Backlit graphic display device with device-to-surface mounts

• US 9,343,003 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PowerDecal Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: PowerDecal Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Podd, George O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Syed A
• Application Number:
  US14/159,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20140130387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 405/78, 405/44, 405/46, 405/93, 405/64, 407/60, 406/610.9, 407/97, 407/91, 407/90, 407/81, 362/251, 362/806, 362/24.129
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/0404 the light source being enclosed in a box forming the character of the sign
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

A graphic display device illuminates interchangeable graphic panels and is mountable to a translucent mounting surface. The graphic display device includes a housing assembly, a light source assembly, a light guide assembly, and device-to-surface mounts. The housing assembly includes a housing back, a housing front, and peripheral housing edging. Together, the housing back and housing edging define a panel-receiving volume. The light source assembly includes a power source, a light source, and circuitry. A light guide of the light guide assembly is positionable within the panel-receiving volume for guiding light from the light source in an anterior direction. The device-to-surface mounts fasten the graphic display device to a translucent mounting surface, and are cooperably associated with the peripheral housing edging for supporting the housing assembly such that the light from the light source is guided in an anterior direction through the translucent mounting surface.

Claims

1. A graphic display device for illuminating interchangeable graphic panels, the graphic display device comprising:

a housing assembly, the housing assembly comprising a housing top, a housing bottom, laterally opposed housing sides, a housing back, a housing front, and a substantially circular peripheral housing edging, the housing back comprising an assembly-receiving cavity and laterally opposed, posteriorly extending, retainer-engaging projections, the peripheral housing edging defining a panel-receiving volume in anterior adjacency to the assembly-receiving cavity;

a light source assembly, the light source assembly comprising, in electrical communication;

a power source, a light source, and circuitry, the power source and circuitry being receivable in the assembly-receiving cavity, the light source being received radially adjacent the peripheral housing edging;

a light guide assembly, the light guide being positionable in anterior adjacency to the power source in edge adjacency to the light source for guiding light from the light source in an anterior direction orthogonal to a light guide plane of the light guide; and

laterally opposed device-to-surface retainer structures for fastening the graphic display device to a mounting surface, the device-to-surface retainer structures each comprising an anterior retainer portion, a posterior retainer portion, and an edge-receiving void intermediate the anterior and posterior retainer portions, the edge-receiving voids for binding to laterally opposed portions of the peripheral housing edging, the anterior retainer portions each having an anterior portion length, the posterior retainer portions each having a posterior portion length and an upper rearward portion, the upper rearward portions for supporting the housing assembly via the posteriorly extending, retainer-engaging projections, the posterior portion lengths being abbreviated relative to the anterior portion lengths for enhancing stability of the housing assembly as supported by the device-to-surface retainer structures, the device-to-surface retainer structures for supporting the housing assembly such that the light from the light source is guided in the anterior direction, the anterior direction being orthogonal to the mounting surface.

2. The graphic display device of claim 1 wherein the anterior retainer portions each comprise an upper frontal portion and a lower frontal portion, and the posterior retainer portions each comprise a lower rearward portion, the lower frontal and rearward portions being aligned, the posterior portion lengths extending upwardly such that the upper rearward portions are located equidistant intermediate the lower and upper frontal portions.

3. The graphic display device of claim 1 wherein the posteriorly extending, retainer-engaging projections are formed at a point substantially equidistant intermediate the housing top and the housing bottom of the housing assembly for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

4. The graphic display device of claim 3 wherein the device-to-surface retainer structures each extend an arc length toward the housing bottom from the housing sides, the peripheral housing edging thereby being seatable in and upwardly supportable by medial portions of the laterally opposed device-to-surface retainer structures and the posteriorly extending, retainer-engaging projections, the device-to-surface retainer structures thus for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

5. The graphic display device of claim 4 wherein the anterior retainer portions each extend in laterally opposed arc lengths, the laterally opposed arc lengths being substantially equidistant intermediate the housing top and the housing bottom for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

6. The graphic display device of claim 1 comprising a light trap, the light trap being positionable in adjacency to the light guide within the panel-receiving volume for enhancing uniform light transmission from the light guide.

7. The graphic display device of claim 1 comprising, in combination, a graphic lens, the graphic lens comprising laterally opposed tab structures, the housing edging comprising laterally opposed tab-receiving voids for receiving said tab structures and thus for removably retaining the graphic lens in anterior adjacency to the light guide.

8. A graphic display device for illuminating a graphic panel, the graphic display device comprising:

a housing assembly, the housing assembly comprising a housing top, a housing bottom, a housing back, a housing front, and peripheral housing edging, the housing back comprising an assembly-receiving cavity and posteriorly extending fastener-engaging projections, the housing edging defining a panel-receiving volume in anterior adjacency to the assembly-receiving cavity;

a light source assembly, the light source assembly comprising, in electrical communication;

a power source, a light source, and circuitry, portions of the light source assembly being receivable in the assembly-receiving cavity;

a light guide assembly, the light guide being positionable in anterior adjacency to the power source in edge adjacency to the light source for guiding light from the light source in an anterior direction orthogonal to a light guide plane of the light guide; and

device-to-surface fastening structures for fastening the graphic display device to a mounting surface, the device-to-surface fastening structures each comprising an anterior fastener portion and a posterior fastener portion, the anterior fastener portions each having an anterior portion length, the posterior fastener portions each having a posterior portion length and an upper rearward portion, the upper rearward portions for supporting the housing assembly via the posteriorly extending, fastener-engaging projections, the posterior portion lengths being abbreviated relative to the anterior portion lengths for enhancing stability of the housing assembly, the device-to-surface fastening structures being cooperably associated with the peripheral housing edging for supporting the housing assembly such that the light from the light source is guided in the anterior direction, the anterior direction being orthogonal to the mounting surface.

9. The graphic display device of claim 8 wherein the anterior fastener portions each comprise an upper frontal portion and a lower frontal portion, and the posterior fastener portions each comprise a lower rearward portion, the lower frontal and rearward portions being aligned, the posterior portion lengths extending upwardly such that the upper rearward portions are located intermediate the lower and upper frontal portions.

10. The graphic display device of claim 9 wherein the device-to-surface fastener structures each comprise an edge-receiving void, the edge-receiving voids for receiving and retaining laterally opposed portions of the peripheral housing edging.

11. The graphic display device of claim 10 wherein the posteriorly extending fastener-engaging projections are formed at a point substantially equidistant intermediate the housing top and the housing bottom for engaging the upper rearward portions of the device-to-surface fastener structures, the posteriorly extending, fastener-engaging projections and device-to-surface fastener structures for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

12. The graphic display device of claim 11 wherein the peripheral housing edging is substantially circular, and the device-to-surface fastener structures each extend an arc length, the peripheral housing edging thereby being seatable and supportable by the laterally opposed device-to-surface fastener structures and posteriorly extending, fastener-engaging projections, the device-to-surface fastener structures thus for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

13. The graphic display device of claim 11 wherein the anterior fastener portions each extend substantially equidistant intermediate the housing top and the housing bottom for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

14. The graphic display device of claim 13 comprising a light trap, the light trap being positionable in adjacency to the light guide within the panel-receiving volume for enhancing uniform light transmission from the light guide.

15. The graphic display device of claim 13 comprising, in combination, a graphic lens, the graphic lens comprising laterally opposed tab structures, the housing edging comprising laterally opposed tab-receiving voids for receiving said tab structures and thus for removably retaining the graphic lens in anterior adjacency to the light guide.

16. A graphic display device for illuminating a graphic panel, the graphic display device comprising:

a housing assembly, the housing assembly comprising a housing back, a housing front, and peripheral housing edging, the housing back comprising laterally opposed, posteriorly extending fastener-engaging projections;

a light source assembly, the light source assembly comprising, in electrical communication;

a power source, a light source, and circuitry;

a light guide, the light guide being positionable in anterior adjacency to the housing back for guiding light from the light source; and

device-to-surface fastening structures for fastening the graphic display device to a mounting surface, the device-to-surface fastening structures each comprising an anterior fastener portion and a posterior fastener portion, the anterior fastener portions each having an anterior portion length, the posterior fastener portions each having a posterior portion length and an upper rearward portion, the upper rearward portions for supporting the housing assembly via the posteriorly extending, fastener-engaging projections, the posterior portion lengths being abbreviated relative to the anterior portion lengths for enhancing stability of the housing assembly, the device-to-surface fastening structures being cooperably associated with the peripheral housing edging for supporting the housing assembly such that the light from the light source is guided in an anterior direction.

17. The graphic display device of claim 16 wherein the device-to-surface fastening structures each comprise an edge-receiving void, the edge-receiving voids for receiving and retaining laterally opposed portions of the peripheral housing edging.

18. The graphic display device of claim 17 wherein the anterior fastener portions each comprise an upper frontal portion and a lower frontal portion, and the posterior fastener portions each comprise a lower rearward portion, the lower frontal and rearward portions being aligned, the posterior portion lengths extending upwardly such that the upper rearward portions are located centrally relative to the lower and upper frontal portions.

19. The graphic display device of claim 18 wherein the anterior fastener portions each extend substantially equidistant intermediate the housing top and the housing bottom for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.

20. The graphic display device of claim 18 wherein the posterior portion lengths are positioned relatively nearer the housing bottom than the housing top for enhancing support of the housing assembly adjacent the mounting surface.