Display units
First Claim
1. A self-powered display unit for displaying at least two consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer, said unit comprising:
- a housing having at least two wall portions defining a cavity therebetween, at least one of said wall portions being made of an array of linear lenses having a lenticular front face and a flat rear face;
at least one displaceable, light-weight, and substantially planar indicia carrier comprising a replaceable film slidably received through a slot in a surface of said housing and disposed inside said cavity at a distance from said rear face at most equalling a focal length of the lenses; and
a high efficiency, low energy consumption, battery-powered DC drive means for periodically displacing said indicia carrier for a distance at least equalling the distance between two adjacent lenses of said array;
said drive means comprising a motor coupled to a cam, a portion of a bottom edge of said indicia carrier being supported by said cam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a self-powered display unit for displaying at least two consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer, the unit comprising a housing, at least one wall portion of the housing being made of an array of linear lenses having a lenticular front face and a flat rear face; at least one displaceable, light-weight, substantially planar indicia carrier disposed inside the housing at a distance from the rear face at most equalling the focal length of the lenses, and a high efficiency, low energy consumption, battery-powered DC drive means for periodically displacing the indicia carrier for a distance at least equalling the distance between two adjacent lenses of the array.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A self-powered display unit for displaying at least two consecutively changing images to be viewed by a viewer, said unit comprising:
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a housing having at least two wall portions defining a cavity therebetween, at least one of said wall portions being made of an array of linear lenses having a lenticular front face and a flat rear face;
at least one displaceable, light-weight, and substantially planar indicia carrier comprising a replaceable film slidably received through a slot in a surface of said housing and disposed inside said cavity at a distance from said rear face at most equalling a focal length of the lenses; and
a high efficiency, low energy consumption, battery-powered DC drive means for periodically displacing said indicia carrier for a distance at least equalling the distance between two adjacent lenses of said array;
said drive means comprising a motor coupled to a cam, a portion of a bottom edge of said indicia carrier being supported by said cam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
a sheet.
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12. The display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a total rise of said cam substantially equals a required displacement distance of said indicia carrier.
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13. The display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display unit forms a clock with a changing clock face.
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14. The display unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein said cam is fixedly attached to a seconds shaft of a standard clock drive.
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15. The display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the linear lenses has a cross-section conforming with a cross-section of a Fresnel lens, and said array of linear lenses forms a front wall of an extruded, hollow, two-sided panel, a rear wall of said two-sided panel being connected to said front wall by a plurality of ribs.
Specification