PICTURE FRAME

Abstract

A device for holding and displaying an article, such as a photograph, comprising a concave front member having a window therein, and, a convex back member having attachment means operatively arranged to releasably secure the device to an external wall, wherein the front and back members are secured to one another to form an envelope for holding and displaying the article, and to form a slot for insertion and removal of the article, wherein the envelope comprises the slot. The device resembles a curved POLAROID® photograph in appearance.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention broadly relates to picture frames, more specifically to a picture frame that resembles a POLAROID® photograph in appearance, yet accommodates interchangeability of the photo being displayed, can be personalized with a dry erase marker, and is operatively arranged to be releasably secured to a corkboard or similar article.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of picture frames to display photos is well known. Various types of picture frames are made from a variety of materials. The frame housing often includes a decorative front surface, which a user chooses based on her personal preference for its particular aesthetic quality. The use of borders around pictures is also well known. In the early 1970's, The Polaroid Corporation publicly introduced an instant camera that produced the well-known POLAROID® photograph. The SX-70 camera revolutionized photography by offering the public a camera that folds flat and produced photographs instantly, with the familiar “POLAROID® border” around the image. The POLAROID® instant camera allowed the user to take a picture of a desired object or event (e.g., family, friends, graduation, wedding, etc.), and receive a photo of the object just taken, developed completely outside of the camera within minutes. The user would no longer have to wait until a number of film exposures were used or take film to a film developing shop to be developed in order to see an event captured in time. The exciting experience of the well-known POLAROID® photograph was that the user would grasp the undeveloped photograph by a wide white border, as it exited the camera. The user would shake the photo back and forth anxiously with anticipation, watching the photo develop right before her eyes. The early models of the SX-70 used Type 48 film, which would produce photographs that would exit the camera with a curled up profile or develop a curved shape over a period of time. The Polaroid Corporation provided a set of sticky-backed self-adhesive mounting cards for the user to place on the backside of the photo to keep the photo flat. Upgrades of the Type 48 film produced photographs without the need for an optional backing The well known white borders provided the user with a photo with an instant frame that surrounded the image and an area to personalize her or her photo by writing a complementary message on the wide white border below the photograph. The border around the POLAROID® photograph also provided the user with a place to pierce and secure the photo with a thumbtack or push pin to a vertical surface without damaging the image. The unique “POLAROID® borders” are still popular today. Unfortunately, The Polaroid Corporation discontinued production on all instant film.

Thus, there is a long felt need for a device that is adapted to hold and display pictures such that the pictures are easily viewable. There is a further long-felt need for a wall mountable picture frame that resembles a POLAROID® photograph in appearance, yet accommodates interchangeability of the photo being displayed, can be personalized with a dry erase marker, and is operatively arranged to be releasably secured to a corkboard or similar article.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention broadly comprises a device for holding and displaying an article, such as a photograph, comprising a concave front member having a window therein, and, a convex back member having attachment means operatively arranged to releasably secure the device to an external wall, wherein the front and back members are secured to one another to form an envelope for holding and displaying the article, and to form a slot for insertion and removal of the article, wherein the envelope comprises the slot.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a photo frame that resembles a curved POLAROID® photograph in appearance, and yet affords interchangeability of the photo or article being held and displayed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display device for a photograph that includes a frame capable of displaying “dry erase” printed indicia so as to resemble the appearance and functionality of a well-known POLAROID® photograph.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciable from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and from the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 illustrating an article being removed from the device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating a new article being displayed in the device;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a detail of area 9 shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention taken generally along line 10-10 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11a is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11b is a side cross-sectional view taken generally along line 11b-11b of FIG. 11a;

FIG. 12a is a rear perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12b is a side cross-sectional view taken generally along line 12b-12b of FIG. 12a;

FIG. 13a is a rear perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13b is a side cross-sectional view taken generally along line 13b-13b of FIG. 13a;

FIG. 14a is a front perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14b is a front perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 14c is a front perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements of the invention. While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred aspects, it is to be understood that the invention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed aspects.

Furthermore, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and, as such, may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should be appreciated that the term “arcuate” is synonymous with terms such as “curved”, “arched”, “bowed”, “rounded”, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should also be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly”, “very nearly about”, “approximately”, “around”, “bordering on”, “close to”, “essentially”, “in the neighborhood of”, in the vicinity of, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, devices, and materials are now described.

Adverting now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates device 10 for holding and displaying article 13. Device 10 comprises concave front member 11 having window 14 therein, and convex back member 21 having a means to attach device 10 to vertical surface 38, such as a wall. Front member 11 and back member 21 are secured to one another to form slot 12, first side channel 23, second side channel 24 and bottom channel 25. The channels are operatively arranged to cooperatively hold and display the article within the window.

Front member 11 comprises four border elements including top border element 15, first side border element 16, second side border element 18 and bottom border element 19 which together form window 14. Specifically, top border element 15, first side border element 16, second side border element 18 have approximately the same width dimensions. More specifically, bottom border element 19 is wider than the remaining border elements. Even more specifically, in a preferred embodiment, bottom border element 19 is wider than the width of the remaining border elements, and, in one embodiment, is at least three times the width of the remaining border elements. It should be appreciated that the configuration of the border elements are arranged to visibly resemble the appearance and functionality of a well-known POLAROID® photograph. FIG. 1 illustrates article 13 as a photograph having an image of “a dog” and complementary dry erasable indicia 26 displayed at bottom border element 19 illustrated as “SADIE” (the name of the dog shown in the photograph).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 illustrating an article being removed from device 10. In the present embodiment, concave front member 11 and convex back member 21 are secured to one another to form envelope 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the user is removing article 13, having an image of “a dog”, from envelope 20 of device 10 by which article 13 passes through slot 12. In the present embodiment, it should be understood that article 13 is a substantially planar item, albeit flexible, such as for example, a pictorial item, photograph, and the like. Article 13 should be sufficiently flexible to conform to the arcuate shaped envelope 20 formed between front member 11 and back member 21. It should be appreciated that article 13 can be interchanged in the device with a new article, in particularly, it is advantageous for the user to interchange articles and to personalize device 10 with a dry erasable indicia using a dry erase marker to complement a particular photograph.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating new article 13a being held in device 10 and displayed in window 14. New article 13a is a photograph having an image of “a family member” (Uncle Gerry) which is displayed in window 14. Using dry erase marker 27, complementary dry erasable indicia 26a is shown being written at bottom border element 19 starting to illustrate the words “UNCLE GERRY”. Dry erasable indicia 26 illustrated as “SADIE”, complementary to article 13 having an image of “a dog” illustrated in FIG. 2, was erased. It should be appreciated that a plurality of messages can be used by associating a particular message with a particular photograph. For example, a user might choose to display a photo of a beach in the device and print the name of the beach or a word describing such location at bottom border element 19. It should also be appreciated that dry erase printed indicia may be printed anywhere on device 10. However, a preferred location to print indicia is bottom border element 19. Bottom border element 19 provides an easily viewable area to complement the article displayed in the window.

The device for holding and displaying an article, hereinafter referred to as device 10 may be made of any suitable substantially rigid material, for example, plastic. In a preferred embodiment, device 10 is made of ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. ABS plastic is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products. ABS plastic is preferred for its mechanical toughness, good dimensional stability and ease of fabrication. More specifically, device 10 is made of high gloss ABS plastic. High gloss ABS plastic is inherently dry erase enabled. It should be appreciated, however, that the device may be made of any material capable of receiving and displaying indicia made by a dry erase marker, or a similar writing instrument.

Specifically, device 10 is made of an opaque material. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the opaque material is white in color to boldly display printed indicia and visibly resemble the appearance and functionality of a well-known POLAROID® photograph. It should be appreciated that other colors are possible, and are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

A front view of an embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 4. Device 10 comprises concave front member 11 including window 14. Front member 11 and a back member are secured to one another to form envelope 20. Envelope 20 includes slot 12, and comprises first side channel 23, second side channel 24 and bottom channel 25. The channels are operatively arranged to cooperatively hold and display the article within window 14. Additionally, front member 11 comprises four border elements including top border element 15, first side border element 16, second side border element 18 and bottom border element 19, which together form window 14.

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. Device 10 comprises convex back member 21 having attachment means 7 comprising plurality of arcuate teeth 31 (first arcuate tooth 32, second arcuate tooth 33, third arcuate tooth 34) protruding upwardly from back member 21 to form substantially cylindrical recess 30. Each arcuate tooth comprises inwardly facing annular ridge 36 operatively arranged to cooperatively hold a tack within attachment means 7. In one embodiment, the back member may also include disc 35 against which the head of the tack is engaged when entrapped by annular ridge 36. Disc 35 is arranged within substantially cylindrical recess 30 and disposed in back member 21. While the attachment means of this invention may be located anywhere throughout the back member, a preferred location is centrally arranged in the back member. In a preferred embodiment, plurality of arcuate teeth 31 may be included having a gap between each pair of adjacent arcuate teeth 31, such as to reduce the force necessary to snap the tack and the device together.

FIG. 6 is a bottom cross-sectional view taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 7. The present embodiment comprises the device having concave front member 11 and convex back member 21, which are secured to one another to form envelope 20. Envelope 20 comprises first side channel 23, second side channel 24 and a bottom channel. The channels are operatively arranged to hold and display an article in a substantively horizontal manner within the window. Specifically, the channels are operatively arranged to guide the article while being inserted into and removed from device 10. This arrangement of the channels keeps the article, which can be a photograph, from being damaged while being inserted and removed from the device. Additionally, front member 11 comprises four border elements including a top border element, first side border element 16, second side border element 18 and bottom border element 19. The device includes back member 21 having attachment means 7 comprising a plurality of arcuate teeth 31 protruding upwardly from back member 21 to form substantially cylindrical recess 30. Specifically, front member 11 and back member 21 are secured to one another using sonic weld. It should be understood that each of the embodiments of the present invention may be secured together by a variety of securing means such as for example, applied adhesive, epoxy resin, glue, and the like.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the present embodiment, illustrating device 10 having the shape of arc 44. Specifically, front member 11 has a concave shape, i.e., is curved inwardly with respect to axis b-b′. Back member 21 has a convex shape, i.e., is curved outwardly with respect to axis a-a′. The arcuate shape is particularly advantageous by providing the user access to the attachment means on the device to make positional adjustments on the vertical surface. Specifically, an arcuate shape allows the device to easily be removably attached and secured to a vertical surface, such as a wall, corkboard, a door, and the like. For example, when removing or repositioning the device away from a vertical surface, an applied force may be directed toward the middle of back member 21 of device 10 and away from the outer edges of the device. Access to the middle of back member 21 of device 10 allows the device to be separated from the vertical surface without damaging the device or the vertical surface. Additionally, arcuate shaped device 10 visibly resembles the appearance and functionality of a well-known POLAROID® photograph.

In the present embodiment, FIG. 8 shows height H of arc 44, which is the distance from the device's first endpoint 48 or the device's second endpoint 49 to the highest point on back member 21 of device 10. Width W of arc 44 is the distance from first endpoint 48 of device 10 to second endpoint 49. Specifically, angle of convexity (Ψ) is in the range of about 50 to about 65 degrees. More specifically, angle of concavity (Φ) is in the range of about 50 to about 65 degrees. It should be understood that angle of convexity (Ψ) and angle of concavity (Φ) are equal. In a preferred embodiment, angle of convexity (Ψ) and angle of concavity (Φ) are about 54 degrees. Angle of convexity (Ψ) and angle of concavity (Φ) can be obtained by first determining radius R of arc 44. The height and the width of the arc must be known in order to calculate radius R of arc 44. The controlling equation to determine the radius of an arc is:

R=H/2+W²/8H

Where:

R=Radius of the arc

H=Height of the arc

W=Width of the arc

FIG. 8 illustrates right triangle 17, which is a triangle that includes one right angle. Right triangle 17 is formed between opposite vector 45a, adjacent vector 46a and hypotenuse vector 47a. Right angle 47 is formed between opposite vector 45a and adjacent vector 46a. Length of opposite vector L_45a is equal to width W of arc 44 divided by two. Length of adjacent vector L_46a is equal to height H of arc 44 subtracted from radius R of arc 44. Angle (θ) is the tangent angle in right triangle 17. The value for tangent angle (θ) is equal to length of opposite vector L_45a divided by length of adjacent vector L_46a.

The controlling equation to determine the tangent angle of a right triangle is:

Tan(θ)=O/A

Where:

Tan (θ)=Tangent Angle

O=opposite side of right triangle

A=adjacent side of right triangle

Angle of convexity (Ψ) and angle of concavity (Φ) are equal to angle (θ) multiplied by two.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention taken generally along line 10-10 of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a detail of area 9 shown in FIG. 10. Device 10 comprises concave front member 11 having window 14 and convex back member 21 having attachment means 7. Front member 11 and back member 21 are secured to one another to form envelope 20. Envelope 20 comprises a pair of side channels and a bottom channel 25. Back member 21 includes attachment means 7 which comprises a plurality of arcuate teeth (first arcuate tooth 32, second arcuate tooth 33 and a third arcuate tooth) protruding upwardly from back member 21 to form substantially cylindrical recess 30. Device 10 is detachably securable to tack 40 via tack head 41 by inserting head 41 of the tack into cylindrical recess 30 such that head 41 is entrapped by annular ridge 36. That is, annular ridge 36 is preferably formed such that it forms an opening, which is slightly smaller than the size of head 41, thereby requiring a user to apply sufficient force to snap or press the head past the ridge. The tack may include spacer 43 to space the head away from surface 38 such that the arcuate teeth do not protrude against or into surface 38 when device 10 is pressed onto tack 40. Device 10 is detachably securable to vertical surface 38 via tack 40 by inserting post 42 of the tack into vertical surface 38. Post 42 extends from head 41 of tack 40. The head, the spacer and the post of tack 40 may be integrated into a single piece, or may be separate pieces affixed together. In the embodiment shown, tack 40 resembles a pushpin having a disc-shaped head and a ring-shaped spacer, which is arranged on the post. Back member 21 includes disc 35 against which head 41 of the tack is engaged when entrapped by annular ridge 36. Disc 35 is arranged within substantially cylindrical recess 30 and disposed in back member 21.

It should be appreciated that other attachment means can be configured from a variety of well known methods of attachment to a substantially vertical surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 11a and FIG. 11b, device 50 comprises concave front member 55 and convex back member 51 having attachment means 57 including permanent magnet 54 fixedly secured to convex back member 51. Permanent magnet 54 may be removably secured to vertical surface 52 by means of magnetic attraction between the magnet and tack 53 embedded in vertical surface 52, in which the tack comprises a ferromagnetic material.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12a and FIG. 12b, device 60 comprises concave front member 65 and convex back member 61 having attachment means 67 including hook fastener 63 fixedly secured to convex back member 61 and loop fastener 64 secured to vertical surface 62. Device 60 may be removably secured to vertical surface 62 by engagement means of hook and loop fasteners.

In another embodiment, FIG. 13a and FIG. 13b illustrate device 70 which comprises concave front member 75, convex back member 71 having attachment means 77 including repositionable adhesive 73 fixedly secured to convex back member 71. Device 70 is removably secured to vertical surface 72 by engagement means of repositionable adhesive.

While FIGS. 1-13 show the picture holding device comprising a window that is substantially square in shape, it should be appreciated that the particular shape of the borders that form the window may be modified without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In alternative embodiments, in accordance with the invention, the window may be any shape, such as, rectangular, circular, oval, and the like. For example, FIG. 14a illustrates a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of picture holding device 80 which comprises concave front member 81 having rectangular shaped window 84 and convex back member 87. Front member 81 and back member 87 are secured to one another to form the envelope for holding and displaying article 83 in window 84, and to form slot 82 for insertion and removal of article 83. Front member 81 comprises four border elements including top border element 85, first side border element 86, second side border element 88 and bottom border element 89, which together form window 84. In another embodiment, FIG. 14b illustrates picture holding device 90 which comprises concave front member 91 having oval shaped window 94 and convex back member 97. Front member 91 and back member 97 are secured to one another to form the envelope for holding and displaying article 93 in window 94, and to form slot 92 for insertion and removal of article 93. Front member 91 comprises four border elements including top border element 95, first side border element 96, second side border element 98 and bottom border element 99, which together form window 94. In another embodiment, FIG. 14c illustrates picture holding device 10, which comprises concave front member 101 having circular shaped window 104 and convex back member 107. Front member 101 and back member 107 are secured to one another to form the envelope for holding and displaying article 103 in window 104, and to form slot 102 for insertion and removal of article 103. Front member 101 comprises four border elements including top border element 105, first side border element 106, second side border element 108 and bottom border element 109, which together form window 104.

Thus, it is seen that the objects of the present invention are efficiently obtained, although modifications and changes to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, which modifications are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. It also is understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting. Therefore, other embodiments of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for holding and displaying an article, comprising:

a concave front member having a window therein; and,

a convex back member having attachment means operatively arranged to releasably secure said device to an external wall;

wherein said front and back members are secured to one another to form an envelope for holding and displaying said article, and to form a slot for insertion and removal of said article, wherein said envelope comprises said slot.

2. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprises a plurality of arcuate teeth protruding upwardly from said back member to form a substantially cylindrical recess; and, wherein each of said members comprises an inwardly facing annular ridge operatively arranged to cooperatively hold a tack within said attachment means.

3. The device recited in claim 2 wherein said cylindrical recess is centrally arranged in said back member.

4. The device recited in claim 2 wherein a disc arranged within said substantially cylindrical recess and disposed in said back member.

5. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprises a permanent magnet fixedly secured to said convex back member.

6. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprises a hook and loop fastener.

7. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprises repositionable adhesive.

8. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said envelope comprises a pair of side channels and a bottom channel, wherein said channels are operatively arranged to cooperatively hold and display said article within said window.

9. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said front member comprises four border elements which together form said window.

10. The device recited in claim 9 wherein at least one of said border elements is wider than the remaining border elements.

11. The device recited in claim 9 wherein said border elements comprise a top border element, two side border elements, and a bottom border element.

12. The device recited in claim 11 wherein said top border element and said two side border elements all have approximately the same width.

13. The device recited in claim 11 wherein the width of said bottom border element is at least three times the width of said top border element.

14. The device recited in claim 1 wherein both the angle of convexity and the angle of concavity are in the range of about 50 degrees to about 65 degrees.

15. The device recited in claim 14 wherein both the angle of convexity and the angle of concavity are approximately 54 degrees.

16. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said device is made of an opaque material.

17. The device recited in claim 16 wherein said device is white.

18. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said device is made of substantially rigid material.

19. The device recited in claim 18 wherein said substantially rigid material is high gloss ABS plastic.

20. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said window is substantially square in shape.

21. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said window is substantially rectangular in shape.

22. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said window is substantially oval in shape.

23. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said window is substantially circular in shape.