Abstract:
A display device, according to the present invention, taking the form of a scroll with handle ( 201 ) and spool-rod shaft ( 202 ) for rolling and unrolling printed flexible material ( 400 ) and a tubular housing ( 300 ) with an internal chamber—a floating cowling—freely rotatable over said wound spool-rod from which the printed material is extendable. The scroll text ( 400 ) or image to be viewed is manually extendable by pulling it through a continuous longitudinal slot ( 301 ) in the cowling with a pull-tab ( 501 ) which also prevents the printed material from being irretrievably drawn into the cowling. The cowling is rotatably received at its open ends over the spool-rod by a pair of opposed retaining/aligning yokes. The invention improves on traditional scrolls by providing protective containment for the printed material without requiring the containment&#39;s separation to display it. The cowling and handle are adaptable as works of art related to the printed material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a display device particularly adapted to expose flexible printed material through a protective and decorative freely rotatable tubular housing—a floating cowling—requiring no removal to expose or re-contain the printed material. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Prior containments for flags, scrolls, posters, maps and the like were required to be removed or deliberately opened or separated from the printed material they contain and therefore increased the amount of time and effort required before using the device for its principal functions of displaying the printed subject matter and its effective containment. Other containment/dispensing means required the device be fixed to a substantial structural support eliminating the portability of the device while in use whereas the present invention is hand-held. This device manifests a further improvement on other containment/dispensing means for rolled printed material in that it does not utilize springs, gears, motors or any other mechanical method more complicated than manual retraction and extension by simply rotating one&#39;s wrist and fingers. The following disclosures relate to various partial solutions to the problem of efficiently incorporating types of housings for display devices such that the housing&#39;s separation from the device is not required to effectively display the printed material therein: 
   Seidel (U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,800, issued Mar. 21, 2000); Haas (U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,869, issued Jul. 20, 1999); Stanley (U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,197, issued Dec. 5, 2000); Jennings (U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,571, issued May 2, 1989); Welsh (Can. Patent No. 2,160,612, filed Oct. 16, 1995); Cornell (U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,392, issued Aug. 24, 1982); Hasten (U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,900, issued Dec. 28, 1999); Augustine (U.S. Patent Application No. 20020056214 Ser. No. 09/862,142, filed May 2, 2001). The inventors believe that the cited disclosures taken alone or in combination neither anticipate nor render obvious the present invention. The foregoing citation does not constitute an admission that such disclosures are relevant or material to the claimed subject matter, rather, the disclosures relate only to the general fields of the invention and are cited as constituting the closest art of which the inventors are aware. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An objective of the invention is to provide a mechanically minimized hand held display device that exposes text and/or images to be viewed in entirety or in incremental portions of a flexible material adapted to be manually extendable from and retractable into, the interior of a tubular housing that freely rotates over the spool-rod—the essence and distinguishing feature of the present invention—around which the flexible material is wrapped. 
   The display device comprises five principle parts:
         (a) an axial shaft comprising two rotationally and axially fixed sections those being a handle means and a spool-rod means which is of a substantially reduced diameter with respect to the internal diameter of the tubular housing so that ample spacing is left within the tubular housing around the spool-rod for the disposition of the printed flexible material;   (b) a tubular housing portion—hereafter to be understood for the present invention as a floating cowling—of a semi-rigid plastic material that is capable of manual elastic deformation that permits a snap-on fit over retaining/aligning yokes where it is receivable and freely rotatable around aforesaid spool-rod means and which protects, contains and from which the printed material can be extended through a longitudinal axial slot;   (c) two retaining/aligning yokes—hereafter to be understood for the present invention as the mid-shaft and distal retaining/aligning yokes—axially and rotationally fixed to the axial shaft, one yoke located mid-shaft between the handle and spool-rod sections of the axial shaft and the other yoke at the distal end of the spool-rod section, and both with facing raised annular circumferential ridges recessed from the yokes&#39; outer rim, both fixed perpendicular to the axial shaft and in parallel planes to each other and of a distance apart substantially equal to the longitudinal length of the floating cowling such that they not only effectively close the floating cowling open ends but also rotationally support and axially align the cowling over the spool-rod section;   (d) a pull-tab means fixed to the free end of the printed flexible material which is used to facilitate the manual extension of the printed material from within the floating cowling and to prevent the free end of the printed material from being completely drawn inside the tubular housing as it is being rewound and furthermore, on fill retraction, to seal the longitudinal slit in the floating cowling completing the protective enclosure of the printed material contained therein; and   (e) the flexible printed material.       

   In another aspect of this invention, the distal retaining/aligning yoke is detachably joined to the spool-rod shaft distal end which is threaded to be received by a threaded blind hole in the centre of the distal yoke. In this aspect, the floating cowling is lowered over the spool-rod shaft, its proximal open end being internally received by a raised annular circumferential ridge recessed from the perimeter on the facing plane of the mid-shaft retaining/aligning yoke, then rotatably retained in a longitudinally aligned position around the spool-rod shaft by applying the complementary threaded distal yoke, the raised annular ridge on its internal facing plane which receives the internal open distal end of the floating cowling in a loose running fit. The detachability of this yoke allows a more rigid material such as harder plastic, wood or metal to be utilized as a durable and carvable cowling construction material increasing cowling service life and decorative options. 
   In yet another aspect of this invention, the distal and mid axial shaft retaining/aligning yokes are fixed to the axial shaft and shaped cap-like with elongated circumferential side walls replacing the yoke perimeter recessed raised annular concentric ridges as an retaining/aligning means for the floating cowling. The distal end of the floating cowling—the leading end in this variation—is sloped on a bias allowing the leading end to be inserted—vertically raised—into the cap-like distal retaining/aligning yoke and, because the cowling&#39;s longitudinal slit in this variation is aligned with, and slightly wider than, the diameter of the spool-rod shaft, the body of the cowling will pass over the spool-rod shaft, moving slidabably upward, clearing the mid-axial shaft yoke elongated circumferential side wall until the cowling is longitudinally parallel to the spool-rod shaft when it can then be lowered into the cap-like mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke. The internal circular planar faces of said opposed yokes are fixed longitudinally on the axial shaft bracketing the spool-rod section a distance apart slightly greater than the length of the cowling. Each of these opposed retaining/aligning yokes has an outside perimeter circumferential side wall fixed and perpendicular to their respective circular internal planar faces and of a height above said planar faces such that they are coextensive with the ends of the floating cowling they rotatably receive. The cap-like structures of said yokes with side walls have an internal diameter slightly greater than the external diameter of the floating cowling providing a loose running fit permitting axial rotatability about the spool-rod shaft and slidable upward (longitudinal) removability just as with a removable window sash from tracked frame. The removal and replacement of this cowling can only be accomplished with the printed material unwound from the shaft as the longitudinal slit is designed such that its opening width runs a close running fit with the spool-rod shaft diameter. In fact, this is the intent of the design, as when the printed material is wound even one rotation around the spool-rod shaft, the increased diameter dimension this imparts to the shaft is sufficient to ensure the cowling cannot be removed or fall from its rotatable position around its longitudinal axis. 
   In still another embodiment of the present invention, the floating cowling is supported in a rotatably receivable position along its longitudinal axis around the spool-rod section by internal fixed circumferential ridges on the cowling recessed from the distal and proximal cowling open ends at an internal distance apart substantially equal to the co-axially positioned retaining/aligning yokes of the spool-rod. In this variation, on rotatably receiving the floating cowling around the spool-rod, the distal retaining/aligning yoke is detachably joined to the spool-rod distal end which is threaded to be received by a threaded blind hole in the center of the interior facing surface of the distal retaining/aligning yoke. The detachability of the distal yoke and spool-rod at the distal end may be accomplished by other attaching means with equal effectiveness such as opposed polarity rare earth magnets. The outer perimeter edge of the yokes and the cowling internal circumferential ridge face of the floating cowling meet in a loose running fit. The interior facing surface of the mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke and the exterior facing surface of the floating cowling proximal internal ridge and the interior facing surface of the distal retaining/aligning yoke and exterior facing surface of the cowling distal internal ridge rest on each other with negligible resistance to rotatability due to the light loads on the bearing surfaces, the smoothness of the planar contact faces, and a symmetrical but loose running fit because the retaining/aligning yokes have a radius of curvature slightly less than the radius of curvature of the interior of the floating cowling. The yokes are also positioned a distance apart on the axial shaft slightly greater than the distance apart of the internal circumferential ridges of the cowling. The pressure of the flexible printed material being withdrawn into or extended from the cowling internal chamber through the cowling longitudinal slit will easily overcome any static inertia of the cowling relative to the yokes and cause the cowling to freely rotate around the spool-rod. Unlike other means in retaining the cowling as discussed for the present invention, this method conceals the retaining/aligning yokes creating a larger uninterrupted, and therefore more aesthetic, surface area for the viewing of art and/or indicia on the cowling external face. 
   In still another variation of the present invention, the handle means is deleted and the free-floating cowling serves the dual purpose of containment means and holding means. The tubular floating cowling remains rotatably received by the distal—formerly called the mid axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke in the preceding summary—and proximal retaining/aligning yokes but is now gripped by one hand allowing the spool-rod and attached retaining/aligning yokes to spin feely relative to the cowling as the flexible printed material is manually extended through the cowling longitudinal slit by pulling on the pull-tab means. In this variation the printed material is still retracted into the internal chamber of the cowling around the spool-rod by hand manipulation of either cap-like retaining/aligning yoke in a dial-like manner. In this variation the cowling will be constructed of a rigid material sufficiently strong enough to resist deformation when gripped. One of the retaining/aligning yokes will be threadably detachable or the yokes will be fixed to the spool-rod shaft and of the cap-like design that permits the insertability of a rigid cowling and its retention in rotatable position by the partial coextension of the yoke cap sidewalls and the cowling distal and proximal ends. 
   Another objective of the present invention is for the exterior to be adaptable as a vehicle for the overt display of indicia and/or art of a subject or theme related to the printed material it is principally intended to display such that the vendor and purchaser are overtly aware of the content subject matter of the display device when in the closed/rolled up position. Through the direct association of the printed contents and art/indicia on the visible portions of the cowling, handle and distal yoke surface, storage and display are made by logical thematic groupings such as flags by nation or text by subject which will facilitate inventory re-stocking and counting and customer selection in much the same manner, and for like reasons, as a retail book store stocks its shelves. 
   In another aspect of this invention, a second display device is employed to retract and extend the printed material instead of the pull-tab means such that as the printed material being manually extended from one device it is being simultaneously rewound into the second. The distance between the devices which the operator chooses determines the amount of exposed printed material desired to be viewed. In this embodiment of the invention, both edges of the longitudinal axial slit of the floating cowling must be adapted with a rolled edge or ski-tip type guides to prevent frictional binding of the face of the printed material against the cowling longitudinal slit which would otherwise bind and then wrap the printed material around the cowling instead of permitting and enhancing its retraction into the receiving cowling chamber. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and the manner in which it may be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings. 
     Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the representative display device 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the snap-on cowling assembly 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the cowling no-bind ski tip ends 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the detachable distal yoke 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the slidably insertable cowling 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the concealed yoke mechanism 
       FIG. 7  illustrates twinned device variation 
       FIG. 8  illustrates the device handleless variation 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Turning to  FIG. 1 , the display device  100  conforming the present invention comprises an axial shaft  200  of two rotationally fixed sections, the handle means section  201  and the spool-rod means section  202 . A tubular housing designated by the inventors as the free floating cowling  300  with internal chamber and longitudinal slit  301  is positioned over the spool-rod means section  202  and restricted to rotation around the spool-rod section about its longitudinal axis by spool-rod shaft distal end retaining/aligning yoke  203  and mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke  204 . The spool-rod means  202  is of substantially reduced diameter with respect to the internal diameter of the floating cowling  300  so that ample spacing is left within the cowling internal chamber around the spool-rod  202  for the disposition of the printed flexible material  400 . A continuous ribbon  400  of printed flexible material is attached at one end to the spool-rod means section  202  and at its free end—the leading end—is attached to the pull-tab means  500  along its spine section  501  by which the flexible material is drawn from the spool-rod  202  through the longitudinal slit  301  in conjunction with the simultaneous manual rotation of the handle section  201  about its longitudinal axis. The manner of attaching the printed flexible material  400  to the spool-rod  202  can be achieved by a variety of methods involving adhesives or low head profile fasteners such as staples embedded in the body of the spool-rod  202 . The fixed end of the printed flexible material  400  must be attached to the spool-rod  202  such that it is always wound onto or withdrawn from the spool-rod at an angle of ninety degrees relative to the axis of the spool-rod. The pull tab means  500  is designed such that the spine  501  is of a length and diameter that will, on full retraction, nest within the opening of longitudinal slit  301  effectively sealing the slit opening into the floating cowling but cannot be drawn inside. The pressure of the flexible printed material  400  being withdrawn into or extended from the floating cowling  300  internal chamber through the cowling longitudinal slit  301  as the handle means  201  is rotated will easily overcome any static inertia of the floating cowling  300  relative to the axial shaft  200  and cause the floating cowling  300  to freely rotate around the spool-rod  202  while being aligned by retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204 . This manual action will expose a sequence of text or images to the eye of the viewer. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 2 , we see in cross section the display device  100  in its simplest form comprising the axial shaft  200 , itself comprised of the permanently engaged handle section  201  and spool-rod section  202 , and the tubular housing of the floating cowling  300  positioned over the spool-rod section  202 . The free floating cowling  300  is restricted to rotation about its longitudinal axis by continuous concentric annular ridges  205  raised on the otherwise smooth, planar and mutually facing surfaces of spool-rod distal end retaining/aligning yoke  203  and mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke  204 . Both retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204  are rotationally and axially fixed to axial shaft  200 , co-axially positioned and of a distance apart substantially equal to the longitudinal length of the floating cowling  300  not only serving to close the open ends of the floating cowling  300  but to rotatably support and uniformly align the floating cowling  300  equidistant around the spool rod  202 . In this embodiment of the invention, the floating cowling  300  is made of thin wall semi-rigid plastic which due to its elastic properties permits the manual deformation of the cowling facilitating its snap-on positioning between the retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204  and in a loose running fit around the outside perimeter of the raised and recessed annular circumferential ridges  205  of the supporting retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204 . Annular ridges  205  have a square cross section and rise perpendicular to the planar face of the retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204  to an altitude above said planar faces and of a distance apart substantially less than the longitudinal length of the floating cowling  300  sufficient to prevent the floating cowling  300  from any alignment other than parallel to and radially equidistant around spool-rod means  202 . 
     FIG. 3  is comprised of  FIGS. 3A , and  3 B. In  FIG. 3B , the floating cowling  300  with internal chamber is shown displaying longitudinal slit  301  from which the flexible material  400 , unrolled from spool-rod  202  is withdrawn through and drawn into, and ski-tip guides  302  which prevent frictional binding of the printed material on retraction into the interior chamber of the floating cowling  300 .  FIG. 3A  shows the cross section of the floating cowling  300 —and how the spine section  501  of the pull tab means 500 nests into the longitudinal slit  301  with curled out edges (not shown in any figure) or ski tip guides  302  effectively sealing the printed material  400  within the internal chamber and wrapped evenly around spool-rod  202 . 
     FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of the invention— 100 . 1 —wherein the spool-rod distal end retaining/aligning yoke  203  of  FIG. 2  now becomes detachably joined through threaded engagement  206  of the spool-rod shaft distal end into the receiving threaded blind hole  207  in the body of distal retaining/aligning yoke, now designated  203 . 1 . In this variation, the detachability of said distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 1  permits the use of a floating cowling  300  made of rigid material now placed in rotatable and uniformly parallel aligned position around the spool rod  202  by lowering it over said distally unyoked spool-rod  202 , over and around the raised annular ridge  205  of mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke  204 , and then applying the threadably attached distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 1  such that its raised annular ridge  205  internally engages the cowling in a loose running fit. 
     FIG. 5  shows another variation in the invention— 100 . 2 —wherein the retaining/aligning yokes  203 . 2  and  204 . 1  and the floating cowling  300 . 1  represent variations in retaining/aligning yokes  203  and  204  and floating cowling  300  from  FIG. 1  that permit a rigid floating cowling to be utilized in conjunction with a permanently engaged distal end retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 2 . This is accomplished by slipping the distal bias cut end of the floating cowling  300 . 1  slidably upward into distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 2  which has elongated circumferential side walls, while aligning the cowling longitudinal slit  301  and spool-rod  202  shaft and simultaneously sliding the cowling over spool-rod shaft  202  which must be unwound of printed material at the time of insertion to present the smallest possible shaft diameter that can pass closely through the aligned cowling slot. After upwardly sliding the cowling  300 . 1  over spool-rod  202  the cowling is then lowered into the round cap-like shape of mid-axial retaining/aligning yoke  204 . 1 —created by the elongated circumferential interior facing side walls of said mid-axial yoke—where it is rotatably received about its longitudinal axis. The cowling length is sufficiently less than the distance between the internal planar faces of the cap-like retaining/aligning yokes  203 . 2  and  204 . 1  but such that it is still rotatably retained by the elongated circumferential sidewalls of said cap-like yokes working in tandem between which the cowling resides. 
     FIG. 6  shows another form of the present invention— 100 . 3 —in which the floating cowling  300 . 2  is supported in a rotatably receivable position along its longitudinal axis around the spool-rod section  202  by two internal fixed circumferential ridges  300 . 21  and  300 . 22  which encircle the cowling interior peripheral wall and are recessed from the distal and proximal cowling open ends at an internal distance apart substantially equal to the distance between the co-axially fixed retaining/aligning yoke  204 . 2  and the threadably attached retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 3  positions on axial shaft  200 . In this variation, on rotatably receiving the floating cowling around the spool-rod  202 , the distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 3  is detachably joined to spool-rod  202  distal end  206 . 1  which is threaded to be received by threaded blind hole  207 . 1  in the center of the interior facing surface of the distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 3 . The detachability of distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 3  and spool-rod  202  at the distal end may be accomplished by other attaching means with equal effectiveness; one such alternative means being opposed polarity rare earth magnets (no alternate attachment means are shown). The outer perimeter edge of the retaining/aligning yokes  204 . 2  and  203 . 3  and the corresponding internal fixed circumferential ridges  300 . 21  and  300 . 22  of the floating cowling  300 . 2  rotationally engage in a loose running fit. The interior facing surface of the mid-axial shaft retaining/aligning yoke  204 . 2  and the exterior facing surface of the floating cowling proximal internal ridge  300 . 21  and the interior facing surface of the distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 3  and exterior facing surface of the cowling distal internal ridge  300 . 22  rest on each other with negligible resistance to rotatability due to the light loads on the bearing surfaces, the smoothness of the planar contact faces, and a symmetrical but loose running fit because the yokes have a radius of curvature slightly less than the radius of curvature of the interior of the floating cowling  300 . 2  and because the retaining/aligning yokes are positioned a distance apart on the axial shaft slightly greater than the distance apart of the internal fixed circumferential ridges  300 . 21  and  300 . 22  of the cowling  300 . 2 . As with all other retaining/aligning means described as variations in the present invention, this method retains the cowling in a freely rotatable position equidistant around the spool-rod  202  in a restricted axial position relative to the axial shaft handle means  200 . 
     FIG. 7  shows yet another aspect of the present invention— 100 . 4 —which essentially comprises two structurally identical display devices, as per  FIG. 1 , now mutually connected by the printed flexible material  400  adapting them to be held substantially apart and parallel to each other by the twinned handle means&#39;s  201 . By intermittently and simultaneously rotating both the first and second devices a sequence of text and/or images is exposed to the eye of the viewer. It is in this form of the present invention that the ski-tip guides  302 —which may also take the form of continuous outwardly rolled edges  304 —of the longitudinal slits  301  (not shown in drawing) in the floating cowlings  300  are required to prevent the binding of the flexible printed material  400  against a straight cowling edge and consequently wrapping around the receiving cowling as will be encountered by one unskilled or less attentive in operating the device who applies less than optimum tension between the twinned devices. 
     FIG. 8  illustrates the handleless variation of the invention— 100 . 5 —wherein the floating cowling  300  is made of rigid material so that it may serve as the hand grip means and the retaining/aligning yokes  205  and  206 , either one of which yokes can be threadably detachable, (this threaded detachability is not indicated in  FIG. 8  but is mechanically as shown in  FIG. 4 : distal retaining/aligning yoke  203 . 1  and the threaded distal end  206 , of spool-rod  202 ) are of an increased profile depth such that they can effectively be utilized in a dial-like manner to retract the printed material  400  within the floating cowling  300  through longitudinal slot  301 .