Three-dimensional object as information carrier

Abstract

A three-dimensional object as an information carrier comprising a plurality of separate segments (1), characterized in that the separate segments (1) are configured to store information by printing, writing, engraving or applying it in another readable or tactile manner to the segments (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional object that serves as a novel information carrier.

[0002] The invention relates to the field of information transmission, in particular the generation, storage, and physical implementation of multidimensional data structures that contain context-dependent meaning and personalization parameters. Furthermore, the invention relates to physical data carriers that materially represent such an information structure.

[0003] Writing systems developed more than 5,000 years ago. Whether cuneiform, hieroglyphs, or our modern alphabet, they all required a medium on which to record them. These media were formerly stone tablets, papyrus, and later paper or other flat objects well-suited for recording such writing.

[0004] Today we can create, store, and send texts digitally. Tangible, physical media are completely dispensed with. Yet the media used to transport texts do have their own inherent effect, which is increasingly being lost today.

[0005] While in the past letters were meticulously designed, often incorporating scent and calligraphy, today we have uniformly printed documents or even emails that can no longer convey this often desired additional information alongside the text itself.

[0006] If writing is to be more than just pure data, then today, more than ever, we need a new way to convey additional information through writing, so that we can express ourselves fully.

[0007] Conventional storage formats for fonts, e.g. books, letters, greeting cards, billboards, and especially emails and other machine-generated fonts, can only represent complex meaning and context information to a limited extent.

[0008] Individualization is sometimes not possible at all and sometimes only possible to a limited extent with the aforementioned storage formats, because existing information objects cannot be sufficiently individually adapted to a recipient and offer no possibility of conveying additional tangible three-dimensional experiences.

[0009] Digital content typically has to be displayed on screens; there is no physical, haptic representation of information-carrying structures that can be adaptively designed. But even books, letters, and other writings physically affixed to media, while they can be experienced haptically, offer hardly any possibilities for individualization because their representation is also dependent on and limited by the two-dimensional medium.

[0010] Furthermore, documents, especially those containing personal messages, should be stored in a way that prevents direct and immediate access by third parties, similar to an encrypted email or a sealed letter.

[0011] Writing systems for visually impaired people, such as Braille or Moon script, require tactile surfaces. Most modern data storage media do not allow for the permanent attachment of such tactile structures and offer no way to make the textual descriptions themselves part of a tangible experience in the form of a 3D object. Object of the invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative three-dimensional object as an information carrier that can represent context, emotion and / or personalization information in a physically perceptible structure that at least makes direct and immediate access to the information more difficult. General description of the invention

[0013] The invention solves this problem with the features of the claims and in particular with a three-dimensional object as an information carrier comprising a plurality of separate segments, wherein the separate segments are arranged to store information by printing, writing, engraving or applying it in another readable or tactile manner to the segments.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, the segments consist of planar elements, each of which can be independently flat or curved. Pylons are an example of curved planar elements.

[0015] The individual segments can hold information, for example by being described or printed on, and when all segments are correctly assembled, the three-dimensional object according to the invention is obtained.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the flat elements forming the segments consist of cut, milled, or punched plates. Preferably, the flat elements each have the same wall thickness.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the segments consist of rigid PVC foam sheets.

[0018] Optionally, the individual segments can be provided with position, sequence or information metadata, which may include, for example, a sequential numbering.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the individual segments are designed by their shape to have a precisely fitting position when assembled.

[0020] Preferably, the three-dimensional object according to the invention comprises dowel pins or dowel profiles that engage with the individual segments. For this purpose, the individual segments can, for example, have openings through which they are placed onto one or more dowel pins, in particular following a numbering and / or instructions applied to the segments.

[0021] The dowel pins or dowel profiles are preferably not visible when the segments are assembled and allow for a precise fit between the individual segments.

[0022] By making the surfaces of the segments usable as a storage medium by being suitable for applying writing, the present invention solves the problem of storing written information hidden in a physical 3D object. Detailed description of the invention

[0023] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments and the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 described.

[0024] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional object according to the invention, comprising a plurality of superimposed segments 1 which, in their superimposed state, have the shape of an elephant. In the Fig. Figure 2 shows the same three-dimensional object according to the invention, in which, however, two dowel pins 2 are shown as dashed lines, onto which segments 1 are each placed.

[0025] In the illustrated embodiment, the three-dimensional object according to the invention comprises approximately 80 individual segments 1, each approximately 5 mm thick, made of writable plastic plates, which can be precisely stacked on top of each other by means of two inserted rods 2. When guests at a birthday party write messages on these plates, such as well wishes or anecdotes, these messages, in combination with the three-dimensional shape of the elephant created by stacking the plates, acquire an additional dimension, particularly if the recipient has, for example, a special connection to elephants.

[0026] In another embodiment, the three-dimensional object has the shape of a church and is composed of a multitude of segments 1, each bearing printed verses such as Bible verses. By implementing the writings in connection with the church object, additional information is provided, namely the association of the church with specific scriptures, which would not be conveyed without this type of representation. This not only enhances the value of the three-dimensional object through the verses within, but also the verses themselves through the tangible and visible object.

[0027] In another embodiment, the three-dimensional object according to the invention has the shape of a volcano, which can be assembled from several segments 1, for example as teaching material, wherein the writings and pictures on the segments 1 can convey the formation of volcanoes, different shapes, types of rock, etc.

[0028] In another embodiment, the three-dimensional object according to the invention has the form of a trophy, which can be assembled, for example, as part of a scavenger hunt. Each segment 1 is provided with individual clues to help locate the next segment 1. Finally, all segments 1 are assembled either according to printed instructions or by trial and error, thus creating the three-dimensional object. In this embodiment as well, individual inscriptions, through the assembly of the segments 1 as carriers of the inscriptions, become more than the inscriptions alone could represent.

[0029] In yet another embodiment, the three-dimensional object according to the invention serves as a learning aid for the visually impaired. Segments 1 contain descriptions in suitable Braille that correspond to what is represented haptically by the 3D object. The direct connection between the readable and the tactile is thus very clear.

[0030] A first advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that, in addition to its function as a carrier of writing, it offers a tangible and perceptible added value through its physical structure.

[0031] A second advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that the combination of fonts and spatial element enables additional expressive possibilities and links, which can also be used to support learning.

[0032] A third advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that the information is hidden inside the object and is not readily accessible or manipulable.

[0033] A fourth advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that the information is part of the physical structure and cannot usually be removed without destroying the object.

[0034] A fifth advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that it can be produced efficiently, automatically and in a scalable manner.

[0035] A sixth advantage of the three-dimensional object according to the invention is that the segments 1 from which it is constructed can accommodate writings in three-dimensional structure such as Braille or Moon writings or tactile graphics or maps.

[0036] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, in the examples, in the claims and in the figure can be essential for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments, both individually and in any combination.

Claims

[1] Three-dimensional object as an information carrier comprising a multitude of separate segments (1), characterized by , that the separate segments (1) are set up to store information by printing, writing, engraving or otherwise applying it in a readable or tactile manner to the segments (1). [2] Three-dimensional object according to claim 1, characterized by , that the segments (1) consist of planar elements. [3] Three-dimensional object according to claim 2, characterized by that the planar elements are each independently flat or curved. [4] Three-dimensional object according to claim 2, characterized by that the flat elements consist of cut, milled or punched plates. [5] Three-dimensional object according to claim 2, characterized by that the planar elements have the same wall thicknesses. [6] Three-dimensional object according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the segments (1) consist of rigid PVC foam panels. [7] Three-dimensional object according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the segments (1) are arranged by their shape to have a precise fit when assembled. [8] Three-dimensional object according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that this includes dowel pins (2) or dowel profiles (3) which engage with the individual segments (1). [9] Three-dimensional object according to claim 8, characterized by , that the dowel pins (2) or dowel profiles (3) are not visible in the assembled state of the segments (1) and enable a precise fit of the individual segments (1) to each other.

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