DOOR WITH INTEGRATED IMAGE FRAME
A door for displaying an object to be framed therein includes a door body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second opposing side edges. A plurality of frames are defined within the door body. The frames include a glazing substantially covering the front of the frame and a backing substantially covering the back of the frame. The glazing and backing retain the object to be framed within the frame.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/557,564, filed Nov. 9, 2011 and entitled “Door With Integrated Image Frame,” and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to doors, and more particularly to doors having integrated picture frames therein.
2. Background
Doors are available in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes. Some doors, such as closet doors, vary widely in each of these aspects, and also differ with respect to functionality. Doors are also manufactured from a wide variety of materials, including wood, stamped steel, polymer, and mixtures of plastic and wood fiber.
Regardless of the shape or functionality of a given door, and despite the fact that doors are common to the interior of households, doors are not often decorated with photographs or other images. The materials from which doors are constructed make it difficult or undesirable to hang a photograph or other image from the door using a nail, screw, or other fastener. The damage done to the door may not be as readily fixed or covered as damage done by a nail or screw to a wall. Thus, apart from paint, most doors in a household lack decorative elements.
Many individuals, particularly teens, use tape or other adhesives to affix photographs, drawings, and other images to the surface of a door. This contributes to a generally messy appearance of the door and the associated room. Further, tape and other adhesives may leave residue on the door or damage the paint or other surface of the door. This is especially problematic when individuals change photographs or images on a regular basis, removing one image to replace it with another and in the process removing the tape or adhesive used to affix the first image, thereby potentially marring or damaging the surface of the door. Many teens, for example, find it desirable to change such images frequently, representing changing tastes, trends, or interests of the teen.
What is needed, therefore, is a door having structures associated therewith to allow for the easy display of photographs or other decorative images on the door, and to allow the photographs or other images to be changed as often as desired without damaging the surface of the door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a door for displaying an object to be framed therein. The door includes a door body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second opposing side edges. A plurality of frames are defined within the door body. The frames include a glazing substantially covering the front of the frame and a backing substantially covering the back of the frame. The glazing and backing retain the object to be framed within the frame.
Another aspect of the invention provides that the door body has a front surface and a rear surface. An opening between the front surface of the door body and the glazing allows insertion of an object to be framed into the frame.
Another aspect of the invention provides an opening between the backing and the rear surface of the door body for insertion of an object to be framed into the frame.
Another aspect of the invention provides that the backing is also a glazing.
Another aspect of the invention provides that the door includes a fastener for attaching the door to a structure.
Another aspect of the invention provides that the door body includes a message board attached to the front surface of the door body.
In another aspect of the invention, the message board is a whiteboad, a corkboard, a chalkboard, or a combination of these.
In another aspect of the invention, the door includes a second door body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second opposing side edges. A plurality of frames are defined within the second door body. The second door body is hingedly attached to the first door body.
Turning now to the drawings,
The glazing of each frame may be constructed of any suitable transparent material, such as plexiglass, glass, synthetic polymers, and the like. In some instances, such as with photographs, for example, it is undesirable for the image in image frame 12 to be in contact with the glazing. In such cases, each image frame 12 may be provided with a matboard or spacer to prevent the surface of the photograph or image from contacting and sticking to the glazing. The matboard or spacer may be provided as part of image frame 12, or may be inserted optionally in those of image frames 12 for which it is necessary or desirable due to the properties of the image or photograph being displayed therein. It is understood that the term ‘glazing’ is employed herein to include any transparent structure through which an object to be framed can be viewed.
The present invention may be implanted using any desired door size or shape. Interior doors in homes are often 1⅜ inches thick, and commonly have a height of 80 inches. Door width varies according to the type of door (standard versus bifold and the like), with exemplary widths being 15, 24, 28, 30, and 36 inches. The present invention is not limited to any given dimensions of door. Likewise, image frames 12 may be provided in any desired shape or size. Common image frame sizes (in inches) are 3×5, 4×6, 5×7, 6×8, 8×10, and 11×14. Such frames are generally rectangular in shape. Any desired size of frame may be used, however, and a single door may have a variety of image frame associated therewith rather than a plurality of image frames all having the same dimensions. Further, it is contemplated that image frames 12 may be of geometric shapes other than rectangular, including square, round, oval, triangular, octagonal, star-shaped, or any other desired geometric or artistic shape. Likewise, the glazing of each frame may be tinted with color to achieve a desired effect, with a single door having one or more colors of glazing associated therewith.
Image frames 12 are preferably included in a door during manufacture of the door itself. Methods of cutting suitable openings in the door, as well as inserting the glazing are known in the art and will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure. For purposes of the present invention, the precise method of manufacturing a door with the associated image frames is not limited, as any suitable method may be used. Likewise, any suitable image frames may be utilized in accordance with the present invention. It is further contemplated that various modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, and that such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A door for displaying an object to be framed therein, the door comprising:
- a door body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second opposing side edges; and
- a plurality of frames defined within the door body, the frames comprising a glazing substantially covering a front of the frame and a backing substantially covering a back of the frame for retaining an object to be framed within the frame.
2. The door accordingly to claim 1 wherein the door body comprises a front surface and a rear surface, the door further comprising an opening between the glazing and the front surface of the door body for insertion of an object to be framed into one of said plurality of frames.
3. The door according to claim 1 wherein the door body comprises a front surface and a rear surface, the door further comprising an opening between the backing and the rear surface of the door body for insertion of an object to be framed into one of said plurality of frames.
4. The door according to claim 1 wherein the glazing is a first glazing and the backing is a second glazing.
5. The door according to claim 1 further comprising a fastener attached to the door body for attaching the door to a structure.
6. The door according to claim 1 wherein the door body comprises a front surface and a rear surface, the door further comprising a message board attached to the front surface of the door body for allowing a user of the door to display messages and other indicia thereon.
7. The door according to claim 1 wherein the door body comprises a front surface and a rear surface, the door further comprising a message board attached to the rear surface of the door body for allowing a user of the door to display messages and other indicia thereon.
8. The door according to claim 6 wherein the message board is selected from the group consisting of a whiteboard, a corkboard, a chalkboard, and combinations thereof.
9. The door according to claim 1 wherein the door body is a first door body, the door further comprising:
- a second door body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second opposing side edges, the second door body hingedly attached to the first door body; and
- a plurality of frames defined within the second door body, the frames comprising a glazing substantially covering a front of the frame and a backing substantially covering a back of the frame for retaining an object to be framed within the frame.
10. The door according to claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of frames comprises a frame assembly, each frame assembly being set within an opening defined in said door, the frame assembly comprising:
- a glazing disposed toward a front surface of the door; and
- a backing disposed toward a rear surface of the door.
11. The door according to claim 11 further comprising a fastener for retaining the frame assembly in the opening defined in the door.
12. The door according to claim 10 wherein the glazing is stepped.
13. The door according to claim 10 wherein the glazing is flat.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 9, 2012
Publication Date: May 23, 2013
Inventor: Ryan Tiede (Bakersfield, CA)
Application Number: 13/673,922