Patent Application
20060060314
Tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings include any decorative product having an ornamental design on a suitable medium for display. The ornamental design may include any form of artistic expression found pleasing to the eye such as a picture, phrase, solid color, geometric shape(s), or other decorative pattern. The ornamental design is typically printed, embroidered, woven, painted, or otherwise permanently affixed onto or into the medium. Suitable media include any material capable of retaining the ornamental design for years without noticeable fading, distortion, or other degradation. The medium is often a heavy, thick material made from canvas, wood, or a woven textile, such as cotton, wool, polyester, or other conventional materials or blends of cotton, wool, and/or polyester known in the art. The medium may also be a relatively thin material made from paper, silk, or other material generically referred to as shears.
Tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings are often displayed as decorations in rooms, buildings, halls, or other suitable locations. As such, the decorative products vary considerably in size, shape, thickness, and weight, depending on the intended use and location. For example, some tapestries are as small as a standard sheet of paper and weigh less than a pound, while others are large enough to cover a large wall, measuring several yards in length and width and weighing over one hundred pounds.
Various products and devices exist for displaying tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings. Ideally, the products and devices should be sufficiently strong to support the weight of the decorative product while presenting the medium and ornamental design in a relatively flat plane. Often the decorative product is suspended from a wall, ceiling, or stand so that the natural force of gravity produces a relatively flat, vertical appearance. However, the effect of gravity varies according to the size, stiffness, and weight of the medium. For example, a wider or heavier medium may tend to sag around the edges. Similarly, a thinner, lighter, and more flexible medium may fluctuate, curl, or undulate excessively when suspended.
Some existing products for displaying tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings attach a straight rod along the top of the decorative product. The straight rod may be made from wood, plastic, metal, or other sufficiently stiff material. Placing the straight rod along the top of the decorative product provides a stiff frame near the top of the medium. This stiff frame provides a support structure for hanging the decorative product and prevents or reduces sagging around the edges of the medium. In addition, the straight rod prevents or reduces the amount of curling or undulation in the decorative product, particularly near the top of the medium.
Other existing products for displaying tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings attach additional weight along the bottom of the decorative product. The additional weight may be multiple pieces of metal or other heavy material distributed along the bottom of the medium. Alternately, the weight may be a straight rod similar to the straight rod along the top of the decorative product previously described. The additional weight at the bottom of the decorative product helps to fully extend the medium vertically while also preventing or reducing fluctuations in the medium. In addition, the use of a straight rod near the bottom of the decorative product provides a stiff frame at the bottom of the medium to further prevent or reduce fluctuations, waves, and undulations in the medium.
For those products or devices that use a straight rod along the top and/or bottom of the decorative product, the straight rod generally has a length that approaches or exceeds the width of the medium being displayed. As a result, the length of the straight rod necessarily increases as the size of the medium increases. Although the medium can be folded, rolled, or otherwise gathered to fit into a suitable package for shipping and display, the length of the straight rod is fixed and requires a package at least as long as the length of the straight rod. This results in shipping packages that are correspondingly longer and, therefore, more expensive to deliver. In addition, the longer packages require more shelf space to display the decorative products for the ultimate consumer.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved display kit that adequately supports and displays the decorative product without requiring a larger package for shipping and sales displays.
Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth below in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a tapestry display kit includes a tapestry, an upper support, and a lower support. The tapestry has a top, a bottom, and a predetermined width, and the upper support is operatively connected proximate the top of the tapestry. The upper support has a first upper support segment removably assembled to a second upper support segment. The lower support is operatively connected proximate the bottom of the tapestry.
In particular embodiments, the tapestry display kit may further include an upper fitting, threaded connection, hinge, or intermediate upper support segment between the first upper support segment and the second upper support segment for assembling the first upper support segment to the second upper support segment. The lower support may further include a first lower support member removably assembled to a second lower support member. The tapestry display kit may also include a package for containing the tapestry, upper support, and lower support, wherein the package has a longest dimension that measures less than approximately 60 percent of the predetermined width of the tapestry.
An alternate embodiment within the scope of the present invention includes a tapestry display kit having a tapestry with a top, a bottom, and a predetermined width. An upper support is operatively connected proximate the top of the tapestry, and a lower support is operatively connected proximate the bottom of the tapestry. The upper support has a first upper support segment, a second upper support segment, and an upper support assembling means for removably assembling the first upper support segment with the second upper support segment.
In particular embodiments, the upper support assembling means may comprise an upper fitting, male and female fittings, a threaded connection, a hinge, or an intermediate upper support segment. The lower support may further include a first lower support member, a second lower support member, and a lower support assembling means for removably assembling the first lower support member with the second lower support member.
A further embodiment within the scope of the present invention includes an upper support, a lower support, and a tapestry having a predetermined width. The tapestry includes an upper attachment means for attaching the upper support to the tapestry and a lower attachment means for attaching the lower support to the tapestry. The upper support includes a first upper support segment removably assembled to a second upper support segment.
In particular embodiments, the upper support may further include an upper fitting, threaded connection, hinge, or intermediate upper support segment between the first upper support segment and the second upper support segment for assembling the first upper support segment to the second upper support segment. The lower support may further include a first lower support member removably assembled to a second lower support member.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will better appreciate the features and aspects of such embodiments, and others, upon review of the specification.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof to one skilled in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to present embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, with like numerals representing substantially identical structural elements. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The present invention provides a display kit for tapestries, throws, and wall-hangings. Various embodiments of a tapestry display kit within the scope of the present invention are shown in
The tapestry 10 is a conventional decorative product known in the art. The tapestry 10 has a predetermined width W measured from one side of the tapestry to the other. An upper attachment means 12 extends along the width of the tapestry proximate or adjacent to the top of the tapestry for attaching the upper support 20 to the tapestry 10. A lower attachment means 14 extends along the width of the tapestry proximate or adjacent to the bottom of the tapestry for attaching the lower support 30 to the tapestry 10. Depending on the particular application, the upper and/or lower attachment means 12, 14 may be slightly above, below, or coincident with the top or bottom of the tapestry, respectively.
Various suitable structures are known to one of ordinary skill in the art and within the scope of the present invention for attaching the upper and/or lower support 20, 30 to the tapestry 10. For example,
The upper support 20 provides a stiff frame at or near the top of the tapestry. This stiff frame provides a support structure for hanging the tapestry 10 and prevents or reduces sagging around the edges of the tapestry. In addition, the upper support 20 prevents or reduces the amount of curling or undulation in the tapestry, particularly near the top of the tapestry.
The upper support 20 is operatively connected with or attached to the upper attachment means 12. The method of connection with or attachment to the upper attachment means 12 depends on the particular structure present in the upper attachment means 12. For example, as shown in
The upper support 20 includes a first upper support segment 22 removably assembled to a second upper support segment 24. Alternate embodiments within the scope of the present invention may include one or more additional segments that are removably assembled to each other. For example,
The upper support segments 22, 24, 26 are generally of equal length and preferably have an assembled length that approaches or slightly exceeds the width of the top of the tapestry. When assembled, the upper support segments 22, 24, 26 form a substantially continuous shape that preferably approximately matches the shape of the top of the tapestry. That is, if the top of the tapestry is generally straight, then the upper support segments form a generally straight line when assembled. Similarly, if the top of the tapestry is concave, then the upper support segments form a generally concave curve when assembled. As a result, the upper support segments can provide a stiff frame along substantially the entire width of the top of the tapestry when assembled.
In addition, the upper support segments 22, 24, 26 may be disassembled for shipping and display. As shown in
The lower support 30 provides a stiff frame and additional weight at or near the bottom of the tapestry to help fully extend the tapestry 10 vertically while also preventing or reducing fluctuations, waves, and undulations in the tapestry 10.
The lower support 30 is operatively connected with or attached to the lower attachment means 14. The method of connection with or attachment to the lower attachment means 14 depends on the particular structure present in the lower attachment means 14. For example, as shown in
The lower support 30 may comprise a single lower support member having a length that approximately equals the length of one of the upper support segments. Alternate embodiments within the scope of the present invention include a lower support 30 having one or more additional lower support members that are removably assembled to each other. For example,
The lower support members 32, 34, 36 are generally of equal length and preferably have an assembled length that approaches or slightly exceeds the width of the tapestry. When assembled, the lower support members form a substantially continuous shape that preferably approximately matches the shape of the bottom of the tapestry. That is, if the bottom of the tapestry is generally straight, then the lower support members form a generally straight line when assembled. Similarly, if the bottom of the tapestry is concave, then the lower support members form a generally concave curve when assembled. As a result, the lower support members can provide a stiff frame along substantially the entire width of the bottom of the tapestry when assembled. In addition, the lower support members may be disassembled, as previously described for the upper support members, for shipping and display.
Various suitable structures are known to one of ordinary skill in the art and within the scope of the present invention for removably assembling the upper support segments 22, 24, 26 and the lower support members 32, 34, 36. One such assembling means is depicted in
As shown in
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of the invention set forth herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their equivalents.
