Magnetic picture frames in framed display field
Display of photographs and like articles may be facilitated providing photograph carriers that can be mounted in the field of a frame by magnetic force between the backing forming the field, which includes ferromagnetic material such as a thin sheet of steel, and the photograph carriers that may have magnets mounted thereon. The display may be mounted on the wall, and photographs may be changed or rearranged by demounting the photograph carriers without the need to demount the frame from the wall.
This application claims priority based on applicant's copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/640,894 filed Dec. 31, 2004 and entitled Magnetic Picture Frames In Framed Display Field, which is incorporated herein by this reference.
BACKGROUNDPeople who take or exchange photographs frequently have a new batch of film or digital photographs, snapshots and family or school photographs that they wish to display. However, it does not appear that a quick and easy way exists to display, rearrange and change the photographs in a collage that is not time-consuming, expensive or difficult. Moreover, it is desirable to be able to display such photographs in a more aesthetic and safe location, such as on a wall or above a mantle, and in a more aesthetic manner than mounting them on a refrigerator, cabinet, mirror or bulletin board with magnets, tape, pins, thumbtacks or the like.
The photographs may, of course, be displayed in a grouping on a wall or the like by framing them and mounting them to the wall, as with frame wire or frame brackets and nails or picture hooks. This can produce a desired grouping of framed pictures, but changing the pictures in the frames is a somewhat more complicated task than may be desired where the photographs are changed frequently. Further, if photographs are changed or rearranged frequently, and particularly if different size frames are used, the need to fill and possibly to paint over abandoned nail holes to achieve the rearrangement can compound the effort and time required. This is particularly the case if a frame is mounted on the wall to provide an aesthetic border for the smaller frames.
There are other common framing methods on the market to display groups of a plurality of photographs, such as the traditional larger picture frame with a mat board which has cutouts of various sizes, shapes and orientations. Photographs may then be displayed by mounting them behind the mat board in the frame. However, in order to change one or more of the photographs in such a display, the entire frame must be taken down from the wall and disassembled from the back to insert or change the photographs. The photographs must frequently be cut to fit between the openings in the mat board to avoid overlapping, and the photographs must be taped or otherwise fixed in place behind the openings. Changing the arrangement, size and orientation of the openings requires disassembly of the display and either replacement of the mat board with a different set of openings of the desired arrangement, sizes and orientations, or modifying the openings in the existing mat board. An improvement to this common photograph display method is U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,473 to Wiener (1990) entitled Picture Frame Assembly, which has hinges allowing it to be opened from the front for easier changing of the photographs. However, the use of a mask through which the photographs are displayed complicates the changing of the arrangement, size, orientation and number of the photographs.
SUMMARYAccording to one aspect, a field comprising a backing 14 may be provided, the field incorporating a ferromagnetic material, which may be covered on one side with a decorative outer layer such as paper, fabric, plastic or paint. Then a plurality of smaller sized photograph carriers provided with magnets (or if the ferromagnetic material of the backing sheet is magnetic, with ferromagnetic material), may be chosen, arranged and mounted to the backing sheet. The photograph carriers may be open on the back, and photo mounts such as photo corners may be provided on the back corners for receiving photographs and the like. The small frames can easily be rotated to change their orientations or moved around the field to create a new photograph arrangement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to
In another embodiment, for example, where the decorative layer 17 or intermediate layer 16, alone and/or in combination, have sufficient dimensional stability to support of the photograph carriers 12, the rear layer 15 may be eliminated. A layer may also incorporate multiple functions, as would be the case if a decorative layer incorporating sufficient ferromagnetic material were applied to a backing layer. Such might be the case if a ferromagnetic paint were used to coat the rear layer 15, or if the rear layer were coated with a paint or other coating into which a ferromagnetic material had been mixed. In other embodiments, a ferromagnetic material may be provided in or on the backing 14 in a series of discreet units, such as a pattern of dots. The ferromagnetic material may likewise be magnetic such that ferromagnetic materials like thin steel sheet might adhere to the backing 14 without themselves needing to be magnetized. In yet another embodiment, ferromagnetic material, magnetized or not, might be integrated with, or even form, the rear layer 17.
In one embodiment, the decorative layer comprises wallpaper, fabric or other such materials, and is affixed to the other layers as by a spray adhesive, wallpaper paste, glue or the like. Similarly, adhesives or other fastening means may be used to hold a thin sheet of steel or other such layer of ferromagnetic material, whether magnetized or not, to the rear layer 17. A releasable adhesive or other releasable mounting means may be used to adhere a decorative layer 17 in place so that such layer, for example a decorative paper or wallpaper, may be removed and replaced with another such layer. It may, of course, be convenient to demount the display unit 10 from the wall to accomplish such a replacement of a decorative layer.
The backing 14 may thus contain the number of layers necessary to provide the structural integrity needed to engage and support the photograph carriers 12. Ferromagnetic materials useable in the backing 14 may include magnetic material such as, for example, flexible or rigid magnetic strips or sheets.
The backing 14 may be formed in any desired size, and may be mounted in a frame 11 or a frame 11 may be constructed to receive the backing 14. In one embodiment, the backing 14 may be mounted in the frame 11 to provide a display unit 10. Referring particularly to
If wallpaper is used to provide a decorative layer 17, the size of the backing 14 may be chosen so that it is not necessary to use multiple sheets of wallpaper to cover its surface if a seam is undesired.
Referring to
Thin magnets 23 or other, as desired, magnetic or non-magnetic ferromagnetic materials may be mounted on the rear surface of the frame 12a, or may be recessed flush or nearly flush into the frame 12a. The ferromagnetic material may be press-fit into recesses formed in the frame or held in place by adhesive material or fasteners, as desired.
In one embodiment, the molding strips 21 of which the frame 12a is made may have a width of ⅛″ to 1″ or wider. Standard picture frames 12 could also be used with a display unit 10 by affixing a magnetized or non-magnetized ferromagnetic material, such as conventional or flexible strip magnets or a non-magnetized ferromagnetic material such as steel to the back thereof. The photograph carriers 12 may be provided in sizes chosen to be able to receive standard sizes of photographic prints such as 3.25×5, 4×6, 5×7, 6×8, 8×10, and in other such sizes. The photograph carriers 12 may also have shapes other than rectangular, or the inner periphery of the frame that forms the opening through which photographs may be viewed may be of various shapes.
In another embodiment, the frame is omitted, and the photograph carriers 12 are placed on the backing board as they are in other embodiments discussed herein, although, in such case, the placement of the photograph carriers 12 is not bounded by the frame 11.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit or scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
In one embodiment, in use, the display unit 10, may be hung on a wall or other surface using conventional picture hanging methods. Photographs 13 or other such planar articles may be placed in the frames of the photograph carriers 12 and may be retained therein by retainers, such as photo corners 24, either with or without the presence of glazing 22, such as a thin, transparent plastic sheet. The photograph carriers may then be placed and arranged in the field provided by the backing 14. The photograph carriers 12 are then held in place by the magnetic force provided by the portions of the ferromagnetic material that form parts of the backing 14 and photograph carriers 12, respectively, are mutually attracted, and the magnetic force holds the photo carriers 12 in place. Such portions of ferromagnetic material may be comprised of, for example, the thin sheet of steel discussed in connection with the intermediate layer 16 of the backing 14 of
The user may then be able to remove one or more of the photograph carriers 12 to replace the photograph and/or to rearrange the photograph carriers 12 mounted to the backing 14 in the field of the display unit 10. Of course, either or both portions of ferromagnetic material could be magnetized. The user may thus be permitted to produce the aesthetic impression he or she desires by choosing the number of photograph carriers 12 mounted in the field of the display unit 10, as well as their arrangement. Photograph carriers 12 of different sizes may be provided to accommodate various sizes of planar articles. The aesthetics of the display unit 10 may also be changed if a decorative layer is provided that is unattached to or detachable from the backing 14. The use of magnetic attraction between the carriers 12 and the backing 14 permit the removal of the carriers 12 from the backing 14 permit the repositioning of the carriers on the field provided by the backing 14 without damage to either, and without the need to demount the display unit 10 from the wall or other vertical surface. Releasable means other than ferromagnetic materials may be used to mount the photo carriers in the field of the display unit 10.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit or scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
Claims
1. A photograph display comprising:
- a field comprising a backing, the backing including a first portion of ferromagnetic material, the field being mountable on a vertical surface;
- a photograph carrier comprising a second portion of ferromagnetic material, the first and second portions of ferromagnetic material being attracted to one another with a force sufficient to retain a photograph carrier placed on the field to be maintained in position thereon, the photograph carrier further comprising retainers connected thereto for retaining a photograph in place.
2. The display of claim 1 wherein the field is bounded by a frame.
3. The display of claim 1 wherein the first portion of ferromagnetic material comprises a steel sheet.
4. The display of claim 1 wherein the second portion of ferromagnetic material comprises a magnet mounted to the photo carrier.
5. The display of claim 3 wherein the steel sheet is covered by a decorative layer, the decorative layer covering at least a portion of the steel sheet.
6. The display of claim 1 wherein the photograph carrier comprises a frame, and wherein the retainers comprise photo corners mounted on the frame.
7. The display of claim 6 wherein the frame forms an opening through which planar articles retained by the photo corners may be viewed, and wherein the photo corners retain the planar article in position for viewing through the opening.
8. The display of claim 5 wherein the decorative layer is separable from the steel sheet, whereby the decorative layer may be changed.
9. The display of claim 2 wherein a mount is connected to the frame whereby the frame may be mounted on a vertical surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 30, 2005
Publication Date: Jul 6, 2006
Inventors: Victor Chatellier (Snohomish, WA), Judy Chatellier (Snohomish, WA)
Application Number: 11/323,660
International Classification: A47G 1/06 (20060101);