Patent Publication Number: US-2007119080-A1

Title: Hand-held signaling device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application serial No. 10/367,588, filed on Feb. 14, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/907,996 which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/219,303, filed Jul. 19, 2000. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      N/A  
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
      A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to signaling devices, and, more particularly to a hand held illuminated signaling device for use in automobile and pedestrian traffic control.  
      2. Description of the Background Art  
      Hand-held signal devices are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,919, issued to Patty, discloses a hand-held illuminated warning sign. The device has translucent sign panels in the shape of a “stop” sign and a flashlight for allowing a user to grasp the device and for illuminating the panels. The device further includes a strobe light mounted on the top portion thereof.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,186, issued to Renner, discloses a signaling device including an elongate handle supporting a signboard on one end thereof. The signboard defines a central opening containing a light-emitting bulb. The board includes a display area for displaying warning related indicia.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,033, issued to Eilers, discloses a lightweight sign made from polystyrene. The sign includes a handle and indentations spelling out signaling indicia, such as “stop” or “slow”.  
      U.S. Patent No. 5,276,424, issued to Hegemann, discloses a handheld sign having printing and shape suggestive of certain activities, such as “stop”. The device further includes at least two lights, of which only a single light is illuminated at any one time to provide added attention getting capability.  
      U.S. patent No. 5,622,423, issued to Lee, discloses a hand-carried traffic control light having signaling and flashing functions. The device includes a longitudinal array of LED&#39;s mounted within a color reflecting tube.  
      U.S. Patent No. 5,755,051, issued to Zumbuhl, discloses a warning light and sign apparatus that includes a handle assembly. The sign includes a first message (e.g. “stop”) on a first side thereof and a second message (e.g. “slow”) on a second side thereof. A power supply is supported within the handle assembly and is electrically connected to a bracket-supported light assembly. U.S. Pat. Nos. DES. 306,706, issued to Hansel, and DES. 351,807, issued to Smith et al., each disclose an ornamental design for a hand-held sign.  
      The devices of the background art, however, fail to disclose a hand-held signaling device for traffic control that is capable of selectively displaying various messages, such as “STOP”, “SLOW” and “GO” in an illuminated display.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a battery powered, hand-held signaling device having an illuminated display capable of selectively displaying illuminated indicia including the words “STOP”, “SLOW” and “GO”. The illuminated indicia are preferably color-coded, whereby the word “STOP” is displayed in illuminated red letters, the word “GO” is displayed in illuminated green letters, and the word “SLOW” is illuminated in yellow letters thereby maximizing recognition by an observer, such as the driver of an approaching vehicle. Selection of a particular message to be displayed is accomplished by user actuation of suitable electrical switching circuitry. In alternate embodiments, the device may be adapted for displaying a host of other illuminated messages, such as “TURN RIGHT,” “TURN LEFT,” “PARK,” etc.  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hand-held signaling device.  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hand-held signaling device for use in traffic control applications.  
      Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held signaling device capable of selective illumination of color-coded traffic control messages.  
      Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held signaling device capable of displaying the following message and color combinations: GO (illuminated in green); STOP (illuminated in red); SLOW (illuminated in yellow).  
      In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a hand-held signaling device according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view thereof;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view thereof; and  
       FIG. 4  is a front view thereof illustrating display of the word “STOP” in illuminated letters. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Turning now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-4  depict a preferred embodiment of a hand-held signaling device according to the present invention, generally referenced as  10 . The device includes a main body  20  having a display area  22  and a handle  24 . Main body  20  and handle  24  may be integrally molded such that they form an integrally molded single piece construction. Handle  24  is preferably ergonomically designed to provide a handle structure that is comfortable to hold, particularly when held in an outstretched and elevated position by the user. The handle portion may further function as a housing for batteries and/or electronic circuitry as more fully disclosed herein.  
      Display area  22  is preferably disposed on the front portion of main body  20  opposite handle  24 . Main body  20  provides a housing structure for containment and mounting of an illuminating display assembly, generally referenced as  30 . In a preferred embodiment, the illuminating display assembly includes a generally rectangular frontal area, however, in alternate embodiments the frontal area shape of the housing may be altered, e.g. round, triangular, or any other multisided configuration, such as an octagon. In addition, the housing may be brightly colored thereby maximizing visibility and making the device easy to see in low light conditions and/or in fog or haze. The display area is preferably sized so as to enable the display of letters approximately four to five inches tall thereby providing a display that is generally visible from a distance of at least 100 feet.  
      Main body  20  at least partially contains an illuminating display assembly  30 , which assembly includes light emitting devices, such as light emitting diodes (LED&#39;S), selectively disposed in a grid-like array on a mounting board  32 . In a preferred embodiment, LED&#39;S are mounted on a mounting surface such that a plurality of colored light emitting devices configured in a grid pattern. Mounting the LED&#39;S in a grid pattern allows for the selective illumination of certain LED&#39;S to from illuminated words and/or signs. A first set or group of light emitting devices may be configured in the shape of letters forming the word “STOP”. A second set of light emitting devices may be configured in the shape of letters forming the word “GO”. A third set of light emitting devices may be configured in the shape of letters forming the word “SLOW”. The various sets of light emitting devices are commingled so as to form a grid-like array such that activation of any one set of light emitting devices causes the illuminated display of one of the above-referenced words. The first, second, and third sets of light emitting devices are selected to emit colored light, namely red, yellow and/or green light. Accordingly, the word GO appears in bright green letters, the word STOP appears in bright red letters, and the word SLOW appears in bright yellow (or amber) letters. The following provides an example of the various messages and associated colors that may be displayed by the device.  
                                                   MESSAGE   COLOR                          Stop   Red           Go   Green           Slow   Yellow           Turn Right   Yellow           Turn Left   Yellow           U-Turn   Yellow                      
 
      As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the illuminating display assembly may further include a transparent cover  34  disposed in front of the LED mounting board. Transparent cover  34  is sealingly connected to main body  20  so as to form a weather tight peripheral seal thereby preventing water from contacting the LED array and electronics housed therein. Cover  34  may also comprise one or more lenses for the purpose of magnifying the light emanating from the LED&#39;S thereby making any message displayed more visible to a distant observer. The assembly may further include a shadow box  36  which projects from the front of the main body  20  so as to maximize visibility of the illuminated LED&#39;S in daylight. In addition, a hood  38  may be slidably connected to main body  20  and deployable from a retracted configuration to a forwardly projecting configuration to further maximize visibility of the LED&#39;S in daylight.  
      As best depicted in  FIG. 2 , main body  20  further includes a secondary electronic display  26 , such as a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) on the rear portion thereof so as to be visible to the user. Secondary display  26  functions to visually indicate the message being transmitted by the device to the user thereby enabling the user to confirm the accuracy of the message displayed to prevent mistaken message displays. Thus, when the user activates the device to indicate “GO” in the face of oncoming traffic, the operating mode is confirmed to the user by display of the word “GO” on secondary display  26 . The incorporation of a secondary display significantly reduces the likelihood of erroneous signal transmission thereby maximizing safety concerns. In an alternate embodiment, the rear portion may include indicia corresponding to the various messages capable of being displayed and confirmation lights associated with each message. The confirmation light, such as an LED, illuminates when the corresponding message is selected by the user thereby indicating the message displayed.  
      Display of the various messages may be accomplished by user activation of a manual switch assembly. In a preferred embodiment, a trigger-type switch  40  and a pair of push buttons, referenced as  42 A and  42 B, are incorporated on or in proximity to handle  20 . Trigger switch  40  comprises a pivotally connected, three position actuating member thereby providing an ergonomically shaped handle and actuating structure. Trigger switch  40  is electrically connected to suitable electrical circuitry and a battery power source  44  such that activation of trigger switch  40  functions to provide power to the display portion for illumination. Battery power source  44  may include conventional disposable batteries, or in an alternate embodiment, may include re-chargeable batteries. In addition, as best seen in  FIG. 3 , the device may incorporate an integral solar panel  50  attached to the top of housing  20  and electrically connected to the power source for recharging the batteries.  
      When trigger switch  40  is in a first position, the device is in a power off mode. When trigger switch  40  is in a second position, the battery power source activates the display such that messages are displayed in a continuously illuminated manner. When trigger switch  40  is in a third position, the battery power source activates the display such that messages are displayed in an intermittently illuminated manner. Accordingly, a user is able to rapidly activate the display and selectively switch the display from continuous to intermittent illumination.  
      Upper and lower push buttons  42 A and  42 B are preferably located on the rear portion of handle  20  and disposed in a vertical configuration. The push buttons function to allow the user to scroll through the messages available for display, either forward or backward. When the user depresses upper button  42 A the system scrolls toward the top of the message list. Conversely, when the user depresses lower button  42 B the system scrolls toward the bottom of the message list. In an alternate embodiment, each message may have a designated push button associated therewith in lieu of buttons  42 A and  42 B, such that message selection is accomplished by depressing the appropriate button. Accordingly, the message selection switches function by manual actuation.  
      The present invention thus provides an improved hand-held signaling device particularly suited for use in traffic control. The combination of large, brightly colored lettering creates a display that is highly visible and easily understood. In addition, by incorporating color-coded messages as contemplated by the present invention (e.g. GO in green, STOP in red, etc.) assists in conveying information to the observer.  
      The present invention further contemplates additional capabilities including multi-lingual message capability, control via voice command, and the ability to interface with software to permit downloading of commands via hardwire or wireless connection. More particularly, a hand-held signaling device in accordance with the present invention shall preferably be adapted to allow the user to select a language from among a group of languages for use in displaying text messages. Accordingly, when set to English the device will display “STOP”, however, when set to Spanish the device will display “ALTO” or alternatively “PARE” depending on the preference. As should be apparent, each English language text signal (e.g. Left, Right, Go, Slow, etc.) will have a translated foreign equivalent stored in memory for each available language.  
      As noted above, the present invention further contemplates an embodiment adapted to function based on voice command. In accordance with this embodiment, the present invention is fully capable of functioning in response to auditory commands of the user without need for manual actuation of buttons, switches or the like. In accordance with this embodiment, the user may activate the device by saying “On”, may select a particular language by saying “language English”, and may select a message for display by saying “slow” thereby causing the device to turn on and display the message “SLOW” in English. In a preferred embodiment, all of the functions associated with the device may be operated by voice command.  
      Finally, the present invention contemplates a software component that allows for commands to be transmitted to the hand-held signaling device. In accordance with this embodiment, hand-held signaling device  10  is preferably adapted for wireless communication with a remote location as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . As a result, new or revised commands may be electronically transmitted to one or more devices from a central location such that all device operate to display new messages, or alternatively operate to display specific different messages. The ability to control message content from a remote location is considered significant, particularly wherein a plurality of hand-held signaling device are in use for traffic or crowd control at an event. The present invention also contemplates transmitting data to the device via a hardwired connection.  
      The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious structural and/or functional modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.