GB2316654A

GB2316654A - Display surfaces

Info

Publication number: GB2316654A
Application number: GB9718514A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Peter Brown; Nigel John Lester
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-09-02
Filing date: 1997-09-01
Publication date: 1998-03-04
Also published as: AU4027197A; GB9718514D0; ZA977880B; WO1998010401A1; GB9618472D0

Abstract

A flexible laminate 1 that can be rolled up for storage and transportation, has a core sheet 4 encapsulated within a transparent plastics film 7. The film 7 is coated with transparent plastics films 10 to provide display surfaces 2 and 3 that are suitable for marking (M) with dry-wipe pen and for dry-wipe erasure of the marking. The core sheet 4 is of iron foil laminated with paper, and is printed on each face 5 and 6 with for example a representation (P) of a respective sports pitch. The pitch representation (P) is visible through the films 7 and 10, and magnetic pieces 11 (e.g. representative individually of players of the relevant sport) are held to the display surface 2 or 3 by magnetic attraction to the sheet 4. The films 10 may be dispensed with where the encapsulating film 7 is resistant to dry-wipe ink.

Description

Display Surfaces This invention relates to the provision of display surfaces.

According to the invention a display surface is provided by a surface of a flexible laminate, said laminate comprising a flexible sheet which is of a ferromagnetically-loaded paper material and which is encapsulated within a protective, transparent film.

The ferromagnetic properties of the paper sheet facilitate mounting of the laminate flat on a support structure for display purposes, using magnetic elements; the magnetic elements may be, for example, in the form of magnetic tiles mounted on a wall, board or glass-window area. However, the ferromagnetic properties also enable magnetic pieces to be positioned and retained in place on the display surface irrespective of the orientation of the laminate.

The display surface of the laminate may be adapted for marking with a dry-wipe pen and for dry-wipe erasure of the marking. Furthermore, the face of the sheet revealed through the encapsulating film as background to the display surface, may carry printing or other inscription.

Accordingly, when the display surface is marked by pen and/or magnetic pieces are located on it as referred to above, the marking and/or the pieces are displayed as one against a background of the inscribed face of the sheet.

Moreover, the display can be changed very easily by adding or erasing marking with the pen and/or by adding or replacing magnetic pieces and changing their locations on the surface.

The flexibility of the laminate enables it to be rolled up for storage and transportation. This is of especial advantage and is in contrast to the known situation in which a display surface for pen-marking and use of magnetic pieces is provided by a rigid sheet or board that is by comparison heavy and cumbersome.

A laminate for providing a display surface in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows in plan, and partly broken away, one of two display surfaces of the laminate according to the invention; and Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional side view of a representative part of the laminate of Figure 1.

The laminate of Figures 1 and 2 will be described in the context of its use for ball-game coaching.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the laminate 1 has two faces 2 and 3 each of which may be used as a display surface on which to represent players and other features of a respective form of ball game, and to demonstrate tactical and other moves in the game. The laminate 1 in this respect includes a substrate sheet 4 which is printed on its two faces 5 and 6 with representations of the pitches of respective forms of game. In the present example, the face 5 is inscribed with a printed representation P of a soccer pitch; a representation of a hockey pitch may be similarly inscribed on the face 6.

The printed sheet 4, which may have a thickness of some 0.22 mm, is a laminate of iron foil (having a thickness for example of 25 ssm) within paper (for example "Bitokoshi" paper, a wood-free paper having a weight of 79 gm/m2) ; such a paper laminate is known commercially as "steel paper". The sheet 4 is encapsulated within a transparent film 7 (for example, a polyester film having a thickness of 1.25 ssm) to protect the printed faces 5 and 6 from damp and other damage. The faces 8 and 9 of the film 7 are in their turn each coated with a thin transparent film 10 that is suitable for marking with a dry-wipe pen and is of a nature from which the marking can easily be wiped away.

The films 10 (which are for example of polypropylene and have a thickness of 19 ssm) protect the film 7 from the dry-wipe ink, and by their exposed faces 2 and 3, give a good surface for marking the laminate 1, during the course of coaching. Such marking, as illustrated by markings M (made by dry-wipe pen) on the face 2 in Figure 1, may be used to illustrate tactics and game features against the underlying printed pitch-representation P visible through the transparent films 7 and 10. Ink markings such as the markings M, can be readily and cleanly wiped from the faces 2 and 3 without leaving smears or other residual deposits of ink.

Encapsulation of the sheet 4 with the film 7 protects the paper and the print from damage, but more particularly, prevents the paper sheet 4 from creasing. Nonetheless, the encapsulation does not restrict the laminate 1 from being rolled up for storage and easy transportation.

Where the encapsulating film 7 is of a material (for example, polyurethane on a polypropylene base) that is capable in itself of providing a good display surface and of adequately resisting the marking ink used, the laminate 1 may be modified to omit the films 10.

The ferromagnetic properties of the sheet 4 facilitates mounting of the laminate 1 for display purposes. More particularly, it enables the laminate 1 to be held in place solely by magnetic tiles or other magnetic elements secured to a wall or other structure on which the display is to be provided. In this regard, the laminate 1 may be readily taken from the rolled-up condition used for its storage and transportation, and unrolled out across the wall or other structure. The unrolled laminate 1 is retained flat there with the face 2 or 3 held fast against the magnetic elements by magnetic attraction and with its other face 3 or 2 fully displayed. It may be readily stripped from the magnetic elements and reversed to reveal the other face 2 or 3, or, when the relevant display session ends, to be rolled up again for storage and/or transportation.

The introduction and movement of features within the display is facilitated by the ferromagnetic loading of the sheet 4. Items or pieces such as three squat, cylindrical pieces 11 shown in Figure 1 as representative of soccer players (or other features of the displayed game) may be placed on the exposed display face 2 (or 3) to be viewed against the underlying pitch-representation P and any ink markings M made on that face. Each playerrepresenting piece 11 incorporates a small magnet so as to be held where placed on the exposed display face 2 (or 3) by magnetic attraction, and can be readily moved across that face to represent change of position of the represented feature.

Although the invention has been described in the context of display for use in coaching in ball games, the invention is not limited to this context and may be used wherever there is a need to provide a display that is representative of an activity or state, in a convenient and simple manner. The invention is especially applicable where there is need to provide a display, which may be against a printed-image or other inscribed background, using shape-, symbol- or other elements that can be attached to the surface magnetically for interaction, in location and/or movement, with the display-background. Where appropriate, the surface may be marked, for example with dry-wipe pen, to provide additional information or perception of the interaction.

The display surface of the invention makes it easily possible to achieve these and other advantages, in the context of a lightweight, readily-portable form and providing a more dynamic facility than has been previously possible.

Claims

Claims:

1. A display surface provided by a surface of a flexible laminate, said laminate comprising a flexible sheet which is of a ferromagnetically-loaded paper material and which is encapsulated within a protective, transparent film.

2. A display surface according to Claim 1 wherein a surface of the sheet is printed or otherwise inscribed with a representation that is visible through the transparent encapsulating film.

3. A display surface according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the flexible sheet is of iron- or other ferromagnetic-foil laminated with paper.

4. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the encapsulating film is coated with a transparent, protective film.

5. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein said surface of the laminate is adapted for marking with a dry-wipe pen and for dry-wipe erasure of the marking.

6. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 in combination with a plurality of magnetic pieces for placing on said surface and for retention thereon by magnetic attraction between the respective pieces and the sheet of ferromagnetically-loaded paper material.

7. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the laminate is reversible to provide a second display surface.

8. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the encapsulating transparent film is a polyester film.

9. A display surface according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the encapsulating transparent film is of polyurethane on a polypropylene base.

10. A laminate for providing a display surface, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.