Spring-loaded holders

Abstract

Several different types of spring-loaded holders. The first type is a cam-based holder which can activate a cam action for holding a stack of art sheets. The second type is a toggle holder which can be toggled between a closed position for holding a stack of art sheets and an open position for loading and unloading said art sheets. Such holders can be installed in a picture frame for holding a stack of art sheets of varied thicknesses. These holders can be further modified and used in a variety of holding boards including fun boards, bulletin boards and poster boards. A one-piece injection molded stretcher with grid will increase the strength of the stretcher and allow thinner stretcher to be used. It is proposed that a framed art ensemble be sold in a retail store. Each ensemble comprises a frame with the present holders and a plurality of matching art sheets of standard sizes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to holding and displaying sheet arts, and more specifically, to holding devices such as picture frames and sheet holding boards for holding and displaying the sheet arts. Here the sheet arts may include art sheets, photographs, printer outputs, and any sheet materials that are to be displayed.

Picture frames, or simply termed frames in the present discussion, can be divided into two different types of frames depending on its commercial transaction. The first type of frame is a photo frame or commonly still termed as picture frame. It is usually sold as a unit by itself without the sheet art. The buyer generally uses such frame for framing a personal photo. But occasionally such frames are also used to frame a non-photo art sheet such as a high school diploma.

Most photo frames are user friendly to a certain degree. It generally allows user to reuse this photo frame for displaying other photos or art sheets. Most photo frames can only hold one or two photos, and is not flexible enough to hold a large number of photo sheets. The retainers used in these photo frames such as turn buttons are passive retaining means and is not strong enough to hold without shifting a photo which is smaller than the internal size of the frame. Adhesive must be used to glue this photo to the back of a mat board. This will likely result in some damage to the photo or the mat board. It will also prevent the same mat board to be later used for other photos.

Some photo frames use one or more card boards as spacers, which can be removed for allowing more photos to be stored. But unless the additional photos added equal the card boards removed in thickness the photos mounted will not be firmly held by the passive turn buttons.

The second type of frames is an art frame. This art frame is usually sold as part of a pre-framed art or custom made at a framing shop after an art sheet is acquired. The primary function of this art frame is for displaying and protection of the framed art sheet. This is OK if the art sheet is an original art or expensive limited edition reproduction of an original art. In view of its high cost the accompanied art frame more likely will serve this art sheet indefinitely and will not be reused again. But in many cases the art frame will cost more than the art sheet it intends to display and protect. For example, an official reproduction of the famous Mona Lisa print (50 cm×70 cm; 20″×27″) can be purchased from Louvre at about the cost of a typical dinner for two. But it may cost several times of that to obtain an art frame to properly frame such a print.

Largely owing to the recent advance of printing technology and computer based graphics, the reproduction of most original sheet art can be beautifully made at low cost. An archive grade ink jet color reprint can endure for one hundred years or more under normal photo frame display condition. Art sheet reproduction by good commercial grade but low cost mass printing may last even longer.

In spite of this print reproduction advancement, the present art frame industry is still placing main emphasis on the protection of the displayed art sheets. This is done at the expense of one other important consideration for an art frame, its reusability. This is done even the main cost in a framed art is the art frame itself.

As a general rule one only needs to keep enough frames to fill his or her household for display. One may continue to acquire more art sheets thereafter. In view of the significant cost of a frame, it is desirable that an existing art frame be made user friendly which would enable user to reuse the same frame for more other acquired art prints. But this is very difficult in the present practice.

Many people purchase a framed art out of impulse. After six months of display there is a strong urge to replace this displayed art. One would wish to know that this art frame can be reused for other art sheets display. A reusable art frame would also be desirable to a person who is interested in changing the displayed arts once in a while as a way to refresh the household wall decoration.

In most framed arts, the art sheet assemblies are held in the art frames with the use of brads or staples. Such retainers are generally not reusable and must be removed for mounting any new art sheets. Removing old retainers and installing new retainers will normally need special equipments and most users are not equipped or trained for such practice. The use of a kraft paper glued to the back of the frame will further intimidate any attempt to reuse the art frames.

As a picture frame is adapted for displaying more than one art sheet assembly, the storage of the unused art sheet assemblies including its mat boards will become a problem. Most picture frame only has space enough to hold one or rarely two art sheet assemblies. Since most wall mounted art sheets are large in size and it is difficult to find alternate space to store these unused art sheet assemblies for later use. If this problem is not resolved the user is unlikely to reuse the same frame for other art sheet display. A common consequence is increasing number of unused framed arts stored in attics or basements.

A calendar such as a monthly calendar normally has twelve calendar pictures, one for each month of the year. But these twelve calendar pictures are not twelve loose and separate pictures but are bound together in a book. Federal copy right law prohibits having one calendar picture removed and displayed separate from the rest of the copy. There is no viable and generally accepted way to display such calendars once it become expired. It is a waste of resource considering that most calendars carry elegant calendar pictures worthy of at least occasional display.

Several conventional boards such as clipboards and bulletin boards offer an alternative way to display art sheets inexpensively. But their use has not been popular in the market place. Some of such boards use a spring clip which is hard to operate and not visually pleasing for display. It must be held constantly against the spring force in the open position during the entire sheet unloading and loading processes. Many bulletin boards use pin or glue which are not secure way for holding sheets to be displayed. This is especially true for a multiple page stack which must be flipped through while mounted on the bulletin board on a wall.

A recent survey disclosed that during the year 2002 in United State a total retail amount of $29 billion was spent on wall mounted art sheets, framed or unframed. This amount can be broken into four segments. The first segment is $7 billion spent on custom framed arts. The second segment is $8.6 billion for preframed arts. The third segment is $9 billion for original arts. The last segment is $4.4 billion for unframed arts.

Most custom framed arts customers consider them self as sophisticated arts buyers. They search the art galleries for arts either by artists' names or categories. Once an art is purchased it will be custom framed.

Most art galleries and custom framing shops are Mama Papa family operations. The selection of art sheets in each retail store is often very limited. This may take a buyer quite some search effort to find one desired art sheet.

There are also many buyers in this segment purchasing art sheets through so called “chance encountering”, i.e., one happens to encounter an art sheet he likes. It typically happens in art galleries by flipping through many art sheets in stock.

In present day art galleries most art sheets are each stored in a large soft vinyl transparent envelope. This envelope must be made large and thus heavy so all art sheets of various size will each fit in one such envelope. It is not an easy job to search through art sheets in stock because the very action of flipping can be tiring by going through just 20 or 30 such envelopes.

The basic problem of going through large number of art sheets by flipping through each art sheet or envelope without knowing beforehand what art sheet it will be encountered is a very inefficient method. Since most art sheets encountered are probably not of interest to the searcher which will result in large wasted flipping effort. Because of the tiring factor above described, most customers simply give up the search after just 20 or 30 flipping actions.

In comparison, search through Internet or publishers' catalogs for interested art sheets is a more efficient search method. Many art sheets in small image print or screen display are shown in one page simultaneously. In the case of Internet, a click of one small image of interest usually redisplays the same image in full scale. But one main problem with these search methods is that one can not touch and feel the actual art sheet before buying it.

The second segment preframed arts are mostly distributed through large chain home furnishing stores, department stores, speciality stores and mass channels. The customers in this segment are mainly young families with a need to decorate their home walls. The buying mode is again through chance encountering. Due to limited space allocated for the display of preframed arts, the selection in each retail store is also very limited. It is not an easy job to hop all local stores to find one desired preframed art. Out of frustration many customers often settle on second best selection but regret on this decision six months after the initial purchase. Since most such preframed arts are not reusable for other art sheets these unwanted preframed arts may eventually rest somewhere in attics or basement storage.

The third segment is the original arts. A significant portion of this segment is the wall mounted original photos such as portraits or family member pictures. When these photos are taken at a photo studio, the photo studios may offer to do a custom framing. Again, the frame will be sealed off and not reusable. When a new photo is to be taken a year later a new frame may have to be purchased again.

The last segment is the unframed arts. Many young customers purchase poster art sheets and mount them on their walls without frames. It is not that young people prefers to stick a poster on the wall using adhesive tape or thumb tacks. It is more likely that they don't want to pay a high price for a frame which is difficult to use and not easily reusable because of frequent change of poster sheets' size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, several different types of spring-loaded holders are disclosed. The first type is a cam-based holder which has a holder base, a holder plate and a cam assembly comprising a plunger and one or more compression springs. The holder plate is rotatable between a deactivated zone and an activated zone. When this holder plate is manually moved to the activated zone a cam action will be activated to apply a holding force to the holder plate for firmly holding a variety of sheet stacks of different thicknesses.

The second type of the spring-loaded holder is a toggle holder which comprises a holder base, a holder plate and one or more tension springs or compression springs. This toggle holder can be toggled between a closed position for firmly holding a stack of art sheets of various thicknesses and an open position to facilitate loading and unloading the art sheets stack.

A novel picture frame employing one or more of the above-described holders is next disclosed. A novel frame step is provided in this picture frame for mounting these holders. A stack of art sheets including the displayed art sheet assembly and many stored art sheet assemblies can be securely held by the holders of this picture frame. This picture frame is very user friendly. The holders are very easy to operate. Practically any art sheet smaller than the picture frame, if needed, can be firmly held and displayed in this picture frame as long as a mat board of appropriate opening size is available. There is no need to glue a smaller art sheet to the back of the mat board. Since all art sheets and mat boards are kept together, the change of the art sheet display can be easily done any time if desired.

It is proposed that a framed art ensemble including an art frame and a mat board of standard size and a plurality of art sheets standardized to match the art frame and the mat board be sellable in one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction. The multiple art sheets with size standardization and the art frame with spring-loaded holding means are put together to create a synergetic benefit in the mind of consumer. It offers the buyer an immediate opportunity to practice and appreciate the display change feature provided by the art frame of the present invention. It will undoubtedly be a strong incentive and improve the sale of this framed art ensemble.

In addition to sheet arts other type of arts normally displayed in a frame can also be easily displayed in the frame of the present invention. Canvas arts such as oil paintings and acrylics customly supported by a stretcher can be replaceably mounted on the present frame directly or one with a liner frame and held firmly by its novel holders. No custom framing will be needed.

Conventional stretchers for canvas arts are made of wood moldings and bulky. A novel molded plastic stretcher is disclosed for replacing the conventional bulky stretchers for the present application. This molded plastic stretcher has molded grid in its center portion which will greatly enhance its structure rigidity and allow the thickness of the stretcher to be much reduced. With this improvement more than one canvas-stretcher can be mounted on the present frame which will greatly facilitate the change of canvas art display and storage of unused canvas arts.

The present picture frame with its deep rabbet is also ideally suited to be used as a shadow box for displaying three dimensional arts such as dried flowers, sea shells, coins, needle works, etc. No framing tool is needed. All parts are standardized in size and provided even including the mount board. Customer only needs to mount the three dimensional art on the mount board.

The novel holders used in the present frame can allow for easy adjustment of the depth of the shadow box. The frame assembly is reversible and reusable. It is easy to change the display of the three dimensional art along with the mount board. The same frame can also be reused for displaying sheet arts, oil painting on stretcher, etc.

The picture frame of the present invention can also be employed for a new application of displaying and storing expired monthly calendar books. The calendar book is simply folded back to expose the calendar picture to be displayed behind a mat board with appropriate opening size. Any unused calendar books can be stored in the picture frame and redisplayed anytime if desired.

The holder of the present invention including both the cam-based and the toggle type can also be applied to a variety of boards including fun boards, bulletin boards, and poster boards. Special attention are paid for ease of operation and safety mainly applicable to young users. Improvement on the holder structure design is made so that all such boards are always operated at or near maximum torque inherent to the holders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the holder of the present invention, as it is mounted on a picture frame which has a portion cut off.

FIG. 2 shows the perspective views of the same holder of FIG. 1, in more details, both assembled and disassembled.

FIG. 3 are the sectional views of the holder of FIG. 1, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line 3-3, as the holder plate is rotated to four different positions.

FIG. 4 shows the perspective view of a holder plate lifter, as it is mounted on the holder of FIG. 1, for rotating the holder plate away from a closed position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the holder of the present invention.

FIG. 6 show a reusable art frame with spring-loaded holders, three art sheets, and two mat boards grouped together as an ensemble.

FIG. 7 shows the elevational view and side view of two calendar books and two mat boards, to be mounted in a picture frame, which is shown disassembled.

FIG. 8 shows the front elevational view and back elevational view of the picture frame mounted with the two calendar books of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of (1) a third embodiment of the holder of the present invention, (2) a cover with a portion broken off to show the internal details, (3) a board on which the holder and the cover are installed, and (4) an art sheet to be held by the holder.

FIG. 10 are sectional views of the holder of FIG. 9, taken substantially on a vertical plane containing the line 10-10, as the holder plate is rotated to three different positions.

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a bulletin board of the present invention, with two holders of FIG. 9, for holding and displaying two art sheets.

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a poster board of the present invention, with two holders of FIG. 9, for holding and displaying a poster sheet.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an art frame with a leaf spring holder for holding a plurality of art sheets with size standardization.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a picture frame with a leaf spring holder for displaying and storing expired calendar books.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the disassembled frame assembly for displaying a canvas art supported on a stretcher.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing up to four canvas arts supported on novel stretchers that can be mounted on the picture frame 500 of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of the liner frame 536 and one canvas art-stretcher 534-530 of FIG. 21, taken substantially on a vertical plane containing the line 22-22. Also shown in FIG. 22 are three other canvas art-stretchers 534-530 of FIG. 21, spaced apart from each other using three spacer bars 538, placed on top of the liner frame 536.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a disassembled frame assembly to be assembled as a shadow box, for displaying a three dimensional art. Portion of said disassembled frame assembly is broken away to reveal the underneath details.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view, showing a frame calendar system of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the frame calendar system of FIG. 27, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line 28-28, showing the details of a toggle stop.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view, showing a frame calendar system of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the frame calendar system of FIG. 31, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line 32-32 of FIG. 31, showing the details of a toggle clamp.

FIG. 35 discloses a third preferred embodiment of a novel toggle holder of the present invention for holding a stack of art sheets in a board type of device.

FIG. 36 shows the use of the toggle holder of the present invention in making a fun board.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the toggle holder and the picture frame of the present invention.

FIG. 42 are the sectional views of the toggle holder and the picture frame of FIG. 41, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line 42-42, as the holder plate is rotated to four different positions.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the toggle holder and the picture frame of the present invention.

FIG. 44 shows a reusable art frame with toggle holders, three art sheets, and two mat boards grouped together as an ensemble.

FIG. 45 shows the elevational view and side view of two calendar books and two mat boards, to be mounted in the present picture frame, which is shown disassembled.

FIG. 46 shows the front elevational view and back elevational view of the present picture frame mounted with the two calendar books of FIG. 45.

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of a disassembled frame assembly of the present invention for displaying a canvas art supported on a stretcher.

FIG. 48 is a perspective view showing up to four canvas arts supported on novel stretchers that can be mounted on the picture frame 3500 of FIG. 47.

FIG. 49 is a sectional view of the liner frame 3536 and one canvas art-stretcher 3534-3530 of FIG. 48, taken substantially on a vertical plane containing the line 49-49. Also shown in FIG. 49 are three other canvas art-stretchers 3534-3530 of FIG. 48, spaced apart from each other using three spacer bars 3538, placed on top of the liner frame 3536.

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of a disassembled frame assembly of the present invention to be assembled as a shadow box, for displaying a three dimensional art. Portion of said disassembled frame assembly is broken away to reveal the underneath details.

FIG. 51 shows the perspective view of a third embodiment of the toggle holder of the present invention, both assembled and disassembled.

FIG. 52 are the sectional views of the toggle holder of FIG. 51, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line 52-52, as the holder plate is rotated to four different positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4

FIGS. 1-4 show a first embodiment of the spring-loaded holder of the present invention. The holder 30 is shown in FIG. 1 mounted on a picture frame 32 with the use of two wood screws 34. This picture frame 32 has a frame body 36, and a portion of which is cut off to provide a cross sectional view of this frame body. It is seen here that in addition to the conventional frame rabbet 38 the frame molding of the frame body 36 has one additional step 40. As shown in FIG. 1 this step 40 is needed for the mounting of the holder 30.

FIG. 2 provides more details of this holder 30 by showing it both disassembled and assembled. This holder 30 mainly comprises a stationary holder base 42, a rotatable holder plate 44, a cam assembly 46 which may include a plunger 48 and two compression springs 50, and two pins 52.

The stationary holder base 42 is typically formed by sheet metal stamping and bending process. At two ends of this holder base 42 are two mounting holes for the entry of the two wood screws 34 for mounting the holder base 42 on the frame body 36 as shown in FIG. 1. Next to the mounting holes are two side flanges 54 which are bent as shown. The end of each side flange 54 is curled to form a curl or sleeve 56. Located between the two side flanges 54 is a center flange 58. The end of the center flange 58 is bent to form a right angle bent 60 which is in parallel with the two side flanges 54.

The rotatable holder plate 44 is also formed to the shape as shown in the figure by a metal sheet stamping and bending process. The back end of this holder plate 44 is also curled to form a curl or sleeve 62. The middle section of this curl 62 is cut back to form a cut out 64. The edge of this cut out 64 is preferably rounded which will be clear at discussion below. The front end of this holder plate 44 is also slightly curled to form a smooth contact surface 66.

As seen in FIG. 2, located between the stationary holder base 42 and the rotatable holder plate 44 is the cam assembly 46 which includes the plunger 48 and two compression springs 50. The plunger 48 is a molded plastic block of high mechanic strength. One side of this plunger 48 is molded to form two plunger wells 67 to receive the two compression springs 50. The opposite side of this plunger 48 is a raised ramp surface 68. Two recesses 70 are formed on the upper and lower right corners of the plunger block 48. A horizontal groove 72 is carved on the left side of the plunger 48. As seen in the figure a depression or indent 74 is formed on the outside surface of the right angle bent 60 of the center flange 58. This will create a bump 76 on the opposite side of the right angle bent 60. As will be discussed below the groove 72 will be slidably engaged with the bump 76 after the holder 30 is assembled.

The last items to be described are the two metal pins 52. Each pin 52 has a pin head 78 and a pin stem 80.

The assembling of the holder 30 is started by placing the cam assembly 46 in the space between the two side flanges 54 and the center flange 58. The right side portion of the plunger 48 between the two recesses 70 is held between the two side flanges 54 of the holder base 42. The horizontal groove 72 on the left side of the plunger 48 is held by the bump 76 of the center flange 58. The only movement of the plunger 48 in this confined space allowed is the horizontal reciprocal motion of the plunger 48 against the compression springs 50 as the groove 72 is sliding on the bump 76.

The holder plate 44 is next placed between the two curls 56 of the holder base 42. The curl 62 of the holder plate 44 is pressed against the ramp surface 68 of the plunger 48 until the curl 62 is lined up with the curls 56. At this time the two pins 52 are then inserted into the curls 62 and 56 which completes the holder assembling process. Obviously, the above description only serves for the purpose of illustration only, and in realty each holder will come factory pre-assembled and ready for use.

FIG. 3 discloses the details of the operation of the holder 30 of the present invention. Due to physical restriction imposed by the frame body 36, the holder plate 44 can only be rotated between the two extreme positions as indicated by the dash line 44′ and 44″.

It is assumed that the rotatable holder plate 44 is first at the first extreme position 44′. At this time the compression springs 50 will constantly exert an upward pressure through the plunger 48 onto the curl 62 of the holder plate 44. This pressure only serves to increase the friction between the curl 62 and the ramp surface 68 against which the holder plate 44 can still freely rotate and rest as desired. This region is defined as deactivated zone within which the cam action is not activated.

It is noted that the edge line of the cut out 64 in the curl 62 is rounded and is shown as a half circle in its cross section. Once the holder plate 44 is rotated to a critical position as shown in FIG. 3A this cut out edge line 64 begins in contact with the ramp surface 68. Any slight counter clockwise push of the holder plate 44 will initiate the cam action. At this time the upward pressure by the compression springs 50 will impart a torque through the cut out edge line 64 to the holder plate 44. This torque will cause the holder plate 44 to rotate counter clockwise indefinitely until the holder plate 44 is stopped by the mounted sheet stacks 82, 84 or the frame body 36 as shown in FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3D, respectively.

The region between the critical position of the holder plate 44 and the second extreme position 44″ as seen in FIG. 3A is defined as activated zone. Any time the holder plate 44 is manually moved into this region the cam action will be activated and the holder plate will rotate counter clockwise by itself until it is stopped by the sheet stack 82, 84 or the frame body 36.

Once the holder plate 44 is stopped by the sheet stacks 82 or 84, the torque applied to the holder plate 44 by the cam action will still exist. This is the source of the holding force provided by the holder 30 of the present invention.

As seen in FIGS. 3B and 3C, when the holder plate 44 is stopped by the sheet stack, the torque generated by the cam action will be continuously applied to the sheet stack. Referring to FIG. 3C, this torque can be expressed by the product of the downward holding force and Distance, the distance between the holder plate contact point and the axis of rotation. This holding force is the actual force holding the sheet stack together.

It should be noted that when the frame is positioned face down as shown in FIG. 3C, the weight of the holder plate 44 may also contribute some force in addition to the holding force from the torque. But since the frame is normally hung upright, no additional holding force will be contributed by the weight of the holder plate 44.

The holding force applied to the sheet stack 82 in FIG. 3B is much less than the holding force applied to the sheet stack 84 in FIG. 3C. The reason for this reduced holding force is twofold. First, the torque generated by the cam action in the case of FIG. 3B is less than the torque generated in the case of FIG. 3C. Second, for a given torque, the produced holding force is reduced when the distance (Distance) is increased, as is the case of FIG. 3B.

In order to provide adequate holding force in the case of full load as shown in FIG. 3B, the cam assembly 46 must be made strong enough. This is usually achieved by choosing the compression springs 50 of strong compression force. Short of that, it can be recommended that the filling of the sheet stack be limited to only half or 70% full load. It is always possible that the frame depth be made deep enough so that even a half load is adequate for most application.

In the above discussion it is assumed that the cut out edge line 64 is perfectly round with its cross section appeared as a half circle. But if the cut out edge line 64 is rounded but not perfect as a half circle the cam action will still happen but its onset point may not be the same as that shown in FIG. 3A. The cam action will also happen even if the cut out 64 has a square edge but the cam action can be very unsmooth. In certain unusual situations in which the cut out edge line 64 is of very rugged shape the cam action may be stopped abruptly in half way and a little hand push will be needed to continue the cam action.

To open the holder plate 44 from its closed position in FIG. 3B or 3C, one needs to pull up the holder plate 44 against the torque exerted by the cam action until the holder plate 44 is rotated to beyond the critical position as shown in FIG. 3A. Once entering the deactivated zone the torque will disappear, and the holder plate 44 can be further rotated until the frame body 38 is clear for removal of the art sheet assembly.

FIG. 3C represents the minimum number of sheets can be allowed in the present picture frame 32. The sheet stack 84 comprises one frame glass, one art sheet to be displayed, and one backing plate. In FIG. 3B the sheet stack 82 comprises one frame glass, one backing plate and any number of art sheets/mat boards until the sheet stack reaches the rim. The maximum sheet stack thickness can be made 1″ or more. In any case the backing plate employed must be rigid which will not form indent under the pressure of the holder plate 44. This will allow the holding force to be equally spread over the entire area of the backing plate.

In FIG. 1, for the purpose of illustration only one holder 30 is shown in the picture frame 32. For smaller frame a minimum of two holders is required. These two holders can be installed either in the top and bottom sides of the frame or in the left and right sides of the frame. For larger frames a total of two pairs of holders is recommended. These two pairs can be installed either in the top and bottom sides of the frame or in the left and right sides of the frame. But rarely more than four holders will be required no matter how large the picture frame is. It is more economical to choose larger and stronger holders instead of increasing its number.

The picture frame of the present invention offers many advantages over the conventional picture frames. Most conventional picture frames use passive retainers such as brads, staples, and turn buttons which can not positively hold a smaller art sheet on display in the frame without shifting in the frame. On the other hand, the spring-loaded holder in the present picture frame, with its strong holding force, will firmly hold the art sheet on display without shifting. There is no need to glue a smaller art sheet to the back of the mat board for display.

The second important advantage of the present picture frame is in its ease of changing the art sheet display. It is just a matter of opening each holder, rearranging the art sheet and mat boards, and shut close the holders. Since all the mat boards are not glued to the art sheets they can be freely chosen for the next display. With the availability of mat boards of appropriate opening size virtually any art sheets of size smaller than the internal size of the picture frame can be displayed.

The last but not least advantage of the present picture frame is its capability in storing unused art sheets and associated mat boards, etc. All the unused art sheet assemblies are just placed behind the art sheet assembly to be displayed and held in place by the holders. Since all art sheets are kept together in one place, the user will be encouraged to change the display any time desired as a way to refresh the home decoration. No more unused frames put away in the attics or basements.

The holder 30 of the present invention is elegant in its shape and design. It is structured in such a way which makes its operation so intuitive, simple and requires no explanation. The division of the deactivated zone and activated zone is ideally suited for the needs of a picture frame. The cam assembly provides such a powerful cam action yet it is hardly visible in the holder.

The application of the spring-loaded holder 30 of the present invention is not limited to picture frames or holding sheet materials. Any three dimensional object can be held by this holder as long as the angle of contact of the holder plate is within the activated zone seen in FIG. 3A.

More than one holder can be placed around an object for holding this object. The support base to each holder can be individually adjusted in both its position and angle to maximize each holder's holding power. The resultant system will be so versatile in holding objects of any size or shape.

For the present discussion, a spring-loaded holder is defined as a holder which has one or more springs from which the holder is enabled to hold a stack of sheets of various thicknesses or an object of various shape. Here the term “stack of sheets of various thicknesses” refers to one stack comprising various number of sheets starting from just one sheet.

The holder 30, as well as the holders 120, 178, 202, 262, and 272 to be described later, are a special kind of spring-loaded holders. In each of these holders one or more springs are imbedded as part of a cam assembly from which a cam action is derived for enabling the holding function of the holders. So these holders can also be termed as cam assembly based holders.

The plunger 48 and the ramp surface 68 are also commonly termed cam follower because its linear motion follows the rotating motion of the holder plate 44 as it rotates, by hand pushing, away from the second extreme position 44″. But in the present holder 30 design this cam follower also becomes a leader. The linear motion of the plunger 48 and the ramp surface 68, as driven by the compression spring 50, will drive the rotative motion of the holder plate 44 once it moves into the activated zone by hand pushing.

In the present holder 30 the cut-out 64 can be considered as a cam. The compression spring serves to (1) maintain an intimate surface contact and engagement between the cam and the cam follower/leader, and (2) activate a cam action and exert a torque for detachably holding the art sheets stack. So the holder 30, as well as the holders 120, 178, 202, 262 and 272, can also be termed as cam-based holders.

The principle of cam is a well known prior art with many industrial applications. In the present invention a novel holder embodying this cam principle is disclosed.

FIG. 4 shows a holder plate lifter 86 which can be used to lift open the holder plate when needed. In most cases the holder plate can be lifted by using a finger to pry it open. But for certain large and strong holders the use of this holder plate lifter 86 can certainly make the job easier.

The holder 88 shown in FIG. 4 is largely copied from the holder 30 shown in FIG. 1. The only change made here is to make the two pin heads 90 thicker to facilitate the engagement of the holder plate lifter 86.

The holder plate lifter 86 is preferably made from a molded plastics. It has a center plate 94 with an opening 96 engageable with the pin head 90 of the holder 88. There are two co-linear rod members 98 and 100 projecting outward, and opposite to each other, from the center plate 94. The end of the rod member 98 is bent downward forming an elbow 102. The rod member 100 is also bent, but horizontally to the right, forming an elbow 104.

The operation of this holder plate lifter 86 is very simple. Just mount the center plate 94 on the pin head 90 while inserting the elbow 102 into the back side of the holder plate 92 as shown in FIG. 4. Grab the elbow 104 and rotate it to the right until the holder plate is rotated into the deactivated zone. This is indicated by the sudden disappearance of the resisting force. Now the holder plate lifter 86 can be removed from the holder 88. The holder plate 92 can be further rotated if necessary until the frame body is clear for the removal of the art sheet assembly.

FIG. 5

FIG. 5 shows a second preferred embodiment of the spring-loaded holder of the present invention. The holder 120 shown in this figure is of different structure than that of the holder 30 shown in FIGS. 1-4 but performs the same function described above.

Just as the holder 30 shown in FIGS. 1-4 and described above, the holder 120 also comprises a stationary holder base 122, a rotatable holder plate 124, a cam assembly 126 which includes a plunger 128 and two compression springs 130, and two pins 132. The compression springs 130 are not shown in FIG. 5, but can be similar to the compression springs 50 shown in FIG. 2.

The difference between the holder 120 and the holder 30 mainly resides on the construction of the stationary holder base 122, and the rotatable holder plate 124, and the placement of the cam assembly 126. First, the stationary holder base 122 has a curl or sleeve 134. A cut out 136 with rounded edge is formed on this curl 134. This curl 134 and the cut out 136 are similar to the curl 62 and the cut out 64 in the holder plate 44, respectively. But there is a difference. The curl 62 and the cut out 64 are rotatable with the holder plate 44, while the curl 134 and the cut out 136 are part of the stationary holder base 122 and are not rotatable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotatable holder plate 124 has a pair of outer curls or sleeves 137 hinged on and rotatable with respect to the pins 132. This holder plate 124 also has a center flange 138 whose end is bent to form a right angle bent 140. Both the center flange 138 and the right angle bent 140 are rotatable with respect to the pins 132. Housed within the center flange 138 and the right angle bent 140 is the cam assembly 126 which is also rotatable along with the holder plate 124.

As the cam assembly 126 is rotated into contact with the cut out rounded edge 136 on the curl 134 a cam action is initiated. The created torque from this cam action will cause the holder plate 124 to further rotate until it is stopped by the picture frame or the mounted sheet stack.

It is clear from the above description that in spite of the different structure, the holder 120 will achieve the same cam action when mounted on a picture frame just like the holder 30. The main reason when the holder 120 is chosen over the holder 30 is in the cost of production.

FIG. 6

FIG. 6 illustrates the great benefit the standardization on the sizes of the picture frames, mat boards, and the art sheets will bring to the business of selling framed arts employing the art frames of the present invention. Instead of custom making an art frame to fit an given art sheet of unique size, the present approach will standardize all art sheets so each of which will fit in at least one art frame of standard size.

Shown in FIG. 6 is an art frame 142 of the present invention. It includes a frame body, a frame glass and a rigid backing plate. It has an internal size among several standard sizes available. Here the term “internal size” refers to the length and width inside the frame and not to its depth or thickness. Four spring-loaded holders of the present invention are installed in this art frame 142. It can firmly hold any number of art sheets/mat boards up to the capacity of the frame.

Also shown in FIG. 6 are three art sheets 143, 144, and 145 in a Claude Monet art series. Two mat boards 146 and 147 form a double mat for the display of the Monet art sheets 143, 144, and 145. It is noted that the art sheets 143, 144, 145 as well as the two mat boards 146 and 147 all have the same overall size designed to fit in the art frame 142. The picture portion of each of the three art sheets 143, 144, and 145 can be nicely displayed through the opening of the mat board 146. All these are achieved by size adjustment of all art sheets as part of the art sheets size standardization process.

The art sheet size standardization basically means that in a reproduction of the original art the overall size of the reproduced art sheet is changed or made to be the same as the internal size of one standard art frame. There is no hard rule on how to change the size of the art picture portion itself in the reproduction process. If no mat board is needed in the final framed art the entire art sheet can be printed with the art picture. With the presence of the mat boards as seen in FIG. 6 it is preferred, but not necessary so, that the art picture portion be made smaller so no significant portion of the art picture gets blanked out by the mat board.

The beauty of the art sheet size standardization is that custom framing is no longer required. The owner of the newly acquired art sheet with size standardization can simply choose one available standard art frame with preferred style to frame this art sheet. If the owner already has an existing reusable standard art frame he can choose to purchase the art sheet he wants in size matching his existing art frame so no new frame has to be purchased.

In the present invention it is proposed that a present art frame with its novel spring-loaded holders capable of firmly holding various number of art sheets/mat boards, and a plurality of individual and separate art sheets, with its overall size standardized to be the same as the internal size of the art frame, be sellable by a retail store in one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction as one ensemble. The fact that three great art sheets are included in each art frame will first attract the attention of shoppers. It greatly increase the value of this package in the mind of shoppers. Once the shopper realizes the advantage of this art frame in allowing for easy change of the displayed art and storage of all unused arts/mats she may have an urge to purchase one such ensemble and try it out at home. The increased value due to multiple art sheets and the advantage of the novel art frame are put together to create a synergetic benefit in the mind of consumer and will undoubtedly improve the sale of this ensemble.

One distinction between art frames and photo frames should be made concerning the present novel multiple art sheet preframed art ensemble concept. Photo frames are only sold by itself without any photo except some advertising materials at a retail store. It is the responsibility of the buyer to fill this photo frame with his or her own photo or high school diploma, etc. This is true regardless of the design of the photo frame or how many photos can be loaded in this photo frame. On the other hand, a preframed art always comes with one art sheet framed in the art frame. There is no incentive to place more than one art sheet in a conventional art frame and sell it as a pre-framed art by a retail store. The problems with awkward conventional frame retainers and sealed back paper virtually preclude such an option.

As mentioned above, all contents of the present ensemble need not be packed together as one unit. A buyer may purchase an art frame and mat boards of standard size in one business transaction, but with this purchase the buyer is entitled to choose up to three matching art sheets at a later time free of charge or at a discount. An art frame and one matching art sheet may be purchased first in one business transaction, but with this purchase the buyer may get one additional art sheet free of charge or at a discount at a later time. All these cases and other similar situations in which the subsequent business transaction is still related to the initial business transaction are herein referred to as one pseudo business transaction. The common result is that at the end of this pseudo business transaction the buyer will get the ensemble including an art frame with the novel spring-loaded holding means and a plurality of art sheets with standardized size matching the art frame. One or more mat boards of the same overall standard size may also be optionally included in this ensemble. This will allow the buyer an immediate opportunity to practice and appreciate the display change feature of the art frame just like the case in which all components of the ensemble are acquired in one business transaction.

In spite of what discussed above, it is still preferred that the ensemble including an art frame with spring-loaded holders capable of firmly holding various number of art sheets/mat boards and a plurality (usually three or more) art sheets, to be packed together in one unit and sellable in one business transaction. This is the most straight forward sales approach which will greatly benefit both the sellers and the buyers.

The art sheets 143, 144 and 145 are part of twelve art sheets Claude Monet art series. All twelve art sheets are of the same standard size. The user can continue purchase the other art sheets by them self and display and store them in the existing art frame 142 using the same mat boards 146 and 147. Of course the user can also purchase other art sheets of the same standard size but painted by other artists and display and store them in the same art frame 142.

The twelve art sheets by Monet can also be grouped into four ensembles each one including one art frame 142, two mat boards 146, 147, and three art sheets. Each ensemble can be sold in a single business transaction. This is desirable if the user wants to display two or more Monet's art sheets simultaneously.

FIGS. 7-8

FIGS. 7 and 8 disclose a novel picture frame of the present invention, which when installed with the spring-loaded holders as shown in FIGS. 1-5 and described above, can be employed for a new application of displaying and storing expired calendar books.

FIG. 7 shows, among others, two expired calendar books 160 and 162. Each calendar book is a commonly seen monthly calendar having seven or more sheets stapled together or by other means along an imaginary dividing or center line 164. Most of these sheets are printed on each side one calendar picture and one calendar date table. Once the calendar book is turned from one page to the next page a new calendar picture is seen on the top half of the calendar and a new monthly calendar date table is seen on the bottom half of the calendar.

Also seen in FIG. 7 are two mat boards 166 and 168. These two mat boards are of same outside dimension but of different opening sizes. The mat board 166 is suitable for displaying the calendar book 162 while the mat board 168 is suitable for displaying the calendar book 160. For displaying one calendar picture, from say the calendar book 160, it is simply done by turning the page until the desired calendar picture is exposed. This calendar book 160 is then folded backward along the center line 164 and placed behind the mat board 168 with the picture side facing the mat board.

A picture frame 170 of the present invention will now be employed for displaying the calendar book 160 and storing the calendar book 162. As seen in FIG. 7, this picture frame comprises a frame body 172, a frame glass 174, and a rigid backing plate 176. The calendar book 160 is placed immediately behind the mat board 168 and the frame glass 174. The backing plate 176 will always be placed immediately behind the calendar book to be displayed. All mat boards to be stored in the picture frame 170 are placed next to the backing plate 176. All calendar books to be stored are folded and placed behind the stored mat boards.

FIGS. 8 a and 8b show the front elevational view and back elevational view, respectively, of the assembled picture frame 170. In FIG. 8b the first item to be noticed are the four spring-loaded holders 178. Each holder 178 is similar to the holder 30 shown in FIGS. 1-4. It is shown in FIG. 8b that two holders 178 are installed on the top side of the frame body 172 and two holders 178 are installed on the bottom side of the frame body 172. Depending on the shape of the frame body in some picture frames it is more preferable that these two pairs of holders be installed on the left and right sides of the frame body.

Obviously all holder plates of the holders 178 must first be opened to the deactivated position near the position similar to the first extreme position 44′ as shown in FIG. 3A in order to clear the picture frame 170 for the entry of all calendar books and mat boards. Preferably with the frame body 172 resting on a table with its back facing up, all the items including the frame glass 174, mat board 168, calendar book 160, backing plate 176, mat board 166 and the calendar book 162, in that order, can now be placed in the frame body 172. Obviously, the calendar book 160 needs to be centered in order to be properly displayed through the opening of the mat board 168 as shown in FIG. 8a.

It is important that except for the calendar book 160 each of the items above mentioned must be placed in the frame body 172 with its bottom edge touching the bottom inside wall of the frame body 172. This is to assure that once the picture frame 170 is vertically hung on a wall all the weight of the mounted items except the calendar 160 are supported by the bottom inside wall of the frame body 172. No shifting of the so mounted items will occur after the assembled picture frame 170 is vertically displayed.

After all items are loaded in the frame body 172 the four holders 178 can be rotated away from their open positions. Once these holder plates of the holders 178 enter into the activated zone the cam action will be initiated and apply a torque to each holder plate and automatically rotate it to its closed position. The holding force exerted by these holder plates will be continuously applied to all mounted sheets and hold them in their mounted positions. This holding force will also firmly suspend the calendar book 160 properly behind the mat board 168 indefinitely as shown in FIG. 8a without adhesive tape.

It is noted that the contact surface of each holder plate of the holder 178 when in the closed position projects deep into frame and away from the frame inside wall. As a general rule this contact surface should be at least 0.5″ (1.27 cm) and preferably at least 1″ (2.54 cm) away from the frame inside wall. This minimum distance will assure that the holder contacting point be very close to the suspended calendar book 160. The applied holding force will be more effectively applied to the calendar book 160 and prevent it from shifting during the vertical wall display.

It is also interesting to note in FIG. 8b that the calendar book 162, due to its small size in comparison with the picture frame 170, is only held by the two lower holders 178. This is acceptable since the calendar book 162 is only to be stored in the picture frame 170. The fact that the contacting point of the holder is at least one inch away from the frame inside wall makes the two lower holders 178 to act as two effective “book ends” for holding the calendar book 162 without falling.

A second rigid backing plate 179 can also be optionally provided as part of the present picture frame 170. This backing plate 179 is seen in FIG. 8b mounted behind the stored calendar book 162. It has a width same as that of the backing plate 176 but is shorter in height so that it is only to be held by the two lower holders 178. Because of its rigidity this backing plate 179 will hold the stored calendar 162 upright and prevent it from bending backward during storage.

As more and more unused calendar books are stored in the picture frame 170 the holding force of the two lower holders 178 will be getting weaker and weaker. As a general rule the total stack of the mounted calendars and associate plates should not exceed 70% of the total frame capacity. It should also be noted that in spite of the weaker holding force of the two lower holders 178 due to increased number of stored calendar books, the two upper holders 178 are not affected and will still provide adequate holding force for holding the suspended calendar book 160.

A more in depth discussion on the function of the holders 178 for displaying and storing expired calendar books will now be provided. The primary function of the holders 178 is to hold the displayed calendar book in suspension. The holding force exerted by the cam action will create friction between the calendar book and the adjacent sheets against shifting of the displayed calendar book during normal wall display.

As mentioned above, all sheets except the suspended calendar book should rest on the bottom inside frame wall during its wall display. Under this condition the secondary function of the holders 178 is to press all installed sheets in one stack during its wall display and frame handling. The holders 178 of the present invention used for displaying and storing expired calendar books will have enough holding power for the primary and secondary functions above described.

For safe handling, it is recommended that the picture frame is always kept up right without excessive shaking. If the picture frame must be laid flat it should be positioned faced down. One may ask what would happen if the loaded picture frame is accidentally placed face side up. Obviously, it is not a problem if the loaded sheets is not full and can be held in place by the holders. If the loaded sheets are excessive and beyond the holding capacity of the holders for this faced up position, usually the two lower holders will yield which will cause the calendar stack to partially sag inside the frame. The calendar book to be displayed is more likely shifted out of position. The picture frame will need to be opened and all loaded sheets to be repositioned.

The third function of the holders, if desired, is to provide the cam action of the holders strong enough so that it can hold the entire weight of all installed calendar stack up to a specified loading limit, says, 40% full load. This means that the entire weight of all installed sheet stack up to this loading limit can be held by the holders without shifting or collapsing if the loaded frame is placed face side up. But more calendar books can be stored without shifting by not supporting their dead weight if the up side down and face side up positions can be avoided.

The above description on the functions of the holders for displaying and storing expired calendar books is also applicable for displaying and storing individual art sheets. Because of its lighter weight compared with the expired calendar book the task of holding an art sheet in suspension behind a mat board can be achieved much easier. The loading order of all art sheets to be stored can also follow what was described above as shown in FIG. 8b. All smaller art sheets to be held by only two lower holders should be placed on the back of all other art sheet stack. The second backing plate 179 should also be used to prevent these small art sheets from bending during the wall hanging of the frame.

As shown in FIG. 8b, a back board 180 can also be optionally provided as a back cover to the picture frame 170. A frame peripheral 182 and a plurality of turn buttons 184 are provided for removably mounting this back board 180. This back board 180, once mounted as shown in FIG. 8b, will limit the accidental movement of the holder plates. It will also keep all mounted art sheets safely inside the picture frame in case it is shaken loose due to heavy handling. Two hangers 186 can also be provided to hang the picture frame on a wall.

FIGS. 9-12

FIGS. 9-12 discloses a third embodiment of the spring-loaded holder of the present invention. This type of holder is mainly applied to various kind of holding boards for holding sheet materials. It may include fun boards, bulletin boards, and poster boards. Special attentions are paid for ease of operation and safety mainly applicable to young users.

Shown in FIG. 9 is a fun board 200 which offers several advantages over the conventional clipboards. It comprises a board 201 and a holder 202 mounted on the board 201. It also comprises a cover 204 covering the holder 202. A portion of this cover 204 is removed to reveal the details of the holder 202.

The board 201 is typically made of molded plastics. The holder 202 is in many way similar to the holder 30 shown in FIG. 1. It comprises a stationary holder base 206 which is mounted on the board 201 by rivets 208 or other suitable means. Similar to the stationary holder base 42 shown in FIG. 2, this stationary holder base 206 also comprises two side flanges 210 with two curls 212 on its ends, and a center flange 214 with a right angle bent 216. The second component of the holder 202 is a rotatable holder plate 218 with a curl 220. Two pins 222 are inserted into the curls 212 and curl 220 to rotatably mount the holder plate 218 on the stationary holder base 206.

One major difference between the holder 202 and the holder 30 is the width of the holder plate 218 which is much wider in relation to the size of the holder 202. This wider holder plate will allow for a wider contact between the holder plate 218 and the art sheet 248 to be held on the board 201.

The front end of the holder plate 218 is curved downward and is covered by a layer of rubbery material 254 to facilitate the gripping of the art sheet 248 to be held by the holder plate 218. This rubbery material 254 will also reduce the bang sound on the closing of the holder plate 218.

One other component of the holder 202 is a cam assembly 224 which includes a plunger 226 and a plurality of compression springs 228. In view of the wider holder plate 218 the plunger 226 will also be wider. It is suggested that a total of four plunger wells 230 be provided on the plunger 226 for holding four compression springs 228 within the space between the side flanges 210 and the center flange 214 of the stationary holder base 206. Two grooves 232 on the plunger 226 accompanied by two bumps 234 on the right angle bent 216 will guide the reciprocal motion of the plunger 226.

To facilitate the manual rotation of the holder plate 218 a leverage plate 236 can be mounted on the holder plate 218 using rivets 256 or other suitable fastening means. This leverage plate 236 is positioned at right angle to the holder plate 218. The front portion of this leverage plate 236 has a shape similar to and thus termed as a shark's fin 238. The back portion of this leverage plate 236 can be similarly termed as a shark's tail 240. To heighten the interest of the rotation of the holder plate 218 the shark's fin 238 is made in red color to signify danger while the shark's tail 240 is made in green color to signify safety. This is the reason from which the name fun board is derived.

The cover 204 is a molded plastic largely of rectangular shape. There is a flange 242 integrally joined to the back portion of the cover for mounting the cover 204 to the board 201 using rivets 244 or other fastening means. The front portion of the cover 204 has a clearance 246 of about 0.25″ (0.64 cm) allowing entry of art sheets. The art sheet 248 is shown inserted into this clearance 246. This clearance restriction virtually will prevent any user's finger from accidentally getting caught by the holder plate 218. This safety feature is especially beneficial to younger users.

As seen in FIG. 9 almost the entire holder 202 is covered under the cover 204. The only exception is a slot opening 250 located on the top and back walls of the cover 204. This slot opening 250 allows user's access to the shark's tail 240. The shark's fin 238 can also be accessed when the holder plate 218 is in the open position.

FIG. 10 shows the details of the operation of the holder 202. FIG. 10a is when this holder plate 218 is rotated to a deactivated zone. FIG. 10c is when the holder plate 218 is rotated to an activated zone. FIG. 10b is when it is at a critical position between the activated zone and the deactivated zone.

When the holder plate 218 is rotated to the position indicated by FIG. 10a the shark's fin 238 becomes visible outside the slot opening 250. This signifies “danger” because the art sheet 248 inserted into the clearance 246 underneath the cover 204 is not secured. The shark's fin 238 needs to be pushed into the slot opening 250 to wipe out this “danger”. As the shark's fin 238 is pushed beyond the position indicated by FIG. 10b the user is pleasantly jolted to observe the shark's fin 238 suddenly disappear from underneath her finger. At the same time the green shark's tail 240 emerges from the slot opening 250. This signifies “safety” as the art sheet 248 is now safely secured as indicated by the position of the holder plate 218 shown in FIG. 10c.

To change the art sheet display one can simply push down the shark's tail 240 from its initial position at FIG. 10c until the shark's tail 240 is stopped by the board 201 as seen in FIG. 10a. The holder plate 218 will stay at this position indefinitely. This will allow ample time for the user to remove the existing art sheets, resort the new art sheets to be inserted, insert the new art sheets, reposition the stack to make it neat in appearance. Only when everything is to the user's satisfaction the shark's fin 238 can then be pushed down to hold tight the new art sheet stack.

The above described operation of the holder 202 is more desirable than the conventional clipboards which require user to hold the clip against its spring continuously in the open position by one hand while doing the display change by the other hand. For more extensive display change one may have to perform the clipboard open-close cycle several times to get it right. Such display change is even harder to perform while the clipboard is hanging on a wall.

It is interesting to note that the present holder 202 also allows the user to operate the fun board 200 as a conventional clipboard. In this operation the shark's tail 240 is only pushed down slightly before it reaches the position in FIG. 10b. The shark's tail 240 is then held in that position with one hand while doing the display change with the other hand. After completion of the display change the hand holding the shark's tail 240 is released. The shark's tail 240 will automatically jump back to the top position as in FIG. 10c which returns the holder 202 to the holding position. Such operation is recommended only when an empty fun board is to be inserted with only one sheet.

The use of the leverage plate 236, in addition to being fun, also greatly facilitates the operation of the holder 202. Instead of pulling up the holder plate 218 each time to open the holder 202, one simply pushes down the shark's tail 240. The long arm of the shark's tail 240 also creates the benefit of this leveraged operation.

It should be pointed out that the fun board 200 of the present invention can also be used as a wall mounted board for displaying a photo or picture sheet. Three hanging holes 252 are provided for hanging this fun board using its center hole or two upper corner holes 252. FIGS. 11 and 12 demonstrate several ways for displaying a picture on a wall mounted board which is also applicable for the present fun board 200.

It is interesting to compare the operations of the holder 202 as seen in FIG. 10 and the holder 30 as seen in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the art sheets to be held by the holder 30 are always positioned below the stationary holder base 42. A longer rotatable holder plate 44 is usually required. It is just a matter of designing the depth of the inside frame wall to match the length of the holder plate to gain the maximum or near maximum torque offered by the holder 30 as indicated by the FIG. 3C position.

In FIG. 10, the art sheets to be held by the holder 202 are always near or above the stationary holder base 206. The length of the rotatable holder plate 218 is usually shorter. Due to this physical limitation the maximum or near maximum torque offered by the holder would be difficult to realize.

In order to realize the maximum or near maximum torque offered by the holder, the design of the holder 202 as shown in FIG. 10 embodies a major change over the basic holder 30. Instead of using a holder with an upright stationary holder base, a part of the stationary holder base 206 including the side flanges 210, the center flange 214 and the right angle bent 216 are tilted about 20 degree clockwise. Since the cam assembly 224 including the plunger 226 and the compression springs 228 is held and guided by the stationary holder base 206, the plunger 226 will also maintain a reciprocal motion along a direction tilted by 20 degree clockwise.

FIG. 10 c shows that the torque achieved with the holder 202 in the present fun board 200 is about the same as the torque resulted from the holder 30 used in the picture frame 32 with the holder plate 44 resting at the FIG. 3C position. Since the fun board 200 is designed for holding art sheets no more than 0.25″ (0.64 cm) thick, the present fun board 200 is always operated at the maximum or near maximum torque inherent to the holder 202.

FIG. 11 shows a bulletin board 260 of the present invention. This bulletin board is here defined as a wall mounted board simultaneously and independently displaying a plurality of sheet stacks each of which is held by a cam-based holder of the present invention. Such bulletin board should allow all sheet stacks to be mounted on or removed from the board either with or without taking the bulletin board down from the wall.

In FIG. 11 two holders 262 are shown installed on a board 264 side by side. Each holder 262 is similar to the holder 202 above described as shown in FIGS. 9-10. Each holder 262 can be used to hold and display a stack of sheets independent from the other holder 262. One most desirable bulletin board may be one with a board 264 which is large enough to hold two stacks of sheets of letter (8.5″×11″, 21.6 cm×27.9 cm) or A4 (21 cm×29.7 cm, 8.27″×11.69″) size which are most commonly used standard sheet formats. Of course bulletin boards with different number of holders, for holding different sizes of sheet stacks, and arranged in different patterns can all be devised with ease.

Three hanging holes 266 are provided on the board 264 for hanging the bulletin board 260 on a wall. To change the display of any sheet stack the user simply holds the sheet stack to be replaced or the empty board if there is no sheet on display by one hand while opening the holder plate by the other hand. The holder 262 will stay at this open position indefinitely. This will allow ample time for the user to remove the existing sheets, resort the new sheets to be inserted, insert the new sheets, reposition the stack to make it neat in appearance. Only when everything is to the user's satisfaction the holder 262 can then be closed to hold tight and display the new sheet stack.

As shown in FIG. 11, the bulletin board 260 of the present invention can also be used for holding picture sheets or photos. A clear and soft pocket 268 made of vinyl or other transparent materials is shown holding a Mona Lisa print 269 and can be readily held by the holder 262. The pocket opening is preferably placed inside to prevent dust getting into the pocket. A sheet with multiple pocket openings can also be held for displaying photos of smaller size.

In summary, the bulletin board of the present invention provides many advantages over the conventional bulletin boards. First of all, it allows easy mounting and removal of sheets to be displayed either with or without removing the bulletin board from the wall. No pins or glue are needed for holding the displayed sheets. Yet the sheets will be held more securely than the use of pins or glue. Multiple sheets in a stack can be held and flipped for checking the posted information. The display is more organized and neat in appearance. Photos and pictures can also be easily displayed using transparent pockets. Finally, the present bulletin board is pleasing to look at and fin to operate.

FIG. 12 shows a poster board 270 of the present invention. This poster board is here defined as a wall mounted board for mounting and displaying a sheet stack such as a large poster on the board using two or more cam-based holders of the present invention. Such poster board should allow all sheets to be mounted on or removed from the board either with or without taking the poster board down from the wall.

In FIG. 12 two holders 272 are shown installed on a board 274 side by side. Each holder 272 is similar to the holder 202 above described as shown in FIGS. 9-10. It is important that these two holders be positioned at the same height or level. This is required for holding a rectilinear poster sheet. Of course poster board with more than two holders can also be devised for holding and displaying a large architecture or engineering drawing with ease.

Three hanging holes 276 are provided on the board 274 for hanging the poster board 270 on a wall. To change the display of the existing poster sheet the user simply holds the poster sheet to be replaced by one hand while opening one holder 272 by the other hand. The user next proceeds to open the other holder 272. After both holders 272 are opened the existing poster sheet can then be removed. The user will have ample time to insert the new poster sheet to be displayed in both holders 272, carefully re-center the new poster in the poster board 270. Only when everything is to the user's satisfaction the two holders 272 can then be closed one after the other for holding and displaying the new poster sheet.

The above described operation reveals an important fact in the use of two or more holders of the present invention for mounting or removing a large sheet. Because each holder can be opened and stays open and can be closed and stay closed, two or more holders can be operated in sequence to achieve the job of mounting or removing a large poster sheet. This is simply impossible if two or more conventional clips are to be used in sequence as a one man operation.

FIG. 12 also shows a simple and elegant way to protect a displayed large poster picture. In the poster board 270 a Mona Lisa poster 278 and a transparent and soft sheet 280 made of vinyl or other suitable transparent materials are both held under the two holders 272. The transparent sheet 280 is slightly larger than the Mona Lisa poster 278 and serves as a protective shield to the displayed Mona Lisa poster 278. The surface of the board 274 is made very smooth which allows the portion of the vinyl sheet 280 outside the Mona Lisa poster 278 to cling onto the board 274 and form an excellent seal to the displayed poster 278.

One unique feature of the poster board 270 is that there is no limit to the size of the poster sheet that can be mounted on this poster board 270. The width or height of the mounted poster sheet can extend beyond the board 274 if necessary. On the other hand, two smaller sheets can also be separately mounted one by each holder 272. This will turns the poster board 270 into a bulletin board just like the bulletin board 260 shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13

FIG. 13 shows another spring-loaded holder which can be used in an art frame of standard internal size for holding a plurality of art sheets each of which has an overall size standardized to be the same as the internal size of said art frame.

Shown in FIG. 13 is a back loading art frame 300 which comprises a frame body 302, a frame glass 304 and a rigid backing plate 306. The frame body 302 has a standard internal size same as the overall size of the three Monet art sheets 143, 144 and 145 and the two mat boards 146 and 147 previously described and shown in FIG. 6, and now reproduced in FIG. 13.

Installed on the back of the frame body 302 is a frame peripheral 308. A plurality of turn buttons 310 are mounted on the frame peripheral 308. Also mounted on the peripheral 308 are two hangers 312 for hanging the art frame 300 either vertically or horizontally on a wall.

Also shown in FIG. 13 and as part of the art frame 300 is a back board 318 and a spring-loaded holder 320 fastened to the back board 318 by rivets 322 or other fastening means. The spring-loaded holder 320 is a single piece preferably made by injection molding using elastic plastic such as polycarbonate. It basically comprises a base plate 324 and four compression leaf springs 326 projecting above and away from the base plate 324 as seen in the figure.

Once the frame glass 304, mat boards 146 and 147, art sheets 145, 143 and 144, backing plate 306, in that order, are mounted inside the frame body 302, the frame body 302 can be closed by placing the back board 318 over the back side of the frame body 302. This is followed by rotating all the turn buttons 310 to hold the back board 318 in place.

As the back board 318 is closed and held by the turn buttons 310, the tips of all four leaf springs 326 will be pressed on the backing plate 306. The spring force exerted by the leaf springs 326 will allow the entire art sheets and associated sheets in one compact stack and allow the art sheet 145 to be properly displayed in the art frame 300.

It is just a matter of designing the depth of the frame body 302 and the flexing property of the leaf springs 326 to come up with an art frame capable of firmly holding any number of art sheets with total thickness of 0.5″ (1.27 cm) or less. In the present invention it can therefore be proposed that an art frame equipped with an spring-loaded holding means such as the spring-loaded holder 320, and a plurality of art sheets, with its overall size standardized to be the same as the internal size of the art frame, can be packed together and sellable in one business transaction by a retail store, or if not packed together, be sellable in one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction as one ensemble by a retail store.

This novel one ensemble selling concept, as first proposed in the earlier discussion in connection with FIG. 6, is now again possible with the art frame 300 in FIG. 13. The multiple art sheets with size standardization and an art frame with spring-loaded holding means, such as the spring-loaded holder 30 shown in FIGS. 1-4 or the spring-loaded holder 320 shown in FIG. 13, are put together to create a synergetic benefit and offer buyer an immediate opportunity to practice and appreciate the display change feature of this ensemble.

Unlike the spring-loaded holder 30, the spring-loaded holder 320 is a plastic spring and will not have enough spring power to hold an art sheet, smaller than the art frame internal size, in suspension. But this short fall will not affect the present one ensemble application since all art sheets to be displayed are all size standardized and will not be suspended in the art frame.

The spring-loaded holder 320 by itself is not a new invention since similar spring-loaded holder has been disclosed in one prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,038. In this prior art (FIG. 31) a spring plate with eight compression leaf springs is employed for holding a plurality of loose calendar sheets in a stack, but not for supporting the weight of the calendar sheet in display. These calendar sheets, which can also be considered as art sheets, have special step design and slot holes for supporting the weight of each calendar sheet and do not have standardized size same as the internal size of the frame displaying the calendar sheet.

FIG. 14

In this section, a new kind of picture frame with a new spring-loaded holding means will be described which can be used in lieu of the picture frame 170 shown in FIGS. 7-8 and discussed above for displaying an expired calendar book and storing a plurality of calendar books.

Shown in FIG. 14 is a picture frame 340 which comprises a frame body 342. Mounted inside the frame body 342 are the frame glass 174, mat board 168, expired calendar book 160, rigid backing plate 176, mat board 166 and the expired calendar book 162, in that order, all of which have been described before and shown in FIG. 7.

The frame body 342 has an internal size same as the internal size of the frame body 172 and the size of the mat boards 166 and 168. A peripheral 344 is installed on the back of the frame body 342. A plurality of turn buttons 346 are mounted on the peripheral 344. These turn buttons are formed by plastic injection molding. Each turn button 346 is reinforced by ridges on its edge to withstand large pressing force without bending as will be further discussed below. Two hangers 348 are provided for hanging the picture frame 340 either vertically or horizontally on a wall.

As shown in FIG. 14, the picture frame 340 also comprises a strong rigid back board 350 and a spring-loaded holder 352 mounted on the back board 350 by four rivets 354 or similar fastening means. It is preferably made of spring steel sheet for its strong spring force.

The spring-loaded holder 352 mainly comprises a spring base 356 and four compression leaf springs 358 projecting out and away from the spring base 356. This holder 352 is structurally similar to the spring-loaded holder 320 shown in FIG. 13. The main difference is the spring steel material used in the holder 352 with stronger holding power which is needed for holding the displayed calendar book 160 in suspension in the picture frame 340.

To start the frame loading process the frame body 342 is first placed face down on a table. The calendar book 160 and 162 and other associated sheets as shown in FIG. 14 are then placed face down in the frame body 342. Make sure the bottom of the calendar book 162 and other sheets are in contact with the inside bottom frame wall so they will all be supported by the bottom frame wall once the frame 340 is hung on a wall. The calendar book 160 will be folded back to expose the calendar picture to be displayed. It must be properly centered in reference to the mat board 168.

The frame body 342 can now be closed by placing the back board 350 to its back. As the back board 350 is closed down the four leaf springs 358 will be pushed back which will exert a strong spring force on the stored calendar book 162 and all sheets in its front. This strong spring force will also maintain the folded back calendar book 160 properly suspended and displayed through the mat board 168.

As the back board 350 is completely closed all turn buttons 346 can now be rotated to hold the back board 350 in place. At this time the back board 350 is continuously experiencing the pressing force exerted by the distorted leaf springs 358. This pressing force will also be transmitted to all turn buttons 346. Since these turn buttons 346 are strengthen by its ridge reinforcement they will not be easily bent.

A brief discussion on the use of leaf spring holders in general, including both the leaf spring holders 320 and 352, will now be given. The force for holding a stack of art sheets in a picture frame is produced when the leaf springs are pushed back, distorted, or displaced as they are in contact with the art sheet stack. The strength of this holding force is directly proportional to the degree of this spring displacement. This means that the holding force is always the largest when the frame has a full load of art sheet stack, and weakest when the frame has a minimum load of art sheet stack. This is in sharp contrast with the spring-loaded holder 30 shown in FIGS. 1-4 in which the holding force is strongest when there is a minimum load of art sheet stack and is weakest when there is a full load of art sheet stack.

For a picture frame started out with minimum load of art sheet stack the use of leaf spring type of holder may not have enough holding power. This is usually not a problem if the leaf spring holder is only needed for maintaining a light sheet stack and is not needed for holding an art sheet or calendar book in suspension.

There is a way if one wishes the picture frame with a leaf spring holder to always work at the maximum or near maximum holding power regardless the load of the art sheet stack. This can be achieved by placing spacer sheet(s) of different thicknesses behind the art sheet stack so the leaf spring are always maintained at the maximum displacement. Although it is doable, it does cause some inconvenience of carrying spacer(s) of different thickness.

There is one other undesirable consequence in the use of the present leaf spring holders in comparison with the holder 30 of FIGS. 1-4. The spring force exerted by the leaf springs will not contain just within the holder but also spill over to its surroundings. Both the back board and the turn buttons will always be under the stress. It may in the long run cause the bulging of the back board and/or damage to the turn buttons and its fastening means. This is especially true if the frame is always maintained at the maximum holding force.

FIGS. 20-22

Most oil painting are painted on canvas which is preferably supported by a stretcher. Commercially available stretchers are of standard sizes and have a thickness of ¾″ (1.9 cm). Such canvas arts on stretchers can be readily mounted just like a standard size art sheet on the frames of the present invention as described and shown in FIGS. 1-5. Obviously, the frame must have a depth deep enough to handle the thickness of the stretcher and the backing plate. No glazing is normally required for canvas arts.

Since most canvas arts on stretchers are covered with painting from edge to edge, a liner frame is preferred to be placed to separate the canvas art from the outside frame just like a mat. FIG. 20 shows such an arrangement using the present frame and its novel holders.

Shown in FIG. 20 is a picture frame 500 which is similar to the frame 32 shown in FIG. 1. Four spring-loaded holders, or more specifically, four cam-based holders 502, are installed along two long sides of the frame 500. A frame peripheral 504 is shown on the back side of the frame 500. A plurality of turn buttons 506 are provided for holding a back board 508 once the frame 500 is assembled. Up to two hangers 510 can also be provided. All such items have been described as shown in FIG. 8b.

In FIG. 20 a canvas art 512 is shown in dark shade and supported by a stretcher 514. Shown between the canvas art 512 and the frame 500 is a liner frame 516. The front side of this liner frame is typically covered with light color cloth to visually separate the oil painting from the frame 500.

The liner frame 516 has an inside dimension matching the outside dimension of the stretcher mounted art 512, and an outside dimension matching the inside dimension of the frame 500. The word “match” does not literally mean equal because there will always be a small clearance between the two matching members to ensure a good fit. The inside dimension of the frame 500 can be 1/16″ (1.6 mm) larger than the outside dimension of the liner frame 516. But for the stretcher mounted canvas art 512, the inside dimension of the liner frame 516 will be at least ⅛″ (3.2 mm) larger than the size of the stretcher 514.

The framing of the canvas art 512 using the frame 500 of the present invention is extremely simple. It is started by opening the frame 500 by rotating all holder plates of the holders 502 to their opening positions as similarly indicated by 44′ in FIG. 3A. The liner frame 516 is then placed in the frame 500. The stretcher-mounted canvas art is next placed inside the liner frame. A backing plate 518 can then be placed above the art 512. The four holders 502 are turned to the closed position firmly holding the backing plate 518 and the canvas art 512. The back cover or back board 508 is finally installed and held by the turn buttons 506. This completes the frame assembling process.

The total thickness of the canvas-stretcher 512-514 must be larger than the depth of the rabbet of the liner frame 516. This will assure that the art 512 is in contact with the backing plate 518 and be firmly held when assembled. Obviously, the depth of the rabbet of the frame 500 must be deep enough to accommodate the liner frame 516, canvas art 512 and the backing plate 518.

In the present framed canvas art system the canvas-stretcher 512-514 is standard in size. The liner frame 516 is also standard in size to match the canvas-stretcher 512-514. But the inside dimension of the frame 500 is not standard depending on the outside dimension of the liner frame 516. It is for this reason that the frame 500 is preferably packed together with the matching liner frame 516 and only the standard size of the liner frame 516 needs to be specified.

The commercially available stretcher such as the stretcher 514 is made of wood molding and is bulky. It is difficult to hold more than one such stretcher in the present frame 500 and the liner frame 516. If one purchase a second stretcher mounted canvas art and wish to display it in the same frame 500, there would be no room to store the first canvas-stretcher.

FIG. 21 shows a novel one piece molded stretcher 530 replacing the conventional stretcher 514 for the present application. This stretcher 530 is rigid and sturdy because of its one piece plastic molded structure. The center section of this stretcher 530 is a grid 532 which significantly contributes to the rigidity and sturdiness of this stretcher 530. All these features can allow the thickness of this stretcher 530 to be reduced to one third or one half of that of the wooden stretcher.

It is recommended that each such stretcher 530 come with a canvas sheet 534 pre-installed. The engineering production of the stretcher 530, along with professional wrapping of the canvas sheet 534, will allow the sizes of all canvas-stretchers manufactured to be precise within tight tolerance.

The conventional canvas-stretcher 512-514 shown in FIG. 20 can now be replaced by up to four novel stretchers 530 and mounted canvas sheets 534 as shown in FIG. 21. The frame 500 of FIG. 20 with its holders is capable of holding any number of canvas-stretchers 534-530 up to four.

A liner frame 536 is also shown in FIG. 21. This liner frame 536 is similar to the liner frame 516 shown in FIG. 20 and can be mounted in the frame 500. One main difference is that the depth of the rabbet of the liner frame 536 is much shallower than that of the liner frame 516. In FIG. 21, the bottom canvas-stretcher 534-530 is dropped in the rabbet of the liner frame 536. As seen in the figure, the top surface of the canvas sheet 534 is still above the top of the liner frame 536, and directly engaged with the baking plate 518 if this canvas-stretcher 534-530 is the only one to be mounted in the frame 500.

If one or more unused canvas-stretcher 534-530 are to be stored in the frame 500 they can simply stack on top of the bottom canvas-stretcher 534-530 placed in the liner frame 536. The strong holding force exerted by the four holders 502 applied through the backing plate 518 will maintain these canvas-stretchers 534-530 in place without shifting during the normal handling.

In the present stretcher 530, the grid 532 is made with its thickness same as that of the border section of the stretcher. But it is also possible to make this grid's thickness somewhat thinner than that of the border section. This may prevent the grid from contacting the art sheet placed above it.

In the present frame arrangement, each stored canvas art 534 is sealed by the adjacent canvas art 534 beneath it. For delicate canvas art, some air circulation across each art sheet's surface may be desirable. This air circulation can be achieved with the use of several novel spacer bars 538 as shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 22 shows the cross sectional view of three spacer bars 538 and the liner frame 536, along with four mounted canvas-stretchers 534-530. The liner frame 536 has two receiving holes 540 on each side. Each spacer bar 538 also has two receiving holes 542 on its top side. On the bottom of each spacer bar 538 there are two pegs 544 engageable with said receiving holes 540 and 542.

The length of each spacer bar is slightly longer than the distance between two receiving holes 540 on each side of the liner frame 536. A step 546 is shown on the right side of the spacer bar 538 extending through the entire length of the spacer bar 538 for supporting a stretcher-canvas 530-534.

The number of the spacer bars 538 on each side of the liner frame 536 depends on the number of stretcher-canvas 530-534 to be stacked in the frame 500. No spacer bar will be needed if only one stretcher-canvas 530-534 is to be mounted in the frame 500. A maximum of three spacer bars 538 on each side of the liner frame will be needed when all four stretcher-canvases are mounted.

As seen in FIG. 22, two adjacent stretcher-canvases 530-534 are spaced apart by a clearance equal to the thickness of the step 546. This clearance will prevent the contact between each stored canvas art 534 and the underneath stretcher 530. Since the length of each spacer bar 538 is shorter than the length of the short side of the liner frame 536, an air gap will exist between two spacer bars on two adjacent sides of the liner frame 536. Air will be allowed to enter one such gap, flowing across the front surface of the canvas art 534 and exist the other gap.

FIG. 23

The present picture frame with its deep rabbet is also ideally suitable for displaying three dimensional arts such as dried flowers, sea shells, coins, needle works, etc. FIG. 23 shows such a novel frame assembly, commonly referred to as shadow box, for this purpose.

The first item in FIG. 23 to be described is a picture frame 550. This picture frame 550 is nearly the same as the picture frame 500 above described and shown in FIG. 20 except for one difference. The picture frame 500 is made of four frame moldings each of which having a frame step just like the frame step 40 shown in FIG. 1. This frame step runs the entire length of each frame molding.

In modern frame making the two adjacent moldings are joined by using a wedge. For maximum joining strength this wedge is required to line up with the crown, or highest point, of the frame molding. Because of this frame step, the frame pattern design, or more specifically, the position of this crown, will be somewhat limited.

In the picture frame 550, two frame steps 552 are provided only on the two long frame moldings on which the four holders 554 are to be located. Even for these two long frame moldings, the frame steps 552 does not extend through the entire length of the frame moldings. It only extend through the middle section of these two frame moldings as required for mounting the holders 554. As a result, the design of the frame pattern, or positioning of the crown, will not be affected by the frame steps 552.

Besides the picture frame 550, the present frame assembly also comprises a glass 556, mat board 558, spacer 560, mount board 562, backing plate 564, and back board 566. The mount board 562 is the board on which the three dimensional art are to be attached. The mount board 562 is typically a commercially available foamboard which is easy to work with. It can be covered with a black velvet for its beauty.

The spacer 560 is simply made of four narrow wood strips. The depth of this spacer 560 should be appropriate for the three dimensional art to be displayed. Alternatively, several identical spacers 560 can be provided as part of the picture frame package. Customer can choose the number of spacers 560 to be stacked to fit the need of display.

The assembling of the present frame assembly is simple. Once the frame 550 is open with its holders 544 in fully open position, the following items can be lowered into the frame 550: glass 556, mat board 558, one or more spacers 560, mount board 562 with the attached 3D art, and the backing plate 564. The four holders can now be rotated which activates the cam action in firmly holding all mounted items in place. The back board 566 is finally placed and held by the turn buttons which completes the present frame assembling process.

The novel holders used in the present frame can allow for easy adjustment of the depth of the shadow box. The frame assembly is reversible and reusable. It is easy to change the display of the three dimensional art along with the mount board. The same frame can also be reused for displaying sheet arts, oil painting on stretcher, etc.

FIGS. 27-28

FIGS. 27-28 show, among other things, a preferred embodiment of a toggle holder for holding a stack of art sheets in a board type device.

The calendar sheets 1722 and 1724 of the present invention is preferably of rectangular shape with a plurality of mounting holes 1758 near the edge of one long side of the calendar sheets 1722 and 1724. It is also preferable that the calendar sheets 1722 and 1724 has a size of 8.5″×11″ (216 mm×279 mm) or 210 mm×297 mm. These are the sizes of a standard letter size paper and a A4 size paper, respectively, commonly used in printers. This means that no trimming is needed to make the calendar sheets 1722 and 1724. One other reason is that such standard sheets are commonly available with mounting holes already provided.

As seen in FIG. 27 the back door 1740 is considerably longer than the frame body 1732. When the back door 1740 is closed a large portion of the back door 1740 is still exposed beyond the frame body 1732. This exposed portion of the back door 1740 will be used for holding the calendar sheets 1722 and 1724.

As seen in FIG. 27, three hanging hooks 1760 are integrally attached to a metal plate 1762 which is mounted on the back door 1740 by four screws 1764 or other suitable means. Each hanging hook 1760 is in the shape of a rotated “U” with a long leg and a short leg. The long leg is attached to the metal plate 1762 which leaves a gap between the end of the short leg and the metal plate 1762. This gap will be used for inserting the calendar sheets as will be explained below.

The calendar sheets 1722 or 1724 can be mounted on the frame 1710 by simply inserting the edge of the calendar sheet on the side of the mounting holes 1758 into the gap between the short legs of the hanging hooks 1760 and the metal plate 1762. Run the mounting holes 1758 down the short legs and turn the calendar sheet until it is resting on the long legs of the hanging hooks 1760 as shown in FIG. 27. This completes the calendar sheet mounting process.

The above described calendar sheet mounting can be done regardless whether the frame 1710 is facing up laying on a table, hanging on a wall, or resting on its easel 1742. The calendar sheet 1722 and the calendar sheet 1724 are mounted on the frame in the same manner. Of course, one needs to be certain that the horizontal calendar sheet 1722 is intended to be displayed along with the horizontal photo 1752, while the vertical calendar sheet 1724 is intended to be displayed along with the vertical photo 1754.

After mounting the calendar sheets 1722 or 1724 the frame assembly 1710 is ready to be hung on a wall or stand on a table in the vertical or horizontal position. A calendar picture or photo is elegantly displayed through the window glass 1750 while the calendar sheet is exposed to facilitate memorandum writing and page flipping without opening the frame 1710. The horizontal photo 1752 and the horizontal calendar sheet 1722 are displayed uprightly and lined up vertically when the frame 1710 is placed in the vertical position. The vertical photo 1754 and the vertical calendar sheet 1724 are displayed uprightly and lined up horizontally when the frame 1710 is placed in the horizontal position.

Also shown in FIG. 27 is a toggle holder or rotatable stop 1770 mounted on the back door 1740 at the lower right side of the calendar sheet 1722 as viewed in the figure. This rotatable stop 1770 can be rotated to hold down the calendar sheet 1722. Such stop is mainly desirable to prevent the upper right corner of the calendar sheet 1724 from falling down when the calendar sheet 1724 is displayed with the frame 1710 hanging on a wall in the horizontal position. There is no such problem when the frame 1710 is supported by the easel 1742 in the horizontal position since the frame 1710 is still tilted backward somewhat and the calendar sheet 1724 will lay flat on the back door 1740.

FIG. 28 shows the detailed toggle mechanism of this rotatable stop 1770. The main component in this rotatable stop or toggle stop 1770 is a toggle plate 1772 which is rotatably mounted on an angle bracket 1774 which is rigidly mounted on the back door 1740. This toggle plate has two legs 1774 and 1776. A spring is shown with two end hooks 1780 and 1782 which are mounted on a stud 1784 on the toggle plate 1772 and a stud 1786 on the angle bracket 1774, respectively.

The structure of the rotatable stop 1770 as above-described allows the toggle plate 1772 to be toggled between a first position and a second position. In its first position the leg 1774 is seen firmly holding down the calendar sheet 1722 as the toggle plate is pulled down under the force exerted by the spring 1778. The calendar sheet 1724, when mounted on the frame 1710, will also be similarly held in place by this toggle plate 1772 rest in this first position.

The toggle plate 1772 is released from its first position by simply pushing the leg 1776 to its right as viewed in FIG. 28. Once the spring 1778 is rotated beyond its vertical position the pulling force of the spring 1778 will accelerate the further rotation of the toggle plate 1772 until the leg 1776 hits and is thus stopped by the back door 1740. This is the second position of the toggle plate 1772 as indicated by the dash outline 1788. In this position the calendar sheet 1722 can be freely lifted for date checking.

FIGS. 31-32

FIGS. 31-32 show, among other things, a second preferred embodiment of a toggle holder for holding a stack of art sheets in a board type device.

The calendar sheets 1922 and 1924 of the present invention is preferably of rectangular shape. It is also preferable that the calendar sheets 1922 and 1924 has a size of 8.5″×11″ (216 mm×279 mm) or 210 mm×297 mm. These are the sizes of a standard letter size paper and a A4 size paper, respectively, commonly used in printers. This means that no trimming is needed to make the calendar sheets 1922 and 1924.

As seen in FIG. 31 the back door 1940 is considerably longer than the frame body 1932. When the back door 1940 is closed a large portion of the back door 1940 is still exposed beyond the frame body 1932. This exposed portion of the back door 1940 will be used for holding the calendar sheets 1922 and 1924.

Two identical spring clamps or toggle holders 1970 and 1972 are shown in FIG. 31 integrally mounted on the back door 1940. The spring clamp 1970 serves to hold the vertical calendar sheet 1924, while the spring clamp 1972 serves to hold the horizontal calendar sheet 1922. FIG. 32 shows the detailed cross sectional view of the spring clamp 1970.

Each of the spring clamps 1970 and 1972 has two angle brackets 1974 spaced apart and mounted on the back door 1940. A toggle plate 1976 is rotatably mounted on each angle bracket 1974. A tension spring 1978 is shown with two end hooks 1980 and 1982 which are mounted on a stud 1984 on the toggle plate 1976 and a stud 1986 on the angle bracket 1974, respectively. Two cylindrical rods 1988 and 1990 are each mounted on the two spaced apart toggle plate 1976 as shown in FIG. 31.

The structure of the spring clamps or toggle clamps 1970 and 1972 as above described allows the toggle plate 1976 to be toggled between a first position and a second position. In its first position the rod 1988 is seen firmly holding down the vertical calendar sheet 1924 as the two toggle plates are pulled down under the force exerted by the two tension springs 1978. The toggle plates 1976 are released from its first position by simply pushing the rod 1990 to its right as viewed in FIG. 32. Once each tension spring 1978 is rotated beyond its vertical position the pulling force of the tension spring 1978 will accelerate the further rotation of the toggle plate 1976 until the rod 1990 hits and is thus stopped by the back door 1940. This is the second position of the toggle plate 1976 as indicated by the dash outline 1992. In this position the calendar sheet 1924 can be freely removed from the frame 1910.

The toggle clamps 1970 and 1972 as above described are structurally similar to the toggle stop 1770 shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, except for the fact that each toggle clamp has two spaced apart toggle plates holding two cylindrical rods in between. However, the main difference lies in their different functions. The toggle stop 1770 is merely a stop for preventing the upper right corner of the vertical calendar sheet 1724 from falling down when the calendar sheet 1724 is displayed with the frame 1710 hanging on a wall in the horizontal position.

On the other hand, the toggle clamps 1970 or 1972 is responsible for holding the entire weight of the stack of calendar sheets. Therefore, the demand on the strength of the tension spring 1978 is more critical. Since in most case the number of calendar sheets to be supported is less than 12 sheets of letter size paper, such demand can be easily met using commonly available tension springs.

The fact that the toggle clamp can be left in its non-holding position indefinitely is also very beneficial. It will allow the user ample time to adjust or reposition the stack of calendar sheets until it is properly placed before the clamp is turned to its holding position. This advantage may make the present toggle clamp useful in a new kind of clipboard or bulletin board for holding any stack of sheets.

The above described calendar sheet mounting can be done regardless whether the frame 1910 is facing up laying on a table, hanging on a wall, or resting on its easel 1942. Once mounted, a calendar picture or photo is elegantly displayed through the window glass 1950 while the calendar sheet is exposed to facilitate memorandum writing and page flipping without opening the frame 1910. The horizontal photo 1952 and the horizontal calendar sheet 1922 are displayed uprightly and lined up vertically when the frame 1910 is placed in the vertical position. The vertical photo 1954 and the vertical calendar sheet 1924 are displayed uprightly and lined up horizontally when the frame 1910 is placed in the horizontal position.

FIGS. 35-36

FIG. 35 discloses a third preferred embodiment of a novel toggle holder of the present invention for holding a stack of art sheets of varied thicknesses in a board type of device.

FIG. 35 shows a toggle holder 2400 mounted on a conventional board 2402. This toggle holder 2400 is basically an improvement over the toggle stop 1770 shown in FIGS. 27-28. It comprises a toggle plate 2404 rotatably mounted on an angel bracket 2406, both of which can be made of injection molded plastics. This toggle plate has two legs 2408 and 2410. A tension spring 2412 is shown with two end hooks 2414 and 2416 which are mounted on a stud 2418 on the toggle plate 2404 and a stud 2420 on the angel bracket 2406, respectively.

The toggle holder 2400 is different from the toggle stop 1770 in three aspects. First, the tension spring 2412 will have a spring force much stronger than that of the toggle stop 1770 because the toggle holder 2400 will be holding a stack of art sheets or other sheets by supporting the weight of the art sheets.

The second improvement on the toggle holder 2400 over the toggle stop 1770 is the inclusion of a second tension spring 2413 in addition to the first tension spring 2412. This second tension spring 2413 is identical to and placed behind the first tension spring 2412 as viewed in FIG. 35. Two second studs 2419 and 2421 can be injection molded as part of and projected backward from the back of the toggle plate 2404 and the angle bracket 2406, respectively. The second tension spring 2413 can be mounted on the studs 2419 and 2421, in the similar manner as the mounting of the first tension spring 2412 on the studs 2418 and 2420. The inclusion of the second tension spring will double the holding power of the toggle holder 2400. It will also allow for a more balanced rotation of the toggle plate 2404.

The other improvement in the toggle holder 2400 over the toggle stop 1770 is the addition of a curved wall 2424 projecting outward from each side of the toggle plate 2404. Each of these walls 2424 is an integral part of the toggle plate 2404 formed through the plastic injection molding process. The length of each curved wall 2424 is preferably 2″ (5 cm) or more. It will create a curved contacting surface of 4″ (10 cm) or more in length for firmly holding the art sheet 2422 or a stack of sheets of varied thicknesses.

In FIG. 35, the toggle plate 2404 is shown pressed on the art sheet 2422 under the force exerted by the tension springs 2412 and 2413. The two curved walls 2424 with a total length of 4″ (10 cm) or more are in contact with the art sheet 2422.

The toggle holder 2400 can be opened by pushing the leg 2410 of the toggle plate 2404 against the spring force toward the right direction as viewed in FIG. 35. Once the springs 2412 and 2413 are in alignment with the vertical center line of the stud 2420 the spring force by the two springs 2412 and 2413 will take over and continue rotate the toggle plate 2404 clockwise until it is stopped by the board 2402.

The toggle plate 2404 can be rotated counter clockwise by pushing the leg 2408 to the left. Once the spring 2412 and 2413 are in alignment with the vertical center line of the stud 2420 the force exerted by the tension springs 2412 and 2413 will take over and continue rotate the toggle plate 2404 counter clockwise until it reaches the position originally shown in FIG. 35.

FIG. 36 shows the use of the toggle holder in making a fun board 2500. In this fun board 2500 a toggle holder 2501 is mounted on a flat board 2502. A cover 2504 is shown also mounted on the flat board 2502 for covering the toggle holder 2501.

Similar to the cover 204 of FIGS. 9-10, the cover 2504 is also provided with a clearance 2506 of about 0.25″ (0.64 cm) allowing entry of art sheets and protecting the user's finger. A slot opening 2508 is also provided on the top and right side of the cover 2504.

As seen in FIG. 36, the toggle holder 2501 comprises a toggle plate 2514, and angle bracket 2516, and a pair of tension springs 2518 and 2520. The toggle plate 2514 is different from the toggle plate 2404 shown in FIG. 35, in the shape of the two legs 2522 and 2524 and the curved walls 2526. The difference between the angel bracket 2516 and the angle bracket 2406 is the position of the axis of the rotation of the toggle plate 2514 with respect to the angle bracket 2516. The tension springs 2518 and 2520 are mounted on the two studs 2528 of the toggle plate 2514 and the two studs 2530 of the angle bracket 2516.

In FIG. 36, the toggle plate 2514 is shown pressed on the art sheet 2510 under the force exerted by the tension springs 2518 and 2520. The two curved walls 2526 with a total length of 4″ (10 cm) or more are in contact with the art sheet 2510. At this position the leg 2524 of the toggle plate 2514 is seen extending to the outside of the slot opening 2508.

The toggle holder 2501 can be opened by pushing the leg 2524 of the toggle plate 2514 against the spring force toward the right direction as viewed in FIG. 36. Once the springs 2518 and 2520 are in alignment with the vertical center line of the stud 2530 the spring force by the two springs will take over and continue rotate the toggle plate 2514 clockwise until it reaches a stop point.

This stop point is reached when the 4″ (10 cm) curved walls 2526 of the toggle plate 2514 is stopped at the slot opening 2508 which has a width much less than 4″ (10 cm). At this stop point the position of the toggle plate 2514 is indicated by a dash line 2512. The leg 2522 of the toggle plate 2514 is extending to the outside of the slot opening 2508. The leg 2524 is also partially outside of the slot opening but is “hidden” behind the cover 2504.

The toggle plate 2514 can be rotated counter clockwise by pushing either the leg 2522 or the leg 2524. Once the spring 2518 and 2520 are in alignment with the vertical center line of the stud 2530 the force exerted by the tension springs 2518 and 2520 will take over and continue rotate the toggle plate 2514 counter clockwise until it reaches the position originally shown in FIG. 36.

As seen in FIG. 36, the toggle plate 2514 can be toggled between a closed position for holding the art sheet 2510 in the fun board 2500, and an open position to facilitate loading and unloading the art sheet 2510.

Similar to the fun board 200 of FIGS. 9-10, the toggle plate 2514 can also be colored to heighten the interest of the operation of the toggle holder 2501. The leg 2524 of the toggle plate 2514 can be colored green to signify “safety” as the art sheet 2510 is securely held by the toggle plate 2514. The leg 2522 can be colored red to signify “danger” as the toggle plate 2514 is in the open position and the art sheet 2510 is still not securely held in place.

The novel toggle holder 2400 as well as the new fun board 2500 of the present invention can also be broaden to other applications such as in the making of new bulletin boards and poster boards.

FIGS. 41-43

FIGS. 41-42 show a first embodiment of the spring-loaded toggle holder in a picture frame of the present invention. The holder 3030 is shown in FIG. 41 mounted on a picture frame 3032 with the use of two wood screws 3034. This picture frame 3032 has a frame body 3036, a portion of which is cut off to provide a cross sectional view of this frame body. It is seen here that in addition to the conventional frame rabbet 3038 each frame molding of the frame body 3036 has one additional step 3040. This step 3040 is needed for the mounting of the toggle holder 3030.

As seen in both FIGS. 41 and 42A, this holder 3030 mainly comprises a stationary holder base 3042, a rotatable holder plate 3044, and a tension spring 3050. The stationary holder base 3042 and the rotatable holder plate 3044 are typically formed by sheet metal stamping and bending process. The holder base 3042 is basically an angle iron with two holes on one end for entry of two wood screws 3034 for mounting the holder base 3042 on the frame body 3036.

The rotatable holder plate 3044 is a long iron plate with its middle section twisted 90 degree to form an upper section 3046 and a lower section 3048 at right angle to each other. The lower end of the lower section 3048 is curved up to form a right angle elbow 3052.

A rivet 3054 or other fastening means joins the holder plate 3044 to the holder base 3042 and makes the holder plate 3044 rotatable with respect to the holder base 3042. Two studs or short rods 3056 and 3058 are mounted on and projected downward from the holder base 3042 and the holder plate 3044, respectively, as seen in FIG. 41. Two groove rings 3060 and 3062 are formed near the lower edges of the studs 3056 and 3058, respectively. It will allow two eyelets 3064 and 3066 on the ends of the tension spring 3050 to be rotatably retained within these two groove rings 3060 and 3062, respectively, as seen in FIGS. 41 and 42A.

It is seen in FIG. 42A that due to physical restriction imposed by the frame body 3036, the holder plate 3044 can only be rotated between the two extreme positions as indicated by the letter “x” and “y”. Once rested in either of these two positions, the holder plate 3044 will be pulled by the tension spring 3050 to remain stationary at its extreme position.

In FIG. 42B the holder plate 3044 is rotated to a position termed critical position as marked by the letter “z”. It is noted that at this position the center of the rivet 3054 is in perfect alignment with the center of two studs 3056 and 3058. This is also the position of the tension spring in its most stretched position. However, at least in theory, the tension force exerted by this stretched spring 3050 can not cause any rotation of the holder plate 3044 because the center point of the rivet 3054 and two studs 3056 and 3058 are in perfect alignment. In practice, this critical position is not a stable position and the holder plate 3044 is unlikely to stay here indefinitely.

The region between the holder plate positions x and z is termed 1st zone. The region between the holder positions y and z is termed 2nd zone. When the holder plate 3044 is manually moved by hand to the 1st zone and then let go the hand, the holder plate will be pulled by the tension spring 3050 and rotate counterclockwise until stopped by the frame body 3036 and rest at the holder position x. When the holder plate 3044 is manually moved by hand to the 2nd zone and then let go the hand, the holder plate 3044 will be pulled by the tension spring 3050 and rotate clockwise until stopped by the frame body 3036 and rest at the holder position y. It is clear from the above description that the holder 3030 is a toggle holder which allows the holder plate 3044 to be toggled between two stable positions, i.e., position x and position y.

FIG. 42C shows what happens when the picture frame 3032 is loaded with a sheet stack 3082 comprising one frame glass, one art sheet to be displayed, and one backing plate. After the sheet stack 3082 is loaded the holder plate 3044 can be moved by hand from the extreme position y or open position to within the 1st zone. Once reaching the 1st zone the holder plate 3044 will be pulled by the tension spring 3054 and rotate counterclockwise until stopped by the sheet stack 3082. At this time, the spring force is still continuously exerted by the tension spring 3050. This is the holding force applied to the sheet stack 3082 through the holder plate 3044.

In FIG. 42D a sheet stack 3084 is loaded in the picture frame 3036. This sheet stack 3084 comprises one frame glass, one backing plate and any number of art sheets/mats until the sheet stack reaches the rim. When the holder 3030 is in the closed position the holder plate 3044 will be in contact with the sheet stack 3084 and firmly hold the sheet stack 3084 in the picture frame 3032. In FIG. 41, the toggle holder 3030 is shown holding an art sheet stack 3085 which comprises three art sheets in addition to one frame glass and one backing plate. The holder plate 3044 should be resting on a position somewhere between the two positions shown in FIGS. 42C and 42D.

It is clear that the holder plate 3044 can no longer reach the extreme position x once a sheet stack is loaded in the picture frame. Alternately, it can be interpreted that when the holder 3030 is in the closed position the holder plate 3044 will either firmly hold the loaded art sheet stack in the picture frame or be stopped at the extreme position x by the frame body 3036 when no art sheet stack is loaded.

To open the holder plate 3044 from its closed position in FIG. 42A, 42C or 42D, one needs to pull up the holder plate 3044 against the force exerted by the tension spring 3050 until the holder plate is rotated beyond the critical position z. Once entering the 2nd zone the spring force exerted by the tension spring 3050 will further pull and rotate the holder plate 3044 clockwise until it is stopped by the frame body 3036 at the extreme position y as indicated in FIGS. 42A and 42B. This is the open position of the holder 3030 which is needed for loading and unloading the art sheet stack.

It is conventional knowledge that a back loading picture frame will need a back board to properly cover the opening on the back of the picture frame once a picture has been loaded. A back board for this purpose has been provided as shown in FIGS. 46, 47 and 50 of this application. An innovation of the picture frame of the present invention is the presence of the frame step 3040 in the picture frame 3032 for mounting the holder 3030 as shown in FIGS. 41 and 42. This will allow a back board to be properly placed on the picture frame 3032 once the holder 3030 is returned to its closed position.

It is seen in FIG. 42A that with no sheet stack loaded, the extreme positions x and y of the holder plate 3044 are made possible due to the presence of the frame body 3036, which acts as a stop limiting the travel of the holder plate 3044. FIG. 42B discloses an alternative way which shows two stops provided as part of the toggle holder 3030 itself. These two stops 3086 and 3088 are right angle irons fastened to the holder base 3042 with rivets. The stop 3086 will act as a stop for the extreme position x of the holder plate 3044, while the stop 3088 will act as a stop for the extreme position y of the holder plate 3044. These new stops will relieve the restriction on the design of the details of the frame body 3036.

FIG. 43 discloses a second embodiment of the toggle holder and picture frame of the present invention. In this figure, a picture frame is partially shown having a frame body 3092 formed by joining a vertical frame molding 3094 to two horizontal frame moldings 3096 and 3098 along two joining lines 3100 and 3102. This frame body 3092 has a frame rabbet 3104. The art sheet stack 3085, first shown in FIG. 41, is again mounted in the frame body 3092 against the rabbet 3104.

The middle portion of the vertical frame molding 3094 is carved out, typically with a router, to form a frame step 3106. This frame step 3106 has a height same as that of the frame step 3040 of the frame body 3036 shown in FIG. 41. But since the frame step 3106 is carved only from the middle portion of the vertical frame molding 3094, a much larger surface area on both ends of each frame molding as indicated by the long joining lines 3100 and 3102 can be provided for the application of joining glue. This will result in a much stronger frame body 3092, compared with the frame body 3036.

In modern frame making, the two adjacent frame moldings are joined not only by the application of the joining glue, but also by using one or more wedges over the joining line. For maximum joining strength this wedge is required to line up with the crown, or the highest point of the frame molding. In the picture frame 3032 of FIG. 41, since the frame step 3040 extends over the entire length of each molding, the design of the frame molding, or more specifically, the positioning of this crown will be somewhat limited.

In the picture frame 3090 of FIG. 43, two frame steps 3106 are provided only on the two long frame moldings 3094. Even for these two long frame moldings, the frame steps 3106 do not extend through the entire length the entire frame moldings. As a result, the design of the frame pattern, or positioning of the crown, will not be affected by the frame steps 3106.

In FIG. 43, a toggle holder 3108 of the present invention is mounted on the frame step 3106 of the picture frame 3090. This holder 3108 has a stationary holder base 3110 and a rotatable holder plate 3112, both of which are preferably made of high strength plastics by injection molding.

As seen in FIG. 43, an upper stud 3113 with a groove ring 3114 is projecting upward from the stationary holder base. An lower stud 3115 with a groove ring 3116 is projecting downward from the stationary holder base 3110. Both the upper stud 3113 and the lower stud 3115 are integral part of the stationary holder base 3110 produced by injection molding.

Similar to the rotatable holder plate 3044, the rotatable holder plate 3112 also has an upper section 3117 and a lower section 3118, twisted at right angle to each other. The lower end of the lower section 3118 is curved up to form a right angle elbow 3119.

As seen in FIG. 43, an upper stud 3120 with a groove ring 3121 is projecting upward from the holder plate 3112. A lower stud 3122 with a groove ring 3123 is projecting downward from the holder plate 3112. Both the upper stud 3120 and the lower stud 3122 are integral part of the holder plate 3112 produced by injection molding.

A rivet 3124 joins the holder plate 3112 to the holder base 3110 and make the holder plate 3112 rotatable with respect to the holder base 3110. Also shown in FIG. 43 is an upper tension spring 3125. There are two eyelets 3126 and 3127 on the ends of the upper tension spring 3125 and rotatably retained within the two groove rings 3114 and 3121, respectively.

A lower tension spring 3128, partially shown in FIG. 43, is similar to the tension spring 3050 shown in FIGS. 41-42, are also provided on the holder 3108. There are two eyelets 3129 and 3130 on the ends of the lower tension spring 3128 and rotatably retained within the two groove rings 3116 and 3123, respectively.

The upper tension spring 3125 and the lower tension spring 3128 work together to provide the holding force to the holder plate 3112 as it is stopped by the art sheet stack 3085. This holding force is twice as strong as the holding force by just one spring 3050 holding the art sheet stack 3085 shown in FIG. 41.

Just like the toggle holder 3030 shown in FIGS. 41-42, the toggle holder 3108 will toggle between a closed position and an open position. When the toggle holder 3108 is in the closed position, the holder plate will either firmly hold a loaded art sheet stack in the picture frame 3090 or be stopped at an extreme position by the frame body 3092 when no art sheet stack is loaded. When the toggle holder 3108 is in the open position, the holder plate 3112 will be stopped by the frame body 3092 at another extreme position to facilitate loading and unloading an art sheet stack.

In FIG. 41, for the purpose of illustration only one holder 3030 is shown in the picture frame 3032. For smaller frame a minimum of two holders is required. These two holders can be installed either in the top and bottom sides of the frame or in the left and right sides of the frame. For larger frames a total of two pairs of holders is recommended. These two pairs can be installed either in the top and bottom sides of the frame or in the left and right sides of the frame. But rarely more than four holders will be required no matter how large the picture frame is. It is more economical to choose larger and stronger holders instead of increasing its number.

The picture frames 3032 and 3090 of the present invention offer many advantages over the conventional picture frames. Most conventional picture frames use passive retainers such as brads, staples, and turn buttons which can not positively hold a smaller art sheet on display in the frame without shifting in the frame. On the other hand, the spring-loaded toggle holders in the present picture frames, with its strong holding force, will firmly hold the art sheet on display without shifting. There is no need to glue a smaller art sheet to the back of the mat board for display.

The second important advantage of the present picture frames is in its ease of changing the art sheet display. It is just a matter of opening each holder, rearranging the art sheet and mat boards, and shut close the holders. Since all the mat boards are not glued to the art sheets they can be freely chosen for the next display. With the availability of mat boards of appropriate opening size virtually any art sheets of size smaller than the internal size of the picture frame can be displayed.

The last but not least advantage of the present picture frames is its capability in storing unused art sheets and associated mat boards, etc. All the unused art sheet assemblies are just placed behind the art sheet assembly to be displayed and held in place by the holders. Since all art sheets are kept together in one place, the user will be encouraged to change the display any time desired as a way to refresh the home decoration. No more unused frames put away in the attics or basements.

The toggle holder of the present invention is elegant in its shape and design. It is structured in such a way which makes its operation so intuitive, simple and requires no explanation. The division of the 1st zone and 2nd zone is ideally suited for the needs of a picture frame.

FIG. 44

FIG. 44 illustrates the great benefit the standardization on the sizes of the picture frames, mat boards, and the art sheets will bring to the business of selling framed arts employing the art frames of the present invention. Instead of custom making an art frame to fit an given art sheet of unique size, the present approach will standardize all art sheets so each of which will fit in at least one art frame of standard size.

Shown in FIG. 44 is an art frame 3142 of the present invention. It includes a frame body, a frame glass and a rigid backing plate. It has an internal size among several standard sizes available. Here the term “internal size” refers to the length and width inside the frame and not to its depth or thickness. Four toggle holders of the present invention are installed in this art frame 3142. It can firmly hold any number of art sheets/mat boards up to the capacity of the frame.

Also shown in FIG. 44 are three art sheets 3143, 3144, and 3145 in a Claude Monet art series. Two mat boards 3146 and 3147 form a double mat for the display of the Monet art sheets 3143, 3144, and 3145. It is noted that the art sheets 3143, 3144, 3145 as well as the two mat boards 3146 and 3147 all have the same overall size designed to fit in the art frame 3142. The picture portion of each of the three art sheets 3143, 3144, and 3145 can be nicely displayed through the opening of the mat board 3146. All these are achieved by size adjustment of all art sheets as part of the art sheets size standardization process.

The art sheet size standardization basically means that in a reproduction of the original art the overall size of the reproduced art sheet is changed or made to be the same as the internal size of one standard art frame. There is no hard rule on how to change the size of the art picture portion itself in the reproduction process. If no mat board is needed in the final framed art the entire art sheet can be printed with the art picture. With the presence of the mat boards as seen in FIG. 44 it is preferred, but not necessary so, that the art picture portion be made smaller so no significant portion of the art picture gets blanked out by the mat board.

The beauty of the art sheet size standardization is that custom framing is no longer required. The owner of the newly acquired art sheet with size standardization can simply choose one available standard art frame with preferred style to frame this art sheet. If the owner already has an existing reusable standard art frame he can choose to purchase the art sheet he wants in size matching his existing art frame so no new frame has to be purchased.

In the present invention it is proposed that a present art frame with its novel toggle holders capable of firmly holding various number of art sheets/mat boards, and a plurality of individual and separate art sheets, with its overall size standardized to be the same as the internal size of the art frame, be sellable by a retail store in one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction as one ensemble. The fact that three great art sheets are included in each art frame will first attract the attention of shoppers. It greatly increase the value of this package in the mind of shoppers. Once the shopper realizes the advantage of this art frame in allowing for easy change of the displayed art and storage of all unused arts/mats she may have an urge to purchase one such ensemble and try it out at home. The increased value due to multiple art sheets and the advantage of the novel art frame are put together to create a synergetic benefit in the mind of consumer and will undoubtedly improve the sale of this ensemble.

One distinction between art frames and photo frames should be made concerning the present novel multiple art sheet preframed art ensemble concept. Photo frames are only sold by itself without any photo except some advertising materials at a retail store. It is the responsibility of the buyer to fill this photo frame with his or her own photo or high school diploma, etc. This is true regardless of the design of the photo frame or how many photos can be loaded in this photo frame. On the other hand, a conventional preframed art always comes with one art sheet framed in the art frame. There is no incentive to place more than one art sheet in a conventional art frame and sell it as a preframed art by a retail store. The problems with awkward conventional frame retainers and sealed frame back papers virtually preclude such an option.

As mentioned above, all contents of the present ensemble need not be packed together as one unit. A buyer may purchase an art frame and mat boards of standard size in one business transaction, but with this purchase the buyer is entitled to choose up to three matching art sheets at a later time free of charge or at a discount. An art frame and one matching art sheet may be purchased first in one business transaction, but with this purchase the buyer may get one additional art sheet free of charge or at a discount at a later time. All these cases and other similar situations in which the subsequent business transaction is still related to the initial business transaction are herein referred to as one pseudo business transaction. The common result is that at the end of this pseudo business transaction the buyer will get the ensemble including an art frame with the novel toggle holders and a plurality of art sheets with standardized size matching the art frame. One or more mat boards of the same overall standard size may also be optionally included in this ensemble. This will allow the buyer an immediate opportunity to practice and appreciate the display change feature of the art frame just like the case in which all components of the ensemble are acquired in one business transaction.

In spite of what discussed above, it is still preferred that the ensemble including an art frame with toggle holders capable of firmly holding various number of art sheets/mat boards and a plurality (usually three or more) art sheets, to be packed together in one unit and sellable in one business transaction. This is the most straight forward sales approach which will greatly benefit both the sellers and the buyers.

The art sheets 3143, 3144 and 3145 are part of twelve art sheets Claude Monet art series. All twelve art sheets are of the same standard size. The user can continue purchase the other art sheets by them self and display and store them in the existing art frame 3142 using the same mat boards 3146 and 3147. Of course the user can also purchase other art sheets of the same standard size but painted by other artists and display and store them in the same art frame 3142.

The twelve art sheets by Monet can also be grouped into four ensembles each one including one art frame 3142, two mat boards 3146, 3147, and three art sheets. Each ensemble can be sold in a single business transaction. This is desirable if the user wants to display two or more Monet's art sheets simultaneously.

FIGS. 45-46

FIGS. 45 and 46 disclose a novel picture frame of the present invention, which when installed with the toggle holders as shown in FIGS. 41-43 and described above, can be employed for a new application of displaying and storing expired calendar books.

FIG. 45 shows, among others, two expired calendar books 3160 and 3162. Each calendar book is a commonly seen monthly calendar having seven or more sheets stapled together or by other means along an imaginary dividing or center line 3164. Most of these sheets are printed on each side one calendar picture and one calendar date table. Once the calendar book is turned from one page to the next page a new calendar picture is seen on the top half of the calendar and a new monthly calendar date table is seen on the bottom half of the calendar.

Also seen in FIG. 45 are two mat boards 3166 and 3168. These two mat boards are of same outside dimension but of different opening sizes. The mat board 3166 is suitable for displaying the calendar book 3162 while the mat board 3168 is suitable for displaying the calendar book 3160. For displaying one calendar picture, from say the calendar book 3160, it is simply done by turning the page until the desired calendar picture is exposed. This calendar book 3160 is then folded backward along the center line 3164 and placed behind the mat board 3168 with the picture side facing the mat board.

A picture frame 3170 of the present invention will now be employed for displaying the calendar book 3160 and storing the calendar book 3162. As seen in FIG. 45, this picture frame comprises a frame body 3172, a frame glass 3174, and a rigid backing plate 3176. The calendar book 3160 is placed immediately behind the mat board 3168 and the frame glass 3174. The backing plate 3176 will always be placed immediately behind the calendar book to be displayed. All mat boards to be stored in the picture frame 3170 are placed next to the backing plate 3176. All calendar books to be stored are folded and placed behind the stored mat boards.

FIGS. 46 a and 46b show the front elevational view and back elevational view, respectively, of the assembled picture frame 3170. In FIG. 46b the first item to be noticed are the four toggle holders 3178. Each holder 3178 is similar to the toggle holders 3030 and 3108 shown in FIGS. 41-43. It is shown in FIG. 46b that two holders 3178 are installed on the top side of the frame body 3172 and two holders 3178 are installed on the bottom side of the frame body 3172. Depending on the shape of the frame body in some picture frames it is more preferable that these two pairs of holders be installed on the left and right sides of the frame body.

Obviously all holder plates of the holders 3178 must first be opened in order to clear the picture frame 3170 for the entry of all calendar books and mat boards. Preferably with the frame body 3172 resting on a table with its back facing up, all the items including the frame glass 3174, mat board 3168, calendar book 3160, backing plate 3176, mat board 3166 and the calendar book 3162, in that order, can now be placed in the frame body. Obviously, the calendar book needs to be centered in order to be properly displayed through the opening of the mat board 3168 as shown in FIG. 46a.

It is important that except for the calendar book 3160 each of the items above mentioned must be placed in the frame body 3172 with its bottom edge touching the bottom inside wall of the frame body 3172. This is to assure that once the picture frame 3170 is vertically hung on a wall all the weight of the mounted items except the calendar 3160 are supported by the bottom inside wall of the frame body 3172. No shifting of the so mounted items will occur after the assembled picture frame 3170 is vertically displayed.

After all items are loaded in the frame body 3172 the four holders 3178 can be rotated to their closed positions. The holding force exerted by these holder plates will be continuously applied to all mounted sheets and hold them in their mounted positions. This holding force will also firmly suspend the calendar book 3160 properly behind the mat board 3168 indefinitely as shown in FIG. 46a without adhesive tape.

It is noted that the contact surface of each holder plate of the holder 3178 when in the closed position projects deep into frame and away from the frame inside wall. As a general rule this contact surface should be at least 0.5″ (1.27 cm) and preferably at least 1″ (2.54 cm) away from the frame inside wall. This minimum distance will assure that the holder contacting point be very close to the suspended calendar book 3160. The applied holding force will be more effectively applied to the calendar book 3160 and prevent it from shifting during the vertical wall display.

It is also interesting to note in FIG. 46b that the calendar book 3162, due to its small size in comparison with the picture frame 3170, is only held by the two lower holders 3178. This is acceptable since the calendar book is only to be stored in the picture frame. The fact that the contacting point of the holder is at least one inch away from the frame inside wall makes the two lower holders to act as two effective “book ends” for holding the calendar book without falling.

A second rigid backing plate 3179 can also be optionally provided as part of the present picture frame 3170. This backing plate 3179 is seen in FIG. 46b mounted behind the stored calendar book 3162. It has a width same as that of the backing plate 3176 but is shorter in height so that it is only to be held by the two lower holders 3178. Because of its rigidity this backing plate 3179 will hold the stored calendar 3162 upright and prevent it from bending backward during storage.

As shown in FIG. 46b, a back board 3180 can also be optionally provided as a back cover to the picture frame 3170. A frame peripheral 3182 and a plurality of turn buttons 3184 are provided for removably mounting this back board 3180. This back board 3180, once mounted as shown in FIG. 46b, will limit the accidental movement of the holder plates. It will also keep all mounted art sheets safely inside the picture frame in case it is shaken loose due to heavy handling. Two hangers 3186 can also be provided to hang the picture frame on a wall.

FIGS. 47-49

Most oil painting are painted on canvas which is preferably supported by a stretcher. Commercially available stretchers are of standard sizes and have a thickness of ¾″ (1.9 cm). Such canvas arts on stretchers can be readily mounted just like a standard size art sheet on the frames of the present invention as described and shown in FIGS. 41-43. Obviously, the frame must have a depth deep enough to handle the thickness of the stretcher and the backing plate. No glazing is normally required for canvas arts.

Since most canvas arts on stretchers are covered with painting from edge to edge, a liner frame is preferred to be placed to separate the canvas art from the outside frame just like a mat. FIG. 47 shows such an arrangement using the present frame and its novel holders.

Shown in FIG. 47 is a picture frame 3500 which is similar to the frame 3032 shown in FIG. 41. Four toggle holders 3502 are installed along two long sides of the frame 3500. A frame peripheral 3504 is shown on the back side of the frame 3500. A plurality of turn buttons 3506 are provided for holding a back board 3508 once the frame 3500 is assembled. Up to two hangers 3510 can also be provided. All such items have been described as shown in FIG. 46b.

In FIG. 47 a canvas art 3512 is shown in dark shade and supported by a stretcher 3514. Shown between the canvas art 3512 and the frame 3500 is a liner frame 3516. The front side of this liner frame 3516 is typically covered with light color cloth to visually separate the oil painting from the frame 3500.

The liner frame 3516 has an inside dimension matching the outside dimension of the stretcher mounted art 3512, and an outside dimension matching the inside dimension of the frame 3500. The word “match” does not literally mean equal because there will always be a small clearance between the two matching members to ensure a good fit. The inside dimension of the frame 3500 can be 1/16″ (1.6 mm) larger than the outside dimension of the liner frame 3516. But for the stretcher mounted canvas art 3512, the inside dimension of the liner frame 3516 will be at least ⅛″ (3.2 mm) larger than the size of the stretcher 3514.

The framing of the canvas art 3512 using the frame 3500 of the present invention is extremely simple. It is started by opening the frame 3500 by rotating all holder plates of the toggle holders 3502 to their opening positions as similarly indicated by y in FIG. 42A. The liner frame 3516 is then placed in the frame 3500. The stretcher mounted canvas art 3512 is next placed inside the liner frame 3516. A backing plate 3518 can then be placed above the art 3512. The four holders 3502 are turned to the closed position firmly holding the backing plate 3518 and the canvas art 3512. The back cover or back board 3508 is finally installed and held by the turn buttons 3506. This completes the frame assembling process.

The total thickness of the canvas-stretcher 3512-3514 must be larger than the depth of the rabbet of the liner frame 3516. This will assure that the art 3512 is in contact with the backing plate 3518 and be firmly held when assembled. Obviously, the depth of the rabbet of the frame 3500 must be deep enough to accommodate the liner frame, canvas art 3512 and the backing plate 3518.

In the present framed canvas art system the canvas-stretcher 3512-3514 is standard in size. The liner frame 3516 is also standard in size to match the canvas-stretcher 3512-3514. But the inside dimension of the frame 3500 is not standard depending on the outside dimension of the liner frame 3516. It is for this reason that the frame 3500 is preferably packed together with the matching liner frame 3516 and only the standard size of the liner frame 3516 needs to be specified.

The commercially available stretcher such as the stretcher 3514 is made of wood molding and is bulky. It is difficult to hold more than one such stretcher in the present frame 3500 and the liner frame 3516. If one purchases a second stretcher mounted canvas art and wish to display it in the same frame 3500, there would be no room to store the first canvas-stretcher.

FIG. 48 shows a novel one piece molded stretcher 3530 replacing the conventional stretcher 3514 for the present application. This stretcher 3530 is rigid and sturdy because of its one piece plastic molded structure. The center section of this stretcher 3530 is a grid 3532 which significantly contributes to the rigidity and sturdiness of this stretcher 3530. All these features can allow the thickness of this stretcher 3530 to be reduced to one third or one half of that of the wooden stretcher (¾″, 19 mm).

It is recommended that each such stretcher 3530 come with a canvas sheet 3534 pre-installed. The engineering production of the stretcher 3530, along with professional wrapping of the canvas sheet 3534, will allow the sizes of all canvas-stretchers manufactured to be precise within tight tolerance.

The conventional canvas-stretcher 3512-3514 shown in FIG. 47 can now be replaced by up to four novel stretchers 3530 and mounted canvas sheets 3534 as shown in FIG. 48. The frame 3500 of FIG. 47 with its holders is capable of holding any number of canvas-stretchers 3534-3530 ranged from one up to four.

A liner frame 3536 is also shown in FIG. 48. This liner frame 3536 is similar to the liner frame 3516 shown in FIG. 47 and can be mounted in the frame 3500. One main difference is that the depth of the rabbet of the liner frame 3536 is much shallower than that of the liner frame 3516. In FIG. 48, the bottom canvas-stretcher 3534-3530 is dropped in the rabbet of the liner frame 3536. As seen in the figure, the top surface of the canvas sheet 3534 is still above the top of the liner frame 3536, and directly engaged with the baking plate 3518 if this canvas-stretcher 3534-3530 is the only one to be mounted in the frame 3500.

If one or more unused canvas-stretcher 3534-3530 are to be stored in the frame 3500 they can simply stack on top of the bottom canvas-stretcher 3534-3530 placed in the liner frame 3536. The strong holding force exerted by the four holders 3502 applied through the backing plate 3518 will maintain these canvas-stretchers 3534-3530 in place without shifting during the normal handling.

In the present stretcher 3530, the grid 3532 is made with its thickness same as that of the border section of the stretcher. But it is also possible to make this grid's thickness somewhat thinner than that of the border section. This may prevent the grid from contacting the art sheet placed above it.

In the present frame arrangement, each stored canvas art 3534 is sealed by the adjacent canvas art 3534 beneath it. For delicate canvas art, some air circulation across each art sheet's surface may be desirable. This air circulation can be achieved with the use of several novel spacer bars 3538 as shown in FIG. 49.

FIG. 49 shows the cross sectional view of three spacer bars 3538 and the liner frame 3536, along with four mounted canvas-stretchers 3534-3530. The liner frame 3536 has two receiving holes 3540 on each side. Each spacer bar 3538 also has two receiving holes 3542 on its top side. On the bottom of each spacer bar 3538 there are two pegs 3544 engageable with said receiving holes 3540 and 3542.

The length of each spacer bar is slightly longer than the distance between two receiving holes 3540 on each side of the liner frame 3536. A step 3546 is shown on the right side of the spacer bar 3538 extending through the entire length of the spacer bar 3538 for supporting a stretcher-canvas 3530-3534.

The number of the spacer bars 3538 on each side of the liner frame 3536 depends on the number of stretcher-canvas 3530-3534 to be stacked in the frame 3500. No spacer bar will be needed if only one stretcher-canvas 3530-3534 is to be mounted in the frame 3500. A maximum of three spacer bars 3538 on each side of the liner frame 3536 will be needed when all four stretcher-canvases 3530-3534 are mounted.

As seen in FIG. 49, two adjacent stretcher-canvases 3530-3534 are spaced apart by a clearance equal to the thickness of the step 3546. This clearance will prevent the contact between each stored canvas art 3534 and the underneath stretcher 3530. Since the length of each spacer bar 3538 is shorter than the length of the short side of the liner frame 3536, an air gap will exist between two spacer bars on two adjacent sides of the liner frame 3536. Air will be allowed to enter one such gap, flowing across the front surface of the canvas art 3534 and exist the other gap.

FIG. 50

The present picture frame with its deep rabbet is also ideally suitable for displaying three dimensional arts such as dried flowers, sea shells, coins, needle works, etc. FIG. 50 shows such a novel frame assembly, commonly referred to as shadow box, for this purpose.

The first item in FIG. 50 to be described is a picture frame 3550. This picture frame 3550 is nearly the same as the picture frame 3500 above described and shown in FIG. 47 except for one difference. The picture frame 3500 is made of four frame moldings each of which having a frame step just like the frame step 3040 shown in FIG. 41. This frame step runs the entire length of each frame molding.

In the picture frame 3550, two frame steps 3552 are provided only on the two long frame moldings on which the four toggle holders 3554 are to be located. Even for these two long frame moldings, the frame steps 3552 does not extend through the entire length of the frame moldings. It only extend through the middle section of these two frame moldings as required for mounting the holders 3554. As a result, the design of the frame pattern, or positioning of the crown, will not be affected by the frame steps 3552. Furthermore, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 43, the present frame step design will yield larger joining area for the application of the joining glue, resulting in a stronger frame.

Besides the picture frame 3550, the present frame assembly also comprises a glass 3556, mat board 3558, spacer 3560, mount board 3562, backing plate 3564, and back board 3566. The mount board 3562 is the board on which the three dimensional art is to be attached. The mount board 3562 is typically a commercially available foamboard which is easy to work with. It can be covered with a black velvet for its beauty.

The spacer 3560 is simply made of four narrow wood strips. The depth of this spacer 3560 should be appropriate for the three dimensional art to be displayed. Alternatively, several identical spacers 3560 can be provided as part of the picture frame package. Customer can choose the number of spacers 3560 to be stacked to fit the need of display.

The assembling of the present frame assembly is simple. Once the frame 3550 is open with its holders 3554 in fully open position, the following items can be lowered into the frame 3550: glass 3556, mat board 3558, one or more spacers 3560, mount board 3562 with the attached 3D art, and the backing plate 3564. The four toggle holders can now be rotated to the closed position in firmly holding all mounted items in place. The back board 3566 is finally placed and held by the turn buttons which completes the present frame assembling process.

The novel holders used in the present frame can allow for easy adjustment of the depth of the shadow box. The frame assembly is reversible and reusable. It is easy to change the display of the three dimensional art along with the mount board. The same frame can also be reused for displaying sheet arts, oil painting on stretcher, etc.

FIGS. 51-52

FIGS. 51-52 show a third embodiment of the spring-loaded toggle holder and picture frame of the present invention. The toggle holder 3630 is shown in FIG. 51 both assembled and disassembled. FIG. 52 shows this toggle holder 3630 mounted on a picture frame 3632. Similar to the picture frame 3032 of FIG. 41 and the picture frame 3090 of FIG. 43, this picture frame also has a frame step 3640 in addition to a frame rabbet 3638. As seen in FIG. 52, this frame step 3640 is created for accommodating the toggle holder 3630 in the frame body 3636.

This toggle holder 3630 mainly comprises a stationary holder base 3642, a rotatable holder plate 3644, a cam assembly 3646 which includes a plunger 3648 and two compression springs 3650, and two pins 3652.

The stationary holder base 3642 is typically formed by sheet metal stamping and bending process. At two ends of this holder base 3642 are two mounting holes for the entry of the two wood screws 3634 for mounting the holder base 3642 on the frame body 3636 as shown in FIG. 52. Next to the mounting holes are two side flanges 3654 which are bent as shown. The end of each side flange 3654 is curled to form a curl or sleeve 3656. Located between the two side flanges 3654 is a center flange 3658. The end of the center flange 3658 is bent to form a right angle bent 3660 which is in parallel with the two side flanges 3654.

The rotatable holder plate 3644 is also formed to the shape as shown in the figure by a metal sheet stamping and bending process. The back portion of this holder plate 3644 is curved to form an upper sleeve 3662 and a lower sleeve 3663. The middle section of this back portion is largely trimmed off leaving only a rod 3664 integrally joined to the upper sleeve 3662 and the lower sleeve 3663. The cross section of this rod 3664 is preferably circular as shown in FIG. 52. The front end of this holder plate 3644 is also slightly curled to form an elbow 3666.

As seen in FIG. 51, located between the stationary holder base 3642 and the rotatable holder plate 3644 is the cam assembly 3646 which includes the plunger 3648 and two compression springs 3650. The plunger 3648 is a molded plastic block of high mechanic strength. One side of this plunger 3648 is molded to form two plunger wells 3667 to receive the two compression springs 3650. The opposite side of this plunger 3648 is a raised ramp surface 3668. Two recesses 3670 are formed on the upper and lower right corners of the plunger block 3648. A horizontal groove 3672 is carved on the left side of the plunger 3648. As seen in the figure a depression or indent 3674 is formed on the outside surface of the right angle bent 3660 of the center flange 3658. This will create a bump 3676 on the opposite side of the right angle bent 3660. As will be discussed below the groove 3672 will be slidably engaged with the bump 3676 after the holder 3630 is assembled.

The last items to be described are the two metal pins 3652. Each pin 3652 has a pin head 3678 and a pin stem 3680.

The assembling of the holder 3630 is started by placing the cam assembly 3646 in the space between the two side flanges 3654 and the center flange 3658. The right side portion of the plunger 3648 between the two recesses 3670 is held between the two side flanges 3654 of the holder base 3642. The horizontal groove 3672 on the left side of the plunger 3648 is held by the bump 3676 of the center flange 3658. The only movement of the plunger 3648 in this confined space allowed is the horizontal reciprocal motion of the plunger 3648 against the compression springs 3650 as the groove 3672 is sliding on the bump 3676.

The holder plate 3644 is next placed between the two curls 3656 of the holder base 3642. The curl 3662 of the holder plate 3644 is pressed against the ramp surface 3668 of the plunger 3648 until the curls 3662 and 3663 are lined up with the curls 3656. At this time the two pins 3652 are then inserted into the curls 3662, 3663 and 3656 which completes the holder assembling process. Obviously, the above description only serves for the purpose of illustration only, and in realty each holder will come factory pre-assembled and ready for use.

FIG. 52 discloses the details of the operation of the holder 3630 of the present invention. It is seen in FIG. 52A that due to physical restriction imposed by the frame body 3636, the holder plate 3644 can only be rotated between the two extreme positions as indicated by the letter “x” and “y”. Once rested in either of these two positions, the holder plate 3644 will be pushed by the compression spring 3650 to remain stationary at its extreme position.

In FIG. 52A the holder plate 3644 is rotated to a position termed critical position as marked by the letter “z”. It is noted that at this position the upward force applied to the rod 3664 by the compression spring 3650 happens to pass through the rotational axis of the holder plate 3644. At least in theory, the spring force exerted by this compression spring 3650 can not cause any rotation of the holder plate 3644 because there is no torque applied to the holder plate 3644. In practice, this critical position is not a stable position and the holder plate 3644 is unlikely to stay here indefinitely.

The region between the holder plate positions x and z is termed first zone. The region between the holder positions y and z is termed second zone. When the holder plate 3644 is manually moved by hand to the first zone and then let go the hand, the holder plate will be pushed by the compression spring 3650 and rotate counterclockwise until stopped by the frame body 3636 and rest at the holder position x. When the holder plate 3644 is manually moved by hand to the second zone and then let go the hand, the holder plate 3644 will be pushed by the compression spring 3650 and rotate clockwise until stopped by the frame body 3636 and rest at the holder position y. It is clear from the above description that the holder 3630 is a toggle holder which allows the holder plate 3644 to be toggled between two stable positions, i.e., position x and position y.

FIG. 52C shows what happens when the picture frame 3632 is loaded with a sheet stack 3682 comprising one frame glass, one art sheet to be displayed, and one backing plate. After the sheet stack 3682 is loaded the holder plate 3644 can be moved by hand from the extreme position y or open position to within the first zone. Once reaching the first zone the holder plate 3644 will be pushed by the compression spring 3650 and rotate counterclockwise until stopped by the sheet stack 3682. At this time, the spring force is still continuously exerted by the compression spring 3650. This is the holding force applied to the sheet stack 3682 through the holder plate 3644.

It is clear that the holder plate 3644 can no longer reach the extreme position x once a sheet stack is loaded in the picture frame. Alternately, it can be interpreted that when the holder 3630 is in the closed position the holder plate 3644 will either firmly hold the loaded art sheet stack in the picture frame or be stopped at the extreme position x by the frame body 3636 when no art sheet stack is loaded.

To open the holder plate 3644 from its closed position in FIG. 52C or 52D, one needs to pull up the holder plate 3644 against the force exerted by the compression spring 3650 until the holder plate 3644 is rotated beyond the critical position z. Once entering the second zone the spring force exerted by the compression spring 3650 will further push and rotate the holder plate 3644 clockwise until it is stopped by the frame body 3636 at the extreme position y as indicated in FIG. 52B. This is the open position of the holder 3630 which is needed for loading and unloading the art sheet stack.

It is conventional knowledge that a back loading picture frame will need a back board to properly cover the opening on the back of the picture frame once a picture has been loaded. A back board for this purpose has been provided as shown in FIGS. 46, 47 and 50 of this application. An innovation of the picture frame of the present invention is the presence of the frame step 3640 in the picture frame 3632 for mounting the holder 3630 as shown in FIG. 52. This will allow a back board to be properly placed on the picture frame once the holder 3630 is returned to its closed position.

The toggle holder 3630 above-described and shown in FIGS. 51-52 can also be broaden and applied to numerous other applications. Specifically, this toggle holder can also be employed in the picture frames 3142, 3170, 3500, and 3550 above-described and shown in FIGS. 44-50. The choice among the three toggle holders 3030, 3108 and 3630 will be largely decided by their cost of manufacturing.

Claims

1. A device for holding one or more sheets, comprising: (A) a spring-loaded holder having: (a) a holder base, and (b) a rotatable member rotatable with respect to said holder base for releasably holding said one or more sheets.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said spring-loaded holder is a cam-based holder having: (a) a cam, (b) a cam follower/leader, and (c) a spring for (i) maintaining intimate surface contact and engagement between said cam and said cam follower/leader, and (ii) activating a cam action and exerting a torque to said cam-based holder for detachably holding said one or more sheets.

3. The device of claim 2 also comprising (B) a picture frame having a frame body for: (a) mounting said cam-based holder thereon, and (b) displaying a sheet of said one or more sheets through said frame body.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said frame body has a step for mounting said cam-based holder thereon.

5. The device of claim 2 also comprising (B) a board for: (a) mounting said cam-based holder thereon, and (b) displaying a sheet of said one or more sheets.

6. The device of claim 1 in which said spring-loaded holder is a toggle holder toggleable between (i) a closed position for detachably holding said one or more sheets, and (ii) an open position for loading and unloading said one or more sheets.

7. The device of claim 6 also comprising (B) a board for: (a) mounting said toggle holder thereon, and (b) displaying a sheet of said one or more sheets.

8. The device of claim 6 also comprising (B) a picture frame having a frame body for: (a) mounting said toggle holder thereon, and (b) displaying a sheet of said one or more sheets through said frame body.

9. The device of claim 8 in which said frame body has a step for mounting said toggle holder thereon.

10. A business method for a retail store comprising: (A) providing a plurality of art sheets for wall display, each having a standard planar size, (B) providing a wall frame having (a) a standard internal size substantially same as said standard planar size of each of said art sheets, and (b) a spring-loaded holder for detachably holding said art sheets in said wall frame, and (C) selling said art sheets and said wall frame as an ensemble to a retail store customer in one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction.

11. The business method of claim 10 in which said spring-loaded holder is a cam-based holder having: (a) a cam, (b) a cam follower/leader, and (c) a spring for (i) maintaining intimate surface contact and engagement between said cam and said cam follower/leader, and (ii) activating a cam action and exerting a torque to said cam-based holder for detachably holding said one or more sheets.

12. The business method of claim 10 in which said spring-loaded holder is a toggle holder toggleable between (i) a closed position for detachably holding said one or more sheets, and (ii) an open position for loading and unloading said one or more sheets.

13. The business method of claim 10 also comprising (D) offering said retail store customer an incentive for making said one business transaction or one pseudo business transaction.

14. The business method of claim 13 in which said incentive is a reduction on the purchase price required to be paid by said retail store customer for said ensemble.

15. The business method of claim 10 including selling said art sheets and said wall frame as a pre-packaged ensemble to said retail store customer in one business transaction.

16. An art frame assembly for displaying a canvas art comprising: (A) an art frame, (B) a stretcher for supporting said canvas art, and (C) a spring-loaded holder for holding said stretcher and said canvas art in said art frame.

17. The art assembly of claim 16 in which said spring-loaded holder is a cam-based holder having: (a) a cam, (b) a cam follower/leader, and (c) a spring for (i) maintaining intimate surface contact and engagement between said cam and said cam follower/leader, and (ii) activating a cam action and exerting a torque to said cam-based holder for detachably holding said one or more sheets.

18. The art assembly of claim 16 in which said spring-loaded holder is a toggle holder toggleable between (i) a closed position for detachably holding said one or more sheets, and (ii) an open position for loading and unloading said one or more sheets.

19. The art assembly of claim 16 in which said stretcher is a one-piece plastic molded stretcher.

20. The art assembly of claim 19 in which said stretcher has a grid for enhancing the rigidity of said stretcher.