Hand-held programmable sign with rotatable handle

• US 6,177,877 B1
• Filed: 07/20/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Timothy Munyon
• Original Assignee: Timothy Munyon
• Inventors: Munyon, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/358,493
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.4, 340/815.45, 340/815.47, 340/527, 340/321, 340/479, 345/168, 345/905, 341/22, 404/46, 405/41, 405/84, 405/86, 406/12
• US Class Current: 340/815.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/006 Portable traffic signalling devices G08B5/004 takes precedence; emergency signalling devices to be placed on roads or vehicles B60Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A hand-held programmable sign comprising a hand-grip portion and a sign portion having opposed front and rear sides and including an upper sign portion and a lower hand-held portion rotatably mounted to the sign portion midway transverse to the sign portion in the in-use mode. The hand-grip portion can be rotated between the in-use mode and a locked storage mode when the hand-grip portion is rotated into overlapping relationship with the sign portion. A keyboard system with a miniaturized keyboard processor including keys marked with indicia for letters of the alphabet, numerals, and other selected indicia is mounted on the hand grip portion for operator input. The sign includes a miniaturized computer microprocessor for processing input data received from the keyboard. A miniaturized light-emitting message display, preferably an LED display, is mounted on the front side of the sign portion for reading by an observer. An electrical circuit in both the sign housing and the hand-grip housing joins the keyboard system, computer microprocessor, the light-emitting message display and an optional miniaturized monitor display system mounted on the rear side of the sign portion are joined by an electrical circuit in the housing and which can be internally or externally powered.

Claims

1. A portable programmable sign, comprising, in combination,

a hand-grip housing having front and rear hand-grip housing sides,

a sign housing having front and rear sign housing sides,

miniaturized microprocessor means for processing data mounted within the sign,

keyboard means mounted in said hand-grip housing for receiving input data and transmitting the input data to said microprocessor means, said keyboard means including a keyboard miniaturized microprocessor,

message display means for presenting the input data to an observer, said message display means including a message display mounted on said front sign housing side,

said hand-grip housing being rotatably mounted with said sign housing wherein said hand-grip housing is rotatable between an in-use position wherein said hand-grip housing is transverse to said sign housing and a compact position wherein said hand-grip housing is positioned in overlapping relationship with said sign housing,

rotatable mechanism means for connecting said sign housing and said hand-grip housing for movement between said in-use position and said compact position, said rotatable mechanism means being connected to said first and second housings,

locking means associated with said rotatable mechanism means for locking said first and second housings in one of a selected said in-use position and said compact position,

circuit means for electrically joining said keyboard means, said microprocessor means and said message display means,

power means for supplying electrical current to said circuit means, and

on/off means for connecting and disconnecting said circuit means with and from said power means.

2. The sign according to claim 1, wherein said message display means is a light-emitting display, said light-emitting display being a light-emitting diode (LED) display.

3. The sign according to claim 1, further including monitor display means for receiving the input data from said microprocessor means prior to transmission of the input data to said message means and for displaying the data on a monitor display to a user at said rear side of said sign portion of said housing for editing and verification of the input data by the user prior to the data being transmitted to said message means, said monitor display means being mounted within said hand-grip housing, said circuit means being also for electrically connecting said keyboard means and said microprocessor means with said monitor means.

4. The sign in accordance with claim 3 wherein said monitor display is mounted in said hand-grip portion.

5. The sign in accordance with claim 3, wherein said monitor display is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

6. The sign in accordance with claim 1, wherein said rotatable mechanism means includes an inner cylinder secured to said sign housing and an outer cylinder connected to said hand-grip housing, said outer cylinder being rotatable relative to said inner cylinder during rotation of said hand-grip housing between said in-use mode and said compact position.

7. The sign in accordance with claim 6, further including a pair of spaced tracks connected to and extending transversely across said rear housing side, each of said tracks defining an elongated track recess, and further including a pair of opposed feet connected to the circumference of said inner cylinder that are slidably mounted in interconnected relationship in said track recesses.

8. The sign in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner cylinder defines first and second pinholes at 90 degree relationship and said outer cylinder defines a third pinhole, said outer cylinder being rotatable so as to align said third pinhole with one of a selected first and second pinhole, and further including a locking pin that is slidably mounted in said third pinhole and slidably insertable and slidably removable from said one of a selected first and second pinhole.

9. The sign in accordance with claim 8, further including a biasable element connected to said locking pin, said biasable element being movable between biased and unbiased modes, wherein in said biased mode said locking pin is an inserted position in a selected one of said first and second pinholes and in said unbiased mode said locking pin is withdrawn from said one of said first and second pinholes.

10. The sign in accordance with claim 9, wherein said locking pin includes an outer end external to said locking mechanism means and further including a button connected to said locking pin at said outer end and said biasable element being a coil spring mounted to said locking pin.

11. The sign in accordance with claim 10, further including locking means for releasably holding said locking pin in said biased position.

12. The sign in accordance with claim 11, further including locking means for releasably holding said locking pin in said unbiased position.

13. The sign in accordance with claim 8, further including a biasable element connected to said locking pin, said biasable element being movable between biased and unbiased modes, wherein in said unbiased mode said locking pin is an inserted position in a selected one of said first and second pinholes and in said biased mode said locking pin is withdrawn from said one of said first and second pinholes.

14. The sign in accordance with claim 13, further including a fulcrum means mounted within said hand-grip housing and a lever arm having opposed first and second ends rotatably mounted within said hand-grip housing at said fulcrum means, said fulcrum means being for providing a fulcrum for rotational movements of said first and second ends relative to said fulcrum, and further including a lever handle at said first end, said hand-grip housing including a hand-grip housing wall, said wall defining an aperture, said lever arm being parallel with said wall, said lever handle extending though said aperture, said locking pin being connected to said second end and further including a piston block connected to said wall and a piston pin extending linearly from said locking pin, said piston pin having a piston head, said biasable element being a coil spring positioned around said piston pin, said piston head, said piston pin and said coil spring being positioned in said piston block, said said coil spring being movable between said biased and unbiased positions in said piston block.

15. The sign in accordance with claim 14, wherein said lever arm, said lever handle, said locking pin, said piston pin, and said piston head 338 are unitary and made of a flexible, resilient plastic material.

16. The sign in accordance with claim 1, further including keeper means for holding said sign housing and said hand-grip housing in said in-use position, said keeper means being a peg extending through said hand-grip housing and into said sign housing in said in-use position, said peg being slidably retractable from said hand-grip housing to allow rotational movement of said hand-grip housing relative to said sign housing.