Abstract:
An inflatable display is disclosed. The inflatable display contains an inflatable outer shell, wherein at least a portion of the inflatable outer shell is a display surface, at least one fan providing a continuous air flow to inflate the inflatable outer shell, a projection system within the inflatable outer shell and configured to display one or more images and/or video on the display surface.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/066,711, filed on Oct. 21, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to air-filed displays. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Inflatable displays have a wide range of application, shape and size, including, but not limited to, figures for holiday and seasonal decoration, marketing, advertising, entertainment, and event attraction. The inflatable displays are made from a permeable fabric that allows air to pass through the fabric at approximately the same rate as the air being blown into the inflatable display. The process of continuously blowing air being supplied from a fan or other inflation device occurring at substantially the same rate as air escaping the fabric allows the display to maintain a three-dimensional shape without the use of an internal or external frame or structure. These are known in the industry as “cold-air” inflatable displays. 
         [0004]    Typically, the cold-air inflatable display is a static figure formed from an inflation module which represents an individual figure when inflated. For example, a consumer may decide to decorate their house with a spider inflatable display for the Halloween season or a Santa Clause inflatable display for the holiday season. One of the limitations of the cold-air inflatable display is that they are static. 
         [0005]    Presently disclosed embodiments overcome the limitations of the prior art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0006]      FIGS. 1-2  depict an embodiment according to the present disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  depicts another embodiment according to the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  depicts a projection system according to some embodiments presently disclosed. 
       
    
    
       [0009]    In the following description, like reference numbers are used to identify like elements. Furthermore, the drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of every implementation nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to clearly describe various specific embodiments disclosed herein. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the presently claimed invention may be practiced without all of the specific details discussed below. In other instances, well known features have not been described so as not to obscure the invention. 
         [0011]    Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
         [0012]    According to some embodiments, an inflatable display assembly  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  and is presently disclosed. According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises an inflatable display  15 . According to some embodiments, the inflatable display  15  comprises an inflatable outer shell  20 . The inflatable outer shell comprises an interior surface  25  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) and an outer surface  30  (shown in  FIG. 1 ).  FIG. 2  is a cutaway view of the inflatable display  15 . 
         [0013]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display  15  comprises at least one fan  21  configured to inflate the inflatable outer shell  20 . According to some embodiments, the at least one fan  21  comprises a motor/air pump  22  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) and a grid  23  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). According to some embodiments, the motor/air pump  22  is configured to pump outside air through the grid  23  to inflate the inflatable outer shell  20 . 
         [0014]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable outer shell  20  comprises a permeable fabric that allows air to escape at about the same rate as the air being blown into the inflatable outer shell  20  by the at least one fan  21 . 
         [0015]    According to some embodiments, the motor/air pump  22  is coupled with the interior surface  25 . According to some embodiments, the at least one fan  21  implemented as a lightweight plastic sleeveless bearing fan. According to some embodiments, the at least one fan  21  is removable and can be easily removed from its housing for cleaning or replacement whenever necessary. 
         [0016]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a projection system  35  disposed within the inflatable display  15 . According to some embodiments, the projection system  35  is coupled with the interior surface  25 . According to some embodiments, the inflatable display  15  comprises a display surface  40 . According to some embodiments, the projection system  35  is configured display one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40 . According to some embodiments, the display surface comprises material that allows the one or more images and/or video from the projection system  35  to be viewed by anyone adjacent to the outer surface  30  of the inflatable display  15 . According to some embodiments, the display surface  40  comprises same material as the inflatable display  15 . According to some embodiments, the display surface  40  comprises transparent material. 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , according to some embodiments the projection system  35  comprises one or more upper LED holders  201 , one or more first lens  202 , one or more lower LED holders  203 , one or more lens  204 , one or more front film holder  205 , one or more films  206 , one or more rear film holders  207 , one or more heat insulation covers  208 , one or more LEDs  209 , one or more back cover LED holders  210 , upper main housing  211 , top gear  212 , bottom gear  213 , lower main housing  214 , locking plate  215 , front sliding box  216 , plate  217 , screw pin  218 , rear sliding box  219 , sliding plate  220 , locking plate  221 , one or more wires  222 , platform  223 , a power source (not shown), a Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) box  224 , Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) with electronic parts  225 , an O-ring  226 , and a Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) box cover  227 . 
         [0018]    According to some embodiments, after plugging into the power source (not shown), the LEDs  209  light up and the projection system  35  creates an image by shining a light through a film  206  and lens  202 ,  204 . According to some embodiments, the PCBA (printed circuit board assembly)  225  controls which LEDs are turned on in the projection system  35  so that the projected images can be in sequence. According to some embodiments, the angle of projection images can be adjusted by turning part  210 ,  212 ,  213 . According to some embodiments, the sliding box  215 - 220  on the back of LED holder allows fine tuning of the position of projected image if the projected image is not in the proper position. 
         [0019]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a motion detector (not shown) associated with the projection system  35 . According to some embodiments, the motion detector (not shown) is configured to activate the projection system  35  when motion is detected. According to some embodiments, the motion detector (not shown) is configured to have the projection system  35  display one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40  when motion is detected and to have the projection system  35  stop displaying one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40  when the motion stops. According to some embodiments, the motion detector (not shown) is configured to have the projection system  35  stop displaying one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40  when motion is detected and to have the projection system  35  display one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40  when the motion stops. 
         [0020]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a speaker (not shown) to play audio. According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a processor (not shown) and a memory (not shown). According to some embodiments, the speaker (not shown) is configured to play one or more audio files stored in the memory (not shown). According to some embodiments, the speaker (not shown) is configured to play one or more audio files when the projection system  35  projects one or more images and/or video(s). According to some embodiments, the speaker (not shown) is configured to play one or more audio files received through a radio frequency (RF) circuitry (not shown and described in more detail below). 
         [0021]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a radio frequency (RF) circuitry (not shown). The RF circuitry (not shown) may be configured to receive and transmit RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry (not shown) converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry (not shown) may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. The RF circuitry (not shown) may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for email (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), and/or Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS)), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. 
         [0022]    According to some embodiments, the RF circuitry (not shown) is configured to allow a user to activate the projection system  35  from a remote location. According to some embodiments, the RF circuitry (not shown) is configured to have the projection system  35  display one or more images and/or video on the display surface  40  when receiving a first signal from the user and to have the projection system  35  stop displaying one or more images and/or video on the display screen  40  when receiving a second signal from the user. 
         [0023]    According to some embodiments, the inflatable display assembly  10  comprises a memory (not shown). The memory (not shown) may comprise high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. According to some embodiments, the one or more images and/or vide projected by the projection system  35  are stored in the memory (not shown). According to some embodiments, the one or more images and/or vide projected by the projection system  35  are downloaded into the memory (not shown) from a remote server and/or storage through the RF circuitry (not shown). 
         [0024]    Although the inflatable display  15  is represented as a pumpkin, it is to be understood that the inflatable display  15  can be any shape and/or size and is not limited to being only a pumpkin. According to some embodiments, the inflatable display  15  is shaped as a human being, animal, insect, fictional character, geometric shape, building, structure or any other shape. 
         [0025]    According to some embodiments, the one or more images and/or video projected by the projection system  35  is projected through the display surface  40  on to an object  50  as shown in  FIG. 3 . According to some embodiments, the object  50  is a wall, fence, movie screen, etc. 
         [0026]    In addition, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention include both hardware and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic based aspects of the invention may be implemented in software. As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software-based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention and that other alternative mechanical configurations are possible. 
         [0027]    While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternative embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
         [0028]    As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two or more referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains. 
         [0029]    The foregoing detailed description of exemplary and preferred embodiments is presented for purposes of illustration and disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the law. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form(s) described, but only to enable others skilled in the art to understand how the invention may be suited for a particular use or implementation. The possibility of modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. No limitation is intended by the description of exemplary embodiments which may have included tolerances, feature dimensions, specific operating conditions, engineering specifications, or the like, and which may vary between implementations or with changes to the state of the art, and no limitation should be implied therefrom. Applicant has made this disclosure with respect to the current state of the art, but also contemplates advancements and that adaptations in the future may take into consideration of those advancements, namely in accordance with the then current state of the art. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims as written and equivalents as applicable. Reference to a claim element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated. Moreover, no element, component, nor method or process step in this disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for . . . ” and no method or process step herein is to be construed under those provisions unless the step, or steps, are expressly recited using the phrase “step(s) for . . . . ”