DISPLAY DEVICE

DISPLAY DEVICE

This invention relates to a device which may be used as to be a display device or, equally well could be an amusement, a puzzle or an educational device.

There have previously been proposed various devices which use solids which can be oriented in such a way as to provide information and one well know example of this is children's block sets, which, in one form, are generally made of a number of cubes, and each cube has, on each face, part of a total picture, so that, provided the correct faces were all directed upwardly, the individual blocks could be located one relative to the other to provide a display of this picture. A second form is, say, poker dice, where a random display is that required.

In another previous form of device, a large number of blocks were provided and, from these blocks could be selected blocks having specific information, so that, again, a comprehensive display could be achieved.

For example, these blocks could have letters of the alphabet or numbers and possibly symbols, such as arithmetic symbols, whereby selected blocks of the set could be arranged to, say, spell a word or set out a mathematical relationship.

In the first example of the first form there were a number of positions where the full information was displayed but this number was equal only to the number of faces on the block employed, in this case, six. Thus, to obtain information it was necessary, not only for a particular face of each solid to be uppermost, but each face had to be specially oriented correctly relative to each other solid. In a second example, as the display is random, the total possibilities are fⁿ where f is the number of faces and n is the number of solids.

In the second, the display was dependent solely on the total number of blocks and the indicia thereon to see whether any required set could be formed.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a set of faceted solids which have indicia on their faces which are so selected that, by the use of the solids of the set, a particular required total range of indicia combinations can be displayed.

It is a second object of the invention to provide such an arrangement wherein the range of information can be provided by using the whole of the set of solids.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such a set of solids together with means whereby the solids can be received and retained for display purposes.

The invention, in its broadest sense, includes a set of solids, each of which has a number of faces, indicia on each of the faces, the indicia being so selected as to permit a particular predetermined range of information to be displayed by the solids of the set.

In one preferred aspect of the invention the total number of the solids in the set are used to make the required display.

It is preferred that at least a substantial number of the solids are of the same size and the same shape.

I prefer, but it is certainly not essential, to use cubes or octahedra as the solids but, for some applications, other shapes may well be satisfactory.

The invention also includes a set of solids as hereinbefore defined, which are associated with a display holder which may or may not include written material indicating the meaning of the indicia of blocks associated therewith. In order to describe the invention, I will describe, generally, its operation but will specifically refer to the invention as applied to calendars, and such application is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figs . 1 to 6 show various preferred sets of cubes to use in calendar applications;

Fig. 7 shows one particular form of display device having cubes located therein;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a single cube of the type shown in the display device of Fig. 7 and portion of the device; F Fiigg.. 9 9 shows a particular form of arrangement where the cubes can be locked into the display device;

Fig. 10 shows, in a descriptive manner, various configurations which could be adopted in a display device;

Fig. 11 shows a front view of a production form of the device in which cubes are held in a different manner; and

Fig. 12 is an end elevation of the device of Fig. 11.

Before describing the particular arrangements of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, I will provide a more general description of the invention and the components thereof, with specific reference to various embodiments.

I have referred herein to a set of solids and the word solid is used in the mathematical sense of being three dimensional and the actual components may physically be solid or may be hollow.

For example, the solids could be made of two or more components, say by injection or extrusion moulding of plastics material, and these components could be fitted together, either by physical interengagement of components or by an adhesive or welding to form the final solids.

Further, the solids do not have to be of strict geometric form, they can, for example be formed with curved corners.

The faces of these solids bear indicia, as will be described further hereinafter, and, if required, these could be embossed into or extend outwardly in relief from the faces of the solids. The solids can be of any required shape although, pre erably, they are regular in the mathematical sense and, in practice, the two most preferred forms would be cubes or octahedra, the cube having six square faces and the octahedra, eight triangular faces.

Of these, the most preferred form is the cube.

Depending upon the information to be displayed, so the number of solids which need to have a face visible will vary, and, depending upon the type of information, so solids of different shapes may be intermixed.

The solids do not normally have the same indicia on more than one face, unless more than one face of the solid is to be displayed at any time.

On the other hand, particularly where numerals are to be displayed, it will be appreciated that the pre erred forms of solids do not have sufficient faces for a full set of numerals to be on each solid and, as such, the number of possible number sets is restricted because of this and, in order to cover a maximum range of available material to be displayed, it is often necessary to be strictly selective as to the actual allocation of indicia to the faces of the solids.

In one particular required form of device, it can be used for displaying dates and, in order to do this, there can preferably be displayed at any time the faces of eight solids with the first two indicating the day, the second two the month and the last four the year. Obviously there are constraints generally on dates, which are, for example, in the Gregorian calendar, the days never go beyond 31; the months never beyond 12; and the first letter of the year will, in the reasonably foreseeable future, be only 1 or 2. Other calendars have other constraints.

In one particular aspect of the invention, I shall describe preferred sets of cubes to use in such an application where there are only eight cubes, all of the cubes being used at all times.

It will be appreciated that a "perpetual" calendar must represent a large number of consecutive dates. If there is a break, or even one missed date, this must be deemed to be the end of the effective life of the calendar. The main problem with a calendar made of cubes with no spares is the distribution of numbers between the cubes.

A set of calendar cubes represents, besides many short sequences, the longest possible sequence-or-run of successive dates around a time. The run cannot

5 be extended backwards (but with the finish date the same) by changing any of the cubes' faces. The forty-eight indicia to be distributed on a set are unique to a particular run, though more than one distribution of those forty-eight indicia will give the same run. No other forty-eight indicia have the same finish and start dates, given the same conventions. (An example of these

■J_^Q conventions is given below.) From the definition of a set of calendar cubes, it is clear that no indicia appears more than once on the same cube.

Preferred sets of calendar dubes are shown in Figs. 1 to 6.

I j represents a blank face. Two conventions used in arriving at these sets are that a single face is used for 6 and 9 and that j jmay only be used before 5 and 0 after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 in the "Day", "Month" or "Year" section.

Thus, October 2nd, 2047 is represented by [_[_[ 1[ 0[ l2Jl J 4j|7]. At the top of each of these figures is shown the run expressible by the forty-eight indicia below. Each column represents one cube.

The particular indicia shown on each cube will give the run noted, as will some 0 redistributions of the indicia within the set. Specifically excluded sets are shown beneath each array.

Rules for redistribution are as follows:-

| [and all numbers with a square border, e.g. TI are fixed on that particular cube.

5 Numbers without a border, e.g. 2, may change places with any other borderless number if they are not separated by a vertical line.

Where numerals are shown in circles and have an arrow extending therefrom, an undetermined numeral of that particular value can move from the section

-Iζ E i

OMPI to be exchanged with a numeral from the section where the arrowhead terminates.

Thus, in Fig. 2, for example, the numeral 4, from either the sixth, seventh or eighth cube can be exchanged with any of the numerals on the fifth cube.

The arrangement may be such as to enable a pattern to be established to change from one required display to the next.

Referring to Figs.7 and 8, these show one particular form of display device adapted to be used with cubes of this embodiment of the invention.

It will be seen that, in these cases, the cubes 80 each have an extension 71 which are of a size to be received in apertures 82 in the face of the display device 70.

The display device which is a holder is divided into three sections, the two upper sections each containing two blocks and being labelled "Day" and "Month" respectively and the third section containing four cubess and being labelled "Year".

Within the body of the holder there may be shelves or the like adapted to receive the cubes 80 at the correct height so that the extensions 71 can pass through the apertures 82.

When it is necessary to change the date, it is only necessary to initially remove the blocks that need to be changed from the holder and, if these cannot be turned to provide the numerals or blanks required, then they may be interchanged with other cubes which can show the desired faces. This takes no more than a few seconds.

In the version of Fig. 9, each block 90 is a cube and is provided with smaE apertures 93 in the centre of each face and a pin or the like 94 is adapted to pass through the waE of the holder 92 to retain the block against movement, and also to prevent ready pilfering. The existence of the aperture 93 does not detract from the appearance of the face 91 which is outwardly directed.

OMPI In this arrangement, before the blocks are changed, the pins 94 have to be withdrawn to permit removal of the blocks..

Fig. 10 shows several different formats of a display which relocate the various components of Fig. 7 within the holder and, in each case, the day and month are clearly marked by lettering on the holder and, if required, the year can be so marked.

Figs. 11 and 12 show one particular practical form of device.

There is a body member 100 which, as iUustrated, may be made from a single piece of material, such as a substantiaEy rectangular block of wood or which could be moulded from a synthetic plastics material or which could be otherwise fabricated.

The body member 100 has eight cube receiving recesses 101, each of which is to receive one of the cubes 102 of the device for at least a substantial part of its depth. This can weE be seen on Fig. 12.

In the embodiment the body member 100 is shown connected to a backing plate 103 which has a face 104 which could carry, for example, details of what is displayed by the cubes, or advertising material.

This member 104 could be provided with means whereby the device can be attached to a surface.

The actual mode of holding the solids into display devices can vary greatly depending upon the particular form of solid and the required form, of display device.

For example, the solids could be held magneticaEy or the device could be provided with a hingedly or slideably mounted member which can be moved to permit the solid to be located and then closed to permit inadvertent removal, or there may be recesses or similar formations into which the solid can be located.

Whilst, in the foregoing, we have discussed the invention specificaUy as

OMPI displaying dates, it wiE be understood that, by using different arrangements, so different information can be displayed, or additional information can be displayed.

For example, the invention can be applied to an indication of time, in which case, there is only need for four solids in the set to show times in hours and minutes, although, if a 12 hour type clock is to be indicated, an additional cube to show either AM or PM may be provided.

In this case, it wiU be appreciated that the face which is used for the left most hour position can only be a blank or a 1 and that for the left hand minute position cannot be greater than 5.

If a 24 hour display is to be used, then the left hour solid may display a blank, a 1 or a 2.

In this case, of course, there is no necessity to provide a solid to indicate AM or PM.

In a ease such as the 12 hour clock, it would be possible to use a different shaped solid for the alphabetical device than for the numerical solids.

Similarly, where it is required to show the day of the week in a calendar arrangement, it may be preferred to use an octahedron which has sufficient faces for each day of the week, even though the remainder of the calendar may, for example, be made of cubes.

If the month was to be shown in alphabetical form, it may be desirable to use a dodecahedron which has enough faces for _. each month to be incorporated therein.

A single set of solids may selectively be used to represent Hours, Minutes and Seconds, or Days, Months and Years.