GB2166580A - Display methods and devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The device shown for forming a display comprises a sheet 10 provided with a coating of adhesive applied to its rear surface. On the front surface of the sheet 10 are characters printed on slips 9 which are disposed in orthogonal rows and columns, the boundaries of the slips being defined by orthogonal lines of weakening 11. To form a display, selected slips are detached from the sheet 10 and then assembled, usually side by side in a row, to form, for example, a word. To assist in keeping the spacing between adjacent characters uniform when assembling the slips, the characters are positioned asymmetrically on the respective slip to provide left-hand and right-hand margins 15, 16 which are of unequal width. In the example shown, the left-hand margins are of less width than those of the right- hand margins, but some or all could be larger if desired. To assist in spacing rows of assembled slips beneath each other to form lines of characters, the top and bottom margins 17, 18 of the slips are of unequal depth. Alternatively, the slips may be in book or pad form. Adhesive may be applied to the front instead of the rear surface for shop windows. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to display methods and devices This invention relates to display methods and devices.

Posters and other notices, for small circulation, for example freight labelling, stores and indexing, have to be printed (which is expensive), or, alternatively, drawn and painted by hand, which is time-consuming.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a device for forming a display comprises a plurality of slips, each slip carrying at least one display character, the left-hand and right-hand margins of at least some of the slips being of unequal width.

Preferably, for those slips in which the widths of the left-hand and right-hand margins are unequal, all the slips have the same-hand margin greater.

The left-hand and right-hand margins of all the slips may be of unequal width.

Preferably, for at least some of the slips, the top and bottom margins are unequal.

The device may comprise a sheet defining a plurality of slips. The sheet may have lines of weakening to assist removal of a slip from the sheet.

The slips may be disposed in orthogonal rows and columns defined by lines of weakening.

One form of the device comprises an assembly of superimposed slips each detachable from a grasping portion; for example, there may be a line of weakening between each slip and the grasping portion.

Preferably the slips have a rear surface carrying an adhesive, which may be a self-adhesive. In one example the self-adhesive has a releasable backing sheet.

The invention also includes a display formed from slips from a device as above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a display comprises assembling slips, each slip carrying at least one character, the characters on at least some of the slips being disposed so that a left-hand margin and a right-hand margin on the respective slips are unequal, at least some of the margin of adjacent slips overlapping.

The invention also comprises any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the succeeding claims.

The invention may be performed in various ways and two specific embodiments with possible modifications will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a sheet of slips, Figure 2 illustrates a book of slips, Figure 3 illustrates a pad of slips, Figure 4 illustrates one example of a display employing selected slips, and Figure 5 illustrates another example of such a display.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, a device for forming a display, (illustrated by Fig. 4), comprises a sheet 10, for example of paper, card or plastics. The sheet 10 has a coating of adhesive (for example, gum arabic, dry gummed, or particle gummed) applied to its rear surface. On the front surface of the sheet 10 are characters printed on slips 9. The slips 9 are disposed in orthogonal rows and columns, the boundaries of the slips being defined by orthogonal lines of weakening 11 which may, for example, be spaced cuts, continuous cuts, or perforations. Die cutting is another alternative. In the example of Fig. 1, the sheet 10 has a top border 12, a left-hand side border 12 and a bottom border 14.

It is intended to use the slips 9 to form a notice by detaching required slips from the sheet 10 and then assembling them, usually side by side in a row, to form, for example, a word. To assist in keeping the spacing between adjacent characters uniform when assembling the slips, at least some (in the example shown, all) of the characters are positioned asymmetrically on the respective slip to provide left-hand and right-hand margins 15, 16 which are of unequal width. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the left-hand margins are of less width than those of the righthand margins, but some or all could be larger if desired.

Preferably also, to assist in spacing rows of assembled slips beneath each other to form lines of characters, the top and bottom margins 17, 18 of the slips may be of unequal depth.

In assembling the slips to form a display, for example as in Fig. 4, the required letters are first detached from the sheet 10 and then assembled to form a word, in this case "OGRE". First the gum coating on the rear surface of the slip 21 bearing letter "0" is wetted and the slip applied to the selected support surface 22. Then the slips bearing letters "G", "R" and "E" are similarly applied to surface 22 in succession but with the lefthand margin of the slip 23 bearing letter "G" overlapping part of the right-hand margin of slip 21, and so on, to provide overlap regions 24, 25, 26, which give a reasonably uniform spacing between adjacent characters.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of assembly wherein overlapping slips 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are used to display the word "Office".

Overlap regions 46, 47, 48, 49 are of unequal width.

Instead of a gummed rear surface, the sheet 10 may have a self-adhesive rear layer provided with a removable release (backing) sheet. Alternatively, the slips may be separate from each other and have a self-adhesive rear layer by which they are releasably or removably mounted on a backing sheet.

The provision of lines of weakening in the sheet is not essential.

The sheet 10 could be in the form of a roll.

In the arrangement illustrated by Fig. 2, a separate book 30 of slips 32 is provided.

Each slip 32 in a particular book may carry the same character, whereby the slips in different books have different characters. Each book 30 has a grasping portion 31 and a plurality of slips 32 (only the top one being shown) connected to the grasping portion 31 by a line of weakening 33. The lines of weakening could be omitted if desired.

The slips 32 are secured together, (in this example), by stapling 33. Alternative securing means include stitching using wire or thread.

In this example the user has a plurality of books of slips and removes slips from the appropriate books to obtain the required slips for assembly.

With reference to Fig. 3, a stack or block of slips 35 may be used to form a pad 36, a common edge 35a of the slips being glued together in a conventional manner.

The book 30 of Fig. 2 and/or the pad 36 of Fig. 3 may employ sheets carrying more than one character. For example, a book and or pad could comprise a plurality of sheets 10. (Fig. 1).

A slip may carry more than one character.

For example, a slip may carry the word "to".

The slips can readily be assembled to form posters or other like notices and are simply applied to a suitable support surface. The characters could be of the same, different, or a combination of colours. The slips may be coloured if desired.

The slips may carry characters comprising different type faces, type styles and type sizes.

Slips may be provided which have adhesive on their front instead of their rear surfaces.

This enables slips to be secured to the rear surface of a shop window, whereby their characters can be viewed from the front of the window. The adhesive may be of the gum arabic type, dry gummed or particle gummed.

Claims (15)

1. A device for forming a display, comprising a plurality of slips, each slip carrying at least one display character, the left-hand and right-hand margins of at least some of the slips being of unequal width.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, for those slips in which the widths of the left-hand and right-hand margins are unequal, all the slips have the same-hand margin greater.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein left-hand and right-hand margins of all the slips are of unequal width.

4. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein, for at least some of the slips, the top and bottom margins are unequal.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the Claims 1 to 4, comprising a sheet defining a plurality of slips.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the sheet has lines of weakening to assist removal of a slip from the sheet.

7. A device as claimed in Claim 5 or 6, wherein the slips are disposed in orthogonal rows and columns defined by lines of weakening.

8. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, comprising an assembly of superposed slips each detachable from a grasping portion.

9. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the slips have a rear surface carrying an adhesive.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the adhesive is a self-adhesive.

11. A device as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the self-adhesive has a releasable backing sheet.

12. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the slips have a front surface carrying an adhesive.

13. A display formed from slips from a device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12.

14. A method of forming a display comprising assembly slips, each slip carrying at least one character, the characters on at least some of the slips being disposed so that a left-hand margin and a right-hand margin on the respective slips are unequal, at least some of the margin of adjacent slips overlapping.

15. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.