Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies) [Line Items]

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of consolidation:  The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Trans-Lux Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and all wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”).  Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of estimates:  The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and the effects of revisions are reflected in the financial statements in the period in which the change is determined.  Estimates are used when accounting for such items as costs of long-term sales contracts, allowance for uncollectible accounts, inventory valuation allowances, depreciation and amortization, valuation of pension obligations, valuation of warrants, income taxes, warranty reserve, management’s assessment of going concern, contingencies, impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets and litigation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and cash equivalents:  The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.  The Company has deposits in United States financial institutions that maintain Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) deposit insurance on all interest and non-interest-bearing accounts, collectively, with an aggregate coverage up to $250,000 per depositor per financial institution.  At times, the amount of the deposits exceeds the FDIC limits.  The portion of the deposits in excess of FDIC limits represents a credit risk of the Company. The Company has no cash equivalents at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Receivable [Policy Text Block]

Accounts receivable, net:  Accounts receivable are carried at net realizable value.  Credit is extended based on an evaluation of each customer’s financial condition; collateral is generally not required.  Reserves for uncollectible accounts receivable are provided based on historical experience and current trends.  The Company evaluates the adequacy of these reserves regularly.

The following is a summary of the allowance for uncollectible accounts at December 31:

In thousands	2021		2020
Balance at beginning of year	$	660	$	743
Provisions		64		123
Write-offs		(301)		(206)
Balance at end of year	$	423	$	660

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable are limited due to the large number of customers, the relatively small account balances within the majority of the Company’s customer base and their dispersion across different businesses.  At December 31, 2021, two customers accounted for 36.0% of the balance in Accounts receivable, net.  At December 31, 2020, one customer accounted for 37.1% of the balance in Accounts receivable, net.  In 2021 and 2020, no customers accounted for at least 10% of our total revenues.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories:  Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or net realizable value.  Valuation allowances for slow-moving and obsolete inventories are provided based on historical experience and demand for servicing of the displays.  The Company evaluates the adequacy of these valuation allowances regularly.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Rental equipment and property, plant and equipment, net:  Rental equipment and property, plant and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated over their respective useful lives using the straight-line method.  Leaseholds and improvements are amortized over the lesser of the useful lives or term of the lease.  Repairs and maintenance costs related to rental equipment and property, plant and equipment are expensed in the period incurred.

The estimated useful lives are as follows:

	Years
Indoor rental equipment	10
Outdoor rental equipment	15
Machinery, fixtures and equipment	5 – 15
Leaseholds and improvements	7

When rental equipment and property, plant and equipment are fully depreciated, retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the accounts.  Any gains or losses on disposals are recorded in the period incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill:  Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired.  The goodwill of $744,000 relating to the Digital product sales segment was written off in 2020.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets:  The Company evaluates whether there has been an impairment in value of its long-lived assets if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.  An impairment in value may exist when the carrying value of a long-lived asset exceeds its undiscounted cash flows.  If it is determined that an impairment in value has occurred, the carrying value is written down to its fair value as determined by a discounted cash flow model.  There were no impairments of long-lived assets in 2021 or 2020.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Restricted cash:  The Company classifies cash as restricted when the cash is unavailable for withdrawal or usage for general operations.  Restrictions may include legally restricted deposits, contracts entered into with others, or the Company’s statements of intention with regard to particular deposits.  The Company did not have any Restricted cash in 2021.  The Company had Restricted cash as of January 1, 2020 for letters of credit in connection with a forgivable loan ($650,000) and a security deposit ($200,000).  During 2020, the forgivable loan was satisfied and the security deposit was reduced by $200,000 and therefore, there was no restricted cash at December 31, 2021 and 2020.  The Company presented these funds in Restricted cash in the Consolidated Balance Sheets since the use of the funds under the letters of credit was restricted.

Cost of Goods and Service [Policy Text Block]

Shipping Costs:  The costs of shipping product to our customers of $391,000 and $230,000 in 2021 and 2020, respectively, are included in Cost of digital product sales.

Advertising Cost [Policy Text Block]

Advertising/Marketing Costs:  The Company expenses the costs of advertising and marketing at the time that the related advertising takes place.  Advertising and marketing costs of $24,000 and $40,000 in 2021 and 2020, respectively, are included in General and administrative expenses.

Revenue [Policy Text Block]

Revenue recognition:  See Note 3 – Revenue Recognition.

Standard Product Warranty, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Warranty reserve:  The Company provides for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized.  While the Company engages in product quality programs and processes, including evaluating the quality of the component suppliers, the warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates.  Should actual product failure rates differ from the Company’s estimates, revisions to increase or decrease the estimated warranty liability may be required.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Taxes on income:  Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are established for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities at tax rates expected to be in effect when such temporary differences are expected to reverse and for operating loss carryforwards.  The temporary differences are primarily attributable to operating loss carryforwards, depreciation and the pension plan.  The Company records a valuation allowance against net deferred income tax assets if, based upon the available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that the deferred income tax assets will not be realized.

The Company considers whether it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position.  Once it is determined that a position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the position is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements.  The Company’s policy is to classify interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.  To date, there have been no interest or penalties charged to the Company in relation to the underpayment of income taxes.  The Company’s determinations regarding uncertain income tax positions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based upon factors including, but not limited to, an ongoing analysis of tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Foreign currency:  The functional currency of the Company’s Canadian business operation is the Canadian dollar.  The assets and liabilities of such operation are translated into U.S. dollars at the year-end rate of exchange, and the operating and cash flow statements are converted at the average annual rate of exchange.  The resulting translation adjustment is recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and as a separate item in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.  In relation to intercompany balances, these have been classified as short-term in nature and therefore the changes in the foreign currency remeasurement adjustment for intercompany balances are recorded as (Loss) gain on foreign currency remeasurement in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Policy Text Block]

Share-based compensation:  The Company measures share-based payments to employees, directors and non-employees at the grant date fair value of the instrument.  The fair value is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model, which requires various assumptions including estimating stock price volatility, expected life of the instrument, estimated forfeiture rate and risk free interest rate.  For details on the accounting effect of share-based compensation, see Note 16 – Share-Based Compensation.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The following new accounting pronouncements were adopted in 2021:

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation – Retirement Benefits – Defined Benefit Plans – General (Subtopic 715-20).  ASU 2018-14 modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans.  Public business entities should apply the amendments in ASU 2018-14 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years (i.e., January 1, 2021).  Early application is permitted.  The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations.

The following new accounting pronouncements, and related impacts on adoption, are being evaluated by the Company:

There were no new accounting pronouncements that will have a material impact on the financial statements based on the determination of management.