The present invention relates to beauty aid consulting means and, more specifically, to information display apparatus comprising a baseboard with information thereon and whereby, by selecting one of a plurality of options, data pertinent to the selected option can be found on a different part of the baseboard.

Information display apparatus as defined above is well known in the art and, by way of example, on a railway timetable by making selection of a destination on one part of the timetable, the times of trains from a given station to that destination can be determined from another part of the timetable.

In the beauty industry it is possible for a lady to consult a beauty expert on such matters as the most suitable colour for hair, or highlights in the hair, advantageous colours for eyeshadow and, less frequently from the same beauty expert, suggested colours for clothing and certain assessories.

The present invention seeks to provide a beauty aid consulting means in the form of an information display

apparatus which can be used by a lady to determine advantageous colourings for her personal appearance.

According to the present invention there is provided a beauty aid consulting means, comprising an information display apparatus characterised by a baseboard and an element mounted on the baseboard and displaceable relative thereto in a manner to allow attention to be focussed onto different selected areas of the baseboard, said baseboard being arranged to display a plurality of different personal appearance input features and a plurality of personal appearance output features and said displaceable element, when displaced to a selected one of said plurality of different personal appearance input features, being arranged to focus attention on personal appearance output features pertinent to the selected personal appearance input features.

Preferably the plurality of different personal appearance input features comprise features readily distinguishable and identifiable by a person using the device.

In one embodiment the said personal appearance input features comprise colour of hair, colour of eyes, skin tone, or any other readily apparent colour feature, or any combination of such features.

In a preferred embodiment, when the displaceable element is focussed on one set of personal appearance input ^• features, said displaceable element focuses attention on a particular set of personal appearance output features, and said personal appearance output features includes colour recommendations.

Preferably the said personal appearance output features comprise recommended colours for hair; hair highlights make up, in particular eye shadow; skin tone; lipstick; clothing or recommended jewellery, or any combination of such features

In one embodiment the baseboard is of rectangular configuration and the displaceable element is arranged to

extend from top to bottom of the baseboard, parallel to the side edges of the baseboard, and to be displaceable from side to side of the baseboard.

Preferably with such an embodiment the said displaceable element extends from top to bottom of both major faces of the said baseboard.

In another embodiment the baseboard is of disc-like configuration and the displaceable element is supported by a pivot pin passing centrally through the baseboard.

In such an embodiment the said displaceable element is conveniently of needle-like form and extends radially of the baseboard from the said pivot pin towards the periphery of the baseboard.

Preferably with such an embodiment the said pivot pin supports two needle-like displaceable elements, both of which are mounted on the said pivot pin for mutual displacement relative to the baseboard.

In a further embodiment the displaceable element is of "U" shaped configuration, limbs of said element are located one on each side of the baseboard and the free ends of said limbs are secured to said pivot pin.

In a further embodiment the said displacing element comprises an envelope encasing the baseboard and said element includes an opening therethrough for displaying areas of the baseboard, said baseboard being displaceable within said envelope element and said envelope includes an opening therethrough displaying one or more areas of the baseboard.

In a preferred embodiment one or more areas of the baseboard has data printed on both sides thereof.

In such an embodiment each side of the baseboard may include columns of different personal appearance input features and the personal appearance output features relevant thereto individual to that side.

In another such embodiment the personal appearance input features are all printed on one side of the baseboard ^• and, with the displaceable element moved to a selected '

personal input location, said element focuses attention on personal appearance output features pertinent to the selected personal appearance input features on the reverse side of the baseboard.

In one embodiment the personal appearance input features and the personal appearance output features on the baseboard are displayed as printed text.

In another embodiment the personal appearance input features and the personal appearance output features are displayed as coloured panels on said baseboard.

In a preferred embodiment the personal appearance input features and personal appearance output features are displayed as coloured panels, with an accompanying text for at least some of said panels.

Preferably the displaceable element has printed text relating to personal appearance input features and/or personal appearance output features.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 shows, diagrammatically, a front view of one information display apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows, on an enlarged scale, the upper regions of the displaceable element illustrated in Fig. 1 with legends pertinent to personal appearance features printed thereon.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a second embodiment in accordance with the invention and,

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line II II in Fig. 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a rectangular baseboard 11 has parallel longitudinal edges 11a, lib, and parallel side edges lie, lid.. Within the edges 11a to lid sixteen horizontal lines 12, in equally spaced apart relationship, and nineteen vertical lines 13, in equally spaced apart relationship, define fifteen rows of panels or blocks 14, with each row having eighteen blocks 14 therein.

A displaceable element 15 has a slot 15a_ extending from side to side therethrough, the length of the slot 15a_ is slightly greater than the depth of the baseboard between longitudinal sides 11a and lib, and slot 15ji has a width slightly greater than the thickness of the baseboard 11, whereupon the baseboard 11 can be entered into the slot 15a_ to allow the displaceable element 15 to slide with respect to the edges 11a, lib whilst remaining parallel to the side edges lie and lid.

In the illustrated example each block 14 presents a colour relevant to a personal appearance feature. In one modification in accordance with the invention each block 14 may present a colour with printed text thereon relevant to a personal appearance feature.

The three upper rows of blocks 14 identify personal appearance input features and the fifth and lower rows of blocks 14 define personal appearance output features.

In the illustrated embodiment the displaceable element 15 has printed text thereon (see Fig. 3) identifying personal appearance features and thus, the displaceable element 15 presents the words HAIR aligned with the upper row of blocks 14, the word EYES aligned with the second row of blocks 14 and the word SKIN aligned with the third row of blocks 14.

Consider now for example that the personal appearance input data is to comprise hair colour, eye colour and skin .

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tone, and consider that the information display apparatus is to afford five hair colours, (ash blonde, blonde, red, brown and black) with three eye colours, (brown, blue and green), and four skin tones, pale, light brown, dark brown and black. To cover all combinations of these three features sixty blocks 14 will be required in each horizontal row of blocks 14. By displacing the displaceable member 15 along the baseboard 11 the displaceable member 15 can be located adjacent any one of the sixty combinations of hair, eye and skin colours.

The fourth row of box 14 are preferably in a neutral colour, thus to space the personal appearance input data from the personal appearance output data.

The fifth rows of blocks 14 and the rows therebeneath identify personal output data and, in the example illustrated by Fig. 3, the fifth and sixth rows down identify two lipstick colours, the seventh and eighth rows of blocks 14 identify two eye shadow colours and the ninth, tenth and eleventh row of blocks 14 identify three hair highlight colours. Rows below the eleventh row may relate to clothing colours or jewellery or any other personal feature data as desired.

Each vertical row of blocks 14 below the fourth row of blocks 14 will display or identify colours for the identified personal appearance features most suitable to the selected colour combinations in the first three rows of the blocks 14 . By way of example, with the displaceable member 15 placed adjacent the column identifying blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin, the vertical column below the fourth line will identify only one recommended lipstick shade, such as soft mid-cerise, two recommended eye shadows, such as pale pink and lilac, one recommended hair highlight colour, such as gold, two recommended clothing colours, such as ice blue and deep magenta, and jewellery, such as gold and amethyst.

Thus, for each combination of hair, eyes and skin identified in the first three rows, the operator is presented with a selection of preferred personal appearance features most suited to the selected combination of personal input features.

It will be appreciated that certain colour combinations are unlikely and, by way of example, whilst any lady can dye her hair to any of the. five recited colours a combination of blue or green eyes with a dark brown or black skin tone is so unusual that such unlikely combinations can be omitted from the personal appearance input data columns to reduce the total number of columns required.

When the displaceable element 15 is displaceable over both major faces of the baseboard 11 each face of the baseboard may present a part of the total number of blocks to be presented.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 a baseboard 21 is of disk-like configuration and is printed on both its faces 21a, 21b_ to define, on each side, a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial "columns" with each column defined by five radially spaced panels 21c

A U-shaped displaceable element 22 receives the disk¬ like baseboard 21 between its spaced apart limbs 22a, 22b_ and at their radially innermost regions the free ends of limbs 22a_ and 22b are secured to opposite ends of a pivot pin 23 which passes centrally through the baseboard 21, whereupon the displaceable element 22 is rotatable with respect to the baseboard 21.

The displaceable member 22 presents one side edge 22£ of limb 22aι and one side edge 22d of limb 22b_ in a common plane passing through the axis of pivot 23.

In the illustrated embodiment the displaceable member 22 has on its limb 22a printed text, the word "HAIR" is aligned with the radially outermost circumferential row of blocks 21c, the word "EYES" is aligned with the second from outermost circumferential row of blocks 21c, and the word "SKIN" is aligned with the third from outermost circumferential row of blocks 21c_. The said three radially outermost rows of blocks 21c define the personal input features.

The fourth and fifth from outermost circumferential rows of blocks 21c on side 21a identify recommended lipstick

shades and thus, the legend "LIPSTICK 1" is circumferentially aligned with the fourth from innermost circumferential row of blocks 21c and the legend "LIPSTICK 2" is circumferentially aligned with the radially innermost row of blocks 21c_

The circumferentially spaced apart radial columns 2l on the side 21b_ of the baseboard 21 are circumferentially aligned with the radial columns 21c on the side 21a and, as the displaceable member 22 includes side edges 22c and 22d, then on the alignment of the edge 22£ with a desired radial column panel 21c on side 21a the edge 22d _^ will align with a radial column of blocks 21c on the side 21b of the baseboard 21.

The displaceable member 22 will have legends printed on its limb 22b and circumferentially aligned with the circumferentially spaced apart blocks 21c on side 21b. In the illustrated example, the legends will relate to features personal recommended for the personal input data selected on the side 21a of baseboard 21.

Thus, in this example, the panels 21c will be coloured panels and, by making a selection of input colours, hair, eyes and skin, seven personal output features can be read from the device.

It will be appreciated that whilst in the illustrated example only five radially spaced rows of panels 2l are illustrated one, or each of the sides 21a and 21b said sides 21jc and 21b may have more than five radially spaced panels, thus to increase the amount of output data as can be obtained from the device.