Automotive communication

A visual communication device for vehicles comprising:

• (a) an opto-electrical display unit including a viewing screen adapted for being viewed from outside of the vehicle and a plurality of light-emitting elements forming part of a display circuit and arranged in a matrix on said viewing screen, said elements being selectively energizable to emit light, said unit being effective to receive an electrical pulse pattern and to display a message on the screen that corresponds to said received electrical pulse pattern,
• (b) an electrical message control unit having a message slot and a plurality of message switches to form a message circuit, each switch of the message circuit having a biased arm that extends into the message slot to maintain the switch in an actuated state, means being provided to produce an incremental movement of said arm against the bias of the bias arm which movement is effective to de-activate the switch,
• (c) means for selectively actuating said message switches comprising a message card of a thickness that provides said incremental movement of the switches upon insertion of the card into the slot, said card being provided with holes arranged in a message pattern for registering with selected ones of said biased switch arms to enable the switches associated with said selected switch arms to remain actuated and for transmitting an electrical pulse pattern to the display unit that corresponds to the message pattern on said card, and
• (d) a source of electrical power connected to said display and control units.