Patent Application
20140047746
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to systems and methods for frames having interchangeable facades. Specifically, the present invention provides a frame for pictures or other two dimensional objects that includes means for interchanging the front facing facade of the frame to allow the environment of an image to be readily altered without inserting the image into a different frame.
2. Background Information
It is a common practice in homes, offices, public and private facilities and institutions, to mount photographs covering every conceivable subject on walls and other surfaces, by using a variety of framing, holding, and hanging structures. In addition to mounting photographs on walls, photographs are also mounted on desks, filing cabinets, shelves To protect the photograph or other image and enhance its visual appeal, a number of picture frames and holders are available. Framing is advantageous in that it improves the aesthetic appearance of the work. However, framing methods are expensive and time consuming when attaching the work to the frame. It may also be difficult to find a properly sized frame and one that matches the interior decorating motifs of the room in which it is displayed.
It is also common practice to alter the decorations of a home or office throughout the year, depending on the season and upcoming holidays. For example, around the holidays Christmas, Chanukah, Thanksgiving and Easter, it is common to decorate a home or office with various and sundry ornamental objects. Frames for all of these and other occasions are available. However, it is not practical to reframe all of the images in a room for each season or holiday. This is time consuming and finding the correctly sized frames is overly burdensome. Thus, throughout the year the images within a room retain the same frame, and thus the same ornamentation, despite changing seasons and their surroundings.
Similarly, it is desirable to alter the interior decorating style of a home or office every few years or at other intervals. This usually entails finding all new frames to match the new motifs of design, or restricting the new choice of style to one that matches the existing frames. Neither alternative is desirable.
It is therefore desirable to provide a means for expeditiously and inexpensively changing a picture frame.
It is also desirable to provide a means for altering one or more picture frames to match changing interior decorating styles, seasons and holidays without requiring the purchase of new frames and the removal and re-installation of pictures or images from one frame to another.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a frame having a plurality of facades that may be readily interchanged to provide different decorative features surrounding the enclosed picture.
In one embodiment, a frame in accordance with the invention may include a frame having at least one enclosed area for retaining a photograph or other two dimensional object, a top surface having a magnetic layer and a plurality of facades magnetically and removably attachable to the top surface. The frame may also include a plurality of components and objects that are magnetically and removably attachable to the top surface.
In another embodiment, a frame in accordance with the invention may include a frame having at least one enclosed area for retaining a photograph or other two dimensional object and a top surface having flanged strips. The frame may include a plurality of facade components that may be removably attached to the top surface and held in place by the flanged strips.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a frame the appearance of which may readily be altered for various occasions or settings.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As used herein, “magnetic,” “ferromagnetic” and “paramagnetic” may be used interchangeably and generally refer to the quality of responded with an attractive force to other magnetic materials. “Magnetic affixing” generally refers to to objects that exhibit attractive magnetic force upon each other sufficient to hold them together.
The front surface 14 of the body 12 of frame 10 may be magnetic or metal. The entire frame body 12 may be comprised of a magnetic material or a layer of magnetic material may be fixed to the top surface 14. For example, magnetic tape and magnetic rubber, e.g. as used in fabricating refrigerator magnets, may be applied to form a magnetic layer on the top surface 12. The top surface 14 may have a design or decoration or may be a single color. Optionally the top surface 12 may have a pattern such as for example plaid, or may have school colors and themes.
A patterned facade 18 may have a design and/or decorations related to a holiday or theme. Patterned facade 14 may be ferromagnetic, metallic or have a metallic or magnetic bottom surface such that it may magnetically affixes to the top surface 14 of the frame 10. Similarly, a Valentine's Day themed facade 20 may be removably attachable to the top surface 14 of frame 10 by magnetic means. Likewise, facade 22 may be removably attached to the top surface 12 of frame 10 by magnetic means. Additional facades may be used that may be removably attachable to the top surface 14 by magnetic means and have any desired design, pattern or decoration for various seasons or events, for example the 4th of July, Birthdays, anniversaries, Halloween, and the like. The facades may be made of metal, a magnet or be ferromagnetic or otherwise capable of interacting with a magnetic field such that it remains magnetically affixed to the top surface. Other mechanisms of removable attachment, such as for example a hook and loop mechanism, may be used.
The facades 18, 20 and 22 are all substantially planar. However, it may be optionally desirable to include facades having a three dimensional design, thicker in some regions and thinner in others. The shape and design of the facades may be of any desired and may optionally include different textures.
Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/673,224, filed Jul. 18, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61673224 | Jul 2012 | US |
