Patent Application
20060027344
The present invention generally relates to a decorative or novelty device. Specifically, the device is a door hanging for hanging on doors such as garage doors or doors of homes. The door hanging could display decorative or utilitarian images including graphic, cut-out, or three-dimensionally shaped images.
Doors present an ideal location for displays of various kinds including decorative ones. This is especially true of garage doors on residential homes. For many homes the garage door offers a large, prominent, substantially flat surface for display.
However, attaching decorations to a garage door presents challenges. Garage doors, when being opened and closed, have moving parts. More specifically, each section of a sectional garage door typically installed at most residences pivots in relation to the other sections when the door is opened and closed. Any decoration on a sectional garage door must somehow accommodate this movement. Otherwise the decoration or, worse, the garage door or garage door frame may be damaged.
Moreover, the exterior surface of garage doors are exposed to the elements. Wind, moisture, cold, heat, and sunshine can all damage decorations and make secure attachment more difficult. Finally, garage door openings, garage doors, and the parts of a garage door may vary in size. Most garage doors have a standard section height of twenty-one inches. However, garage door width (for one or two vehicles) and the height of garage doors can vary more widely. This potential for variation can greatly affect decisions about the sizing and overall design of the decorations intended for garage doors.
The prior art contains numerous examples of garage door displays and displays for other kinds of doors. The prior art includes U.S. Patent App. No 2003/0070335 of Kim (large self-adhesive stickers each covering a section of a garage door); U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,369 to Randone (banner that attaches to top and bottom edges of garage door); U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,474 to Wilson (a cover of resilient material that is creased along at least the top edge to hang from the top edge of a house door); U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,059,005, 6,035,919, 5,946,869, 5,943,803, and 5,937,587 to Zinbarg (all of which attach or have components that attach to a surface of a garage door such as by adhesives or magnets).
The prior art suffers from certain shortcomings or limitations. The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings or limitations in the prior art.
The present invention generally relates to a decorative or novelty device. Specifically, the device is a door hanging for hanging on doors such as garage doors or doors of homes. The door hanging could display decorative or utilitarian images including graphic, cut-out, or three-dimensionally shaped images. In at least one embodiment, the door hanging could consist of a hung object such as a flexible sheet, attachment means such as hooks, and stabilizers such as dowels. The top of the hung object could mechanically attach to the top edge of the door with the hooks. The hung object could hang over the exterior surface of the door. The bottom edge of the hung object could hang freely. The stabilizers could be incorporated into the banner near the top and bottom edges to maintain the shape of the hung object and to hold the hung object in place.
In another embodiment, the banner could consist of a flexible sheet, attachment means, and a stabilizer. The top of banner could attach to the top edge of the door with the attachment means. The flexible sheet could hang over the exterior surface of the door. The bottom edge of the banner could hang freely. The stabilizer could be a pipe-shaped member incorporated into the banner near the bottom edge to maintain the shape of the banner and to hold the banner in place.
This invention encompasses embodiments with one or more of the following objects. The advantages and objects of this invention include:
A door banner that is safe for use; that is easy and convenient to use; that can be packaged for easy storage, shipping, and opening by the user; that is easy and economical to manufacture; that does not damage structures from which it is hung or other structures or items near the banner.
A door banner whose functions could include: displaying various images such as decorative ones (e.g., holiday themes) or utilitarian ones (e.g., home-for-sale) on its exterior surface.
A door banner that could be made of various sizes and shapes for different applications.
A door banner that could be made of one or a combination of materials including plastics (both natural or synthetic), foams, metals, cellulose based materials, woven or nonwoven fabrics, glass, or ceramic.
A door banner that attaches to the top portion of a door by attachment means such as a clip that hangs from the top edge of a door or a magnet that mounts to a surface of the garage door.
A door banner with a bottom portion that would not have to be attached to the door.
A door banner whose position on a door and whose shape could be maintained by a stabilizer that could add weight and structure to a banner and that could preferably be located in the bottom portion of the banner.
A door banner with a flexible sheet that could be made of various materials or combinations of materials including woven or nonwoven fabrics; plastics including plastic sheeting or foam; paper or paper-like materials; and synthetic or natural materials.
A door banner with a flexible sheet on which images could be affixed by various methods or combinations of methods including: printing, stamping, or embossing; attaching components of different sizes, shapes, and materials such as shaped fabric components or three-dimensionally-shaped latex rubber components that could be sewn or otherwise attached to the flexible sheet; cutting portions of the flexible sheet to create silhouettes or openings in the flexible sheet; or applying material such as curable foams or latex-like material to create raised portions on the flexible sheet.
A door banner with a flexible sheet that could have a grid of small holes in it, for example, to limit billowing of the flexible sheet in the wind.
A door banner with attachment means of different kinds including ones that use hooks or hooking devices (such as C-shaped hooks that hang from the top of a door), adhesives, magnets, hook and loop, etc.
A door banner with attachment means of different kinds of materials or combinations of materials including: adhesives; magnets; puncturing devices such as nails or tacks; woven or nonwoven fabrics; plastics including foams and molded plastics; fiberglass; metals; and synthetic or natural materials.
A door banner that could include a stabilizer of different kinds, including elongated items such as a section or sections of pipe or bar; blocks or disks of items; or bags of material.
A door banner with a stabilizer that could include different kinds of materials or combinations of materials including metals, plastics, loose materials such as sand or beads, preferably with a greater weight than the banner material and a greater stiffness than the banner material.
Additional Objects Include:
A door hanging that could be suitable for a door such as a garage door such that, for example, the hung object could fit within the door frame and not interfere with the opening and closing of the sections of the garage door.
A door hanging that could comprise at least attachment means such as a hook and a hung object.
A door hanging that could comprise at least a hook, a hung object, and a stabilizer.
A door hanging with at least one hook as attachment means that could hang from at least one of various kinds of doors such as garage doors, exterior doors, or interior doors.
A door hanging with a hook that could hang at least one hung object from a door.
A door hanging with a hook that could permit the hung object to be put up or taken down with the hook remaining in its position on the door.
A door hanging with a hook that could be adapted to fit on doors of various thicknesses.
A door hanging with a hook that could function with a door such that, for example, the hook would not interfere with the door header when the door is opened or closed.
A door hanging with a hook that could attach mechanically to the door without being affixed directly to a surface with adhesives, magnets, etc., and without altering the surface such as by penetrating it with a tack or screw.
A door hanging with a hook that could attach mechanically to the hung object without the aid of adhesives, magnets, etc., such as by hooking into a slit or hole in the hung object.
A door hanging with a hook that could attach mechanically to a stabilizer.
A door hanging with a hook that could include different kinds of materials or combinations of materials including metals or plastics that could be made using various manufacturing techniques including molding, stamping, forming, extruding, or fabricating.
A door hanging that could attach to at least one stabilizer that could serve purposes such as serving as the object from which a hung object hangs or maintaining the shape or position of a hung object on the door, or adding weight to a hung object.
A door hanging with at least one stabilizer near the top portion of the hung object.
A door hanging with at least one stabilizer near the bottom portion of the hung object.
A door hanging with a stabilizer that could be extended or reduced in size such as a stabilizer comprising at least two shorter lengths of dowel that could be connected to form the stabilizer.
A door hanging with a hung object that could attach mechanically to a hook or stabilizer.
A door hanging with a stabilizer that could include different kinds of materials or combinations of materials including shaped materials such as metals or plastics that could be made using various manufacturing techniques including molding, stamping, forming, extruding, or fabricating; or loose materials such as sand or beads, preferably with a greater weight than the hanging material and a greater stiffness than the hanging material.
A door hanging with a hung object that could comprise many different things including flexible sheets of various shapes including rectangles, triangles, or cut-outs or three-dimensionally-shaped pieces.
A door hanging with a hung object that could be made of various materials or combinations of materials including woven or nonwoven fabrics; plastics including plastic sheeting or foam; paper or paper-like materials; and synthetic or natural materials.
A door hanging with a hung object on which images could be affixed by various methods or combinations of methods to various materials and combinations of materials including: printing, stamping, or embossing; attaching components of different sizes, shapes, and materials such as shaped fabric components or three-dimensionally-shaped latex rubber or plastic components.
Devices contemplated by this invention could be suitable for many purposes. Only some of those uses are discussed in this specification. Many other uses are contemplated within the scope of this invention.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment, object, advantage, or use of the present invention. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Nomenclature
Where this specification uses terms to describe garage doors, the intent is to be consistent with the definitions set out in “Technical Data Sheet #160,” from the Door and Access Manufacturers Association International (DASMA) of Aug. 8, 2001.
Construction
The flexible sheet 101 shown in
The attachment means 102 could have a C-shape and could fit over the top edge 106 of the garage door 112.
The stabilizer 103 shown in
The stabilizer 103 could serve at least two functions. First it could help maintain the shape of the banner 100, preventing puckering or gathering of the flexible sheet 101. Second, it could add weight to the bottom edge 109 of the banner 100 to help keep the banner 100 hanging tautly from the top edge 106 of the door 100.
The two sections of pipe 110a, 110b shown in
When used on a typical sectional garage door 112 in a closed position, the banner 100 could hang freely from the top edge 106 of the garage door 112 as shown in
The hung object 601 shown in
The hung object could have sleeves 611a and 611b into which the stabilizers 603a and 603b could be inserted.
The hooks 602a and 602b could fit over and mechanically attach to the top edge 606 of the garage door 612.
The hooks 602a and 602b could be made of a springy material to create a clamping force 617 on the interior and exterior surfaces 618, 619 of the door 612 just below the top edge 606. Alternatively, the hooks 602a and 602b could simply hook over the top edge 606, relying primarily on gravity and the weight of the hung object 601 and the stabilizers 603a and 603b to keep the hanging 600 in position.
The hooks 602a and 602b should have a sufficiently low profile 652 extending from the exterior side 619 of the garage door 612. This could prevent the hooks 602a and 602b from snagging (not shown) on weather-stripping 651 or the garage door header 650 when the garage door 612 is opened (not shown).
Having two stabilizers 603a and 603b could serve at least two functions. First it could help maintain the shape of the hung object 601, preventing puckering or gathering of the hung object 601 near the top edge 608 or bottom edge 609 of the hung object 601. Second, it could add weight to the hanging 600 to maintain the position of the hanging 600 on the door 612. the bottom edge 609 of the hanging 600 to help keep the hanging 600 hanging tautly from the top edge 606 of the door 600.
A hanging 700 with only a top stabilizer 703 might be suitable, for example, for a hung object 701 made of heavier fabric or other materials than the hung object 101 shown in
As shown in
Modifications
The present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the claims arising from this application. For example, while suitable sizes, materials, fasteners, and the like have been disclosed in the above discussion, it should be appreciated that these are provided by way of example and not of limitation as a number of other sizes, materials, fasteners, and so forth may be used without departing from the invention. Various modifications as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art to which the present invention is directed upon review of the present specifications. The claims which arise from this application are intended to cover such modifications and structures.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications No. 60/591,178 filed on Jul. 26, 2004, and No. 60/637,416 filed on Dec. 20, 2004.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60591178 | Jul 2004 | US | |
| 60637416 | Dec 2004 | US |
