Frame for displaying slips of sheet material
Fortune cookie fortunes or other small slips of sheet material are displayed in a frame comprising: a base on which a fortune message is mounted, a transparent panel overlying the fortune message and a retaining rim which fits over the transparent panel and latches to the base. A strip of magnetic material is adhered to the back of the base for mounting the display on a surface, such as the door or side of a refrigerator.
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/655,474, filed Feb. 2, 2005, to which Applicant claims priority.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a frame for displaying slips of sheet material. More particularly, the present invention is directed to frames for displaying slips of sheet material wherein the frames are magnetically attached to ferrous surfaces, such as the surfaces of a refrigerator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFortune cookies have slips of sheet material in the form of paper slips with fortunes printed on the paper slips or with other information such as selected lottery numbers printed on the paper slips. People tend to collect these paper slips for future reference. Some messages and numbers on these slips appear to have significance greater than others. Accordingly, there is a need to conveniently display these messages or numbers in a conveniently accessible location to remind and perhaps titillate people possessing these messages.
With the advent of relatively powerful permanent magnets, people tend to festoon their refrigerators with various messages and images. Fortune cookie messages are necessarily rather small. If held in place with a permanent magnets, portions of the messages may be obscured. Consequently, there is a need for an attractive, convenient way to display fortune cookie messages on locations such as refrigerators, wherein the messages are readily interchangeable and are attractively presented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the aforementioned considerations, a frame is provided for displaying a slip of sheet material, wherein the frame comprises a base having a peripheral wall defining a compartment having a floor recessed with respect to the peripheral wall, the floor providing a backing for the slip of sheet material. The slip of sheet material is covered by a transparent panel, and is held in place on the base by a retaining rim having at least one latch member for latching with a complementary latch member on the base to hold the rim seated against the transparent panel with the slip visible through a window defined by the rim. Magnetic material is fixed to the rear side of the frame for retaining the frame against a magnetizable surface.
In a further aspect, the floor has an adhesive surface for preferably releasably holding the slip of sheet material.
In still a further aspect of the invention, the magnetic material is at least one strip of magnetic material adhered to the rear side of the frame, in which the frame is preferably made of plastic material.
In still a further aspect of the invention, the latch member on the retaining rim is a projecting detent which extends into a recess accessible from the rear side of the base, the latch member latching with a complementary surface on the base adjacent to the recess.
In still a further aspect of the invention, there are two latch members configured as detents on opposed sides of the retaining ring that engage complementary surfaces disposed adjacent to recesses through the rear side of the base.
In still a further aspect of the invention, the frame is in combination with the slip of material wherein the slip of material is a message or number from a fortune cookie.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSVarious features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring now to
Unfortunately, many people, for lack of an appropriate display for the messages 11, end up taping or magnetically holding with out a frame, the slips 12 to appliances such as refrigerators or stoves, or the slips 12 simply sit in their wallets or purses for long periods of time.
In accordance with the present invention, the slips 12, which are preferably made of paper, are mounted in a display 14 configured as a frame 15 having a window 16 behind which the slip 12 is mounted. The display 14 has a magnet associated therewith for mounting the display 14 on a magnetizable surface such as a ferrous surface 20 of a refrigerator door 21 or side panel 22 (see
Referring now mainly to
Preferably, the base 30 has a strip of magnetic material 50 attached on its rear side 52 by releasable adhesive. The magnet 50 is preferably a single strip magnet with sufficient magnetic force to hold the display 14 in place on the surface of a refrigerator or stove when subject to the occasional jarring due to closing an appliance door, yet being readily removable from the appliance by hand.
Preferably, an informational strip 55 informing the purchaser of the display 14 to place “YOUR FORTUNE HERE” is releasably placed over the adhesive area 48 and is peelable from the adhesive area 48 to place a slip of sheet material 12 containing “fortune” in the form of a message 11 thereon.
A transparent plate 60 covers the peel strip 55 prior to first use of the display 14 and has dimensions slightly less than the floor 44 so that the transparent plate 60 rests against the peel strip 55 prior to purchase of the display 14 after purchase, the transparent plate 60 abuts the slip of sheet material 12 when the fortune message 11 is mounted. The transparent plate 60 is surrounded by the shoulder 46.
A retaining rim 66 has the window 16 therein which is dimensionally smaller than the transparent plate 60 so that the rim 66 fits over the plate 60 and sandwiches the plate 60, peel strip 55 or message strip 12 between the adhesive surface 48 on the floor 44 of the base 30 and the retaining rim 66. A retaining rim 66 has an outer rectangular dimension greater than the rectangular dimension of the shoulder 46 so that the retaining rim 66 is received in the rectangular compartment 42 and rests on the shoulder 46, with the surface 68 of the retaining rim 66 being generally coplanar with the front face 40 of the base 30.
The assembled display 14 has a front view similar to
As is seen in
It is preferable that the components of the display 14 be molded from plastic material.
From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
Claims
1. A frame for displaying a slip of sheet material, comprising:
- a base having a front side, a rear side and a peripheral wall defining an area providing a compartment having a floor recessed with respect to the peripheral wall, the floor providing a backing for a slip of sheet material;
- a transparent panel received within the area defined by the peripheral wall and covering the floor to sandwich the slip between the floor and the transparent panel;
- a retaining rim defining a window therein and having at least one latch member for latching with a complimentary latch member on the base to hold the rim seated against the transparent panel with the slip visible through the window; and
- magnetic material fixed to the rear side of the frame for retaining the frame against a magnetizable surface.
2. The frame of claim 1, wherein the floor has an adhesive surface for holding the slip of sheet material.
3. The frame of claim 1, wherein the magnet is at least one strip of magnetic material adhered to the rear side of the frame.
4. The frame of claim 3, wherein the frame is made of plastic material.
5. The frame of claim 1, wherein the latch member on the retaining rim is a projecting detent which extends into a recess accessible from the rear side of the base and latches with a complimentary surface on the base adjacent to the recess.
6. The frame of claim 1, wherein there are two latch members configured as detents on opposed sides of the retaining rim which engage with complimentary surfaces adjacent to recesses through the rear side of the base.
7. The frame of claim 6, wherein the transparent plate abuts an internal shoulder projecting from the peripheral wall above the floor.
8. The frame of claim 1, wherein the transparent plate abuts an internal shoulder projecting from the peripheral wall above the floor.
9. The frame of claim 2, wherein the transparent plate abuts an internal shoulder projecting from the peripheral wall above the floor.
10. In combination with a slip of sheet material having a fortune or number thereon from a fortune cookie, a frame comprising:
- a base having a front side, a rear side and a peripheral wall defining an area providing a compartment having a floor recessed with respect to the peripheral wall, the floor providing a backing for a slip of sheet material;
- a transparent panel received within the area defined by the peripheral wall and covering the floor to sandwich the slip between the floor and the transparent panel;
- a retaining rim defining a window therein and having at least one latch member for latching with a complimentary latch member on the base to hold the rim seated against the transparent panel with the slip visible through the window; and
- magnetic material fixed to the rear side of the frame for retaining the frame against a magnetizable surface.
11. The frame of claim 10, wherein the floor has an adhesive surface for holding the slip of sheet material.
12. The frame of claim 10, wherein the magnet is at least one strip of magnetic material adhered to the rear side of the frame.
13. The frame of claim 10, wherein the frame is made of plastic material.
14. The frame of claim 10, wherein the latch member on the retaining rim is a projecting detent that extends into a recess accessible from the rear side of the base and latches with a complimentary surface on the base adjacent to the recess.
15. The frame of claim 10 wherein there are two opposed notched latch members on opposite sides of the retaining rim, each latch member being configured as a projecting detent that extends into a recess through the base and latches with a complementary surface on the base adjacent to the recess.
16. The frame of claim 10, wherein the floor has an adhesive surface for holding the slip of sheet material.
17. The frame of claim 15 wherein the frame is made of plastic material.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 17, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 24, 2006
Inventor: Winston Beigel (New York, NY)
Application Number: 11/205,030
International Classification: A47G 1/06 (20060101);