Signage display system and process

• US 7,365,746 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZMI Holdings Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mirage Motion Media Inc.
• Inventors: Train, Russell H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMIN, JWALANT B
• Application Number:
  US10/837,751
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/22 Advertising or display means on roads, walls or similar surfaces, e.g. illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2019/221 on tunnel walls for underground trains

Abstract

The invention is a novel display system, for signage and the like. An apparatus and process is provided for displaying a static source image in a manner that it is perceived as an animated sequence of images when viewed by an observer in relative motion to the apparatus. The source image is sliced or fractured to provide a plurality of image fractions of predetermined dimension. The fractions are redistributed in a predetermined sequence to provide an output image, which is placed in a preferably illuminated display apparatus provided with a mask. An observer in relative motion to the display apparatus, sequentially views a predetermined selection of image fractions through the mask, which are perceived by the observer as a changing sequence of images. Applying the concepts of persistence of vision, the observer perceives the reconstructed imagery as live action animation, a traveling singular image or a series of static images, or changing image sequences, from a plurality of lines of sight.

Claims

1. A process for treating a plurality of still images for use in providing an animated display comprising:

providing a plurality of source image frames, wherein each frame has an x-axis and a y-axis;

fracturing of each said source image frames along said x-axis to provide a plurality of image fractions of a predetermined dimension; and

distributing said image fractions of each source image frame in a predetermined sequence along the x-axis to provide an output image;

wherein said image fractions are placed in a vertical orientation in sequence along a horizontal axis and the placement of said image fractions to provide an output image is determined by the formula;

O<sub>(x+y−

1),y</sub>=I_x,y

where O_n,m=output frame n, fraction m, and

I_x,y=input image x, fraction y.

2. A process for treating a plurality of still images for use in providing an animated display comprising:

providing a plurality of source image frames, wherein each frame has an x-axis and a y-axis;

fracturing of each said source image frames along said x-axis to provide a plurality of image fractions of a predetermined dimension;

distributing said image fractions of each source image frame in a predetermined sequence along the x-axis to provide an output image; and

wherein the plurality of image fractions are of equal dimension, and the number of said fractions is determined by the formula;

F=D_p×

A

where F is the number of image fractions optimally required,

D_p is the dimension of a perceived output image, and

A is the number of transparent members per unit of measure used for D_p.