BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described further, hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above and one side, showing one embodiment of a picture frame stand in accordance with the present invention in its operational position supporting a picture frame;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below of a leg part of the picture frame stand of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a bracket portion of the stand of FIG. 1 for receiving the leg of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the bracket portion of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the picture frame stand of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 fitted to a picture frame and disposed in a hanging mode;
FIG. 6 is a side view, to an enlarged scale illustrating the connection between the leg and the bracket portion;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are side views illustrating the same stand in use with two different perimeter frame widths;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are exaggerated diagrammatic views to illustrate the apparatus of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8;
FIG. 11 illustrates how the present device can accommodate a range of moulding widths;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view from above and one side, showing a second embodiment of a picture frame stand in accordance with the present invention in its operational position supporting a picture frame;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the embodiment of FIG. 12 in a folded, hanging or transit state;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bracket of the embodiment of FIG. 12 from the front and one side;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the bracket of the embodiment of FIG. 12 from the rear and said one side;
FIG. 16 is a sectional side view illustrating the embodiment of FIG. 12 in its operational state;
FIG. 17 is a partial front view of the support leg of the second embodiment;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the bracket of a third embodiment of a picture frame stand in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 19 is a side elevation of the bracket of FIG. 18; and
FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view showing the third embodiment when in a picture hanging or transit state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the first embodiment of the stand comprises a bracket 10 and a leg 12 which are pivotally coupled together. The leg 12 comprises a rigid elongate body 14 which carries at its one end an integral cylindrical bar 16, coupled to the body 14 by way of a narrowed neck portion 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bar 16 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body portion 14. In the presently illustrated embodiment, the elongate body 14 of the leg is curved upwardly near the end opposite to the bar 16 so as to provide a curved surface region 20 on its underside for minimizing the possibility of scratching a surface 22 on which the stand supports a picture frame in use (see also FIGS. 7 and 8).
The bracket 10 is made of a springy material, which is preferably a metal but may also be a suitable plastics material, and comprises a generally rectangular front panel 24 connected at its lower end to a pair of upstanding springy rear flaps 26a, 26b via a coupling portion 28 and connected at its upper end to portions 32a, 32b defining respective part-cylindrical, generally smooth surfaced bearing-forming portions which together form an open channel 33. The front panel 24 includes a pair of depending, flap portions 30a, 30b which are inclined out of the plane of the front panel 24 so as to extend towards the rear flaps 26a, 26b. The rear flaps 26a, 26b are themselves inclined somewhat forwardly towards the front panel 24 as best seen in FIG. 6 but have outwardly directed lead-in regions 25 adjacent their free ends for facilitating the slipping of the bracket onto a backing panel as described hereinafter.
As is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, the part-cylindrical recesses 32a, 32b of the bracket receive and partially embrace respective substantially smooth end portions of the cylindrical bar 16 whereby to pivotally couple together the leg and the bracket.
The relative radial dimensions of the part-cylindrical portions of the bar 16 and the springiness of the material forming the part-cylindrical portions 32a, 32b are chosen to be such that the part-cylindrical portions firmly grip the bar 16 but nevertheless allow their relative angular positions to be adjusted by overcoming the tight friction coupling therebetween. The surfaces of the part-cylindrical bearing portions 32a, 32b and the end portions of the cylindrical bar received therein are generally smooth, but can nevertheless be roughened to increase the friction therebetween.
As best seen in FIG. 3, the springy flaps 30a, 30b on the front panel 24 are disposed so as to face and oppose the rear flaps 26a, 26b whereby when the bracket is applied to the rear panel 36 of a picture frame by introducing the rear panel 36 between these opposed pairs of springy flaps (see FIGS. 1 and 5), the rear panel 36 is positively gripped between these pairs of flaps to hold the bracket in place. It will be appreciated also that this arrangement of the opposed springy flaps will grip virtually any rear panel having a thickness not greater than the width of the coupling portion 28, (dimension ‘A’ in FIG. 6). The bracket is therefore not restricted to use with any particular rear panel thickness. It will also be appreciated that the opposed springy flaps of the bracket could grip the picture frame itself, although in this case the rear flaps 26 would be disposed at the front of the picture frame.
In use, the bracket is normally fitted centrally to the lower edge of the rear panel 36, corresponding to the lower edge of the picture which is to be mounted. As shown in FIG. 1 and in FIGS. 7 and 8, in this condition, the leg is pivoted manually relative to the bracket, by rotating the bar 16 within the part-cylindrical bearing-forming portions 32a, 32b so as to achieve a stable attitude for the picture frame on a supporting surface 22. It will be appreciated that a wide range of stable angular positions can be obtained using this arrangement.
The principal advantage of the present stand over that provided by our earlier Application No. GB-A 2 396 296 is that the bracket and leg are not limited to discrete angular relative positions but can assume an infinite number of relative angular positions due to the spring-assisted friction coupling therebetween provided by the bar 16 and the springy part-circular channels 32.
The present structure also provides important practical advantages over devices of the type described in GB 556877 for the following reasons which are explained in connection with diagrammatic FIGS. 9 and 10 and with FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 to which reference is now directed. It should be noted that FIGS. 9 and 10 are highly diagrammatic and show gaps between components that are highly exaggerated for the purposes of explanation.
As evident from these Figures, the part-circular, bearing-forming channels or recesses 32a, 32b are formed by continuations of the first panel 24 of the bracket 10, these continuations being curved in a direction such that the mouths of the part-circular channels 32a, 32b open towards an imaginary plane containing the front wall 24 (see FIG. 6). Furthermore, the open mouths of the channels 32a, 32b are wide enough to enable the ends of the bar 16 to be inserted simply with a snap-in fit.
The effect of this structure is that when the bracket 10 and support leg 12 have been applied to a picture frame as in FIG. 1 so that the back panel 36 of the frame is gripped between the front and rear panels 24, 26 of the bracket, and the support leg 12 is rotated downwardly in direction B (FIG. 9), the front panel 24 is levered away from the back panel 36 somewhat so that the bar 16 leaves frictional contact with the back panel 36 and the curvatures of the part-circular channels 32a, 32b are opened-up somewhat as a result of the rotational frictional drag from the rotating bar 16, whereby to cause the relaxation of the frictional grip on the rotating bar 16. As a result, the frictional forces resisting rotation of the leg 12 are reduced and the leg can be rotated easily to bring it into its operational position shown in FIGS. 1 and 9.
However, when the rotation of the leg in direction B is discontinued, the front panel 24 returns to its original position shown in FIG. 10 in which the bar 16 is urged against the back panel 36 as a result of the inherent springiness of the bracket material. In this condition, the weight of the frame provides a force component F which acts so as to try to pivot the leg in direction C. In this case, the frictional drag between the bar and the part-circular channels tends to distort the bracket material defining the channels so that they wrap more closely around the bar and thereby increase the friction therebetween. Furthermore, there is friction between the bar and the back of the rear panel 36 in contact therewith. The combined effect is to increase significantly the frictional forces acting to resist rotation of the leg in direction C and thereby to assist retention of the selected angle of the leg relative to the frame. The resulting arrangement is therefore significantly more stable when in its operational position than in the case of structures of the type shown in GB 556877.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the leg can include an aperture 40 whereby when a picture is to be hung from a vertical wall surface rather than be positioned on a horizontal surface 22, if the bracket is positioned on the upper edge of the rear panel 36 rather than the lower edge and then folded flat against the rear panel 36, the aperture 40 can be used to hang the picture from a conventional picture hook 42 applied to the vertical wall.
The second embodiment of FIGS. 12 to 17 is essentially the same in principle as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 11 but is intended to provide a simpler and cheaper alternative.
The principal difference is that the support 12′ is constructed from a plain elongate bar of circular section which is bent at one end into a triangular shape whereby to provide a pivot portion 16′ which extends perpendicularly to a leg portion 14′. The pivot portion 16′ is received with a friction fit within a channel 33′ formed by a part-cylindrical section 32′ of the bracket 10′ which is sufficiently tight to be capable of holding a selected angular orientation of the support and bracket but which can be overcome by manual manipulation of these elements to select a desired angular orientation therebetween.
Advantageously, the bracket is modified compared to that of the first embodiment so as to have a flat/straight portion 52 connected to the coupling portion 28′ and extending perpendicularly, or generally perpendicular, thereto, and an outwardly curved or bowed portion 54 having the part-cylindrical section 32′ at its free (upper) end. This curved section 54 can usefully include an aperture 56 to which, when the stand is fixed to the top of the picture frame, as compared to its usual position at the bottom of the frame, can provide a means by which the picture frame can be suspended from a hanging fixture such as a wall mounted hook (not shown).
The bracket 10″ of the embodiment of FIGS. 18 to 20 is very similar in principle to the bracket 10′ of FIGS. 12 to 17 except that the outwardly bowed portion 54 of the bracket 10′ is replaced in the bracket 10″ by a flat portion 60 and the part-cylindrical section 32′ of the bracket 10′ is now spaced laterally from the main body of the bracket 10″ via a straight section 62. The generally triangular aperture 56 in the bowed portion 54 of the bracket 10′ is replaced by an aperture 64, located partly in the flat portion 60 and partly in the substantially perpendicularly extending flat portion 62.
Furthermore, as best seen in FIG. 18, the aperture 64 consists of a rectangular section 64a in the flat portion 62 and a half-moon section 64b in the flat portion 60.
By virtue of these changes, when the picture is to be hung on a wall rather than supported on a horizontal surface by the support 12′, more space is provided to enable the tongue 66 of a conventional picture hook 68 to engage through the triangular aperture 70 formed by the support bar 12′ and enter the half-moon shaped section 64b of the aperture 64 in the bracket. In this condition, the part-cylindrical portion 32″ lies within the upwardly facing v-section defined by the tongue 66 and main body 72 of the hanger 68 to firmly and positively engage the bracket 10″ and support the picture in a stable manner.
The above described stands possess a number of further practical advantages as follows.
- (1) Although the present stands comprise two parts in use, these parts fit together in a semi-permanent manner so as to effectively constitute a single component to be slipped onto a picture frame to enable the frame to stand upright in use. This same single component also provides a hanging facility as described hereinabove. The provision of such a ‘single-component’ slip-on device means the industry needs only to store flat backs, so reducing inventory considerably.
- (2) The flexibility of the spring bracket enables it to fit all conventional thicknesses of back panel, making the device a commercial product in its own right which can for example, be sold to DlY/hobby stores and the like, as a stand-alone picture frame support system.
- (3) The device can be manufactured in a variety of materials including metal and plastics, in order to suit all price sectors.
- (4) The spring assisted grip allows the leg to rotate and offer support in an infinite number of positions. It is suitable for all frame sizes, at least up to and including 10×8 inches, which covers 98% of the current market.
- (5) The curved shape of the leg will not damage support surfaces on which a picture frame is to sit. The innate elegance of the delicate leg design will give confidence to the user that damage to the support surface is unlikely.
- (6) The simple, single operation of the device will be understood instantly by the consumer, without the need for potentially confusing instructions.
By the expressions “substantially smooth” and “generally smooth surfaced” as used in this specification and the claims attached thereto, we include the possibility that the surfaces in question can be roughened, for example as by sand-papering or knurling, but exclude the possibility that the engaging surfaces are deliberately provided with surface protuberances and recesses designed to mate together to define particular angular orientations between the support member and bracket.
Patent Application
20080028657
