Patent Application
20120151811
1. Field of Invention
The disclosures made herein relate generally to picture exhibiting and more particularly to picture frames and hangers.
2. Description of Prior Art
Traditionally, artwork is mounted on a backboard, matted, and then covered with a glazing such as glass. This combination of glazing, matting, art, and backing is then framed with picture molding and hung by attaching a wire to the back of the frame and looping it over a nail pounded into a wall. When using this method of framing, the amount of molding needed to frame the picture increases with the size of the picture. Furthermore, it requires special tools and abilities to mitre and join the corners. This makes traditional picture framing expensive and difficult to fabricate.
An alternative to traditional picture framing is metal channel framing as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,367,803 and 4,547,986. Both eliminate the need of tools and special skills as the metal channel molding can be purchased in mitred, pre-cut lengths with do-it-yourself fasteners. But like traditional picture framing, the larger the artwork, the more expensive it is to frame.
To solve this problem, a variation of metal channel molding is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,350. Here, short strips of molding are fastened to the edges of the artwork intermittently instead of continuous border framing. This reduces the cost of framing, however it still requires a separate hanger and like other metal channel frame moldings is restricted to framing linear artwork.
Similar to intermittent metal channel framing, U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,682 shows clips placed around the corner edges of the artwork and held in place with a binding cord kept in tension with a spring. This system resolves the one size fits all dilemma, but is complicated and still requires a separate hanger that must be attached to the back of the artwork.
Another alternative method to traditional picture framing employs stamped metal clips as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,509,278 and 3,541,714. These clip frames are generally aimed at the light-weight, instant frame market where they are sold in pre-packaged sizes with the glazing and the backing included as the clips require special grooves in the backing to anchor them. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,630 uses extruded plastic to clip art materials together, but it too requires a special backing and a separate hanger.
Generally, artwork hung with a wire and a nail as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,094 is problematic. First of all, the wire tends to stretch when the weight of the picture is applied to it making it difficult to correctly position the artwork. Secondly, it is difficult to loop the wire over a nail that is hidden from sight by the picture itself during the process of hanging it. And thirdly, the artwork is invariably affected by building vibrations, or accidental bumps that causes it to tilt.
In view of these deficiencies, there is a need for a picture hanger that is inexpensive, fits all sizes and shapes of artwork, is easy to install, easy to hang, and is not affected by vibrations, or casual bumps. As will become apparent from the following, the present invention satisfies these needs.
Traditional picture framing using molding is generally expensive because the amount of molding needed depends on the size of the picture. Also, it usually requires professional services to fabricate it. Other picture framing solutions are primarily aimed at the pre-packaged, ready-made frame market and are sold in limited sizes. To solve these problems, in one aspect, the embodiment of the present invention combines the containment element of a frame and the support element of a hanger in one device to hold and display artwork independent of size, weight and shape.
In one preferred embodiment of the slotted picture hanger, an upper containment lip and a lower containment lip are joined by a shoulder to form a picture mounting slot that grips the artwork. At the base formed by the shoulder and the lower containment lip are one or more pins. The edge of the artwork is inserted into the picture mounting slot and once secured, the artwork can be displayed by pressing the pin(s) into any suitable display surface. In another preferred embodiment, one or more adjustable picture mounting fasteners can be placed in the lower containment lip, so they can be tightened to anchor the artwork, yet remain out of view when the artwork is displayed. Alternatively, in another embodiment, one or more adjustable picture mounting fasteners can be placed in the upper containment lip so the artwork can be secured, yet easily removed or changed without pulling the slotted picture hanger(s) out from the display surface.
By combining the framing element and the hanger element in one device, the cost of picture framing and hanging is reduced and the process is simplified. The hangers are easy to install and can be used singularly or in combinations to display artwork of various weights, sizes, and shapes. Furthermore, once installed, the artwork is anchored firmly and is not affected by building vibrations, or accidental bumps that can cause pictures to tilt. This is ideal when a large number of pictures are on display that need to stay in line.
The following detailed descriptions accompanied with drawings give a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention.
The slotted picture hanger is a device for displaying artwork. A preferred embodiment of the slotted picture hanger is comprised of at least some of the following: an upper containment lip; a lower containment lip; a shoulder joining the upper containment lip and the lower containment lip; a picture mounting slot formed by the upper containment lip, the lower containment lip, and the shoulder; one or more picture mounting fasteners; and one or more pins.
In order to use the slotted picture hanger, the elements of the artwork are first assembled. The term artwork as related to the present invention is used in the broadest sense and includes, but is not limited to, photographs, prints, paintings, art collages, posters, newspaper clippings, display signs, notices, bulletin boards, or other graphic materials mounted with or without glazing, matting, backing, or in combination with other media. The artwork is placed in the picture mounting slot of the slotted picture hanger and once it is secured, the artwork is displayed by pressing the pin(s) protruding from the base of the slotted picture hanger into the display surface. The number of slotted picture hangers used can depend on, amongst other considerations, the size, the weight, and the shape, as well as for aesthetic reasons.
Referring to
Referring to
The bottom view of pin head 27 is shown in
Slotted picture hangers can be used singularly, or in various combinations to display artwork.
Another preferred embodiment of the slotted picture hanger is seen in
A more detailed view of the top adjustable picture mounting fastener is depicted in
Another preferred embodiment of the slotted picture hanger is illustrated in
Yet, another preferred embodiment of the slotted picture hanger is shown in a perspective view in
It should be obvious that the pin head of the slotted picture hanger can be made of various plastics, metals, metal alloys, ceramics, glasses, or other materials, or combinations thereof. It can also be of any colour, or shape including sculpted forms while still maintaining the necessary functional elements. Furthermore, it can be elongated laterally to any desired length, as can be the offset of the shoulder from the base of the lower containment lip. Similarly, the length and size of the upper and lower containment lips are variable, as is the size of the picture mounting slot they form in conjunction with the shoulder.
The pin head itself can be produced by a number of manufacturing processes including, but not limited to, extrusion, die casting, hand-crafting, laser cutting, injection moulding, or milling.
The picture mounting fasteners can be fixed or adjustable and can include, but are not limited to, metal or plastic machine screws, thumb screws, grub screws, wood screws, rivets, nails, and pins. Other methods of sinking, or bonding picture mounting fasteners to the containment lips are also possible, as are various arrangements of plural picture mounting fasteners and pins. Plural picture mounting fasteners can be fixed or adjustable and can be placed in the upper containment lip, the lower containment lip, or in any combination in both the upper and the lower containment lips.
The pin(s) protruding outward from the base of the pin heads can be a variety of lengths and thicknesses depending on, amongst other considerations, the size of the slotted picture hanger and the weight of the artwork. Also, they can be round, flat, square, or any other desired shape made from metal, or other suitably rigid materials.
As changes can be made to the foregoing disclosures without departing from the broad concepts of the invention, it should be understood that the embodiments of this invention as described herein are not intended to limit it, but to include all changes and modifications that are within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed.
