Patent Publication Number: US-9427763-B2

Title: Luminous water wall display

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/758,563, filed Jan. 30, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to displays that may include water and/or lighting components, including displays where the appearance of lighting may be focused or otherwise altered by water. To this end, the present invention may provide visual effects such as moving art in the form moving and/or transforming abstract shapes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various water and/or lighting displays exist. However, the manner in which the water and lighting interact with each other in such displays may be limited. For example, the use of water to focus or otherwise alter light passing through the water has not been used. Accordingly, there is a need for innovative techniques in which light may be passed through water to provide visual effects. 
     There have also been large water and lighting displays such as fountains, laser light shows and the like. However, there has not been a water and light display that may cover a wall in a building, especially where that display may extend several floors, for example, in an atrium or hotel lobby. Accordingly, there is a need for a display that may be installed in such a location as well as other locations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect of the invention, a display is described including water and lighting components. The lighting component may comprise an array of lights, such as LEDs, that may turn on and off randomly or in a programmed fashion. The lighting array may be formed as a grid and hung or mounted to a wall or other substrate. The water component may include a wall that may be transparent or translucent, or may be comprised of a mesh material such that light may pass through the gaps in the mesh. The water wall may be positioned in front of the lighting array. A film of water may travel down the wall, and as this occurs, lights in the light array may be turned on and off. The water may alter the appearance of the lighting as it travels through the water wall thereby providing dramatic visual effects. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the flow of water may be varied. This may change the degree that the light is focused by the water. For example, the appearance of the light and/or the edges thereof may be softened as the flow of water increases and may appear sharper as the flow decreases. In general, this aspect of the current invention involves how the refraction and appearance of light may vary as it travels through different volumetric flows of water. The water flow may be varied under computer control. 
     In another aspect of the invention, particular lights in the light array may be turned off and on so as to provide variable lighting effects. For example, adjacent lights may be sequentially turned on as previously lit lights are turned off, thereby providing the appearance of a shape or abstract form moving and/or changing shape. The sequencing and manner in which lights are turned on and off may occur under computer control. 
     In another aspect of the invention, music may accompany the water and/or lighting effects. For example, certain music may be played to compliment the visual effects being provided at a particular time. This may occur under computer control. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the display may be built into, as part of, or to otherwise cover a wall of a building or other stationary object. Alternatively, the display of the current invention may be portable for use at concerts, museums or other events. 
     In another aspect of the invention, marketing messages may be displayed. For example, where the display is built to cover a wall of a hotel lobby, the display may periodically display the hotel&#39;s logo. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a water delivery and recovery system is described. This may include various piping and controls to vary the flow of water over the water wall. This may also include a filtration system. 
     Other aspects of the invention are described below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a display. 
         FIG. 1A  is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of a display that may extend vertically for several floors of a building. 
         FIG. 1B  is another front sectional view of the display of  FIG. 1A  taken at another section a distance from the display. 
         FIG. 1C  is a front view of the mesh or screen for a water wall. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing a water wall assembly, lighting array assembly, upper water trough assembly and lower water trough assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an upper water trough. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view showing the interaction between a water wall, upper trough and lower trough. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a lighting array. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a lighting array. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a water delivery and return system, or piping system. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a water delivery system and piping thereof. 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevation view of a water delivery system and piping thereof. 
         FIG. 10  is a front elevation view of a water delivery system and piping thereof. 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of an upper water trough assembly. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an animation valve. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of a concave liquid lens. 
         FIG. 14  is a side view of a biconvex liquid lens. 
         FIGS. 15-21  show examples of the visual effects provided by the display of the current invention. 
         FIGS. 22-28  show examples of the visual effects provided by the display of the current invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The display  10  of the current invention and the visual effects that it may produce are now described with reference to the figures. Where the same or similar components appear in more than one figure, they are identified by the same reference numeral. The invention is described herein with reference to water. However, other liquids and combinations thereof are within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the invention is described herein with reference to LED lighting though other types of light sources may be used. In general, display  10  provides dramatic visual effects by altering the appearance of light as it travels through water. For example, display  10  may provide moving art as discussed herein. 
       FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of display  10  installed adjacent to a wall of a building lobby. Display  10  may be installed in hotels, public buildings or other locations. As shown, display  10  may be relatively large and extend upward for several floors of the building. In this manner, display  10  may be suitable for atriums.  FIGS. 1A and 1B  also show the manner in which display  10  may extend up several floors of a building. In this embodiment, a pool  12  may reside in the lobby floor in proximity to display  10 . Pool  12  may provide water for display  10 . In general, display  10  may include water wall assembly  100 , and lighting array assembly  200  positioned behind water wall assembly  100 . 
     As discussed in more detail below, water may flow down water wall assembly  100 , while the lights of lighting array  200  may be turned on and off to provide dramatic visual effects. These visual effects are enhanced and manipulated by optical effects that occur as the light travels through the water. To this end, the appearance of the lighting may be altered or adjusted by increasing or decreasing the water flow down water wall assembly  100 . Changing the volume of water flow may generally alter the refraction and/or appearance of the light as it travels through the water. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , lighting array assembly  200  is shown in proximity to an interior of wall of a building, such as in a hotel lobby. Alternatively, however, lighting assembly  200 , and display  10 , may be located on the exterior of a building. Lighting array  200  may include an array of LED or other types of lights. Water wall assembly  100  may be positioned in front of lighting array assembly  200 . With this embodiment, given the size and placement of display  10 , the building lobby is provided with a unique and dramatic visual display that may serve as an attraction for the building itself. This may be advantageous to market the opening of the building. To this end, where the building is a hotel or other brand establishment, display  10  may enhance the brand. 
     The display  10  of the current invention is not limited to large installations in buildings. For example, display  10  may be configured to be smaller and/or portable. To this end, a portable embodiment of the current invention may be temporarily set up for concerts, parks, museums or other events or locations. 
     Display  10  is now further described with reference to the exploded view of  FIG. 2 . As shown, display  10  may comprise water wall assembly  100 , lighting array assembly  200 , upper water trough assembly  300  and lower water trough assembly  400 . In general, water is delivered from upper trough assembly  300  to water wall assembly  100 . The water then flows down water wall assembly  100  and may be received by lower trough assembly  400 . A water delivery and recovery system or piping system  500  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) may also be included to treat the water received by lower trough assembly  400  and to pump water back up to upper trough assembly  300  as discussed later. As also shown, pool  12  may be located in proximity of display  10 . Pool  12  may serve as a source of water for display  10 , though other water sources may be used. 
     As such, water flows down wall assembly  100  in front of lighting array assembly  200 . The flow of water down wall assembly  110  may be varied to focus, soften or otherwise alter or enhance the appearance of the light shining through wall assembly  100  that may be seen by observers. 
     Water wall assembly  100  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 and 4 . In general, water wall assembly  100  may include a wall or screen  110  having an upper end  112  and lower end  114 . Upper end  112  may engage upper water trough assembly  300  and lower end  114  may engage lower water trough assembly  400 . More particularly, upper end  112  may wrap up and around a bull nose feature  316  of water trough  300  and then attach to upper water trough  310  as discussed below. When installed, the assemblies shown in  FIG. 2  are arranged so that they interact with each other as shown in the other figures discussed below. 
     Wall  110  may be configured in a number of different ways and may comprise various materials. For example, wall  110  may comprise a continuous, transparent or translucent material which allows light to pass through. Alternatively, wall  110  may comprise a mesh or screen material such that light may pass through the gaps or spaces in the mesh or screen. For example, wall  100  may comprise glass, acrylic, metals, synthetic screens or meshes or other suitable materials, or combinations thereof. Accordingly, it should be noted that wall  110  of the current invention is not limited to a solid wall in the conventional sense. Instead, wall  110  may comprise any configuration on which water may travel downward and through which light may travel. 
     In a preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1C , water wall  110  may comprise a screen or mesh made up of generally horizontal rods  120  and generally vertical cables  122  holding the rods  120  together. It is preferred that rods  120  and cables  122  comprise a material that will resist corrosion upon contact with water or other liquid. For example, rods  120  and cables  122  may comprise stainless steel, though other materials may be used. 
     In the embodiment involving rods  120  and cables  122 , wall  110  may form a matrix which may include horizontally oriented rectangular gaps or spaces  124  within the matrix. In this configuration, horizontal rods  120  may form the tops and bottoms of the empty rectangular gaps or spaces  124  within the matrix, and the vertical cables  122  may form the sides of spaces  124 . Accordingly, the intersections of the horizontal rods  120  and vertical cables  122  may define the corners of the empty rectangular gaps or spaces  124  within the matrix. It should be noted that wall  100  of the current invention is not limited to the horizontal rectangles, and other shapes such as squares may be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1C , the vertical distance between horizontal rods  120  may generally be uniform, as may be the horizontal distance between vertical cables  122 . In this manner, rectangular gaps or spaces  124  may be generally consistent in shape across the surface of wall  110 . As an alternative, however, horizontal rods  120  and/or vertical cables  122  may be spaced at varying distances to provide gaps or spaces  124  that are not uniform. 
     In addition, while this embodiment describes rods  120  as being horizontal, and cables  122  as being vertical, rods  120  and cables  122  may instead be positioned vertically and horizontally, respectively. As another alternative, rods  120  and cables  122  may be positioned diagonally. This diagonal orientation may result in the empty gaps or spaces  124  being diamond-shaped, triangular shaped or formed in other shapes. Also, rods  120  and cables  122  may be configured such that the empty gaps or spaces  124  result in circular shapes, oval shapes or other shapes that have smooth contours. 
     Rods  120  and cables  122  may be connected to each other in a variety of ways. For instance, rods  120  may include vertical holes that are spaced to allow vertical cables  122  to pass through rods  120 . The diameter of the holes may be chosen such that cables  122  may be held tightly within the holes by a friction fit. However, rods  120  and cables  122  may be secured together using various attachment means such as welds, nuts and bolts, set screws, clamps or other suitable means. In addition, horizontal rods  120  may include slots or notches that receive vertical cables  122 . Horizontal rods  120  and vertical cables  122  may also be woven together with the intersections of rods  120  and cables  122  being held together using similar means as described above. 
     While the above description of wall  110  describes horizontal rods  120 , these components may comprise other types of structures such as cables, slats or other devices. And while the above descriptions of the vertical cables  122  depicted them as cables, these structures may also be other types of structures such as rods, slats or other devices. In general, various types of components may be used that may function together as a mesh or screen. 
     An advantage of using a mesh comprising rods  120  and cables  122  is that water wall  110  may be rolled up when being transported to the installation site, and then unrolled when hung up. To this end, the materials comprising cables  122  may be flexible to provide this capability. This may significantly ease the overall installation of display  10 , when compared to a wall  110  comprising, e.g., a rigid piece of glass, especially for larger installations such as the one shown in  FIG. 1  spanning several floors. Another advantage of a mesh water wall  110  for larger installations is that it may provide some flexibility after it is installed, which may be significant where the building may sway or where there may be humidity or other atmospheric condition that may cause wall  110  to expand or contract. In any event, it is preferred that water wall  110  be tensioned when connected to upper and lower trough assemblies  300 ,  400  as discussed below. 
     As noted above, water wall  110  may comprise other materials such a solid, continuous, transparent or translucent material such as glass, acrylic or other transparent or translucent material. Though glass and similar materials may still be used for large installations as shown in  FIG. 1 , these materials may be especially suited for smaller embodiments of display  10  because they may be easier to handle. 
     Wall  110  may include an exterior surface  116  that faces observers as well as an interior surface  118  that faces lighting array assembly  200 . Either or both of surfaces  116 ,  118  of wall  110  may have a textured surface. That is, whether the wall  110  is comprised of a mesh or screen, or a solid transparent or translucent material, the surface(s) of wall  110  may have textures such as bumps, scrapes, grooves, slots, notches or other types of texture applied to it. Indeed, the surfaces of rods  120  and cables  112  may themselves provide texture. In addition, the texture may also be contained within the solid material of the wall if wall  110  is comprised of solid transparent or translucent materials. Solid materials may also be laser etched to create texture. Texture on the surface and/or within water wall  110  may enhance the visual effects provided as light travels through wall  110  by varying the manner in which the light is refracted as it travels through wall  110 . 
     Upper water trough assembly  300  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 11 . Upper water trough assembly  300  may include trough  310  which may receive water from the water piping system  500  and may in turn provide water to water wall  110  so that water may flow down. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the length of trough  310  may generally correspond to the width of water wall  110  so that water may be delivered across the entire width of wall  110 . However, other lengths for trough  310  may be used. 
     Trough  310  may include bottom  312 , front wall  314 , bullnose  316 , diagonal wall  318 , rear wall  320  and end caps  322 . When these components are assembled as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , trough  310  may be formed. It is preferred that these components fit tightly together to avoid any leaks. To this end, gaskets may be provided between these components. It is preferred that the height of bullnose  316  is lower than the heights of back wall  320  and end caps  322 . This allows water to flow over bullnose  316  without also flowing over the other top edges of trough  310 . It should be noted that other types of components having different shapes may be used to form trough  310 . 
     In the embodiment of display  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , trough  310  may be hung from a ceiling (as shown in  FIG. 1A ) or from some other support structure in the building. To this end, trough  310  may be suspended by cables or rods  360  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Alternatively, trough  310  may be configured within other frames or structures that provide adequate support. For example, display  10  may include a frame structure to which one or more of the water wall assembly  100 , lighting array assembly  200  and upper water trough assembly  300  may be attached. This type of configuration may be preferable where display  10  is intended to be self-contained and/or portable for use at temporary events and locations as mentioned above. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1  where display  10  is relatively large, trough  310  may be about 15 feet long, and may be about 2 feet deep and about 2 feet tall, though other lengths may be used depending on the installation and the current invention is not limited to this approximate size. However, this example is provided because for larger installations, trough  310  may have significant weight. Accordingly, it is preferred that bottom  312 , front wall  314 , bullnose  316 , diagonal wall  318  and/or rear wall  320  comprise generally hollow structures to lower their overall weight. However, the components comprising trough  310  are preferably strong enough to support the weight of the water or other liquid contained therein. 
     Reducing weight preferably eases installation, especially where trough  310  is mounted to a ceiling, to a wall or to some other position located a distance above the ground. To assist in installation and/or later maintenance of display  10 , a catwalk  14  may be installed into or otherwise reside in the building as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 6 . Catwalk  14  may provide access for individuals to hang trough  310 , hang lighting array  200 , install the piping of system  500  and to perform later maintenance. Ladder  16  may also be provided to access catwalk  14  as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , it is preferred that catwalk  14  not be visible to observers on the ground to avoid detracting from the artistic effects provided by display  10 . To this end, trough  310  may also be hidden from view of the observers so that only water wall  110  and its visual effects may be seen. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  exemplify how certain components are visible to the observer while other components may remain hidden.  FIGS. 1A and 1B  are front sectional elevation views of display  10  taken at different section lines. The section view of  FIG. 1A  is taken at a point within display  10  and shows certain of the components that remain behind the scenes and are not visible to the observer. For example,  FIG. 1A  shows how trough assembly  300  may be hung from the ceiling by cables or rods  360 .  FIG. 1B  shows display  10  from a point where the observer may view the display. From here, trough assembly  300 , catwalk  14  and other items are preferably not visible so that only the visual effects may be seen. The section view of  FIG. 1B  is taken at a point at a distance from display  10 , e.g., at a point where an observer may view the display. This figure shows how certain components may remain hidden. 
     Water may be fed into trough  310  through one or more inlets  324 , which may in turn be fed by piping system  500  as discussed in more detail later. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 11 , inlets  324  may be connected to diagonal wall  318 , but water may be fed into trough  310  from other locations and by other means. As noted above, it is preferred that water leave trough  310  only over bullnose  316  so that water only falls down water wall  110  as opposed to the sides of display  10 . To avoid or reduce any longitudinal wave action in trough  310  that may be created by the inflow of water, one or more baffles  350  may be positioned in trough  310 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , two baffles  350  may be located thereby separating trough  310  into three compartments, i.e., one for each inlet  324 . In this manner, if one of the inlets  324  delivers more water than one or more of the other inlets  324 , any longitudinal wave action that may be created thereby is preferably damped or eliminated by baffles  350 . Baffles may also reduce or eliminate longitudinal wave action that may arise where trough  310  sways as it is suspended from a ceiling or other structure. As shown, baffles  350  may comprise a wall  352  with some number of holes  354  therein. The number of baffles  350  used in trough  310  may vary according to the trough&#39;s dimensions or other factors. Baffles  350  may comprise a corrosion-resistant material. 
     Baffles  350  may thus generally stabilize the water contained in trough  310 . This preferably helps a smooth uniform flow of water from trough  310  over bullnose  316  and down water wall  110 . As discussed below, the flow of water down wall  110  may increase or decrease significantly in a short amount of time. To do so, inlets  324  may provide a surge of water, and any wave action created thereby is preferably limited by baffles  350 . 
     Bullnose  316  is now described in more detail. As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 11 , bullnose  316  may be secured to trough  310  by fitting into holes  323  in end plates  324 . However, other attachments means may be used. Bullnose  316  may be used to help secure the upper end  112  of water wall  110  to upper trough assembly  300  in a manner that allows the smooth delivery of water from trough  310  down wall  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the cross section of bullnose  316  may be generally circular. This circular shape provides for a smooth delivery of water from trough  310  to wall  110  so that the water may be delivered to wall  110  in a laminar fashion. That is, the avoidance of sharp edges or other perturbations as the water is delivered to wall  110  helps provide laminar flow. This may in turn provide more control over how the appearance of the light may be altered. 
     While the cross section of bullnose  316  in this embodiment is circular, other cross sectional shapes may be used so that the water is delivered in other manners. For example, other shapes such as square, rectangular, triangular or other sharper-edged shapes may be used so that the water is provided in a turbulent manner. The cross section of bullnose  316  may also be a hybrid of various shapes. 
     The manner in which water wall  110  may be attached to upper trough assembly  300  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4 . As shown, after wall  110  is wrapped around bullnose  316 , the upper end  112  of water wall  110  may extend into trough  110  and be secured to clevis  330 . Clevis  330  may in turn be attached to diagonal wall  318 . 
     When water wall  110  is secured to trough  310  in this manner, it should be noted that the circular cross section of bullnose  316  dissipates the stresses placed on the upper region of wall  110  that may arise in the area of contact between wall  110  and bullnose  316 . This avoids the situation where a concentrated stress point would exist if wall  110  were wrapped around a component having a square cross section or other sharp edge. Accordingly, the circular cross section of bullnose  316  provides a stress dispersion function as well as a laminar water delivery function. 
     The manner in which clevis  330  may engage the upper end  112  of wall  110  is now further discussed with reference to  FIGS. 1C and 4 . As shown in  FIG. 1C , the top and bottom edges  112 ,  114  of wall  110  may generally include a solid material such as upper tang  112 A and lower tang  114 A. Top tang  112 A may include a series of holes  1128 , while lower tang  114 A may include a series of holes  1148 . 
     Clevis  330  may include a clevis bolt (not shown) that may pass through an upper tang hole  112 A as is customary in clevis arrangements. Trough  310  may include a clevis  330  for each hole  112 B. In this manner, the stress created by holding up the weight of wall  110  may be spread over upper end  112  by an appropriate number of clevises  330 . The number of clevises  330  that wall  110  engages may vary according to the width and weight of wall  110  and/or trough  310 , or other factors. 
     Each clevis  330  may preferably be threaded onto a bolt that engages diagonal wall  318 . In this manner, the tension of each clevis  330  and on the wall  110  at that location may be adjusted by an adjustment means  332 , i.e., the position of clevis along the threads of the bolt may be adjusted. This is preferred especially in larger installations where the tension across the width of wall  110  may be desired to be uniform or may need to vary so that wall  110  does not warp along its length which may extend several floors of a building. Accordingly, the use of multiple clevis couplings  330  allows the stress on each to vary as needed, i.e., different sections of the upper end  112  of the water wall assembly  100  may absorb different levels of tension to properly hold the water wall  110  flat or as otherwise desired. 
     For reasons that will become more apparent in later sections, it may be preferred that water wall  110  be held in place flat across its surface area in order to optimize the lighting effects provided by display  10 . The ability to adjust each clevis  330  independently may allow for this flatness. As shown in  FIG. 1A , catwalk  14  or other structures may be positioned near the upper trough assembly  300  to provide access to install clevises  330  and to allow them to be adjusted as needed. 
     Lower water trough assembly  400  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4 . As shown, lower water trough assembly  400  is generally positioned near the bottom of the display  10  to collect the water that flows down water wall  110 . Lower trough assembly  400  may also serve to provide any other water that may need to be collected near or at the bottom of the display  10 . 
     Lower water trough assembly  400  may generally comprise lower trough  402  which may serve to catch water after it has traveled down the length of water wall  110 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , trough  402  may be formed into the floor of a building. As shown in  FIG. 1 , trough  402  may be kept from view of the observers. To this end, trough  402  may be formed in a sub floor  404  located underneath the floor  20  (as in  FIG. 1 ) on which the observers may stand. Water wall  110  may also extend below the floor and into trough  402 . In this manner, only water wall  110  may be readily visible to the observer. Similar to hiding the upper trough assembly  300  out of view, hiding the lower trough assembly  400  may enhance the visual effects in that the entire visible wall comprises display  10 . 
     As noted above, trough  402  may be designed into the floor, or sub floor  404  where trough  402  exists below the area which is visible to observers. To this end, sub floor  404  may provide a trough bottom  450  and back wall  460  by virtue of forms that may be used when pouring the concrete comprising the sub floor  404 . Trough  402  may also include a front wall  440  that may be separate from the sub floor  404  but attached thereto by mounting devices  406  which may in turn include brackets, angle irons and mounts and bolts as shown. In this manner, the height of front wall  440  may be adjusted. Front wall  440  may be formed of stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant material. 
     As an alternative to forming lower trough  402  as part of sub floor  404 , lower trough  402  may comprise of a separate structure that is separate from the floor below the display  10 , or it may comprise a combination of the floor below the bottom of the display  10  and a separate structure. In these alternatives, front wall  440 , bottom  450  and back wall  460  may comprise steel, plastic, concrete or other suitable corrosion-resistant materials. These components preferably fit together without gaps such that the overall lower water trough assembly  400  is water tight. Also, lower water trough assembly  400  may have a lid (not shown) if desired. 
     In addition, there may be a pool  12  (as in  FIG. 1 ) of water that is positioned in front, in back or generally around the bottom area of the display  10 . Water for this pool  12  may be provided by the lower water trough assembly  400  through pipes, channels or other means, such as described later in connection with piping system  500 . Alternatively, water from pool  12  may act as a water supply for lower trough  402 . 
     The manner in which water wall  110  engages lower trough assembly  400  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 1C and 4 . As noted above, the lower end  114  of water wall  110  may include tang  114 A which in turn include a number of holes  114 B. Each hole  114 B may engage clevis  470  that is in turn connected to clamp or bracket  420  that in turn engages anchor bolt  430  that in turn engages trough floor  450 . As with clevises  330  in upper trough  310 , a number of clevises  470  may be used to engage water wall  110  at a number of locations along its bottom. Also, clevises  470  are preferably adjustable in order to adjust the tension applied to the lower end  114  of wall  110 . 
     The combination of clevis  470  and clamp  420  may be preloaded with adequate tension to hold the lower end  114  of water wall  110  secure such that the surface of water wall  110  remains generally flat, and may also flex enough to allow for some expansion and/or contraction of water wall  110  during construction or at other instances. This flexing may also be preferable to allow the water wall assembly  100  to expand and/or contract depending on the amount of water that may be present on the surfaces of water wall  110  which may vary the weight of water wall  110  accordingly. 
     In general, clevises  330  in upper trough  310  and clevises  470  in lower trough  402  may be adjusted so that the desired overall tension and flatness of water wall  110  may be achieved. In one method of installation, the upper end  112  of wall  110  may be attached to clevises  330  in upper trough  310 , and then upper trough  310  may be hoisted to its desired location. Once upper trough  310  is secured to the ceiling, wall or other desired location, the bottom end  114  of wall  110  may be attached to clevises  470 , which may in turn be attached to channel clamps  420 . At this point, wall  110  is generally in place, but each particular clevis may be checked for proper tension. Thereafter, the position of trough  310  may be checked and any further desired adjustment of clevises  330 ,  470  may be made. 
     Clamp  420  may be anchored into the bottom of the lower water trough  400 , or into the floor or other mounting structure using an anchor bolt  430  to hold it tight. If the water wall assembly  100  does not require the flexing of clamp  420 , clevis  470  may attach the lower end  114  of water wall  110  directly to the anchor bolt  430  or may be secured by other means. 
     Lighting array assembly  200  is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 . As described above, display  10  may include a lighting assembly  200  that may be positioned behind water wall assembly  100  such that light emitted by lighting assembly  200  passes through and may be manipulated by the water travelling down wall  110  thus creating dramatic visual effects. 
     The distance between water wall  110  and lighting assembly  200  may vary. For example, this distance may be greater for larger display installations as shown in  FIG. 1 , but may be smaller for smaller and/or portable displays. The distance between wall and lighting assemblies  100 ,  200  may also be chosen to enhance or adjust the manner in which the light is focused or altered by the water. That is, this distance may affect the focal points and lengths of the light as discussed later. 
     In a preferred embodiment, lighting assembly  200  may include an array of individual LED lights  220 , or other types of light sources, that are positioned by a matrix  230  of wires, cables, slats or other structures that may make up a support grid as shown in  FIG. 5 . When viewed from the front, lights  220  may appear as an array of LED pucks. It should be noted that grid  230  shown in  FIG. 5  is provided only for example purposes only, and that many more lights  220  may be used in the horizontal and/or vertical dimensions. The size of the lights  220  may also vary. 
     The tops of the cables comprising grid  230  may be attached to a member  222 , such as a channel. In this manner, grid  230  may generally hang from member  220 . Channel  222  may be attached to a wall behind display  10  so that lighting array  230  may be positioned behind water wall  110 . Alternatively, channel  222  may be attached to a ceiling or other support structure. 
     As another alternative, lighting assembly  200  may include a substrate, wall or other mounting surface (not shown) on which lights  220  may be mounted. In this embodiment, the mounting surface may itself be attached to the wall behind display  10  thereby positioning lighting array  230 . And in an embodiment where display  10  is intended to be smaller and portable, the mounting surface may comprise the back wall of display  10 . For example, in smaller, portable embodiments, all the primary assemblies discussed above may be mounted to an overall frame structure. In this case the mounting surface may be mounted to the back of such a frame structure. 
     Lighting assembly  200  may be configured in a vertical/horizontal grid as shown in  FIG. 5 . The spacing of lighting elements  220  within grid  230  may be determined by the particular display effects desired and may range from small spacing to significantly larger spacing. In addition, lighting elements  220  need not be configured in a vertical/horizontal grid but may instead be configured in circular patterns, diagonal patterns or other patterns. 
     The overall size of lighting assembly  200  may generally correspond to the overall size of water wall assembly  100  but it may also be larger or smaller as desired. As shown in  FIG. 6 , lighting assembly  200  may be attached to the exterior of a wall for support. To this end, suitable mounting structures  224  involving bolts, clamps, angle irons and/or brackets may be used. In addition, the lighting assembly  200  may be attached to a free-standing support structure, or it may have the ability to support itself without the need for additional support structures. 
     The electrical current and voltage necessary to power LED pucks  220  such that they emit light may be delivered to each LED puck  220  using wires that travel along the vertical and/or horizontal elements of grid  230 . In a preferred embodiment, however, electrical conductivity may be provided by vertical cables. To this end, a number of lights  220  may be daisy-chained along one cable providing conductivity thereto. The electrical wires that deliver the necessary current and voltages to LED pucks  220  may or may not also provide support to the LED pucks  220  within the grid. To this end, additional support cables may be used in addition to the wires providing electrical connections so that the entire weight of grid  230  may be supported. 
     Each LED puck  220  may include a number of individual LED lights that may represent a variety of fixed colors such as red, green, blue, white or other colors. Alternatively, the LEDs comprising LED puck  220  may have their output color controlled. 
     Control wires to control the illumination of the LED pucks  220  may travel along the vertical and horizontal elements of grid  230 . These control wires may provide control data in real time from a computer or other controller to LED pucks  220  in order to control when certain LED pucks  220  are to illuminate, when certain LED pucks  220  are to stop illuminating, what colors LED pucks  220  are to illuminate, the output wattage of LED pucks  220 , and other controllable characteristics of LED pucks  220 . These control wires may or may not provide support to the LED pucks  220  within the grid  230 . 
     The control wires may be configured to allow each LED puck  220  to be individually controlled, or the control wires may be configured to allow particular zones or groups of LED pucks  220  to be controlled together in unison. Additionally, the control wires may be configured to control particular vertical or horizontal strands of LED pucks  220  within the grid together in unison. As discussed later, a control room  600  as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  may house computers, wiring and other components to provide desired lighting and water flow control, as well as control over music or any other type of media that may be included in display  10 . 
     Piping system  500 , which may act as a water delivery and return system for display  10 , is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 . In general, piping system  500  may provide the water that travels down water wall  110 , catch the water after it has traveled down water wall  110 , filter the water, protect against overflow and may also provide a means to drain the water from display  10  or from components thereof. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of piping system  500  that may be used with the embodiment of display  10  installed to extend up several floors in a building. Certain components of display  10 , such as water wall assembly  100  and portions of lower trough assembly  400 , have been removed so that an overall view of the various pipes and other components of system  500  may be shown. However, upper trough assembly  300  remains in  FIG. 7  to show how it interacts with piping system  500 . In general, certain components of piping system  500 , such as those components which interact with upper trough assembly  300 , are preferably installed after water wall  110  and upper trough  310  have been installed. In this manner, the location of these large assemblies may be established so that the subsequent plumbing may conform thereto. 
     To provide context, floor  20  has been added to  FIG. 7 . Floor  20  represents the ground floor  20  shown in  FIG. 1  at the base of display  10  and from where individuals may observe. Floor  20  has been added to  FIG. 7  to show how certain components of piping system  500  may reside beneath floor  20  and thus remain out of the observer&#39;s view, thereby enhancing the visual effects provided by display  10 . 
     As shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 7 , as well as the schematic of  FIG. 8  and the elevation views of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , water may be pumped up from bottom trough  402  to upper trough  310  through display water supply line  502 . Upon extending upward to the vicinity of upper trough  310 , line  502  may form display water manifold  504 . Separate water lines may then emanate from manifold  504 , with each separate line including a valve and then another length of pipe which extends to an inlet  324  to trough  310  as shown in  FIG. 4 . In  FIGS. 7 and 8 , these separate lines and valves bear reference numerals  506 A,  506 B and  506 C, respectively. 
     In a preferred embodiment, lines and valves  506 A,  506 B,  506 C provide the three sources of water for trough  310  as discussed above. As also discussed above, trough  310  may include baffles  350  to address reduce or eliminate any longitudinal wave action caused by the inflow of water from these lines  506 A,  506 B,  506 C and inlets  324 . These valves may be referenced as animation valves since they may control the flow of water into trough  310 , and thus the flow of water over water wall  110 , and ultimately the manner in which the light may be animated or otherwise altered. Valves  506 A,  506 B,  506 C are preferably digital and may be controlled by animation controller  610  which itself may comprise part of the water and video control system  600  that is also shown in  FIG. 7 . Animation valves  506 A,  506 B,  506 C are shown in more detail in  FIG. 12 . As shown, each valve may include an inlet, glove valve, solenoid valve and outlet. 
     Each valve and the water it delivers may correspond to an inlet  124 . Alternatively, each valve may deliver water or to an overall feed pipe which delivers water to each inlet. In either scenario, the opening or closing of these valves may change the volume of water delivered to wall  110 . 
     In one embodiment, when the valves are all off, the largest amount of water may flow over bullnose  116  onto wall  110 . By opening one valve, the flow from that valve may be bypassed into return lines  508 ,  512  to lower trough  402  and the flow over bullnose  116  is reduced accordingly. By opening the second valve, flow is further reduced. By opening the third valve, maximum reduction in flow may be set up to bypass adequate flow so that no water flows over bullnose  116 . 
     Trough  310  may also include overflow line  506  and drain line  508  as shown in  FIG. 8 . These lines  506 ,  508  may extend to water return manifold  506 , which in turn may extend to water drain line  512  that may extend down to lower trough  402 . Overflow line  506  may protect against the situation where too much water has been released into trough  310  such that more than the desired amount of water may be flowing down water wall  110  or that water may flow over the sides of trough  310 . Drain line  508  may be opened under valve control to drain trough  310  when desired for cleaning, maintenance or other operational reasons. 
     It is preferred that the above-described water lines are located behind water wall  110 , as well as behind lighting array assembly  200  as shown in the elevation view of  FIG. 8 . This again serves to keep the more industrial aspects of display  10  out of view so that the observer may focus on the visual effects provided thereby. 
     As indicated above, the water flowing down water wall  110  may be received by lower trough  402 , as is any water received by drain line  512 . After reaching lower trough  402 , this water may then be filtered. To this end, water from lower trough  402  may travel through water return line  514  to a filtration system  520 . The filtration may occur through generally known filtration techniques. As shown in  FIG. 7 , water return line  514  and filtration system  520  may be located below floor  20  to be out of view from the observer. 
     After filtration, the treated water may travel through treated water supply line  516  to outlets  516 A in the bottom of lower trough  402 . In this manner, the water in lower trough  402  is generally treated. This is advantageous because the water suctioned from lower trough  402  and pumped up to upper trough  310  for feeding to water wall  110  is thus generally treated. 
     Piping system  500  may also interact with pool  12  as follows. Another water supply line  518  may extend in front of display  10  along the bottom of pool  12 . Line  518  may end in inlets  522 A,  522 B located in pool  12 . Inlets  522 A,  522 B may feed water along line  518  and through four outlets  524 A,  524 B,  524 C,  524 D to lower trough  402 . In this manner, the water in pool  12  may also be generally filtered. 
     Piping system  500  may also include overflow line  528  which preferably avoids bottom trough  402  from overflowing. Drain line  530  may also extend from lower trough  402  in order to drain it when desired. 
     The manner in which display  10  may operate is now further described. As noted above, light is emitted from lighting array assembly  200  through water wall assembly  100 . In this manner, light is emitted from display  10  after it passes through the water cascading down water wall  110 , and the appearance of the light may be manipulated by the volume and/or manner in which water flows down to create a dramatic visual display for observers. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , trough  310  may generally be filled with water as discussed above. Additional water may then be added so that the water level  380  rises above the top surface of bullnose  316  and begins to fall down water wall  112 . As noted above, the other sides of trough  310  are higher than the top of bullnose  316  and thus water preferably only exits trough  310  over bullnose  316 . 
     Initially, the water flowing down water wall  110  may generally serve to wet the surface thereof. As more water flows down, water may begin to collect in the spaces  124  of the mesh of wall  110  and water will eventually start flowing down both sides  116 ,  118  of wall  110  as shown by lines  382 ,  384  in  FIG. 4 . 
     As more water is received by bottom trough  402 , its water level may rise as shown by water level line  490  in  FIG. 4 . If the water level  490  in trough  402  exceeds the height of back wall  460 , it may flow over and into overflow line  528  as shown in  FIG. 7 . In any event, it is preferred that water level  490  not exceed the height of front wall  440 . During the course of a performance by display  10 , water may be allowed to surge over bullnose  316  and down wall  310 . Water flow may also be decreased. In this manner, the appearance and/or edges of the light shining through wall  110  may be softened or hardened. 
     The manner in which the appearance of the light traveling through water wall  110  may be altered by the flow of water is now further described with reference to  FIGS. 1C, 13 and 14 . As discussed above, in a preferred embodiment, water wall  110  may comprise a screen or mesh as shown in  FIG. 1C  which includes a number of horizontally oriented rectangular gaps or spaces  124 . As water travels down wall  110 , water may collect and become trapped within spaces  124 . That is, if enough water is present, the cohesive forces between the water molecules of the water traveling down water wall  110  and/or surface tension that may exist with wall  110  may allow the water to bridge the empty rectangular spaces  124  of the mesh or screen and collect within spaces  124 . 
     When water is trapped within spaces  124 , each space  124  may act as a liquid lens that may be used to manipulate the focal point of light emitted by lighting array  200 . By manipulating the focal point of the light emitted by lighting array  200 , the light may become more focused or sharper in appearance, or may become less focused or softer in appearance. 
     The type of liquid lens that may result from water being trapped within the rectangular gaps  124  of the water wall  100  may depend on the amount of water that is trapped within the rectangular gap  124  at any point in time. If only enough water is present on water wall  110  such that the water bridges the rectangular gaps  124  but does not bulge out beyond wall  110 , the liquid lens that may be formed may generally be a concave liquid lens  126  as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
     A beam of light passing through a generally concave lens may be diverged or spread out. Because of this, the beam of light  132  after passing through the concave liquid lens  126  may appear to be emanating from a point A on the axis known as the focal point that may be in front of the concave liquid lens  126 , and may appear to a viewer  130  positioned in front of water wall  110  to be focused at a point A behind water wall  110 . This is depicted in  FIG. 13 . 
     If the flow of water down water wall  100  increases, the meniscus of the water droplets trapped within the spaces  124  may bulge and the liquid lens may become a liquid biconvex lens  128  as shown in  FIG. 14 . A beam of light travelling through a biconvex lens may be converged. Because of this, the beam of light  134  after passing through the liquid biconvex lens  128  may appear to be emanating from a particular point B on the axis known as the focal point that may be behind the biconvex liquid lens  128 , and may appear to a viewer  130  positioned in front of water wall  110  to be focused at a point B in front of water wall  110 . This is depicted in  FIG. 14 . 
     If even more water flows down water wall  110 , the meniscus of the water droplets trapped within spaces gaps  124  may bulge to the point that the surface tension can no longer hold the liquid lens intact due to gravity and the liquid lens may burst and generally become a flat flow of water. This flat flow of water may not have the optical properties of either a concave or biconvex lens, but may instead dampen, blur or otherwise affect the light emitted from the lighting assembly  200  in a non-uniform way. 
     As stated above, the water flow down water wall  110  may controlled by the water piping assembly  500  which may be controlled in real time by a computer or other controller such as animation controller  610 . By controlling the amount of water that may be present at a particular location on water wall  110  at a particular moment in time, the liquid lenses  126 ,  128  in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , respectively, that may be present within spaces  124 , or the greater flow of water, may be controlled to be concave, biconvex or flat. 
     By controlling the shape of the liquid lenses  126 ,  128  or by providing a greater flow, the focal point of the light or its overall appearance emitted by the lighting array  200  passing through water wall  100 , may become more focused or sharper appearing to a viewer positioned in front of the display  100 , or may become less focused or softer appearing. 
     By focusing and de-focusing the light emitted by the light source assembly  200  in real time may contribute to the lighting appearing as an abstract form or shape. Furthermore, varying the water flow may vary the edges of the form or shape thereby making the shape or form appear to move. When this is combined with sequentially turning on lights  220  and turning off previously lit lights  220 , the shape or form may appear to move across or along display  10 . 
     The focusing and/or alteration of the light may also be affected by the distance between lighting array  200  and wall  110 . That is, light emanating from the array  200  may disperse the longer it travels, so the amount of focusing and/or alteration of the light may be varied by the distance the light travels before reaching wall  110 . Also, wall  110  may preferably be kept flat so that the amount of focus and/or alteration may be uniform and controlled. 
     The computer control of display  10  is now further described with reference to  FIG. 7 . Control room  600  may reside near the top of display  10  as shown in  FIG. 1A . It is preferred that control room  600  be located near lighting array  200  to avoid signal degradation that might otherwise occur with longer cables, and to reduce noise and interference. 
     As described above, to add to the dramatic visual effect of the display  10 , the LED pucks  220  may be controlled in real time to switch on and off, and to change color and output wattage. Software may reside in the computer or controller of the lighting assembly  200  and the water piping assembly  500  such that both the lighting assembly  200  and the water piping assembly  500  may be controlled in real time in an orchestrated fashion. That is, the amount of water present on water wall  110  at any given moment may be controlled to manipulate the light passing through water wall  110  as described above, and at the same time, lighting assembly  200  may also be controlled to turn on/off and to change color and output power. By controlling both the focal point manipulation of the light passing through water wall  110  and lighting assembly  200  together in real time in an orchestrated fashion, the result may be a dramatic flowing color show of changing abstract forms. These forms may be made to appear moving and may provide the effect of moving art. 
     In addition, software residing within the controller of the water piping assembly and the lighting assembly may have preprogrammed shows that are automated. Conversely, the software may allow for the manual orchestration of the display  10 . In addition, the software may allow for a combination of automated preprogrammed shows that may be manually altered and otherwise manually controlled in real time as desired. 
     Software may be written to control the flow of water and lighting, as well as music, other audio or other media to incorporate into the performance of display  10 . A number of such different programs may be loaded to display  10  and may be performed as desired. 
     As noted above, display  10  is preferably controlled to provide visual effects, such as a moving light painting, with variations in the clarity of the pixels programmed with water flow. Examples of various types of visual effects that may be provided are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 15-28 . As shown, various colors, patterns, shapes and movement may be provided.  FIGS. 15-21  show display  10  in a smaller version that may be portable.  FIGS. 22-28  show the larger version that generally corresponds to that shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown, colors may merge from one to another, shapes may transform from one to another, and shapes may move across display  10 . These may generally provide the appearance of moving art. 
     Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.