This application claims the benefit of co-pending Chilean Patent Application Serial No. CL 0086-2018, filed 11 Jan. 2018, which is hereby incorporated herein as though fully set forth.
In the field of materials available for painting or printing works or expose graphic components, it is usual to find canvases mainly made up of a rigid stretcher frame and a tightened fabric attached to the perimeter of the stretcher frame.
Fabrics are usually made up of natural/flexible materials. The stretcher frames are usually made up of a perimeter frame made of solid wood and the fabric is mainly fastened with staples.
This is a proper solution for canvases of a medium or small format. The stretcher frame has square pieces of up to 40 mm, but it is not good for bigger formats, as the stretcher frame must be more robust. Sizes bigger than the aforementioned become expensive and huge, thus transportation of assembled bigger pieces is difficult and there is need of more room for of storage at specialized stores.
Some special solutions for bigger canvases have been devised, which require a special type of installation in order to properly tighten the fabric on big size stretcher frames. The fabric is glued onto a piece of cardboard or a thin wooden panel, which has to be fastened to the stretcher frame anyway, thus increasing costs and still not solving the storage/transportation problem. Another problem arising from big size canvases is that manufacturing process is much slower and complex, as bigger size frames require more hours and hard work to tighten and staple the fabric to the stretcher frame.
That is why this invention solves Prior Art problems by providing a pre-assembled structure which allows manufacturing big size canvases which may be flat stored and transported.
Another objective of this model is to make canvas manufacturing easier, as this allows a more automated process.
Another objective is to provide assorted canvas sizes, not only regarding painting or printing surface, but also regarding frame thicknesses. In case of big fabrics a bigger thickness is necessary to get more rigidity without providing big pieces of solid wood to make up a big frame.
Another objective of this model is to make canvas assembly easier with no further need of equipment or special skills; therefore any person or even the user may assemble it.
Another further objective is to provide full support for the fabric where the painter leans on and where the work is painted, so that the fabric does not tear and dent which may cause loss of the product or the work.
This invention describes a pre-assembled canvas for painting or printing which allows flat storage and transportation, easy assembly to make supports for different thicknesses, as it is based on providing a template structure, with predefined dimensions, pieces, cuts for folding and fastening means aimed to make assembly easier.
It is a foldable supporting structure made up of several flat panels, fastened on a flexible layered substrate for painting or printing, which allows digital or other printing and it works as a hinge at the splicing areas of the panels. The panels are interlocked and separated by “V” longitudinal grooves with an angle between 90°/100°, which allow perpendicular folding of the panels. This design creates a sort of front wall box for painting, plus side walls which have the same thickness of the canvas. The rear walls are the edge the structure is braced on with snap-on connectors.
This layered substrate for painting is a flexible piece, made up of natural or synthetic fabric. It has a front face for painting or printing the work and a rear face where the foldable supporting structure is fastened permanently. The shape outline of the painting or printing substrate is preferably quadrangular or rectangular with some square cuts in each vertex. The sides of the cut match the thickness of the assembled canvas.
This foldable supporting structure is made up of a square or rectangular central panel which is used as a support for the fabric or substrate the artist paints on or prints the piece. At each of its four edges this central panel has a flat bevel, made by grinding the edge between 45°/50°.
The foldable supporting structure has four side panels, forming a perimeter around the central panel. Each of the panels is interlocked and parallel to each of the four sides of the central panel, preferably rectangular. The length of each side panel matches the length of each side of the central panel. Its four edges are beveled between 45°/50°. When the supporting structure is folded, the width of these side panels becomes the thickness of the canvas which also matches the length of the sides of the square cuts, located at the vertexes of the layered substrate.
Interlocked to its outer edge, each of the four side panels has a rear panel. These four rear panels have beveled edges by grinding between 45°/50°. The smaller sides have a side cut between 45°/50°.
These rear panels have through holes interlocked to each of the smaller sides. When the structure is folded and the rear panels are folded making up the rear edge of the canvas, such through holes are interlocked.
The fastening means of all the structure are made up of a framing triangle-shaped piece and some snap-on connectors. The triangle-shaped pieces are set below each corner of the rear panels when the structure is folded.
These triangle-shaped pieces have two through holes, which match in the same axis with the rear panel's through holes. The pin type snap-on connectors are inserted in the rear panel's through holes and the through holes of the triangle-shaped pieces. In this way the panels and the triangle-shaped piece are interlocked, which in turn, interlocks the rear, in each of the four corners of the structure.
Another fastening means may be by using wooden wedges with screws, glue or staples.
The painting substrate may be made up of synthetic or natural fabric, as a base for the paint which acts as a hinge among the panels. It may also be a cellulose or synthetic based film with a printing. In turn, the various panels of the foldable supporting structure may be made up of a material, such as chipboard, plywood, plastic, cardboard, layered plate of molded expanded polystyrene or similar materials.
A detailed description of the model and the figures shall be made in this presentation.
The invention includes a pre-assembled canvas for painting, which allows flat storage/transportation. It is easy to assemble to make up supports with assorted thicknesses.
The layered substrate (2) has the same width and length of the foldable supporting structure (3). The shape of the layered substrate (2) for painting is square or rectangular with some square cuts (23) in each vertex.
The central panel (31) of the supporting structure is quadrangular. It has a front face (311), a rear face (312), (
The side panels (32) are interlocked to each of the four edges of the central panel (31). They are rectangular and make up the thickness of the frame. Each of its four edges has a bevel (321) between 45°/50°.
The rectangular rear panels (33) have smaller sides (331) and are cut on a side with an angle between 45°/50°. The edges have a bevel (332) between 45°/50°. These panels made up the rear edge of the supporting structure (3).
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9861215 | Ridless | Jan 2018 | B2 |
10765238 | Millman | Sep 2020 | B2 |
20110016759 | Ramos-Gonzalez | Jan 2011 | A1 |
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20180213950 | Millman | Aug 2018 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country |
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3753457 | Dec 2020 | EP |
WO-2015058504 | Apr 2015 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190210403 A1 | Jul 2019 | US |