Patent ID: 7214118

Claim:
An image generating apparatus, comprising: a member retaining means having a retaining means proximal face and a retaining means distal face and having a plurality of member mounting structures extending between said retaining means proximal face and said retaining means distal face, for positioning proximally of a light source such that the light source directs light against said retaining means distal face; a translucent pigment sheet positioned between said retaining means distal face and the light source and including a plurality of translucent pigment areas; a plurality of translucent members, each said translucent member being rotatably fitted into one of a plurality of said member mounting structures, said translucent members each having a member rotational axis and having a member proximal end and a member distal end positioned adjacent to a certain limited portion of said pigment sheet, each said certain limited portion comprising at least one of said translucent pigment areas; each said member distal end of each given translucent member comprising a rotationally selective color admission means with a light admitting area radially offset from the member rotational axis to be rotatable to a position aligned with a given said translucent pigment area and rotatable out of alignment with the given said translucent pigment area directly proximal of only a certain limited portion of said translucent pigment sheet, a given translucent pigment area is thus selected by rotation of the said translucent member to a particular rotational position relative to said member retaining means; such that light from the light source passes through the at least one said translucent pigment area to illuminate the given said translucent member with at least one selected color corresponding to the at least one said translucent pigment area; each said member proximal end comprising an offset engaging and orienting structure radially offset from the member rotational axis for engagement by a directing object surface, such that dragging a directing object surface in a selected direction over and against at least one said member proximal end causes the directing object surface to engage and move the offset engaging and orienting structure of the at least one said member proximal end and thereby to rotate the given translucent member to a position at which the selective color admission means of the given translucent member is directly proximal of the certain limited portion of said translucent pigment sheet.