DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20120236571A1
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LBC Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LBC Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LING, Szu-Tung
• Granted Patent: US 8,733,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/307
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/023 Arrangements for display, data presentation or advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/04 illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/065 Advertising in food vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/005 Signs associated with a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a housing formed with a front opening, a display unit disposed in the housing, and a lighting unit disposed in the housing for illuminating the display unit. The display unit includes a light-transmissive front display screen exposed through the front opening, and a light-transmissive rear screen disposed spacedly parallel to the front display screen. The rear screen is operable to have a first light transmittance, and a second light transmittance higher than the first light transmittance.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a housing formed with a front opening;

a display unit disposed in said housing, and including

a light-transmissive front display screen exposed through said front opening, and

a light-transmissive rear screen disposed spacedly parallel to said front display screen, and operable to have a first light transmittance, and a second light transmittance higher than the first light transmittance; and

a lighting unit disposed in said housing for illuminating said display unit.

2. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said housing includes a front wall with said front opening, a rear wall, and a surrounding wall interconnecting said front and rear walls and cooperating with said front and rear walls to define an inner receiving space thereamong; and

said inner receiving space includes a front space portion for receiving said display unit therein, and a rear space portion adapted for receiving at least one sample of merchandise to be exhibited.

3. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said lighting unit includes a first lighting member received in said rear space portion of said inner receiving space and disposed adjacent to said rear screen for illuminating the sample of merchandise.

4. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lighting unit further includes a second lighting member disposed between said front display screen and said rear screen for illuminating said front display screen.

5. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rear screen has a front side surface coated with a transparent reflection film thereon for reflecting apart of light emitted from said second lighting member of said lighting unit toward said front display screen.

6. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said front display screen is divided into a first screen portion and a second screen portion;

said rear screen is divided into first and second screen portions corresponding respectively to said first and second screen portions of said front display screen; and

said display apparatus further comprises a control unit connected electrically to said display unit and configured to control said display unit to switch between a first display state, where said whole front display screen is controlled by said control unit to display image information and where said whole rear screen is controlled by said control unit to have the first light transmittance, and a second display state, where only said first screen portion of said front display screen is controlled by said control unit to display image information associated with the sample of merchandise and where said first and second screen portions of said rear screen are controlled by said control unit to have the first and second light transmittances, respectively, such that the sample of merchandise received in said rear space portion of said inner receiving space in said housing is visible through said second screen portion of said front display screen and said second screen portion of said rear screen.

7. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said rear space portion of said inner receiving space in said housing is divided into a plurality of sample-accommodating portions each adapted to accommodate an individual sample of merchandise to be exhibited;

said rear screen is divided into a plurality of screen portions corresponding respectively to said sample-accommodating portions of said rear space portion of said inner receiving space in said housing;

said front display screen is divided into a plurality of screen portions corresponding respectively to said screen portions of said rear screen; and

said display apparatus further comprises a control unit connected electrically to said display unit, and configured to control said display unit so that said display unit is operable between

a normal state, where each of said screen portions of said front display screen is controlled by said control unit to display a static image picture associated with the sample of merchandise accommodated in a corresponding one of said sample-accommodating portions of said rear space portion, and where said whole rear screen is controlled by said control unit to have the first light transmittance, and

an operated state, where a selected one of said screen portions of said front display screen is controlled by said control unit to cease display of the static image picture while the other ones of said screen portions of said front display screen are controlled by said control unit to cooperatively display dynamic image information associated with the static image picture displayed on the selected one of said screen portions of said front display screen during the normal state, and where one of said screen portions of said rear screen corresponding to the selected one of said screen portions of said front display screen is controlled by said control unit to have the second light transmittance while the other ones of said screen portions of said rear screen are controlled by said control unit to have the first light transmittance such that the sample of merchandise accommodated in the corresponding one of said sample-accommodating portions of said rear space portion is visible through the selected one of said screen portions of said front display screen and said one of said screen portions of said rear screen.

8. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a touch input unit mounted on said housing, disposed on said front display screen of said display unit and connected electrically to said control unit, said touch input unit being operable to generate an input signal in response to movement of an object, which is located above the selected one of said screen portions of said front display screen, on or near said touch input unit, and outputting the input signal to said control unit such that said control unit controls said display unit to switch from the normal state to the operated state in response to the input signal from said touch input unit.

9. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said touch input unit includes one of a capacitive-sensing touch input device, a thermal-sensing touch input device and an optical-sensing touch input device.

10. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said housing further includes a mounting structure disposed in said inner receiving space and mounted with said display unit and said lighting unit thereon, said mounting structure including at least one partition wall disposed in said rear space portion of said inner receiving space to define said sample-accommodating portions of said rear space portion.