Abstract:
In a method and system for displaying information on a display mount, at least one one-piece information strip holder is provided having a clear window and first and second parallel channels for receiving a respective information strip. Information is entered onto the information strip. The information strip is slid into the first and second parallel channels of the at least one information strip holder. The information strip holder is mounted to the display mount.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   It is known to provide a display system, such as a directory of names in the lobby of a building, for example, having a plurality of film strips with indicia thereon, such as names and room locations. These indicia are photographically developed on the filmstrip. A back lighting may then shine through the strip. It is also known to provide strips such as plastic opaque strips, which are engraved. Both the film strips or the engraved strips are retained in a frame assembly typically having a back plate and side channels which receive and retain the strips with indicia information thereon. The strips are typically stacked vertically and resting on top of another in the frame assembly. 
   A disadvantage of the above-mentioned systems is that placement of the indicia on the strip is typically done either photographically or by engraving. Thus, the customer for the information display must typically order from the company which sold him the information display new or additional strips having the appropriate information photographically developed or engraved thereon. Thus, expense and delay are involved in obtaining new strips with new indicia thereon. 
   It is also known to use a typewriter or printer, such as a laser printer for example, to place information indicia onto paper. However, heretofore, systems for displaying the typed or printed indicia on paper strips in a frame system have been complicated and expensive. 
   SUMMARY 
   It is an object to provide an information display system for receiving information strips which is convenient and simple to use and manufacture. 
   In a method and system for displaying information, a display mount is provided which receives at least one or more one-piece information strip holders having a clear window and first and second parallel channels for receiving a respective information strip. Information is entered onto the information strips. The information strips are slid into the first and second parallel channels of at least one or more of the information strip holders. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of an information display system employing printed or typed information strips; 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of an information strip holder showing insertion of an information strip into the holder; 
       FIG. 4  is an end view of the information strip holder with the inserted information strip of  FIG. 3 ; and 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of a sheet from which the information strips are separated. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and/or method, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur now or in the future to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
   An information display system  10  is shown in a front view in  FIG. 1 . In the preferred embodiment, this is a directory such as in the lobby of a building containing information such as the names of personnel in the building including their room location information, for example. Alternatively, the information may be a directory of offices and their room location. Although in this preferred embodiment, a building directory is shown as exemplary of the information display system, the present disclosure is not so limited and may relate to other types of information display systems besides building directories. 
   The information display system  10  comprises a display mount such as a display panel comprising a frame assembly  9  formed of a frame  11  and a back plate  12 . The frame  11  may comprise right and left side frame side pieces  11 A,  11 B and a frame bottom piece  11 C. 
   The frame  11  together with the back plate  12  provides left and right side channels  16 A,  16 B ( FIG. 2 ) for receiving a plurality of flexible information strip holders  13 . These information strip holders  13  may be inserted from the top, or may be bowed or flexed so that they may be inserted from the front of the display system. 
   The strip holders  13  are vertically stacked in the channels  16 A,  16 B, with their side edges abutting against one another as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   The information strip holders  13  receive a respective flexible information strip  14  having printed or typed information indicia thereon. As previously indicated this information indicia may be names of people residing in the building and their room location, for example. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , preferably the individual information strips  14  are separated from a paper sheet  3  where the sheets can be cut or perforated along lines  2  for separation into the individual paper strips. The information indicia is printed or typed such as by use of a typewriter, laser printer, or other type of printing machine typically available to the user of the display system. The user of the display system may then conveniently create new and/or additional paper information strips with appropriate desired information indicia thereon from time to time at their convenience without the need to order the strips from another source, such as the seller of the information display system. This then saves both time and money and is much more convenient than having to order strips which are photographically developed to create the information thereon, or where engraving is required to provide the information on the strip. 
   Although paper strips are preferred, it is envisioned that other materials which can be conveniently printed or typed on at a user&#39;s location may be employed, such as a thin film sheet which is compatible with a typewriter, laser printer, or other type of printer at the user&#39;s location. 
   Now again referring to  FIG. 1 , additional details of the frame  11  will be described. The bottom-most information strip holder rests inside a bottom channel  11 CC of the frame bottom piece  11 C. The other strips are then stacked and rest above one another in the display system frame assembly  11 . The frame bottom piece  11 C has a lip  11 CD forming the bottom channel  11 CC together with the back plate  12  for receiving the bottom most strip holder  13 . 
   In the top view illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the frame right side piece  11 A forms the channel  16 A together with the back panel  12 . The frame sidepiece  11 A has a side portion  17 , a front portion  18 , an inner side portion  19 , an overhang surface portion  20 , and an abutment portion  8 . The abutment portion  8 , overhang portion  20 , and the adjacent front surface  12 A of the back plate  12  form the channel  16 A. 
   A notch  7  is formed in the mounting surface  6  of the frame sidepiece  11 A. The notch  7  ensures a constant width of the mounting surface  6  when the frame sidepiece  11 A is extruded. The frame bottom piece  11 C also has a notch  4  (see  FIG. 1 ) similar to the notch  7  in frame sidepieces  11 A and  11 B. 
   The frame side piece  11 A may be glued at the side of the front surface  12 A of the back plate  12 . Of course the frame side piece also could be integral with the back plate  12  or may be attached in other ways. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , if the information strip holder  13  is lying against the front surface  12 A of the back plate  12 , then there is a front clearance gap shown at  21 . This clearance gap is sufficient to allow easy insertion and removal of the strip holders and sliding of the holders along the respective right and left channels  16 A,  16 B. If the gap  21  is too large, the strips may not meet for an abutment in the vertical direction, but could accidentally overlap and slide past each other. Thus the gap  21  should preferably be less than a thickness  5  of the strip holders themselves. 
   The back plate and frame is preferably formed of acrylic, such as by injection molding. However, other materials may be used such as metal or other types of plastic. 
   The overhang distance  22  in the channel  16 A or  16 B is sufficient to provide a firm engagement of the ends of the strip holders but without overlapping onto portions of the information strip which may contain information. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , the flexible information strip  14  with the indicia  15  thereon is slipped into the strip holder  13 . This also can be seen in  FIG. 4 , which shows an end view the strip holder  13  with the inserted strip  14 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the strip holder is preferably formed of plastic and has a clear window  23  and opaque bottom and top members  24 ,  25 . The bottom and top members provide a preferably white opaque edge stripe at a bottom and top of the clear window to provide a striking visual effect when the white information strip is inserted since these white opaque stripes conceal bottom and top edges of the information strip  14 . It is also possible in another embodiment that the bottom and top members  24 ,  25  may be clear. 
   The bottom and top members  24 ,  25  form respective channels  26 ,  27 . For example, channel  26  is formed by parallel walls  28 ,  30  and abutting wall  29 . 
   Advantageously, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the information strip holder  13  is formed of a single integral piece of material during an extrusion process. The clear window  23  and bottom and top members  24  and  25  which may be opaque are formed during the same extrusion process but with a colorant being added to form the opaque members  24  and  25 . 
   Preferably the clear window  23  has a width dimension  31  between the opaque outwardly facing surfaces  32 ,  33  of the opaque members  24  and  25  which is less than a width  34  between the bottom and top edges  14 A,  14 B of the information strip  14 . Thus, the bottom and top longitudinal edges  14 A,  14 B of the strip  14  are hidden by the overlapping opaque surfaces  32 ,  33  of the bottom and top members  24 ,  25  to give a “clean” look or appearance to the strip holder  13  when it is containing a strip  14 . 
   The bottom and top members  24  and  25  have a thickness  150  in a direction perpendicular to the clear window surface  23  which is preferably about ⅛ inch, but lies preferably in a range less than a ¼ inch and greater than 1/16 inch. If this thickness is too great, than the strip holder is not sufficiently flexible for insertion into the display system. If it is too little, then the strip is too flimsy and will not hold its shape and may break. 
   The bottom and top members  24  and  25  have a mounting surface  36  with a notch  36 A. The notch ensures that during extrusion formation of the top and bottom members, the width  151  of the mounting surface  36  remains substantially constant. 
   The width  37  of the channel  26  or  27  is selected to be approximately five times the width  38  of the information strip  14 . This thus allows convenient slipping of the strip  14  into the strip holder and retention thereof during handling of the strip holder. This channel width  37  may vary in a range from approximately two times to ten times the strip width  38 . 
   Preferably, the front surfaces  32 ,  23 , and  33  of the strip holder are all lying in the same plane and the top and bottom abutment surfaces  39 ,  40  of the strip holder  13  are perpendicular to the surfaces  32 ,  23 , and  33 . Thus, the strip holders can conveniently rest on top of each other when mounted in the display system. 
   Thus with the preferred embodiment of the display system described, the user of the display system can conveniently add, change, and/or replace the information strips and freely change the information thereof by use of the user&#39;s own printing equipment such as a small laser printer, typewriter, or relatively other convenient inexpensive printing system which the user of the display system would typically have available on the premises. 
   With respect to the described preferred embodiment, the information strips are conveniently held in a one-piece strip holder, which is conveniently received in a simple frame assembly. Also, the strip holders containing the strips can be easily mounted either by sliding in from the top of the display system or can be flexed for insertion from the front, such as when the display system is vertically mounted. 
   A unique feature of the information strip holder is that it is of one-piece construction and thus does not require two separate pieces to capture and hold the inserted information strip  14 . This results in a strip holder with inserted information strip which is easier for the user and more cost efficient. 
   Another important related feature of the one-piece information strip holder is that the bottom and top opaque members  24 ,  25  preferably comprise white stripes lying at opposite sides of the very clear window at the center, thus allowing an excellent “see-through visibility” of the indicia on the white information strip inserted into the strip holder. Opposite edges of the white paper information strip are thus concealed by the opaque white bottom and top stripes of the extruded strip holder  13 . 
   Although in the drawings and in the preceding description a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described in every detail, this is to be considered as being merely exemplary and as not restricting the invention. It is pointed out that only the preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described and all variations and modifications which are within the scope of the invention at present or in the future are protected.