US2614352A - Display device - Google Patents

Description

'UCEL 21,1952 J, MacHARG 2,614,352

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 51., 1949 (COL 00950) 5 7 (WHITE/-3- o "(001. 011/750) (WHITE) A ttor neyg Patented Get. 21, 1952 omrsnj DISPLAY DEVICE James Adrian MacH arg, Gosforth, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. J

Application May 31, 1949; SerialNm 96,2495. 7

2 Claims.

This invention consists in an improved display device.

The object of the invention is to provide a display device in which the display portion appears to stand out from the background in a particularly striking manner, and in which there may be a difference in colour depending on whether the device is internally or externally illuminated for example by daylight.

The display device acording to the invention comprises a background panel, illuminatin means adjacent said background panel, said background panel having an individually shaped cut-out portion, a translucent display character shaped in three dimensions according to its own individual shape, said character being fitted endwise into said cut-out portion so that the greater portion of its depth projects from the background to provide a translucent return, and lamin-ation means of semi-transparent plastic cemented to the outer end of said character.

Both the body portion and the face may be either transparent or semi-transparent. Alternatively, the face lamination may be opaque.

The background panel may be opaque or semitransparent with or without colouring, but with slits formed therein of a shape corresponding with the particular display characters, the said background panel being arranged over a casing in which are housed illuminating means such as fluorescent tubes. The effect of this at night is that of a sign standing out at a distance from a dark place or from a gently luminous background.

In addition to the facing laminations, the body of the display character may itself be laminated in any plane for convenience in construction. The sides of the body may be roughened to give a glowing effect on the said body or return.

Various colour combinations may be obtained by colouring the light-sources and/or the bodies and/or their faces and/or the rear laminations adjacent the light-source.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a solid block letter and a portion of a background panel.

Fig. 2 shows a hollow letter and a portion of a background panel.

Referring more particularly to Fig. LA is a portion of the background panel of the display device on which are cut out letters one of whichan -Fis shown at A This background panel may be blue semi-transparent plastic. The opening A 2 is filled witha corresponding letter B. This letter is made of a clear colourless plastic body portion or return I which has its side surfaces roughened to allow them to emit light. On the front face and rear face of the body I there is a semi-transparent white plastic lamination 2, 3 respectively. On the front lamination 2 there is mounted an outer lamination l of transparent red; and on the rear lamination 3 there is mounted a lamination 5 of transparent yellow. The whole letter B is set in its opening in the base A so that the front face of the lamination 3 is flush with the front face of the base A.

The roughened sides of the body portion causes light to be emitted from the returns and so give a gentle glow effect which masks defects.

The semi-transparent white lamination 3 shields the coloured lamination 5 in daylight when there is no light behind the background panel A and so prevents what is not a good effect.

The effect in daylight is of a red-faced display object with white returnsviz., the body portions l--on a blue ground. If the panel be illuminated from behind by illuminating means in a casin of the same translucent blue as the base panel, the effect is of a red-faced display object with yellow sides on a gently glowing blue box.

Other colour changes may be arrived at by using other combinations of differently coloured laminations, the actual changes depending also on the purity of the pigments which colour the laminations.

By having differently coloured light sources automatically switched on alternately-sequences of colour changes are made possible.

For large display objects where the use of solid plastic would be too expensive, the objects may be fabricated so that the return or body portion may be hollow and closed at each end by laminations such as those referred to with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows such a construction where C indicates a letter I whose body portion or return consists in a four sided box like structure having vertical sides 6, 1 and horizontal sides 8, 9 closed by end laminations H), II. and l2, l3 which may be of the same colour and kind as the corresponding laminations in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. In combination, a translucent mounting panel; a three-dimensional character block of translucent material mounted on and projecting beyond the face of said panel; translucent laminations disposed between the panel and block; translucent laminations on the outer face of the block; the sides of the block being roughened to give an illuminated return effect; the

O first mentioned translucent laminations being of one color and the second mentioned laminations being of a contrasting color; and a semi-transparent portion on the mounting panel corresponding in size and shape with said character block.

2. In combination, a translucent mounting panel; a three-dimensional character block of translucent material mounted on and projecting beyond the face of said panel; translucent laminations disposed between the panel and block; translucent laminations on the outer face of the block; the sides of the block being roughened to give an illuminated return eifect; the first mentioned translucent laminations being of. one color and the second mentioned laminations being of a contrasting color; and said panel having a cut-out portion shaped to the outline of the character block and in which the said block is secured.

' JAMES ADRIAN MACHARG.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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