The present disclosure relates generally to art frames.
The global print market is in the process of transforming from analog printing to digital printing. Inkjet printing and electrophotographic printing are examples of digital printing techniques. These printing techniques have become increasingly popular for printing photographs and/or decorative art items. As examples, an image may be inkjet printed on canvas and then mounted on a wood frame, or an image may be liquid electro-photographically printed on a high gloss medium and then mounted on a metal plate.
Features and advantages of examples of the present disclosure will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings, in which like reference numerals correspond to similar, though perhaps not identical, components. For the sake of brevity, reference numerals or features having a previously described function may or may not be described in connection with other drawings in which they appear.
Examples of the art frame disclosed herein are suitable for displaying photographs, art images, graphics, text, and/or the like, and/or combinations thereof. The art frames include corner mounts that are secured to respective corners of a three-dimensional supporting frame. In other words, the corner mounts are secured to places/angles where two frame portions of the three-dimensional supporting frame meet. The corner mounts add strength to the art frame.
Referring now to
The foldable material 12 also has two opposed surfaces, namely an image receiving surface 13 and a back surface 15 (
A foldable extension 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D respectively extends from each side 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D of the center portion 14. As such, the number of foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D of the foldable material 12 will depend upon the number of sides 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D. For example, a three sided center portion 14 will include three foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C extending therefrom. The foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D may be scored with fold lines 18 that are meant to guide the folding of the foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D toward the back surface 15 of the foldable material 12. In an example, each foldable extension 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D has no less than two fold lines 18 defining no less than two folds. In the example shown in
The foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and the folds 1, 2 may have any suitable shape that allows the folds 1, 2 of the respective foldable extension 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D to be folded toward the surface 15 to form a three-dimensional frame portion (see 22B and 22C in
As shown in
The foldable material 12 may be made of any foldable material with suitable stiffness that can be folded over at least 90° with the assistance of scoring without cracking and/or breaking. When the foldable material 12 is a cellulose-based paper board, the stiffness of the foldable material 12 is greater than 25 Taber units (gf-cm). In an example, the stiffness of the foldable material 12 ranges from about 100 Taber units to about 3000 Taber units (TAPPI method T489-om). In another example, the stiffness of the foldable material 12 ranges from about 500 Taber units to about 2000 Taber units (TAPPI method T489-om). Stiffness, k, of a body is a measure of the resistance offered by an elastic body to deformation. For an elastic body with a single degree of freedom (for example, stretching or compression of a rod), the stiffness, k, is defined as
where F is the force applied on the body and δ is the displacement produced by the force along the same degree of freedom. Examples of the foldable material 12 include pure element materials, such as aluminum foil; compounds of multiple elements, such as copper-zinc alloy foil; synthetic polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), toughened polypropylene; natural products, such as cellulose paper (e.g., cardboard); or composites, such as polyethylene terephthalate/calcium carbonate (PET/CaCO3) coextruded sheets. Other examples of the foldable material 12 include carton board (e.g., solid bleached board, solid unbleached board), white lined chipboard, liquid packaging board, folding boxboard, container board (e.g., liner board), wall paper substrates, uncoated cover paper, or the like.
Still another example of the foldable material 12 is a multi-layer material formed using standard paper mill processes. It is to be understood that the various layers of a multi-layer foldable material 12 may be sandwiched together using a polymeric adhesive or chemically treated starch.
In an example, foldable material 12 has three layers, a corrugated middle layer and two outer layers attached to opposed sides of the corrugated middle layer. Each of the layers may include a cellulose fiber matrix. The cellulose fiber matrix present in each of the layers (i.e., the outer layers and the corrugated layer) of the foldable material 12 may be made up of fibers from a hardwood species, fibers from a softwood species, or a combination of fibers from both hardwood and softwood species. Examples of hardwood species include broadleaf deciduous trees, and an example of a softwood species includes needle-bearing, conifer trees and evergreens. The hardwood cellulose fibers used in the cellulose fiber matrix have an average fiber length ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, and the softwood cellulose fibers have an average fiber length ranging from about 3 mm to about 7 mm. A ratio of hardwood fibers to softwood fibers in the cellulose fiber matrix of any individual layer of the composite board may range from 0:100 to 50:50. In some examples, the ratio of hardwood fibers to softwood fibers is about 30:70 or about 10:90.
The cellulose fibers present in the outer layers are made from a chemical pulping process (e.g., the Kraft process). The chemical pulping process forms chemical pulp. The wood lignin in chemical pulp is broken and separated by heat and chemicals used in the chemical pulping process.
The cellulose fibers present in the corrugated layer may be mechanical pulp or a mixture of mechanical pulp with chemical pulp or recycled pulps. Chemical pulp is formed as previously described. Mechanical pulp may be formed by steaming and grinding wood to separate the fibers and obtain groundwood pulp that contains lignin. Mechanical pulp may include pulps formed using hybrid processes, such as thermomechanical pulp (TMP) and chemithermomechanical pulps (CTMP).
In an example, the foldable material has a thickness greater than or equal to 8 mils, and/or a base weight that is greater than or equal to 150 gsm.
As shown in
The adhesive layer 24 may be applied to the surface 13 on the desirable areas using an air knife coater, a rod coater, a slot die coater, a roll coater, or a film transfer coater. In one example, the adhesive layer 24 may be applied directly onto a release liner (not shown, also referred to herein as a releasable liner), and then the glued release liners may be laminated onto the desired areas of the surface 13 using a laminator. The release liner may protect the adhesive layer 24 from contamination and from prematurely adhering.
The adhesive layer 24 may be a solvent-based adhesive or a water-based adhesive. Solvents suitable for the solvent-based adhesive include heptanes, toluene, ethyl acetate, pentane-2,4-dione, and alcohols. In some instances, it may be desirable to utilize an aqueous-based water soluble and/or water dispersible adhesive. In an example, the adhesive layer 24 is formed of a synthetic polymer with a weight average molecular weight ranging from about 200,000 to about 800,000 when the structure is linear, or ranging from about 300,000 to about 1,500,000 when the structure is branched or cross-linked. The adhesive layer 24 may also have a pressure sensitive nature. For example, the adhesive layer 24 may have a glass transition temperature (Tg) ranging from about −70° C. to about −40° C., and a peeling strength equal to or greater than 20 Newton/cm2 (e.g., as measured according to an ASTM (f.k.a. the American Society for Testing and Materials) test method, namely ASTM 3330M using an INSTRON® tester).
Suitable examples of the adhesive layer 24 are polyacrylates, polyvinyl ethers, silicone resins, polyacrylic resins, elastic hydrocarbon polymers (e.g., nitrile rubbers, butyl rubbers, polyisobutylenes and polyisoprenes, etc.), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, or styrene block copolymers (e.g., styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-ethylene-styrene, styrene-butylene-styrene, styrene-ethylene, or styrene-propylene). Some suitable adhesives for the adhesive layer 24 may be polymers of acrylate addition monomers, such as C1 to C12 alkyl acrylates and methacrylates (e.g., methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, sec-butyl acrylate, tert-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, octyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, sec-butyl methacrylate, and tert-butyl methacrylate); aromatic monomers (e.g., styrene, phenyl methacrylate, o-tolyl methacrylate, m-tolyl methacrylate, p-tolyl methacrylate, and benzyl methacrylate); hydroxyl containing monomers (e.g., hydroxyethylacrylate and hydroxyethylmethacrylate); carboxylic acid containing monomers (e.g., acrylic acid and methacrylic acid); vinyl ester monomers (e.g., vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinylbenzoate, vinyl pivalate, vinyl-2-ethylhexanoate, and vinyl-versatate); vinyl benzene monomers; and C1-C12 alkyl acrylamide and methacrylamide (e.g., t-butyl acrylamide, sec-butyl acrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide). In another example, the adhesive layer 24 includes a compound having a structure of unsaturated rings. Examples of such compounds include glycerol ester of abietic acid, pentaerythritol ester of abietic acid, and terpene resins derived from alfa-pinene and beta-pinene.
The adhesive layer 24 may be a copolymer of at least two of the monomers listed herein. In an example, the molecular structure of the formed copolymer has soft segments (Tg ranging from about −70° C. to about −20° C.) and small hard segments (Tg ranging from about −10° C. to about 100° C.). The copolymer may also include functional monomers, i.e., the chemical groups on the molecular chain can react to form a cross-linked structure. Examples of functional monomers include methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, glycidyl methacrylate, and hydroxyethyl acrylate.
In an example, the adhesive layer 24 is applied to have a coat weight ranging from 25 gsm to about 60 gsm. If the adhesive layer coat weight is less than 25 gsm, the bond strength will decrease and adhesion failure may result.
While the example shown in
Referring now to
To construct the three-dimensional supporting frame 20, fold 1 of each of the extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D is folded inward (i.e., towards the surface 15). The fold 1 of a respective extension 16A, or 16B, or 16C, or 16D forms an outer wall of the respective frame portion 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D. All together, the folds 1 form the outer wall of the three-dimensional supporting frame 20. In some instances, the outer wall may be covered by a portion of the image receiving medium 36. Fold 2 of each of the extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D is also folded inward (i.e., towards the surface 15). The fold 2 of a respective extension 16A, or 16B, or 16C, or 16D forms a back wall of the respective frame portion 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D. All together, the folds 2 form the back wall of the three-dimensional supporting frame 20. In some instances, the back wall may also be covered by a portion of the image receiving medium 36.
Referring now to
Each blank 28, 28′, 28″, 28′″ includes a shaped portion 30 that has two sides 34A, 34B having corner mount foldable extensions 32A, 32B extending therefrom, and one or more additional sides (e.g., 34C in
All of the sides 34A, 34B, 34C, etc. together define the shape of the shaped portion 30. As shown in
Each of the corner mount foldable extensions 32A, 32B extending from the respective sides 34A, 34B may be scored with fold lines 18 that are meant to guide the folding of the corner mount foldable extensions 32A, 32B toward the first surface 27 of the blank 28, 28′, 28″, 28′″. In an example, each corner mount foldable extension 32A, 32B has two fold lines 18 defining two tabs T1, T2. In this example, each corner mount foldable extension 32A, 32B is foldable twice, once along each scored fold line 18. Throughout the description the tab T1 may be referred to as the innermost tab (i.e., the tab T1 closest to the shaped portion 30), and the tab T2 may be referred to as the outermost tab (i.e., the tab T2 furthest from the shaped portion 30).
The corner mount foldable extensions 32A, 32B and the tabs T1, T2 may have any suitable shape that allows the tabs T1, T2 of the respective corner mount foldable extension 32A, 32B to be folded toward the surface 27 to form the corner mount 40 (see
As shown in
The blanks 28, 28′, 28″, 28′″ may be made of any of the materials previously described for the foldable material 12.
As depicted in
The adhesive layer 38 may be made of any of the adhesives previously described for the adhesive layer 24, and may be applied via any of the previously described methods. The adhesive layer 38 on the second surface 29 of the blank 28 is used at least to adhere a respective corner mount 40 to the interior of the three-dimensional supporting frame 20 at each of the corners 26AB, 26BC, 26CD, 26DA. This process will be further described in reference to
Referring now to
The corner mount 40 is inserted into the pocket that is defined by the abutting frame portions 22A and 22B. Where the corner mount 40 contacts the three-dimensional supporting frame 20, it is to be understood that the back surface 15 of the foldable material 12 contacts the second surface 29 of the blank 28. The adhesive layer 38 adheres the two contacting surfaces 15 and 29 together.
The complementary angles of the corner 26AB and the corner mount 40 are aligned when the corner mounts 40 are positioned within the corners 26AB, 26BC, 26CD, 26DA.
The outermost folds 2 of the frame portions 22A and 22B adhere to a portion of the shaped portion 30. As depicted, the outermost folds 2 overlay some of the shaped portion 30. The part of the shaped portion 30 that is not adhered to the outermost folds 2 is visible from the back view as shown in
Referring now to.
The image receiving medium 36 may be adhered to the image receiving surface 13 of the foldable material 12 prior to folding the foldable material 12 to form the three-dimensional supporting frame 20. The image 42 may first be printed on the image receiving medium 36. When it is desirable to adhere the image receiving medium 36 to the surface 13, the image receiving medium 36 may be aligned with the foldable material 12 and pressed on the adhesive layer 24. If a release liner covers the adhesive layer 24, it is to be understood that it is removed before adhering the image receiving medium 36. Alternatively, the adhesive layer 24 may be applied to the image receiving medium 36 and then the image receiving medium 36 may be adhered to the foldable material 12. After the image receiving medium 36 is adhered, rubber rollers may be used to apply force to the adhered materials to remove any air bubbles entrapped between the adhered materials.
The image receiving medium 36 may be a foldable material which has a specific surface that is able to receive the digital image 42 with high print quality. The specific surface may be made by coating or depositing a digital ink/toner receiving layer onto the outermost surface of a base substrate. In this example, coating or depositing refers to the application of a specifically formulated chemical composition onto the outermost surface of the base substrate of the image receiving medium 36 by a suitable process which includes any type of coating process. The specific surface may also be made by surface treating the base substrate via a physical and/or chemical process (e.g., corona treatment, plasma grafting polymerization and/or acid etching). In this example, surface treating refers to a method for altering the surface structure or morphology chemically and/or physically without applying any foreign composition to cover the surface of the base substrate. The surface treating method modifies the nature of the base substrate surface by changing the surface morphology or changing the surface chemical functional groups.
In one example, the image receiving medium 36 includes a cellulose paper base, and the outermost surface of the cellulose paper base is surface functionalized with a digital ink/toner receiving layer. The composition of the digital ink/toner receiving layer may include binder(s) (e.g., water-based binders such as polyvinyl alcohol, styrene-butadiene emulsion, acrylonitrile-butadiene latex, or combinations thereof) and inorganic pigment particle(s) (e.g., clay, kaolin, calcium carbonate, or combinations thereof). The digital ink/toner receiving layer may be subjected to an embossing treatment to create a desirable surface texture which is represented by a lay pattern. “Lay” is a measure of the direction of the predominant machining pattern. A lay pattern is a repetitive impression created on the surface of a part. The lay patterns created on the image receiving medium 26 include, for example, vertical patterns, horizontal patterns, radial patterns, circular patterns, isotropic patterns and cross hatched patterns.
The image receiving medium 36 may also be a cellulose paper base that is co-extruded with a polymeric film, such as a polyolefin film or another organic polymer.
In another example, the image receiving medium 36 is made of a foldable material based on a polymeric film. Examples of suitable polymeric films include polyolefin films (e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene films), polycarbonate films, polyamide films, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films. These polymeric films can be used alone, or they can be co-extruded with another material, such as cellulose paper, to form a foldable image receiving medium. In some examples, the polymeric film surface is pre-coated with an example of the digital ink/toner receiving layer disclosed herein and/or is surface treated to improve the ink reception and toner adhesion.
In yet another example, the image receiving medium 36 is made of a foldable ductile metal foil. The metal foil may be a pure metal and/or a metal alloy. In some examples, the metal foil surface is pre-coated with an example of the digital ink/toner receiving layer disclosed herein and/or is surface treated to improve the ink reception and toner adhesion.
The image 42 may be created using any suitable digital printing technique. Examples of suitable printing techniques include digital inkjet printing (e.g., using HP Z3100 or Z3200 printers), electrophotographic printing (utilizing dry toner), liquid electrophotographic printing (utilizing liquid toner), etc.
It is believed that the durability of the printed image 42 may be the result of the combination of the medium 36 and the ink or toner that is used. For example, a medium 36 including a digital ink/toner receiving layer or having been surface treated may be desirable when digital electrophotographic printing is used with toners that contain a durable colorant and UV, light and ozone fastness resin binders. In another example, a durable printed image is formed when a pigment inkjet ink is printed, using inkjet technology, onto a micro-porous image receiving medium. In this example, a pigment or any number of pigment blends may be provided in the inkjet ink formulation to impart color to the ink. As such, the pigment may be any number of desired pigments dispersed throughout the resulting inkjet ink. More particularly, the pigment included in the inkjet ink may include self-dispersed (surface modified) pigments, or pigments accompanied by a dispersant.
The image receiving medium 36 may be the same shape and size as i) the center portion 14 of the foldable material 12, ii) the center portion 14 and each of the first folds 1 of the foldable extensions 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, or iii) the entire foldable material (i.e., center portion 14 and both folds 1 and 2 of each foldable extension 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D). In the two latter instances, the image receiving medium 36 is foldable with the foldable material 12. Depending upon the size and shape of the image receiving medium 36, it is to be understood that the image receiving medium 36 may be visible from i) the front of the art frame 10, ii) the front and each side of the art frame 10, or iii) the front, each side, and the back of the art frame (unless a back support is adhered to the back).
As illustrated in
It is to be understood that the art frame 10 may have different shapes. As noted above, the art frame 10 may be triangular or a polygon having five or more sides. Two examples of differently shaped art frames 10 without a back support adhered thereto are depicted in
Referring now to
The foldable material 12 used to form a triangular three-dimensional supporting frame 20′ has a center portion 14 and three sides (similar to sides 14A, 14B, etc.). Extending from each of the three sides is a foldable extension (similar to foldable extensions 16A, 16B, etc., each of which includes innermost fold 1 and outermost fold 2), which have been folded to respectively form three frame portions 22A, 22B, 22C and three corners 26AB, 26BC, 26CA shown in
It is to be understood that the innermost fold 1 of each foldable extension has opposed edges (similar to reference numbers 17 and 19 in
As illustrated in
The foldable material 12 used to form the triangular shaped three-dimensional supporting frame 20′ also has the image receiving surface 13 and the back surface 15 that is opposed to the image receiving surface 13. An image receiving medium 36 adhered to the image receiving surface 13 is not shown in
The blanks 28′ used to form the corner mounts 40AB, 40BC, 40CA in
FIG. 4B′ illustrates one corner 26AB of the triangular shaped art frame 10′ with the back walls (i.e., outermost folds 2 of the three-dimensional supporting frame 20′) removed for clarity. As illustrated, the corner mount 40AB is inserted into the corner 26AB of the three-dimensional supporting frame 20′. The tabs T2 of the corner mount 40AB adhere to the back surface 15 of the frame 20′ at respective areas of the center portion 14. The tabs T1 of the corner mount 40AB adhere to the back surface 15 of the frame 20′ at respective folds 1. While not shown due to the removal of the folds 2 in
Referring now to
The foldable material 12 used to form a hexagon three-dimensional supporting frame 20″ has a center portion 14 and six sides (similar to sides 14A, 14B, etc.). Extending from each of the six sides is a foldable extension (similar to foldable extensions 16A, 16B, etc., each of which includes innermost fold 1 and outermost fold 2), which have been folded to form six frame portions 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F and six corners 26AB, 26BC, 26CD, 26DE, 26EF, 26FA shown in
It is to be understood that the innermost fold 1 of each foldable extension has opposed edges (similar to reference numbers 17 and 19 in
The blanks 28′″ used to form the corner mounts 40AB, 40BC, 40CD, 40DE, 40EF, 40FA in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in the examples disclosed herein, it is to be understood that a single frame portion 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F may have two different corner mounts 40 adhered thereto at opposed ends (i.e., at the corners formed in part by the single frame portion 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F).
In addition to being relatively simple to manufacture and assemble, the art frames disclosed herein are cost effective and light weight (at least in part because of the materials used).
It is to be understood that the ranges provided herein include the stated range and any value or sub-range within the stated range. For example, a range from about −70° C. to about −40° C. should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited limits of about −70° C. to about −40° C., but also to include individual values, such as −65° C., −50° C., etc., and sub-ranges, such as from about −65° C. to about −45° C., from about −50° C. to about −43° C., etc. Furthermore, when “about” is utilized to describe a value, this is meant to encompass minor variations (up to +/−10%) from the stated value.
In describing and claiming the examples disclosed herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
While several examples have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed examples may be modified. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered non-limiting.