet128of the illustrated embodiment of the illustrated content displaying conveyor plate100are defined having rectangular shapes, but otherwise function substantially identically to the base plate14, the upper plate22, and the content display sheet28described above.

One or more content displaying conveyor plates100of the content displaying conveyor system10can be configured such that the upper plate22is illuminated from within the content displaying conveyor plate100. For example, one or more light sources, such as electroluminescent panels, light emitting diodes (LEDs), or the like can be embedded within the upper surface14dof the base plate14, within the contact surface22eof the upper plate22, within the display surface22dof the upper plate22, or any combination thereof. The light source can be electrically coupled to a power source, such as a battery pack, the battery pack disposed into the content displaying conveyor plate100, for example in the recess13. Alternatively, the light source may derive power from contact between one or more power intake members defined on the base plate14and one or more complimentary power source members defined on the carousel12.

Although the components of the content displaying conveyor system10and the content displaying conveyor plates100have been described herein with reference to preferred embodiments or preferred methods, it should be understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. For example, it should be noted that although the content displaying conveyor system10and the content displaying conveyor plates100have been described herein with reference to particular structure, methods, and/or embodiments, the scope of the instant disclosure is not intended to be limited to those particulars, but rather is meant to extend to all structures, methods, and/or uses of the content displaying conveyor system10and/or the content displaying conveyor plates100. Those skilled in the relevant art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may effect numerous modifications to the content displaying conveyor system10and/or the content displaying conveyor plates100as described herein, and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the instant disclosure, for instance as recited in the appended claims.