Referring to
The case body 10 has a receiving cavity 11 and a utility edge 12, and comprising a utility panel 13 having a displaying surface 14 extended from the utility edge 12.
The hinge edge frame arrangement 20 comprises a first edge frame 21, a second edge frame 22, and a resilient element 23. The first edge frame 21 is extended along the utility edge 12 of the case body 10 to retain the utility panel 13 in position, wherein the first edge frame 21 comprises an elongated outer wall 211 and an elongated inner wall 212 defining an elongated holding slot 213 between the outer and inner wall 211, 212 along the utility edge 12, wherein the outer wall 212 has a closed stopping surface 214 formed at an closed end of the holding slot 213 and an opened stopping surface 215 formed at a opening end of the holding slot 213.
The second edge frame 22 comprises an elongated pivot arm 221, having an arc-shaped body portion 2212 and an enlarged end portion 2211, pivotally received in and extended along the holding slot 213 of the first edge frame 21, and a clipping member 222 extended from the pivot arm 221, wherein the clipping member 222 is adapted to fold between a clipping position and a releasing position, wherein at the clipping position, the clipping member 222 is rested on the displaying surface 14 of the utility panel 13 along the utility edge 12 that the enlarged end portion 2211 of the pivot arm 221 is slid in the holding slot 213 to stop at the closed stopping surface 214 thereof, and at the releasing position, the clipping member 222 is pivotally lifted up from the displaying surface 14 of the utility panel 13 that the enlarged end portion 2211 of the pivot arm 221 is slid out from the holding slot 213 to stop at the opened stopping surface thereof 215.
The resilient element 23 couples with the second edge frame 22 for applying a clipping force to the clipping member 222 to retain the clipping member 222 at the clipping position, such that the clipping member 222 of the second edge frame 22 is adapted for securely holding the object on the utility panel 13 of the case body 10 along the utility edge 12 thereof.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case body 10 further comprises an elongated rear panel 15 and two side panels 16, wherein the rear panel 15 and the utility panel 13 are securely connected by the hinge edge frame arrangement 20 for forming the receiving cavity 11 within the rear panel 15, the utility panel 13 and the two side panels 16.
In other words, the case body 10 further comprises the side panel 16 extended from the utility edge 12 to transversely align with the utility panel 13, wherein the first edge frame 21 further comprises two panel connectors 219 securely connecting corresponding edges of the utility panel 13 and the side panel 16 so as to connect the utility panel 13 and the side panel 16 in an edge-to-edge manner along the utility edge 12.
Each of the panel connectors 219 comprises two spaced apart edge connecting walls 2191, wherein the edges of the utility panel 13 and the side panel 16 are securely mounted to the panel connectors 219 between the edge connecting walls 2191 so as to substantially connect the utility panel 13 and the side panel 16 in an edge-to-edge manner.
Accordingly, the first edge frame 21 further comprises two retention holders 216 downwardly and longitudinally extended from the elongated outer wall 211 and the elongated inner wall 212 to connect with a rear edge of the utility panel 13 and a top edge of the elongated rear panel 15 respectively wherein the utility edge 12 is formed on the utility panel 13, and the second edge frame 22 is allowed to pivotally fold between the clipping position and the releasing position at the utility edge 12 of the case body 10.
Each of the elongated outer wall 211 and the elongated inner wall 212 has an arc-shaped cross section of a predetermined radius of curvature for forming the elongated holding slot 213 having two curved sidewalls as the elongated outer wall 211 and the elongated inner wall 212 respectively, wherein the elongated pivot arm 221 of the second edge frame 22 is adapted to pivotally fold between the clipping position and the releasing position in such a manner to follow the radius of curvature of the elongated outer wall 211 and the elongated inner wall 212. In other words, the elongated pivot arm 221 has a corresponding radius of curvature as that of the elongated inner wall 212 and the elongated outer wall 211 for pivotally moving between the clipping position and the releasing position, wherein the enlarged end portion 2211 is arranged to be pivotally moved to bias against the opened stopping surface 215 when the second edge frame 22 is at the releasing position.
The enlarged end portion 2211 of the pivot arm 221 has two opposed end surfaces forming a first biasing surface 2213 and a second biasing surface 2214 respectively and arranged in such a manner that when the clipping member 222 is folded at the clipping position, the first biasing surface 2213 of the enlarged end portion 2211 of the pivot arm 221 is biased against the closed stopping surface 214 of the holding slot 213, and when the clipping member 222 is folded at the releasing position, the second biasing surface 2214 of the enlarged end portion 2211 of the pivot arm 221 is biased against the opened stopping surface of the holding slot 213.
The second edge frame 22 further comprises a retention arm 224 integrally and outwardly extended from a lower end of the body portion of the pivot arm 221 to define an arc-shaped supporting slot 225 between the pivot arm 221 and the retention arm 224, wherein the outer wall 211 of the first edge frame 21 is shaped and sized to slidably fit in the supporting slot 225, wherein the retention arm 224 has an inner retention surface 2241 and a pivot end 2242 extended from the retention surface 2241 to bias against the outer wall 211 such that the pivot end 2242 of the retention arm 224 forms a pivot point of the second edge frame 22 with respect to the first edge frame 21 to guide the pivot arm 221 to slide within the holding slot 213 while the retention surface 2241 of the retention arm 224 is biased against an outer surface of the outer wall 211 when the clipping member 222 is folded to rest on the displaying surface 14 of the utility panel 13.
In other words, the holding slot 213 has a predetermined curvature to define a traveling distance between the opened stopping surface 215 and the closed stopping surface 214 of the holding slot 213 that allows the pivot arm 221 sliding along that traveling distance between the clipping position and the releasing position of the second edge frame 22.
Moreover, the elongated pivot arm 221 further has a curved outer surface 2212 having a curvature same as a curvature of the elongated inner wall 212 in such a manner that the outer surface 2212 of the pivot arm 221 is fittedly sliding on the inner surface of the inner wall 212 in a frictionally and slidably movable manner.
Referring to
Accordingly, the resilient element 23 comprises a spring clip having two urging edges coupling at the inner wall of the first edge frame 21 and the clipping member 222 respectively for applying the clipping force to the clipping member 222.
The clipping member 222 has an elongated main portion 2221 extended from the elongated pivot arm 221, and a clipping rim 2222 downwardly extended along an inner edge of the elongated main portion 2221 to form a substantially L-shaped structure for defining a clipping cavity 2223 between the elongated main portion 2221 and the clipping rim portion 222, wherein a portion of the object (e.g. the top portion of a piece of paper) is arranged to be retrievably retained within the clipping cavity 2223 when the second edge frame 22 is at the clipping position.
It is worth mentioning that the case body 10 may comprise a plurality of first and the second edge frames 21, 22 provided at sides of the case body 10 for clipping the objects on the displaying surface 14. The operation of the present invention is as follows: the second edge frame 22 is normally retained at the clipping position. When the user wishes to clip something on the displaying surface 14, he or she has to pivotally move the clipping member 222 from the clipping position to the releasing position, and when the clipping member 222 is at the releasing position, the clipping cavity 2223 is exposed to be accessed by the user, so that the user is able to put some objects, such as head portions of documents on the displaying surface 14 at a position aligning with the clipping cavity 2223. Afterwards, the user can simply release the clipping member 222 for allowing it to be pivotally driven by the resilient element 23 to move from the releasing position and the clipping position. The documents are then securely yet detachably clipped on the displaying surface 14. The user is then able to write something thereon with the support of the rigid displaying surface 14.
The hinge edge frame arrangement 20 further comprises a lighting unit 40 provided in the case body 10 for providing illumination towards the displaying surface 14. Accordingly, the utility panel 13 is preferably made of material which is capable of admissible visible light so as to allow illumination of the documents placed on the utility panel 13.
Referring to
Referring to
In other words, the case body 10′ comprises the main frame panel 11′ wherein the hinge edge frame arrangement 20 is operatively provided along the utility edge 12 of the case body 10′ to form a photo case of the present invention adapted for holding a photo 80′ as the object, wherein the clipping member 222 is adapted to move between the releasing position and the clipping position for selectively holding the photo 80′ on the displaying surface 14.
As a slight alternative, the case can be hanged onto a surface, such as a wall, for optimally displaying the photo 80′ on the wall. Accordingly, the case further comprises two frame connecting members 81′ extended from the case body 10′ for being mounted onto the wall by two connectors respectively. As a result, the case can be securely mounted onto the wall for displaying the photo 80′, yet it can conveniently replaced by the user from a front side of the case.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.