Patent Abstract:
A display system is easily attached to the safety bar of a chair on a chair lift system at the beginning of a season. The display system includes brackets formed of rails holding clamp portions that may be fastened together to clamp the display system to a chair, such as to the safety bar across the lap of a rider. At the end of a season, the display system may be removed from each chair, the clamp portions removed, and the display systems stacked. In one simplified system, adjacent displays may be stacked back to back, and such adjacent pairs may be stacked with the displays in adjacent pairs positioned face-to-face. Thus, metal brackets on the backs need not scratch up the reading faces or surfaces. Meanwhile, the displays may be stored in minimal space, with great stability, while minimizing wear and damage.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application: is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/629,163, filed Feb. 23, 2015; which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/766,400, filed Feb. 13, 2013, issued Feb. 24, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,960,101; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/781,082, filed May 17, 2010, issued Mar. 5, 2013 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,387,542; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates to ski lifts and in particular to informational displays available and presented to riders on a chair lift system. 
         [0004]    The Background Art 
         [0005]    Riders of ski chair lifts may spend considerable time riding a lift up a mountain side to the beginning of a particular run or series of runs, before skiing down one or more of those runs to the bottom to repeat the exercise. While skiing, a skier does exercise and may maintain body warmth by virtue of that exercise. However, considerable time is spent in a virtually stationary position in the chair. Moreover, considerable time is spent waiting in line at some resorts. Thus, considerable time is spent idle. 
         [0006]    Typically, users may have only limited time to review area maps posted on signs about a ski resort. Instead, a user or rider of a ski lift may typically have a folded map in a pocket. Folded maps are necessarily problematic. Removing bulky gloves to unfold a map and fold it up again is not highly effective, and can be very uncomfortable. 
         [0007]    For example, high above the surface of the earth, ski chair lifts may sometimes be dozens of feet high in the air. Thus, riders are exposed to wind and cold. Removing gloves and mittens while riding a chair life is hardly recommended due to the cold weather. 
         [0008]    Riding a lift a user or rider is provided only limited opportunity for movement and thus is exposed to full force of the prevailing climate, which is typically cold to support the necessary environment for a ski resort. Comfort may be improved by keeping protective clothing in place. 
         [0009]    Meanwhile, riders have a limited time upon completing a run to review a larger area map posted on signage at the resort. Moreover, a user must go back into a line to wait for the next chair. Thus, it would be an advance if a user of a ski resort, a rider, a skier, could have access to a map, already printed, mounted right on the lift chair that a particular user is riding. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In accordance with the foregoing, an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention provide a system of displays or panels that may be divided into an information region, and an advertising region. Typically, the information region occupies the largest and central portion of a panel. Meanwhile, the panel may be mounted to a safety bar that drops down in front of the riders upon seating themselves on the lift chair. 
         [0011]    A display system is easily attached to the safety bar of a chair on a chair lift system at the beginning of a season. The display system includes brackets formed of rails holding clamp portions that may be fastened together to clamp the display system to a chair, such as to the safety bar across the lap of a rider. At the end of a season, the display system may be removed from each chair, the clamp portions removed, and the display systems stacked. In one simplified system, adjacent displays may be stacked back to back, and such adjacent pairs may be stacked with the displays in adjacent pairs positioned face-to-face. Thus, metal brackets on the backs need not scratch up the reading faces or surfaces. Meanwhile, the displays may be stored in minimal space, with great stability, while minimizing wear and damage. 
         [0012]    Thus, an apparatus in accordance with the invention may include a system of brackets to secure a spine to the safety bar, and a panel to the spine. The panel may include informational regions and advertising regions to inform users concerning the resort, as well as other commercially available benefits, such as lessons, ski equipment, food, other products, or sponsored events or products. 
         [0013]    In certain embodiments, the visible panels may be subdivided physically as well as content-wise in order to be able to change out certain portions of a panel when that information become obsolete. Likewise, when sponsored information receives a new sponsor, it may require new information or sponsor information. 
         [0014]    In certain embodiments, a bracket may be easily removed in order that the system may be stored out of the weather during off season times. In particular, a bracket system may include a rail that receives fingers or clamps into a slide path or a way along the rail. Thus, the brackets, or at least the clamps if not the rails, may be readily removed in order to stack the panels together. Removable clamps may both stabilize them as a stacked array of panels, as well as reducing thickness, thus occupying considerably less space. 
         [0015]    Thus, the larger dimensions in a direction parallel to the horizontal plane of a panel occupies considerable space. It is a saving of space to remove the clamps from a rail, which together form the bracket system. Thereby, the panels may be laid face to face or back to back in alternating pairs. The rails may be slightly offset in order to minimize the amount of space occupied by a set of stored panels. In due course, the systems may be reassembled. The brackets may be reassembled by sliding the clamps into the rails. With the attachment of a few fasteners, the panels may be reinstalled on the safety bars of the lift chairs of a ski lift. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The foregoing features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a top, rear quarter perspective view of one embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a bottom rear quarter, perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective, exploded view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4A  is a top plan view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4B  is a top plan view of the one alternative embodiment of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-4A , having the panel portion subdivided into removable sub-portions; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5A  is a top plan view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-4 , this one having a more rectangular shape for the main panel; 
           [0023]      FIG. 5B  is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus of  FIG. 5A , this corresponding to  FIGS. 1-5A , but providing for both rectangular shaping of the main panel area, and also separable or removable portions of the panel; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 6A-6D  are bottom plan views of the apparatus of  FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B , respectively; 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a front elevation view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 4A and 5A ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a rear elevation view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 4 and 5 ; 
           [0027]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are right end elevation view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , respectively; 
           [0028]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  are left end elevation views of the apparatus of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , respectively; 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bracket in accordance with the invention, comprising a rail on which two independent clamps may slide toward one another to be secured to one another, clamping a safety bar from a lift chair therebetween; 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a bracket for use in the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-10 , this particular bracket having an integrally, even homogeneously, formed clamp formed with the rail, and a second freely sliding clamp engaging the rail; 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  is a perspective, exploded view of the bracket assembly of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-10 , and specifically the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , also showing alternative embodiments of the cross section of the rail; 
           [0032]      FIG. 14  is a partially cut away view of the joint region, for the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-10 , and in particular, illustrates alternative mechanism for implementing an embodiment of  FIGS. 1-10  and in particular the embodiment of  FIGS. 4B and 5B  wherein the panel is subdivided into different physical portions that are selectively attachable and removable in accordance with the invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the invention, this embodiment including both the chair of a chair lift and its associated panel assembly in accordance with the invention; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment thereof, using a rectangular panel assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0035]    It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , an apparatus  10  or system  10  in accordance with the invention may include a display  12  or a panel  12 . The display  12  may be divided into regions  13  generally, including information regions  14  and advertising regions  16 . Each information region  14  may be designated for display of particular information. For example, the advertising region  16  may be devoted to advertising information. Meanwhile, the central region  14  may be designated for other, non-commercial information. 
         [0037]    In one embodiment in an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention, the information region  14  may contain a map of a ski area. The map may be available to multiple riders sitting on a chair lift. In the illustrated embodiment, a user may view the information region  14  in order to determine a desirable area in which to ski. By providing a map in the information region  14 , a ski resort may thus improve traffic, better serve customers, and otherwise promote the satisfaction of users of the ski area. 
         [0038]    In general, an apparatus  10  may be assembled as part of a ski lift chair. In certain embodiments, the apparatus  10  be considered to be both the display system  12  as well as the ski lift chair in its entirety. This may even include the towers. In other embodiments, the system  10  may include simply that portion thereof that will attach to a lift chair. 
         [0039]    Nevertheless, in general, chair lift systems typically include towers provided with rollers across which a cable may pass. Chairs are suspended by hangers or columns from the cable. Typically an engine of some type will operate at one end of a loop formed of the cable, such as at the bottom or at the top of a ski run. The motor, driving a large sheave about which the cable passes in a closed loop, thus moves the cable along, drawing the lift chairs with the cable up the mountain and back down. 
         [0040]    Typically, riders in a ski resort environment will ride the chair life from the bottom to the top. In some instances, maintenance personnel, safety personnel, and other staff may ride the chair lift down the mountain as well. In sight-seeing venues, riders may actually ride the lifts upward and downward on a regular basis. 
         [0041]    An apparatus  10  or system  10  in accordance with the invention, may include a back bone  18  or spine  18  in addition to the display  12 . In order to maintain the information region  14  and advertising region  16  readable, to minimize distortion, to avoid random reflections of light therefrom, a spine  18  may increase the stiffness thereof. 
         [0042]    As an engineering principle, a section modulus is increased in order to stiffen a material or a structure. Section modulus is increased when material is moved, placed, or otherwise located as far as possible from the neutral axis. The neutral axis is the axis of zero stress and is typically near the center of a weighted cross-sectional area, as defined by engineering principles of radius of gyration of a cross section, and so forth. Thus, in one embodiment of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention, a spine  18  may be formed to secure, fasten, bond, or otherwise attach or may be formed directly or integrally with the display  12  in order to provide increased stiffness thereof. The cross section may be rectangular, a box, a ‘T,’ and ‘L,’ a channel, or the like. 
         [0043]    Stiffening the display  12  permits the maintenance of the desired shape. For example, in one embodiment, the display  12  may be substantially flat. In such an embodiment, any variation away from flatness tends to increase the chance of random reflections of light at multiple angles. Such random curvature may greatly interfere with the visibility or readability of materials due to random reflections of light making difficult the viewing of the display  12  from a single, selected angle chosen by a user. 
         [0044]    The display  12  may be secured to a safety rail or safety bar of a chair lift by brackets  20 . Various embodiments of brackets  20  are contemplated in an apparatus  10  in accordance with the invention. Nevertheless, in one presently contemplated embodiment that has demonstrated many useful and valuable features, a bracket  20  may include a rail  22  or rail portion  22  and correspondingly fitted clamps  24 . In certain embodiments, the rail  22  may be formed with a portion of a clamp  24  as a homogeneously formed part thereof. In other embodiments, the clamps  24  may be completely separable from the rail  22 , and may be formed separately in a manufacturing process. 
         [0045]    One advantage of a rail  22  having no clamps  24  integrally formed therewith is that the rail  22  may then be machined by a faster process, may be extruded, or may be otherwise manufactured in a simpler process. By contrast, inclusion of at least a portion of a clamp  24  as part of a rail  22  may involve more complex forming, molding, and the difficulties of release from such a mold. 
         [0046]    The rail  22  and clamps  24  may be made of the same or different materials. Similarly, the rail  22  and clamps  24  may be provided in sizes and numbers to provide adequate securement by the brackets  20  of the display  12  to a chair apparatus of a chair lift. 
         [0047]    In the illustrated embodiment, the clamps  24  may include apertures  25 . The apertures  25  may be formed, for example, into or through a portion of each rail  22 . Apertures  25  may thus receive fasteners. 
         [0048]    In one embodiment, apertures  26  may also be formed in the spine  18 . The apertures  27  may receive securement mechanisms passing through the spine  18 , and into the apertures  25  of the brackets  20 . For example, the apertures  25  may be threaded to receive a machine screw. In this way, a counter-bore on the apertures  26  of the spine  18  may receive the head of a button-head, internal hex, or other machine screw. Thus, the spine  18  may present a substantially completely flat surface for receiving the display  12  secured thereto without projections extending therefrom. 
         [0049]    In one embodiment of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention, the apertures  26  in the spine  18  for receiving the fastening mechanisms of the brackets  20  may be clear holes, having no threads therein. Likewise, at another location or several other locations, apertures  25  in the spine may be formed in order to secure the spine  18  to the panel  12  or display  12 . In such an embodiment, the apertures  28  in the panel  12  may receive the same fasteners that pass through the apertures  27  in the spine in order to secure together the spine  18  and the display  12 . Thus, the spine  18  and display  12  or panel  12  may form an assembly, which assembly may be assembled after the rails  22  have been assembled with the spine  18 . In this way, the apertures  26  of spine  18  be occluded or hidden, typically, under the display  12 . The display  12  may typically be formed of a clear durable material having information printed, embossed, painted, laminated, or otherwise fixed on the underside thereof and thus protected from weather. 
         [0050]    As a practical matter, the apertures  25  in the rails  22  and brackets  20  may be aligned with both the apertures  26  and the apertures  27 . In other words, the apertures  26  may be formed and placed to be identical to the apertures  27 , in order to assemble the brackets  20 , the spine  18 , and the display  12  with a single set of fasteners through a single set of apertures  26 ,  27 . Nevertheless, manufacturing processes are sometimes best adapted to provide for sequential rather than simultaneous securement of several mechanisms to one another as described above. 
         [0051]    For example, fasteners  30  pass through the spine  18  in the illustrated embodiment in order to secure the spine  18  to the brackets  20 . As illustrated here each of the fasteners  30  passes through the aperture  26  in the spine  18 , and is threaded into an aperture  25  in a rail  22  of a bracket  20 . In contrast, each fastener  32  passes through a panel  12  and the apertures  28  therein, also passing through apertures  27  in the spine  18 . Typically, the fasteners  30  are threaded into the apertures  25  in the rails  22 . However, the fasteners  32  are typically formed to include both a screw or bolt portion and a nut portion in order to clamp the display  12  and the backbone  18  or spine  18  together therebetween. Nevertheless, in certain embodiments, the fasteners  30  and  32  may be combined to use a single fastener  30  that passes through the display  12 , through the spine  18 , by way of apertures  28  in the panel  12 , the apertures  27  in the spine, which act in dual purpose as the apertures  26  as well. Thus, the fastener  30  ultimately threads into the apertures  25  in the rails  22  of the brackets  20 . 
         [0052]    In general, a fastener  32  may be configured as a machine screw, having a counter sunk head, a cap head, or the like. Meanwhile, a nut  34  or keeper  34  may secure to the fastener  32  and tighten along the fastener  32  in order to clamp the display  12  or panel  12  securely against the spine  18  or backbone  18 . Nevertheless, in certain embodiments, the fasteners  32  may include rivets. In such an event, a keeper  34  may often be simply a washer to be held in place by the swelling of the rivet and opposite the head thereof. Meanwhile, other types of fasteners  32  may be used separately, or in combination with other fasteners described herein. 
         [0053]    In certain embodiments of apparatus and methods in accordance with the invention, additional fasteners  36  may facilitate a selective separation and engagement of display  12  in which the information region  14  at the center of the display  12  is actually a physically separate piece from the advertising regions  16 . For example, in the example of a ski resort, a map of a ski resort is not likely to change repeatedly or frequently in a season or often over several years. 
         [0054]    By contrast, advertisers may contract for a single season. Accordingly, the advertising regions  16  may benefit from being replaced by new advertising regions every season, or perhaps within a season. Accordingly, it may be beneficial to make the panel  12  or display  12  in such a way that the advertising regions  16  are removable and replaceable. In order to provide this interchangeability at disparate times between the information region  14  and the advertising regions  16 , fasteners  36  may be developed and installed to provide alignment in all three dimensions, or less, between the regions  14  and the regions  16 . 
         [0055]    For example, in certain embodiments, alignment of straight edges may be sufficient to secure the alignment of the information region  14  and the advertisement region  16  against rotation or translation in any direction that may cross the line of demarcation therebetween. Nevertheless, if those edges are both flat, then they may slide vertically with respect to one another. 
         [0056]    For example, in the plane of the display  12 , a certain amount of misalignment may occur in a direction along the line of interface between the information region  14  and the advertisement regions  16 . Similarly, alignment perpendicular to the plane of the display  12  may be slightly problematic, absent some mechanism to maintain alignment. 
         [0057]    The fasteners  36  may provide one manner in which a bolt, with or without large washers, a clip, a clamp, or the like may be provided as fasteners  36  to enforce alignment. Likewise, a cross section may be made along the interface between the information region  14  and the advertisement region  16  in order to secure alignment in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the panel  12 . 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIGS. 11-13 , while continuing to refer generally to  FIGS. 1-15 , an apparatus  10  in accordance with the invention may rely on a bracket  20  comprising a rail  22  supporting a clamp  24 . In certain embodiments, one of the clamps  24  may actually be formed into the rail  22 . In other embodiments, the rail  22  may be of a constant cross sectional area and shape, receiving therein two clamps  24 . One benefit to the latter configuration is that the apparatus  10  may be stowed during the off-season more readily. 
         [0059]    For example, in the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , the clamps  24  may be removed from the rails  22 . The resulting additional thickness of a rail  22  added to the spine  18  and the panel  12  is about an inch or less. If the rail  22  is formed with one of the brackets  24  as a monolithic and homogenous extension thereof, then the total thickness may be something closer to 3 inches. Moreover, the shape of a clamp  24  may render a stack of panels  12  quite unstable. 
         [0060]    In contrast, the uniform dimension and the straight line or plane represented by the externally exposed surface of each of the rails  22  will tend to provide a stabilizing influence. For example, the apparatus  10  may be stowed with the clamps  24  completely removed from the rails  22 . In this way, the various instances of the apparatus  10  may be placed alternating face-to-face together, and then back-to-back together in alternating pairs throughout a stack. Each of the rails  22  may be offset compared to the adjacent rails  22  of the next display  12  in order. In this way, even the ribs or spine  18  may be offset in stacking. Thus, two of the apparatus  10  may be placed with rails facing, but offset, in such a way that the entire thickness of a stacked pair is only increased by ⅛th inch. This may provide almost double the number panels  12  stacked up in a given space. Storage and stowing are operational and space considerations. 
         [0061]    The exploded view of  FIG. 13  illustrates one manner in which a rail  22  may be configured, to have a base portion  38  into which the aperture  25  will be formed, such as by drilling. Meanwhile, along the length of the rail  22 , the cross sectional configuration provides a way  40 . A foot  42  or foot portion  42  of a clamp  24  may be set away from the main body of the clamp by a stem  44 . In certain embodiments, the material of the clamp  24 , including the stem  44  and its attached foot  42  may be forged, machined, cast, molded, or otherwise manufactured by a suitable method. 
         [0062]    The foot  42  slides into and along the rail  22  in the way  40 . The way  40  may connect directly to a slot  46  formed in the top wall  54  of the rail  22 . Accordingly, the way  40  may be provided with a detent. The detent may be one of the fasteners  30  formed and sized to extend slightly into the way  40 . For example, at an appropriate point, one of the fasteners  30  may extend into the aperture  25 , and out into the way  40 . If such a location is artfully chosen, then the feet  42  of two opposing clamps  24  riding in that way may effectively bracket the detent (such as a fastener  30 ) in order to maintain their own position. An aperture  48  may be a completely clean aperture  48  lacking any threads. Meanwhile, a corresponding aperture  50  may be threaded into the corresponding opposite bracket clamp  24 . In certain embodiments, a fastener  52 , such as a machine screw or the like, may pass through the clear aperture  48  and thread into a threaded aperture  50 . Thus, the two opposing clamps sliding in the rail  22  may be drawn together. 
         [0063]    If a detent  49  is provided, it may be a set screw in the side of a rail  22 , a welded or other button limiting movement, a fastener  30  may extend through the threaded aperture  25  and into the way  40 , to fit between the feet  42  of the two opposing clamps  24 . The fastener  52  may secure the two clamps  24  together. The detent  49  extending into the way  40  registers the two clamps  24  at fixed position along the rail  22 . In this way, the two clamps  24  may be registered at a position along the way  40  by the detent  49 . They are restrained to remain with the rail  22  by the top wall  54  wrapped around each of the feet  42  to secure it within the way  40 . 
         [0064]    Referring to  FIG. 13 , the way  40  may be formed to have any particularly useful cross section. For example, the base  38  may be made of a suitable thickness in order to provide sufficient purchase for a fastener  30  threaded into the aperture  25 . Meanwhile, the shape of the way  40  may provide for registration, clamping, easy sliding, or the like according to its shape. Some shapes contemplated may include a rectangle, a triangle, a trapezoid, a circle, or other suitable cross section. 
         [0065]    In the event that one of the clamps  24  is integrally or homogeneously formed with the rail  22 , manufacturing costs will probably be comparably higher. If instead, the rail  22  is an extruded part, then substantially large lengths, even continuous lengths, of the rail  22  material may be extruded, and cut to length at a later time. Thus, the costs and manufacturing difficulty made be simplified by using a continuous rail  22  of a constant cross section. 
         [0066]    Nevertheless, if a clamp  24  is formed integrally or homogeneously with a rail  22 , then that fixed clamp  24  may set the registration point against which the opposing clamp  24  will be drawn by a fastener  52 . 
         [0067]    Referring to  FIG. 14 , while continuing to refer generally to  FIGS. 1-15 , a joint  60  may be formed at the interface between an information region  14  and an advertising region  16  of a display  12  or panel  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, various forms of registration elements  62 ,  64  provide registration against the possibility of misalignment and surface roughness in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the display  12  or panel  12 . 
         [0068]    For example, a male registration element  62  may be formed to be a simple corner, a corner extending out from a flat surface, a semicircle extending out from a flat surface, a semicircle, a trapezoid, a trapezoid extending out from a flat surface, or even a simple, flat, abutting joint  60 . Likewise, other shapes, such as a rectangular cross section having rounded edges for ease of installation may form the registration elements  62 ,  64 . 
         [0069]    In practice, the advertising region  16  may be provided with a detent, such as a ridge, boss, or the like extending slightly above the surface of the male registration element  62 . Similarity, a slight undercut for the corresponding mating registration element  64  may also include a detent, or simply grip the detent provided on the opposite piece. In this way, the advertising region  16  may actually snap to the information region  14 , or visa versa. Nevertheless, in certain embodiments, a pair of washers  66  or other fasteners may align the surfaces of the advertising region  16  and the information region  14 . 
         [0070]    In the illustrated embodiment, one or more washers  66 , may be placed against the adjoining information region  14  and advertising region  16  about an aperture formed to receive a fastener  36   a.  The fastener  36   a  may thus pass through the aperture formed at the joint  60  in order to admit the fastener  36  and its keeper  34 , such as a nut. Accordingly, the washers  66  may be compressed together by the fastener  36  and its associated keeper  34  in order to maintain alignment in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the display  12 . Alternative embodiments of fasteners  36  are illustrated as a bolt  36   a,  a clip  36   b,  a rivet or plastic snap connector  36   c,  a pop rivet  36   d,  or the like. Each may fasten, contain, or both, the two regions  14 ,  16  in alignment. 
         [0071]    Other embodiments may rely on extensions of the spine  18  extending forward to the front edge of the panel  12  in order to maintain the alignment between adjacent regions  14 ,  16  at their shared joint. The spine, for example, may extend coincident with the panel  12  in its entirety. The spine  18 , in such an embodiment, may be perforated with weight reduction apertures removing material in circles or other shapes in order to maintain maximum section modulus at minimum weight. Runners may extend the spine forward along the joint shared between two regions  14 ,  16 . A narrow H-Beam may receive each region  14 ,  16  at the joint. 
         [0072]    Referring to  FIG. 15 , while continuing to refer generally to  FIGS. 1-15 , a chair  70  or a lift chair  70  may be suspended by a hanger  72  extending from a supporting cable  73  and extending down to support a yoke  74 . Typically, in order to accommodate riders loading, and standing on skis at the loading position, the front of a chair  70  must be completely clear. Thus, a rider standing in front of the chair  70  as the chair is brought around and behind the rider will strike close to the knees (back of the knees) of a rider. Thereupon, the rider sits down as the chair  70  sweeps forward. 
         [0073]    Accordingly, the yoke  74  maintains the front of the chair  70  completely clear. Thus, no obstruction is present in front of the seat  76  nor in front of the back  78 , at least where the riders will be. Thus, the seat  76  and the seat back  78  will be clear. 
         [0074]    However, having riders traveling by cable  73  many feet in the air above the surface of the mountain, can be dangerous. In order to keep riders in their seats, and protect against falls, a safety bar  80  may be configured, outwards, to pivot up or otherwise out of the way prior to riders seating themselves on the seat  76  of chair  70 . Upon sitting down on the seat  76 , and leaning against the back  78 , a rider may draw down on, or an attendant at the ski area may actuate, the safety bar. Thus the safety bar  80  may be dropped down, at the front, about a pivot  82 . 
         [0075]    The safety bar  80  may be formed of a tubular material. Accordingly, each of the clamps  24  may be shaped to have a somewhat ‘V-shaped’ interior surface. Thus, the clamps  24  may be drawn together to secure the bracket  20  against a safety bar  80 , typically accommodating diameters of from about one inch to about 2 inches. Most safety bars  80  are circular in cross section, having a diameter of from about 1 to about 2 inches. Most have a one inch diameter, and others, common to the industry, typically have a diameter of up to one and three quarters inches. Thus, an apparatus  10  in accordance with the invention may be thought of as the assembly  10  attached to the chair  70 , and particularly to the safety bar  80 . Alternatively, one may think of the apparatus  10  as including both the chair  70 , and the entire assembly supporting the display  12  or panel  12 . 
         [0076]    In certain alternative embodiments, an apparatus in accordance with the invention may include a display that is electronic, or a combination of electronic and a print medium such as painting, ink, paper, transfer, heat, or the like. For example, a display with interlockable display modules is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication US20050093768, filed by John A. Devos Oct. 31, 2003 and published May 5, 2005. A held computer device having a display is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,540 issued Dec. 11, 2001 to Louis Dischler. It uses battery or solar power on a display for a hand-held device. 
         [0077]    Also by way of examples, U.S. Patent Publication US20060243328, filed Apr. 28, 2005 by Raymond L. Bessmertny was published Nov. 2, 2006 and includes an LCD display relying on solar power, which may be stored for powering backlighting for nighttime viewing. Also, various meter displays rely on power collected for use in isolated or remote stations, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,279 issued Mar. 4, 2014 to Gavin Jones. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,890, issued Oct. 30, 2001 to J. Carl Cooper discloses use of a display of electro optical type such as LCD, LED, CRT powered by a solar cell. 
         [0078]    In other art, methods and apparatus for a hazard warning system are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US20070052533, filed Aug. 24, 2005 by Victoria Glazer and published Mar. 8, 2007, including an LCD screen, network connection, and solar cell power. An apparatus for accessing electronic data is found in U.S. Patent Publication No. US20010013544, filed Dec. 22, 2000 by Spencer A. Rathus and published Aug. 16, 2001, disclosing a solar cell for powering a controller with an LED display, passive LCD, or active matrix LCD display communicating to a user. Even a passenger keyboard and display are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US20060075934, filed Sep. 28, 2005 by Pranil Ram and published Apr. 13, 2006, including a display screen, which may be a touch-sensitive screen and have LEDs and LCD types of displays. 
         [0079]    All the foregoing references are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Any of the technologies identified therein may be incorporated into a display in accordance with the invention to support one or more mechanisms for selection and display of information in the system  10 . These may include one or more of remote broadcast of information, storage of information, remote control of selection and display of information, user interactivity to control selection and display of information, remote powering by solar or other mechanisms, and so forth. 
         [0080]    The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8