DISPLAY MATERIALS, ACCESSORIES THEREFOR AND METHODS
A kit of components for use with a pin permeable board, the kit of components comprising a pin suitable for penetrating the pin permeable board for frictional engagement with the pin permeable board; and a magnet; further wherein the pin has a gripping handle, the gripping handle having a magnet attractive top surface configured to receive the magnet; whereby the magnet can be attached to the gripping handle by magnetic force thereby to allow an object to be displayed to be secured to the gripping handle between the handle and the magnet, and wherein the magnet remains in position on the gripping handle by magnetic attraction through the object when the pin is engaged in a vertically disposed pin permeableboard.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/369,303, filed Feb. 11, 2009 entitled “DISPLAY DEVICES, ACCESSORIES THEREFORE AND METHODS”, which application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/876,926, filed Jun. 25, 2004 entitled “DISPLAY DEVICES, ACCESSORIES THEREFORE AND METHODS”, which application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/595,122, filed Jun. 15, 2000 entitled “DISPLAY DEVICES, ACCESSORIES THEREFORE AND METHODS”, which application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Ser. Nos. 60/139,465 filed Jun. 16, 1999 and 60/154,030 filed Sep. 16, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to display devices and in particular to display devices such as bulletin boards or materials which can be used to form structural and/or ornamental display surfaces. For example, the present invention can be used to form walls for modular offices that serve as display surfaces. Further, the present invention could be used to manufacture surface materials such as wall coverings and wallpaper for use on walls and thereby serve as a display surface.
In particular, the present invention allows objects to be displayed thereon by allowing securement of objects to be displayed either by pushpin securement or by magnetic securement. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,342 and 5,384,999 which disclose a display device having an apertured magnet attractive surface and a permeable material below the magnet attractive surface which allows objects to be secured both by pushpin and/or magnetic securement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a display device which may comprise a composite material and accessories for use with the display device including magnets and pushpins. According to one aspect, the invention comprises a composite material which is embedded with iron, other ferromagnetic material, magnetic attractive material and/or magnetic material in order to secure articles by magnets, magnetic attractive material and/or material which is permeable to pins, thereby allowing dual securement by magnet, or magnet attractive material and pushpins.
According to one aspect, the magnet attractive material or magnetic material is adhered to the surface of a material permeable to pushpins. According to another aspect, the magnet attractive material or magnetic material is aligned with the surface of the material permeable to pushpins. According to yet another aspect, the magnet attractive material or magnetic material is embedded within or beneath the material permeable to pushpins.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises a magnet attractive material or magnetic material which presents itself as a continuous or discontinuous layer either as strands, separate individual pieces or as a laminated, or woven layer or as a layer adhered or attached to another material to become an integral part of the structure of a non-woven or woven sheet material in which the magnet attractive or magnetic material is visible or nonvisible and optionally permeable to pushpins for the display of objects, for example, memos, photos, notes, etc.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises an adhesive magnet. A magnet is provided with an adhesive substance on the surface of the magnet. In this way the magnet can be secured to non-magnetic objects by the adhesive to allow the non-magnetic object to be secured to a magnet attractive surface. In particular, the adhesive magnet can be provided on a substrate or sheet of releasable backing material. A plurality of the magnets can be disposed on the sheet of backing material like “candy buttons”. When the user wishes to use one of the adhesive magnets, one can be removed from the substrate, thereby exposing the adhesive on the magnet and the magnet can thereafter be adhered to a non magnet attractive object. The object can be secured to a magnet attractive surface via the magnet.
According to another aspect of the invention, the display device of the present invention can be made in modular form with the individual modular units being assemblable together into a larger display device either by fastening means such as clips, screws, etc., or by fastening means such as magnets and magnet attractive material.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises an integral pushpin and magnet for use with the display device of the present invention. According to another aspect the invention comprises a magnet with a pin housing surrounding the magnet. Other push pins and magnets are also disclosed herein.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises a display device made of a composite material comprising woven or knitted fabric which comprises strands of fabric material interlaced with strands of a ferrous material such as steel which attracts magnets.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises a method of covering a surface area with the composite article according to the invention. The surface area may be, for example, a wall, ceiling or floor of a building structure. The surface can be the surface of any object, including irregularly shaped objects and objects that are not planar. Objects to be displayed can be secured to the composite article by pushpin and/or magnetic securement. Further, the invention has the benefit of electromagnetically shielding a volume, such as the interior of a room, defined by a surface area covered by the composite article. For example, by applying the composite article to the walls/ceiling/floor of a room, it is possible to electromagnetically shield the volume defined by the room.
According to another aspect, the invention can provide sound absorption qualities, so that it can be used for acoustical insulation, for example, as an acoustical wall covering.
According to yet another aspect, the invention comprises a magnet attractive fluid that can be applied to a surface area to allow attachment of objects by magnetic securement.
Other features and advantages of the present invention as described above will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings in which:
With reference now to the drawings,
According to a first embodiment, shown in
Optionally, the material 12 or 12A may be magnetic itself in which case the object 14 may not be a magnet but a magnet attractive material such as ferrous material.
The display device according to
The magnet attractive material or magnetic material 12 in the composite article may be either visible on the surface, visible by way of the surface texture of the composite or invisible in the composite. For example, the material 12 may be disposed on the surface but covered by an opaque material or embedded in the material 10. In all cases, this magnet attractive material or magnetic material would become an integral part of the object when the manufacturing of the composite article is completed.
Both embodiments shown in
According to one of these embodiments, the invention comprises a magnet attractive material or magnetic material which can be strands, separate individual pieces or particles such as magnetic or ferromagnetic particulate or dust, a magnetic or magnet attractive fluid or paint laminated, deposited, adhered or otherwise attached to a substrate such as a woven or non-woven sheet material. The magnet attractive or magnetic material may be laminated between layers of woven or nonwoven sheet material or secured by an adhesive to a layer of such material. According to this embodiment, the technology described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,513 to Koslow et al. can be used to provide the composite article, in which case, a binder is provided for the particulate. However, a binder need not be used. According to the embodiments shown in
According to another aspect, the invention may comprise a fluid having a magnet attractive material dispersed therein, such as ferromagnetic particles. The fluid can be applied to a surface such as a wall or any other object and may comprise, for example, a paint.
Alternatively, as shown in
According to the invention of
A plurality of such magnets and pushpins can be stacked in any combination. For example, the composite magnet 21 can have a pushpin such as a pushpin 18c inserted therein to which another pushpin 18A or 18C can be attached. Depending on the type of pushpin used, i.e., pushpin 18A or the pushpin 18C, either a magnet or further pushpin can be attached thereto. For example,
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention should be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A kit of components for use with a pin permeable board, the kit of components comprising:
- a pin suitable for penetrating the pin permeable board for frictional engagement with the pin permeable board; and
- a magnet;
- further wherein the pin has a gripping handle, the gripping handle having a magnet attractive top surface configured to receive the magnet; whereby the magnet can be attached to the gripping handle by magnetic force thereby to allow an object to be displayed to be secured to the gripping handle between the handle and the magnet, and wherein the magnet remains in position on the gripping handle by magnetic attraction through the object when the pin is engaged in a vertically disposed pin permeableboard.
2. A pushpin comprising:
- a pin suitable for penetrating a pin permeable object for frictional engagement with the pin permeable object;
- a gripping handle on the pin;
- the gripping handle having a pin permeable surface so that another pin can be inserted into the handle thereby to allow an object to be displayed to be secured between the gripping handle and the other pin.
3. A magnet comprising:
- a first magnetic material;
- a second material attached to the first magnetic material, the second material being permeable to a pin for frictional engagement of the pin, whereby the first magnetic material can be attracted to a magnet attractive surface and a pushpin can be inserted into the second material to hold an object to be displayed between the second material and the pushpin.
4. A pushpin comprising:
- a pin suitable for penetrating a pin permeable object, the object having a magnet attractive attribute;
- a magnet disposed attached to and adjacent the pin;
- whereby the pushpin allows securement of an object to be displayed to the pin permeable object by both the frictional engagement of the pin in the pin permeable object and magnetic attraction by the magnet attractive attribute.
5. The pushpin of claim 4, wherein the magnet surrounds the pin.
6. The pushpin of claim 4, further comprising a housing for the pin, the magnet being disposed in a recess in the housing.
7. The pushpin of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of pins in the housing.
8. The pushpin of claim 6, wherein the housing is pin permeable to allow at least one other pin to be inserted into the housing to allow display of objects held by said at least one other pin.
9. A magnet comprising:
- a magnet;
- an adhesive disposed on at least one surface of the magnet; whereby the magnet may be adhered with the adhesive to a nonmagnetic or nonmagnet attractive object to allow the object to be secured to a magnet attractive surface.
10. The magnet of claim 9, wherein the adhesive comprises an adhesive releasably attached to a substrate.
11. The magnet of claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises a sheet of material.
12. The magnet of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of magnets releasably attached by adhesive to said sheet of material.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 25, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 23, 2010
Inventor: Bonnie Roche (New York, NY)
Application Number: 12/868,291
International Classification: A44B 9/02 (20060101); A44B 99/00 (20100101); H01F 7/00 (20060101); F16B 47/00 (20060101);