Information-presentation structure with pressure spreading and pressure-sensitive color change
First Claim
1. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, the VC region comprising;
pressure-sensitive color-change (“
PSCC”
) structure; and
pressure-spreading structure situated at least partly between the surface zone and the PSCC structure and having a pressure-spreading surface spaced apart from the surface zone, the object impacting the surface zone at an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone, the OC area being capable of being of substantially arbitrary shape, the pressure-spreading structure laterally spreading pressure of the impact along an ID distributed-pressure area of the pressure-spreading surface, the distributed-pressure area laterally outwardly conforming largely to, being laterally larger than, and being laterally largely concentric with the OC area, an ID segment of the PSCC structure responding to excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area by causing an ID portion of the VC region to temporarily appear along an ID print area of the surface zone largely as changed color materially different from the principal color if excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area meets excess internal pressure criteria, excess internal pressure being pressure in excess of normal internal pressure, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A variable-color region (106) of an information-presentation structure extends to an exposed surface (102) at a surface zone (112), normally appears along it as a principal color, and includes pressure-sensitive color-change structure (132) and pressure-spreading structure (242) having an internal pressure-spreading surface (244). An object (104) impacts the zone at an object-contact area (116). The pressure-spreading structure spreads pressure of the impact along a distributed-pressure area (256) of the pressure-spreading surface. A segment (142) of the pressure-sensitive color-change structure responds to the excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area by causing an impact-dependent portion (138) of the variable-color region to temporarily appear along a print area (118) of the zone as changed color materially different from the principal color if the excess internal pressure meets excess internal pressure criteria. The print area thereby closely matches the object-contact area in size, shape, and location.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, the VC region comprising;pressure-sensitive color-change (“
PSCC”
) structure; andpressure-spreading structure situated at least partly between the surface zone and the PSCC structure and having a pressure-spreading surface spaced apart from the surface zone, the object impacting the surface zone at an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone, the OC area being capable of being of substantially arbitrary shape, the pressure-spreading structure laterally spreading pressure of the impact along an ID distributed-pressure area of the pressure-spreading surface, the distributed-pressure area laterally outwardly conforming largely to, being laterally larger than, and being laterally largely concentric with the OC area, an ID segment of the PSCC structure responding to excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area by causing an ID portion of the VC region to temporarily appear along an ID print area of the surface zone largely as changed color materially different from the principal color if excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area meets excess internal pressure criteria, excess internal pressure being pressure in excess of normal internal pressure, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- IP”
-
15. An information-presentation (“
- IP”
) structure comprising;an object-impact (“
OI”
) structure having an exposed surface for being impacted by an object during an activity, the OI structure comprising a variable-color (“
VC”
) region which extends to the exposed surface at a surface zone and normally appears along it largely as a principal color during the activity, the VC region comprising (a) pressure-sensitive color-change (“
PSCC”
) structure and (b) pressure-spreading structure situated at least partly between the surface zone and the PSCC structure and having a pressure-spreading surface spaced apart from the surface zone, the object impacting the surface zone at an impact-dependent (“
ID”
) object-contact (“
OC”
) area spanning where the object contacts the surface zone, the pressure-spreading structure laterally spreading pressure of the impact along an ID distributed-pressure area of the pressure-spreading surface, the distributed-pressure area laterally outwardly conforming largely to, being laterally larger than, and being laterally largely concentric with the OC area, an ID segment of the PSCC structure responding to excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area by providing a general characteristics-identifying impact signal if excess internal pressure along the distributed-pressure area meets excess internal pressure criteria, excess internal pressure being pressure in excess of normal internal pressure, the impact signal identifying an expected location of an ID print area in the surface zone and general supplemental impact information for the impact; anda color-change (“
CC”
) controller responsive to the impact signal, if provided, for determining whether the supplemental impact information meets supplemental impact criteria and, if so, for providing a general CC initiation signal, the ID segment of the PSCC structure responding to the initiation signal, if provided, by causing an ID portion of the VC region to temporarily appear along the print area largely as changed color materially different from the principal color, the print area at least partly encompassing, at least mostly outwardly conforming largely to, and being largely concentric with the OC area. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- IP”
Specification