 |
Description  |
|
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to picture display means and more
particularly concerns a device for the interchangeable presentation and
storage of pictures employing magnetic means for retaining the picture on
the display surface of a plaque.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
Pictures, original works of art and art reproductions are of greatest value
to the owner and others only when they can be readily viewed, enjoyed and
appreciated. Means for displaying such two-dimensional articles are
provided by great numbers of different devices. Most of these devices,
however, do not provide for convenient interchanging of the object being
displayed without damaging the object nor do they provide a convenient
storage facility for a number of undisplayed pictures.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,872, assigned to the same assignee as the present
invention, discloses a means for storing and interchangeably displaying a
two-dimensional object. That invention pertains primarily to the display
of rigid objects, shown as pictures, mounted on a relatively thick
backing. It was not intended to permit display of a picture on flexible
paper or cloth without first affixing the picture to a rigid surface.
At the present time there is a growing interest in art among people of all
ages. Inexpensive art reproductions have achieved wide popularity. The
inexpensive nature of such reproductions have enabled the consumer to
purchase large numbers of them, but each is an incomplete product without
suitable display means. Traditionally, significant time and money have
been necessary to properly display an art reproduction, and esthetic,
permanent framing means are often several times more expensive than the
work of art or reproduction being shown. Even if he can afford many
frames, because of limitations of wall space and the desire for variety in
the art being displayed, the owner cannot normally display at the same
time all the art reproductions that he owns. There has not heretofore been
any desirable or functional display and storage means for a collection of
art reproductions and similar two-dimensional objects of the type which
are printed on flexible paper. The vast market which could be opened to
art reproductions because of their reasonable cost and high quality is
presently curtailed by the lack of a modern, inexpensive and efficient
means of displaying them, a means which permits variety without requiring
a tremendous amount of wall space.
A system for interchangeable display and storage of pictures in such a
manner as to encourage a person to avail himself of its features should
satisfy several criteria. It should allow for ease of positioning of the
display object on a background surface while preventing damage to the
object during mounting and removal. It should provide means for secure
mounting of the object once it has been positioned in such a way as to
prevent a warped or bubbled appearance of the displayed object. It is also
desirable that such a device provide adequate, convenient and accessible
storage space for objects not currently being displayed. A device
combining these features is not evident from the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention disclosed herein is applicable to any flexible picture type
object and is particularly of commercial significance in the field of
inexpensively priced art reproductions. Generally speaking, this invention
provides a novel display device for the interchangeable presentation of
relatively thin, flexible two-dimensional objects of various thicknesses.
More particularly, this invention comprises a background member or plaque
having a display surface and a rear surface. The display surface of the
background member provides a background, which may have a neutral or any
desired color, for a displayed object, while the rear surface of the
background member and peripheral side members formed unitarily therewith
define a storage area. Magnets are disposed within recesses in the display
surface of the background member at positions to engage thin sheets of
metal affixed to the four corners of an object or picture being displayed.
When the corners of the picture are aligned as desired with the mounting
magnets, the display object is thereby positively retained in an
orientation substantially parallel to and in contact with the display
surface. The picture can easily be interchanged by moving its corners
transversely away from the magnets and off the support member. Another
picture can then be easily mounted for display.
A flexible elastic band is affixed to the storage side of the device for
holding stored objects flat against the rear surface of the plaque. The
storage means prevents warping and creasing of the pictures in storage and
also provides a rear barrier to the storage area for preventing objects
being stored therein from falling out of the plaque. Concealed means for
mounting the device onto a wall are also provided. In an alternative
embodiment of the invention a mat is mounted onto the background member,
also by magnetic means, to extend peripherally of the displayed object.
Another alternative embodiment employs sculptured edges and an inset of
the display surface to provide an element of the effect of a traditional
frame.
This invention stresses disconnectability versus the permanence of
conventional frames used in displaying pictures. The classical frame
approach to viewing prints employs glues, screws, mats, glass, clamps and
frame pieces which accentuate the permanent, static, possessive, enduring
and one-time uniqueness of its content. Change is not native to, nor
encouraged by such a system. The intent of this invention is to stress the
facility for change because the growth of an individual's power for
aesthetic discrimination is directly related to the frequency of
encounters he has with works of diversified creative content. The exposure
and personal control permitted by this invention is analogous to the
record player in the field of music, permitting, in this case, the eye to
receive the necessary impact for growth. This plaque is designed for
action on the part of the viewer, inviting him to become involved in a
learning process he himself stimulates and at his own rate he experiences
form and color rendered by masters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The objects and advantages of this invention will be more fully understood
and appreciated from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,
showing the displayed object partially removed;
FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional elevation of one embodiment of the
invention taken along cutting plane 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional elevation of the invention taken along
cutting plane 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;
and
FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view of still another embodiment of the
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the invention, an esthetically pleasing and relatively
inexpensive display device is provided for interchangeable presentation of
art reproductions or other display objects. It will be seen from the
accompanying drawing and the discussion which follows that the display
device of the invention provides ease of attachment and positioning and
secure mounting of a picture being displayed while providing convenient
and accessible storage of pictures not currently displayed.
The display device or plaque of the invention is shown in a preferred
embodiment in the pictorial view of FIG. 1 and the sectional elevation of
FIG. 2 taken at lines 2--2 of FIG. 1. A background member 12 and four
identically shaped perpendicular side members 14, disposed peripherally
from the background member at the edges thereof, form a unitary box-like
cavity which may be mounted vertically on a wall in a manner so that a
display surface 16 of background member 12 is presented to a viewer.
A display object 18 which may be a photographic reproduction of a work of
art or any similar object printed on relatively thin paper or cloth is
removably mounted onto the background member by magnetic means. These
include magnets 20 typically formed of a magnetic material which may
either be flexible or rigid which are embedded in recesses 21 formed in
the background member so that the front surface of the magnet is coplanar
with the display surface 16. Magnets 20 are disposed at each of the four
corners of an imaginary rectangle centered with respect to display surface
16 and defined by the size of the picture which the plaque is intended to
display. Keeper plates 22, typically formed of thin sheet metal or metal
foil and generally of the same or slightly larger dimensions than the
magnets 20, are permanently fixed, preferably by an adhesive bond, onto
the back surface adjacent the corners of the picture. Magnetic attraction
of the keeper plates by magnets 20 provides secure mounting of the picture
18 on the background member. The magnetic attraction of the magnets may be
enhanced by providing plates 24 as pole pieces behind each magnet in the
recess 21 formed in background member 12. Plates 24, which typically
constitute thin pieces of metal of approximately the same surface
dimensions as the magnets, are bound thereto by the magnetic attraction of
the magnets and serve to improve the flow of the magnetic flux lines for
more secure mounting of the picture to the display surface 16.
The particular disposition of the magnets in background member 12 permits
relative ease of mounting of a picture onto the display surface. The two
top corners of the art reproduction may be engaged by respective magnets
on display surface 16 and moved laterally for desired alignment and
orientation. Once their alignment is established the picture may then be
eased flat against the display surface until the bottom magnets engage.
Once all four keepers engage respective magnets and the picture is
retained in parallel orientation to the display surface, only
perpendicular magnetic force is applied to the keeper plates. Lateral
movement thereof with respect to the magnets is prevented by the
frictional resistance between the surfaces of magnets 20 and keeper plates
22 for elimination of undesirable sagging or misalignment of the art
reproduction during display.
An additional advantage of placing keeper plates 22 adjacent the corners of
the picture is the reinforcement thus provided to the corners and
consequent protection against dog-earing or bending of the picture edges.
Pictures which are not currently displayed may be stored behind the
background member within the space defined by side members 14. In FIG. 3,
which illustrates the back storage area of the plaque, a plurality of
pictures 28 not currently being displayed are shown supported against the
back surface 30 of background member 12 by an elastic grid 32. Grid 32 is
typically formed of elongate elastic material such as elastic bands which
is arranged in a generally symmetric criss-cross pattern about the
longitudinal axis of the plaque as shown. The elastic bands are fastened
to back surface 30 of background member 12 at points close to the corners
formed by two adjacent side members 14 by staples 38 or similar fasteners,
leaving access opening adjacent the side members 14 for insertion and
removal of stored pictures. Additionally, the extreme ends of the elastic
bands may be knotted to prevent inadvertent detachment thereof from
background member 12. In the embodiment shown, two separate lengths of
elastic material, 36 and 37, are employed and are each knotted at their
ends 39 as indicated. Intermediate elements 34 may be staples or pegs
around which the elastics pass.
The degree of tautness of elastic grid 32 is selected to hold prints 28
flat aginst back surface 30 and thus to prevent warping or creasing
thereof, yet at the same time to permit the prints to be easily removed
from the storage area without tearing or otherwise damaging them. Prints
may be inserted into or removed from the storage area simply by displacing
the elastic bands rearwardly from their normal position.
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the particular configuration of side members
14. A notch 40 is formed in each of the side members 14 at their
respective mid-points, presenting a triangular opening at the back facing
wall of each side member and a groove of triangular cross section along
the inner facing surface thereof. Notches 40 provide an invisible means of
mounting the display device onto a wall or similar vertically disposed
planar surface whereby a nail or other element inserted into a wall and
projecting therefrom by a predetermined-distance may be seated within one
notch. The plaque of the invention is constructed to be symmetric in mass
about each of the notches so that when the plaque is placed upon a nail at
a groove 40, it may be aligned for stable mounting in a geometrically
balanced orientation and will not tend it to assume a skewed position. The
plaque will remain substantially parallel to the wall and uniformly spaced
therefrom by side members 14 which extend a uniform distance back from
display surface 16 and form a peripheral border thereto. Provision of
mounting notches 40 at each side member permits mounting of the display
device in any one of four orientations.
Side members 14 are each configured to have an outer surface 42 (FIG. 2)
which is generally perpendicular to the display surface of background
member 12 and an inner surface 44 which forms an obtuse angle with back
surface 30. The angle of surface 44 is shown exaggerated in the drawing
and may be in the range of 2.degree., needed for draft purposes only, to
permit removal of the plaque from the mold after it is formed. The outside
surfaces 42 of side members 14 form a square corner while the inner
surfaces are configured to form a rounded corner with an inner radius of
typically one-half inch. In order to prevent inadvertent escape of the
stored display objects 28 from the storage area through the open ends of
elastic grid 32 should the draft angle exceed about 21/2.degree., two
pairs of bumpers 46 (FIGS. 3 and 4) having parallel inner and outer walls
may be formed in the side members adjacent the open ends of the elastic
grids.
The entire display device may be conveniently made of a foam plastic
material such as polyurethane or a form of polystyrene by casting or
molding in which staples 38 or other fasteners may be easily inserted and
firmly retained. The plaque thus formed may be conveniently manufactured
at relatively low cost in large quantities by methods well known in the
plastic molding art and it may be made in any desired color and have any
desired surface texture, including an authentic wood grain.
An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown generally in FIGS. 5
and 6. As in the embodiment first described, a magnet 20 and associated
plates 24 attract keeper plates 22 affixed at the corners of picture 18.
In this alternative embodiment a mat 50 having an open central area with
dimensions smaller than the outer dimensions of the picture 18 is
superimposed over or under the periphery of display object 18 and mounted
in desired orientation against display surface 16 of background member 12
to provide a matted display. Four magnets 54 and associated plates 56
engage respective keeper plates 58 affixed to the mat 50 adjacent its
corners to support the mat in a desired position. In the embodiment shown,
display surface 16 is recessed with respect to the forward facing edges 60
of side members 14 in order to define precisely the position of mat 50.
Provision of the recess is not necessary, however, and mat 50 may be
maintained in a desired orientation solely by means of a magnetic
attraction between magnets 54 and keeper plates 58.
A further alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 7 wherein the edges of
the side members 65 are contoured at the forward corners 66 and display
surface 67 is recessed from front surface 68 of the plaque to form a well.
The plaque may be wood grained to give a frame effect. A hole 71 through
background member 72 disposed adjacent but inwardly from magnet 73 is
provided so that a finger may be inserted to force the picture away from
the display surface for removal thereof. Otherwise the device is much the
same as the embodiments previously described in detail.
Normally, the pictures will be a paper with a plastic laminated over the
surface thereof to lend the necessary stiffness to maintain the edges
straight. The embodiment of FIG. 7 permits unlaminated paper prints and
canvas to be used since a slight waviness of the edge thereof would be
hidden by the edges of the well. This embodiment also prevents the
possibility of catching the edges of the picture and brushing it off while
permitting uniform size prints to be automatically positioned within the
recess. A more definite frame effect is also provided by this embodiment.
In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, magnets 20 and 54 are
shown embedded in the display surface of background member 12.
Alternatively, background member 12 could be formed with apertures
corresponding to the planer dimensions of the magnets extending entirely
through it. In such an embodiment, the magnets and associated plates would
be mounted in the apertures at a desired position to present a forward
surface in common with the display surface 16.
The primary purpose of the invention described above is facility in
displaying and interchanging a multiplicity of display objects. This
purpose is effected in the present invention by means of features which
are inherent in the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein. One
feature, as described, is that introduction and positioning of the display
object can be easily accomplished in a short time, without injury to the
prints. Also, fine adjustment of the orientation of the display object on
the background surface can be easily accomplished since the magnet defines
a unipolar surface with the display surface. Further, once the object is
in position, sufficient magnetic attraction and resistance to lateral
movement of the display object to prevent sagging or warping is provided
by employing the relatively high surface friction of the magnetic
material. Also, means for safely and conveniently storing objects which
are not currently on display is provided. Another feature is that the
display device of the invention may be easily constructed of relatively
light and inexpensive materials, such as plastic, by well known
fabrication methods such as casting or injection molding. The above
features combine to provide a unified, self-contained device which
embodies novel means for appreciating a multiplicity of works of art or
other visual information. The invention enables interchangeable display of
objects by combining storage and display means in a single unit
immediately and conveniently at hand.
In particular, this invention embodies a novel and unique conception of
merchandising, viewing and appreciating inexpensive art reproductions. At
present, an art reproduction by itself cannot be immediately viewed and
appreciated after purchase. Before the owner can display the reproduction,
he must buy a frame and expend time and labor or money to mount the
reproduction. These complications characterize the acquisition and display
of an art reproduction with the nature of permanence. Since the
inexpensive cost of art reproductions now makes it possible for a person
to acquire a multiplicity of such prints, the invention disclosed herein
makes it practical to display and enjoy them. The means embodied in the
invention encourage people to vary their displays of art to suit their
mood, or to whet their appetite for art by experimenting with the
knowledge that if they are not pleased with the print when it is
displayed, they can remove it easily and replace it with another.
Various modifications and alternative implementations will occur to those
skilled in the art without departing from the true scope of the present
invention. Accordingly, it is not intended to limit the invention by what
has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated in the
appended claims.
* * * * *
|
|
 |
|
 |
Description |
|
