DISPLAY WITH REARRANGEABLE CHARACTERS

Abstract: A display with rearrangeable characters, for instance for price display at sales points, has a front plate (1) with recesses (7) for mounting rearrangeable digital, rod-shaped elements (2) in the plate (1) and displaying digital characters and a removable rear or locking plate (8) to be fixed onto the plate (1). In their unlocked position, the elements (2) are rotatable in the front plate (1) about a transversal axis (4, 5) in each recess for the display of a desired digital character by means of the colours of the element and with the rod in its resting position in the plate (1). Each element (2) is self-locking in its resting position and secured so as to avoid further rotation in this position by the rear plate (8), thus together with adjacent elements (2) showing the desired character as an unbroken whole.

Description: Display with Rearranqeable Characters The present invention relates to a display device with rearrangeable characters, such as a price display at sales points, or other displays, where a quick and simple change of the characters is desirable, so that a change of the display may be readily performed without the need for any loose signs, writing utensils or the like. Such displays have become increasingly popular, especially as digital figures and letters are commonly used. The figures and letters are created on the basis of a number of basic elements which are activated individually and together form the individual charac¬ ter. The use of digital figures is commonly known from displays in CPUs, telephones and certain types of watches (digital watches), where the individual figure section contains seven elements which may be activated electronically so as to form a combination showing a figure in the range of 0 to 9. A corresponding display of letters is also possible, but requires a slightly larger number of basic elements to be able to display any letter in the alphabet. When using displays which are not electronically controlled, such as price displays at sales points, it may be advantageous to use digital displays which by means of elements built into or embedded in the display can create any desired character through manual activation of each individual element. Displays of this type are e.g. known from US-A-3740878, in which the individual character is created by means of a number of small squares in contrasting co- lours. The squares pivot on vertical shafts and form together a rectangular surface. The displaying of characters is effected by rotating squares of identical contrasting colour into horizontal and vertical directions in the rectangle so as to form edged characters, preferably figures. The front plate of the display with the.rec- tangles and the rotatable squares may after adjustment into the desired signs be locked to a rear plate so as to prevent further rotation of the squares. However, the display device according to US-A-3740878 is not suitable for displaying digital characters, and it is not particularly suitable for indoor price displaying, where the price displays should be relatively small and easy to read. Another display, which is also primarily intended for outdoor use and therefore also of a relatively large and complex structure is described in US-A-4411084. The characters of this display are constituted by elements, which may be rotated on center axes and which after the rotation into the desired character may be locked in this position by means of special locking plates with recesses. The locking plates may be bolted to a rear plate. The rotation and the locking of the desired signs is thus complicated, and although in principle the display shows digital characters these characters suffer from the obvious drawback that the individual elements do not abut against each other at their respective ends. This display is not suitable as a small-scale price display, e.g. for indoor use in retail shops, etc, either. In Danish patent application No. 5397/87 a sign containing e.g. a number of characters each consisting of seven basic elements is described in which character each segment has the shape of a flat stick, and where the individual elements at either end are tapering and secured to the substrate of the character by means of a pivot, in that the front surface of the element in its resting position is substantially in plane with the substrate. One flat side of the element has the same colour as the substrate, and the other flat side of the element is provided with a contrasting colour. When an element is to be activated so as to form part of a figure, the rod is rotated manually about its longitudinal axis so that the side of the element with the contrasting colour appears, and in this way each invididual element is activated so as to form a combination of elements showing the desired figure. A deletion of the figure is effected by displaying the side of the element having the same colour as the substrate. A considerable drawback of this sign is that the tapering shape of the end of each element in connection with the pivotable securing of the rod to the substrate, likewise at each end of the element, makes it impossible to obtain a complete abutment of the elements at their oblique ends when displaying a figure. Consequently, a disturbing gap revealing part of the surface of the plate occurs, and therefore the character does not appear as an entity. Another drawback i that it is difficult to combine a self-locking device with th ball coupling between an element and a substrate at each rod end. Such self-locking device should prevent the individual element from being inadvertently rotated which would result in an error on the display. It is the object of the present invention to provide a manually operated display with changeable digital characters and to eliminate the drawbacks dealt with in connection with the above the prior art. The particular feature of the present invention is a display with easily changeable, self-locking, easily readable digital characters, which display is inexpensive and relatively small and therefore particularly suitable for indoor use, e.g. in retail shops. The invention will now be further explained with reference to the accompanying, non-limiting drawings, which show an example of an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 is a front view of a display according to the invention, ready to use; Fig. 2 shows the front plate of the display, where the character elements have been removed; Fig. 3 shows a character element consisting of two complementary elements; Fig. 4 shows the rear or locking plate of the display; Fig. 5 is an enlarged, longitudinal and sectional view through a mounted element in its resting position in the front plate; and Fig. 6 is also an enlarged and longitudical view through a mounted element, which has been rotated into a position perpendicular to the front plate. In the described example a price display device comprising three 7-segment digital figures and a point has been employed. In Fig. 1 the reference numeral 1 designates the front plate of the display, and which is made of a material suitable for displays, e.g. nylon with glass. The reference numeral 2 designates an individual element, and 3 designates a point. The elements have on their first flat side the same colour as the front plate, and on their second, flat side they have a contrasting colour, so that the individual element in its resting position in the front plate either forms an integrated part of or is clearly distinct from the front plate as far as the colour is concerned. As shown in Fig. 2, the front plate 1 has recesses 7 which for each figure portion in the plate leaves center areas 6 and rods 4,5, which connect the centre area with the remaining part of the front plate 1 or with the adjacent center area 6. The shape of the reces- ses 7 corresponds to that of the elements 2 in their mounted posi¬ tion, which will appear from a comparison between Figs. 1 and 2. The crosssectional shape of the rods 4,5 is close to elliptical, vide Figs. 5 and 6, which will be explained in greater detail below. Fig. 3 shows an individual element consisting of two complementary members 12,12' of a plastics material, e.g. impact-proof styrene or ABS. Each member has at one end a hole 15 for a projection 16' on the complementary member and correspondingly a projection 16 at the other end, which projection 16 fits into a hole 15' in the comple- mentary member. Both members are provided with a transversal groove 13, and the members form together, when the element is mounted in the plate 1, a bearing for the rod 4. Thus, the rod 4 becomes a transversal shaft, on which the element may be rotated. Furthermore, each element has internal protrusions 14,14', 17,17' at its ends, which protrusions in pairs of two abut against each other, when the element is mounted. The assembly of two members to each other into an element in its assembled position around the transversal shaft 4 is preferably carried out by means of ultrasonic welding, as other mounting methods, such as interference fit, may be employed depen- dent on the size of the element. The end shapes of the assembled element 2 are such that the end of an element without any gap abuts on the corresponding end of an adjacent element when the elements are embedded in the plate 1 so as to form the desired character. This will be obvious from Fig. 1. When the elements are in the desired position showing the characters on the plate 1, any further rotation of ti elements may be preven¬ ted by means of a rear or locking plate 8 of the same material as the plate, cf. Fig. 4, which rear or locking plate 8 by means of a flange 10 and a locking hook 9 may be fixed onto the plate 1. In the rear or locking plate 8 weight reducing recesses 11 are formed so that the remaining plate portions 8,8',8" prevent inadvertent rotation of the elements 2, when the rear plate 8 is arranged on the front plate 1. As shown on Figs. 5 and 6 the individual element 2 is self-locking in the embedded position (resting position) in the plate 1 with the element assembled around its rotating shaft 4. The self-locking has been obtained in the following manner: The shaft 4, which is cast or punched integrally with the plate 1, has a circular crosssection and is bevelled in such a way that the shaft has flat sides forming surfaces, which are parallel with the front and rear sides of the plate 1. The crosssection of the shaft thereby becomes almost elliptical, and the great axis is parallel to the plane of the plate 1, while the small axis is perpendicular to the plate. Each member 12,12' has an inner recess, the lower surfaces 19,19' of which in the assembled (welded) element 2 in its embedded position in the plate 1 abut firmly against the bevelled surfaces of the shaft 4. To further ensure the abutment against the bevelled surfaces of the shaft 4 the recess surfaces 19,19' may be provided with grooves 13 (see Fig. 3) in the transversal direction of the element. The grooves 13 are not shown in Figs. 5 and 6. If the rod is rotated manually out of its embedded position into a position perpendicular to the plate 1, see Fig. 6, the lower surfaces 19,19' will slide along and onto the curved surfaces of the shaft 4, and at the same time the inner gap formed by the recesses between the members 12,12' is slightly expanded, which the resiliency of the material allows, and a spring tension exerted on the shaft 4 is generated in the two members 12,12'. If the rotation of the element 2 is continued until it reaches its embedded position in the plate again the spring tension will urge the surfaces 19,19' in the members into firm abutment with the bevelled surfaces of the shaft 4 with a small click. As will readily appear from Figs. 5 and 6 the manual rotation of an element into the desired character on the plate 1 may take place in both directions about the shaft 4.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A display with rearrangeable characters, e.g. for displaying prices at sales points or the like, which display is provided with changeable elements embedded or built int the display for each character, and where a colour combination on either surface of the element ensures that each element may be rotated into a position, which in respect of colour either exposes or integrates the element in relation to the front of the display so that for each character a combination of elements is provided displaying the desired charac¬ ter, said display further comprising: a front plate (1) having perforated areas or recesses (7) and having in each area shafts (4,5) for pivotable mounting of the elements (2) in said areas; and a rear or locking plate (8) with interference fit and/or locking devices (9,10) for securing the rear plate (8) onto the front plate (1) so as to lock the elements (2) in a desired position in the front plate, and where each element (2) of a character area in its unlocked position is mounted pivotably around a center axis of a shaft (4,5) in the front plate (1), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a multitude of elements in which each element (2) is shaped at its ends (18) such that these ends (18) in a character displaying position are caused to abut against each other thereby providing an integral displaying of a digital character. 2. A display device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the shafts (4,5) in the recesses (7) of the front plate (1) for each digital character area on their forwardly and rearwardly facing parts in relation to the plane of the display are bevelled so that the shaft (4,5) has plane sides constituting surfaces parallel with the front and rear sides of the plate (1), the shafts (4,5) thereby having a substantially elliptical cross- section, where the great axis of the ellipse is parallel to the plane of the plate (1) and where the small axis of the ellipse is perpendicular to the plane of the plate (1). 3. A display having digital character elements according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each element (2) consists of two complementary, cast members (12,12') of a resilient material, such as styrene, ABS or a similar plastics material, and which are assembled by means of projections (16,16') in one member and corre- sponding holes (15,15') in the other member, where projections and holes are positioned in adjacent, inward protrusions (14,14', 17,17'), which in pairs of two abut against each other so as to form internally in each element (2) a cavity adapted to receive the shaft (4,5) of the front plate (1) in the assembled position of the element (2) in the plate. 4. A display with digital character elements according to claims 1 and 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the interior cavity in each element (2) has such a height that in its mounted position around a shaft (4,5) in the front plate (1) and in its embedded position in the plate with the lower surfaces (19,19') of the cavity the element abuts in its resting position firmly against the be¬ velled, plane sides of the shaft (4,5) and that the element material is of such a resiliency that the element when rotated into a posi- tion perpendicular to the front plate (1) increases the height of the cavity towards a spring tension in the material so that the lower surfaces (19,19') slide upwards onto the curved parts of the shaft (4,5). 5. A display with digital character elements according to claims 1, 3 and 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a transversal groove (13) is provided in each member (12,12') on the lower surfaces (19,19') of the interior cavity, which groove (13) functions as a bearing for the shaft (4,5) when the element is mounted around the transversal shaft (4,5) in the front plate (1).

Inventors: JENSEN PALLE LICHT, JENSEN, PALLE, LICHT
Applicants: JENSEN PALLE LICHT, JENSEN, PALLE, LICHT
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G09F9
IPC codes: G09F7, G09F9