Abstract:
A three-dimensional image display apparatus is formed from a set of pentagonal and hexagonal planar faces connected via a series of interfacing tabs that extend from the edges of the faces. One or more advertisements may be displayed on the external surface of the display, providing a unique, eye-catching advertising platform. Due to the fit between faces of the display, a two-dimensional advertisement may have gaps in its image when the panels are formed to make the apparatus. It therefore may be necessary to warp a two-dimensional image that spans multiple faces in order to yield a generally continuous image when the three-dimensional apparatus is formed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to advertising systems and more particularly to a marketing banner and a method of making the same. 
         [0002]    Advertising systems, specifically billboards and signs, are used to display product or service advertisements to consumers. A traditional billboard or sign is a flat, two-dimensional display that requires consumers to be in front of the display to view the advertisement. If consumers are behind the display or off at an angle, viewing the advertisement on the display becomes difficult. If the advertising system is a small sign, displaying long words or a string of characters, such as a uniform resource locator (URL) or web address, is difficult to achieve without greatly reducing the font size on the display. If the font size is reduced, this limits the number of consumers who will see the display to only those in close proximity to the advertisement. 
         [0003]    Additionally, advertising or marketing devices are designed to generate interest in the products or services they tout. As such, a display that resembles other, similar displays may attract less attention than desired or may not be as memorable as other displays. 
         [0004]    What are needed are a display and a method of making the display that overcome one or more of these drawbacks. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one aspect, an image display apparatus may include a plurality of interconnected planar panels forming at least part of a three-dimensional dome and at least one advertisement displayed on at least one, and likely several, of the panels. Each panel may include a face having a plurality of edges and a plurality of tabs extending from the face at the edges, and each tab on a face is secured to a tab on an adjacent face. In addition, each face preferably is either a regular pentagon or a regular hexagon. 
         [0006]    The image display apparatus also may include an equator bisecting at least three substantially identically shaped faces, and the advertisement may be displayed substantially parallel to the equator, e.g., as a generally continuous image. Portions of the generally continuous image may be modified to account for gaps in the image that result from translation of the advertisement from two dimensions to three dimensions. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, an image display apparatus may include a geometric dome having a plurality of regular polygonal faces, each face having a tab extending from each edge at an angle, wherein each tab on one face interfaces with a tab on each adjacent face, the interfacing tabs being permanently secured together. A substantially straight surface edge is formed on an exterior surface of the geometric dome at each intersection of adjacent faces. In one embodiment, there may be 12 pentagonal faces and 20 hexagonal faces and, in another embodiment, there may be 12 pentagonal faces and 30 hexagonal faces. 
         [0008]    The geometric dome may include an equator comprising a substantially straight line on each face, the equator bisecting at least three substantially identically shaped faces, wherein an image is displayed on multiple faces along the equator. In addition, at least one set of the interfacing tabs may be connected on the exterior of the geometrical dome. There also may be a hanging device attached to the geometrical dome and configured to suspend the geometrical dome from an attachment point. 
         [0009]    In still another aspect, a method of making an image display apparatus may include the steps of: providing a two-dimensional surface on which an advertisement image is displayed, generating outlines of a plurality of panel blanks on the surface, where the blanks are positioned proximate adjoining blanks of an assembled image display apparatus and where each blank comprises a panel portion, a plurality of tab portions surrounding the panel portion, and a plurality of notches between the tab portions, removing the panel blanks from the surface, removing notches at the corners of the panel blanks, folding each tab portion to lie in a plane different than that of the panel portion, securing a tab portion on a first blank to a tab portion on a second, adjoining blank, and securing additional tab portions on adjacent blanks to form the assembled image display apparatus. 
         [0010]    The method also may include the step of modifying the advertisement image to account for gaps in the image that result from translation of the advertisement from two dimensions to three dimensions. This modifying step may include positioning a blank between a plurality of adjacent blanks to generate a gap between a pair of blanks, and collapsing at least a portion of the gap onto either the blank or one of the plurality of adjacent blanks. 
         [0011]    The collapsing step may include the sub-steps of dividing the image on the blank or one of the plurality of adjacent blanks into a plurality of pixels, dividing the image in the gap into a second plurality of pixels, removing a portion of the pixels proximate the gap, and replacing the removed pixels with pixels selecting from the second plurality of pixels. Additionally or alternatively, the collapsing step may include the sub-steps of determining a central point on the blank or one of the plurality of adjacent blanks, dividing the image on the blank or one of the plurality of blanks into a plurality of pixels, dividing the image in the gap into a second plurality of pixels, extending a plurality of rays outward from the central point, removing, along each ray, a number of pixels on the blank or one of the plurality of blanks in proportion to a number of pixels in the gap, compressing, along each ray, non-removed pixels inward towards the central point, and replacing, along each ray, pixels between the non-removed pixels and an edge of the panel portion with pixels from the gap. 
         [0012]    These and other features and advantages are evident from the following description of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side view of one embodiment of a three-dimensional image display. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a second embodiment of a three-dimensional image display. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a partial assembly of the display of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4A-4B  are side views of templates used to form hexagonal and pentagonal faces, respectively, of the image displays of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0017]      FIGS. 5A-5B  are side views of the templates of  FIGS. 4A and 4B , respectively, with notches removed to form tabs. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6A-6B  are side views of templates of  FIGS. 5A and 5B , respectively, with the tabs folded for securement to other template pieces. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a top view illustrating the division of a two-dimensional representation of an image, where the displayed irregular polygons are shown prior to transformation. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a top view of one way to arrange the regular polygons of  FIG. 7  on a planar surface. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the polygons of  FIG. 8 , illustrating one method by which the portions of an image located between polygons would be collapsed onto the polygons for image continuity. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a top view of one polygon and the gap surrounding it, illustrating one method by which the gap can be subdivided into smaller units. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the polygon and gap of  FIG. 10 , illustrating one pixel elimination method. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a top view of the polygon and gap of  FIG. 10 , illustrating one example of a pixel replacement method. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    In one aspect, a three-dimensional image display  10  comprises a geometrical dome including regular polygonal faces or panels  12  coupled together to form surface of geometrical dome  14 . Geometrical dome  14  may be a polyhedron formed from polygonal faces that create an exterior surface. Polygonal faces preferably are not all the same throughout dome  14 , which may provide dome  14  with a distinct shape. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , polygonal faces comprise twelve regular pentagonal faces  16  and thirty regular hexagonal faces  18 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  and described in greater detail below, dome  14   a  may comprise twelve pentagonal faces  16   a  and twenty hexagonal faces  18   a.    
         [0026]    In either embodiment, polygonal faces can be any size, but a length of the edges  20  of pentagonal faces  16  preferably is equal to a length of the edges  22  of hexagonal faces  18 . As such, hexagonal faces may be disposed along each pentagonal face comprising dome  14 , in a manner such as that seen in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0027]    Polygonal faces preferably may be made from recycled cardstock, but it is contemplated that polygonal faces can be made from other materials. Preferably, the material used to make faces is light and flexible, yet still able to retain its shape. Other exemplary materials may include paper, cardboard, aluminum, or the like. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4-6 , one manner of the assembly of image display  10  may be shown and described. This display may be assembled by hand, although automated assembly methods also are acceptable. 
         [0029]    Hexagonal and pentagonal faces may be prepared according to similar methods, as discussed below.  FIGS. 4A-6A  show a preparation process for hexagonal faces, while  FIGS. 4B-6B  show the same preparation process for the pentagonal faces. 
         [0030]    The preparation process may be similar for both types of polygonal faces. First, a plurality of hexagonal and pentagonal blanks  24 ,  26  such as those shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  may be formed, e.g., by cutting blanks  24 ,  26  from a larger piece of material. Dashed lines  28 ,  30  on each blank may represent a final size for exterior surfaces of faces, i.e., they may be generally coincident with edges  20 ,  22 , respectively. 
         [0031]    The area between external edges of blanks and dashed lines may be used to form a plurality of tabs  32 ,  34 . In particular, material may be removed at each vertex to form a plurality of notches  36 ,  38 , as seen in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . Notches have an angular extent between adjacent tabs of at least 90 degrees and, preferably, more than 90 degrees, which allows one tab  32   a ,  34   a  to be folded along dashed line  28 ,  30  without contacting or interfering with an adjacent tab  32   b ,  34   b , as seen in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . In addition, each notch preferably is symmetrical about a line including vertices of blanks and dashed lines. 
         [0032]    In one embodiment, tabs preferably are folded or otherwise bent to an angle that is substantially normal to polygonal face. In another embodiment, a first tab may be folded at an acute or obtuse angle relative to a first face, provided that the second tab to which it couples on an adjacent face is bent preferably an amount equal to the difference between the desired angle between the faces and the angle formed by the first face and tab. 
         [0033]    Returning now to  FIG. 3 , the faces may be assembled together with each tab of a pentagonal face interfacing with a tab of a hexagonal face. Interfacing tabs sharing the same edge are connected or affixed together. 
         [0034]    Each tab extending from a pentagonal face interfaces with a tab extending from a hexagonal face, although each tab extending from a hexagonal face may interface with a tab extending from either a pentagonal face or a hexagonal face. 
         [0035]    Pentagonal and hexagonal faces may be connected together one-by-one until all tabs on all faces are connected to form part, or preferably all, of geometrical dome  14 . 
         [0036]    Interfacing tabs may connect either on the exterior or the interior of geometrical dome. It is preferable, however, that a majority, if not all, of tabs from both the hexagonal and the pentagonal faces are connected on the inside of the geometrical dome, which may result in a smoother, more continuous, and potentially more aesthetically pleasing exterior surface. 
         [0037]    When assembling the last polygonal face of geometrical dome, it may be necessary to connect the tabs of at least one edge on the exterior of geometrical dome. The one or more tabs connected on the exterior of geometric dome may be trimmed down after connecting to reduce the length of tab extending from dome. 
         [0038]    Additionally or alternatively, a face with exterior tab connections may be oriented or disposed in a location so as to minimize visibility of exterior tabs. For example, if display  10  is to be suspended from the ceiling such that viewers will see the sides and underside of display, face with exterior connections may be disposed proximate an upper end of display. Alternatively, display may be placed on a base that obscures a portion of display  10 . In that case, face with exterior connections may be disposed proximate a bottom end of display. In still another alternative, display  10  may be placed in front of a wall or similar surface, creating and obscuring a “back” side of display. In that case, face with exterior connections may be disposed along the back side. 
         [0039]    Tabs may be connected together by stapling, fastening, gluing, taping, adhering, sonic welding, or by any other like means. 
         [0040]    Referring again to  FIG. 1 , in an embodiment, display  10  may include an equator  40  that extends around the display in a generally straight line. Equator  40  may be defined by and may pass through a plurality of hexagonal faces lying in a common plane and having substantially identical orientation extending around geometrical dome. 
         [0041]    One or more images, advertisements, or other pieces of content may be displayed on exterior surface of geometrical dome  14 . A continuous advertisement  80  may be depicted along the equator such that the advertisement may span a plurality of panels, preferably hexagonal panels. The equator may be used to display images or a broad sequence of characters in a generally straight line, i.e., putting one image in a sequence of images on each hexagon portion. Long strings of characters, such as a URL or web address may be displayed along the equator, as seen, e.g., in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0042]    In one aspect, content displayed on each face  16 ,  18  may be independent from or distinct in comparison to other faces on dome  14 , although the same image could be on more than one face and still be considered “distinct.” In another aspect, content may span multiple faces, preferably multiple contiguous faces, such that a portion of the content may be printed or otherwise displayed onto each individual polygonal face. In another embodiment, the same sequence or same image may be repeated on opposite sides of display  10 , e.g., along the equator, so a consumer can see the same advertisement from both sides of the display. In each of these examples, display  10  may be weighted, with weight preferably disposed proximate a bottom panel, more preferably disposed proximate an interior surface of bottom panel. 
         [0043]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , another embodiment of an image display  10   a  is a geometrical dome having a truncated icosahedron or “buckyball” shape. In this embodiment, dome  12   a  may include twelve pentagonal faces  16   a  and twenty hexagonal faces  18   a . Each pentagonal face is connected on each of its edges  20   a  to a hexagonal face on a respective edge  22   a , while edges  22   a  of each hexagonal face are connected or disposed adjacent either to a pentagonal face or other hexagonal faces. 
         [0044]    Display  10   a  may be assembled and utilized in a manner similar to the methods of assembly and use described above for display  10 , although display  10   a  may not include an equator similar to equator  40 . 
         [0045]    In other embodiments (not shown), a number of hexagonal faces can be increased while keeping the number of pentagonal faces at twelve. As the number of hexagonal faces increases, the pentagonal faces still may be connected to hexagonal faces on each of their edges. Additionally, certain hexagonal faces will be connected to both pentagonal faces and hexagonal faces, while other hexagonal faces may be connected only to other hexagonal faces. 
         [0046]    In one embodiment, display  10  may include a hanging device  41  extending from a face, from an edge between two faces, or from a vertex joining three faces. Hanging device  41  may affix to an attachment point such as a rafter or the ceiling, such that it may suspend display  10  above the ground. Hanging device may comprise a string, a hook, or any other device capable of securing marketing banner to an attachment point. 
         [0047]    As discussed previously, a weight may be put inside geometrical dome during assembly to enable marketing banner to hang straight and to prevent excessive movement caused by wind or airflow while in use. In another embodiment, display  10  may be free to rotate, thereby displaying all polygonal faces of geometrical dome. 
         [0048]    The geometrical dome shape of display  10  enables a consumer to view an advertisement depicted on exterior surface of dome from multiple sides or angles, thereby increasing visibility over standard polyhedron surfaces such as pyramids and cubes or other boxes. Simultaneously, the multi-surfaced character of display  10  may permit multiple distinct images to be shown on display more easily than on a continuous surface such as a sphere or hemisphere. 
         [0049]    Because each face of display  10  preferably is substantially planar, it may be desirable to extract each face from a single substrate, although there may be issues if the image to be shown is to span multiple faces, as discussed below. 
         [0050]      FIG. 7  illustrates a two-dimensional representation of a portion of another embodiment of display  10   b . This portion of the display includes six pentagonal surfaces  16   b  and twenty hexagonal surfaces  18   b . As can be seen in the figure, translating from three-dimensions into a two-dimensional image means that the surfaces appear to be irregular polygons. However, as also can be seen, there are no gaps between edges of the polygons, i.e., a two-dimensional image would be continuous if the panels were extracted in this fashion. 
         [0051]    Turning now to  FIG. 8 , it is seen that the regular polygons that actually are used to form display faces may abut along certain edges but also may result in gaps between the surfaces on the substrate. If the polygons were extracted from this single surface in this way, there would be discontinuities in the display image, resulting in gaps or “lost” portions of the image when translated to display  10 . 
         [0052]    As such, the irregular polygons need to be “collapsed” or “drawn in” to the regular surfaces, and any image that would have filled the irregular polygonal surfaces similarly is warped or collapsed onto the regular surfaces. One example of a collapsing methodology is shown in  FIG. 9 , where the arrows represent a direction in which the gap image is collapsed. 
         [0053]    As will be appreciated from inspection and comparison of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a first step in the methodology may be abutting faces wherever possible so as to provide image continuity. This step may involve selecting a central face  42 , which preferably is one of the pentagonal faces, abutting the faces  44  that directly contact the edges of the central face, and then continuing to abut faces that extend outward in a generally radial direction. The result of this step may be the connection of a majority of the faces together, with one or more floating faces  46  disposed between branches  48  of abutting faces. 
         [0054]    In one embodiment, a floating face  46  may be oriented so as to abut an edge of a face on one of branches  48 . While providing for direct contact and, therefore, direct continuity of the image on the “floating” face with the abutting face, this method may yield a large gap opposite the abutting edge. Instead, and as seen in  FIG. 8 , it may be preferable to locate floating face  46  between and spaced from adjacent branches  48 , more preferably substantially equally spaced between branches  48 . In this way, while it may be necessary to collapse gaps on both sides of floating face  46 , a final image produced according to this embodiment may appear more natural and continuous across multiple faces than an image where floating face abuts branch  48 , since less collapsing is necessary for the smaller gaps. 
         [0055]    In one aspect, the entire portion of the gap image between two faces may be collapsed onto a single face, as shown by a region  50  in  FIG. 9  in which arrows point only in a single direction between the edges of two faces. In another aspect, there may be at least one divide  52  between regions in a gap, creating a multidirectional gap region  54  in which a first region  56  is collapsed onto a first face and a second region  58  is collapsed onto a second face. Divide  52  may be created, e.g., by drawing a line from an intersection of two or more vertices on branch  48  to a vertex on floating face  46 . 
         [0056]    In the event of a large gap, such as around the perimeter, it may be desirable to generate more than one divide. For example, a first divide  52   a  may extend radially outward from a vertex of floating face  46 , and second and third divides  52   b ,  52   c  may extend from an intersection of vertices along branch  48  to an intersection with first divide  52   a . Preferably, second and third divide  52   b ,  52   c  intersect each other at the same location along first divide  52   a.    
         [0057]    Turning now to  FIG. 10 , a depiction of the gap region surrounding the sides of a hexagonal face is shown. Gap region may be subdivided into a plurality of pixels, or a mesh surface may be overlaid with gap region to subdivide the region into a plurality of distinct image units. For the sake of simplicity, both pixels and distinct image units may be referred to as “pixels”  60 . 
         [0058]    At the same time, a pixel removing algorithm may be applied to each face that is to receive pixels from a gap region, i.e., to every face except for central face  42 . One such algorithm may comprise determining a central point  62  of the face and dividing the face into a series of segments defined by the rays extending from central point  62  to the vertices  64  of the face and determining the number of pixels in the gap region adjacent a segment are to be compressed into that segment. Turning to  FIG. 11 , the method also may include generating a spiral  66  expanding outward from the central point  62 , and removing a number of pixels in the portion of spiral  66  that falls within a segment that is equal or approximately equal to the number of pixels to be compressed. 
         [0059]    Pixels along spiral may be removed in proportion to a number of pixels that are to be added, although that comparison may occur along or proximate a ray extending outward from central point  62  of face to account for the fact that the compression region, e.g., region  50 ,  54 ,  56  (see  FIG. 9 ), may contribute more pixels along one portion of an edge than along another because the region does not have a uniform thickness relative to the edge. 
         [0060]    Once pixels within face are removed, remaining pixels may be compressed radially inwardly, leaving a blank region internal to an edge of the face. Pixels from gap region  50 ,  54 ,  56  then may be moved inwardly toward central point  62 , thereby filling the blank region. 
         [0061]    In one aspect, an equal number of pixels in a gap region along a ray may be compressed or otherwise added in to the face. Preferably, however, a proportion of pixels that are added from the gap region may be substantially equal to the proportion of pixels removed along a ray within the face so that the added pixels do not dominate the image on the face and further contribute to a warped appearance. 
         [0062]    Once the image has been compressed inwards to account for portions of image in gap section between face templates, a second image compression (not shown) may occur. As will be remembered from the discussion above and from  FIGS. 4A-6B , each panel blank  24 ,  26  includes both the panel face and a plurality of tabs  32 ,  34  surrounding the face (with notches  36 ,  38  between the tabs that ultimately are removed). Panel face and panel blank may have substantially the same shape, e.g., both may be regular pentagons or hexagons. As such, the second image compression may comprise a simple scaling to shrink the image from the blank size to the size of the face, yielding a blank perimeter that ultimately will form tabs  32 ,  34  and notches  36 ,  38 . 
         [0063]    The image compression method described above is one way in which an image may be compressed when forming panel pieces from a single substrate that contains a continuous image. Other compression methods are possible and may be considered within the scope of the invention. 
         [0064]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific exemplary embodiment and method herein. The claims should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment and method, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.