CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/627,711 entitled Display, Storage and Transport Arrangement for Art filed on Oct. 17, 2011.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a display, storage and transport arrangement for art. More particularly, this invention is related to such an arrangement for art, wherein a portfolio of several works are conveniently displayed and then conveniently packaged for storage or for the purpose of giving as a gift. The arrangement is especially useful for children's art or renderings.
A secondary use of this invention is directed to a display, storage and transport arrangement for other forms of sheet material, such as but not limited children's school projects. More particularly, this invention is related to such an arrangement for children's school projects, wherein a portfolio of several projects are conveniently displayed and then conveniently packaged for storage. The display arrangement is especially useful to serve as a reminder to complete school projects or to display completed projects.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: Art work made by children is usually displayed on refrigerators and held by magnets, or taped or thumbtacked to display boards or walls. Frequently, this type of art is stored in stacks which may be contained in folders or occasionally within notebooks, such as loose leaf notebooks for carrying from place to place. Children's art generally amounts to clutter because it is frequently not well organized.
The present invention addresses these short comings by organizing the art so that it may be conveniently displayed, stored and transported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: In view of the aforementioned considerations a display arrangement for art in the form of sheet material comprises an array of transparent envelopes wherein each envelope has a top edge, a bottom edge and two side edges and wherein at least one of the two side edges is open for receiving the sheet material. The array of transparent envelopes includes end envelopes and at least one intermediate envelope, the intermediate envelopes being connected to the end envelopes by hinges, wherein the envelopes are foldable one upon the other to form a stacked package for transport and storage of the display and are unfolded to depend from one another to display the art inserted in the transparent envelopes.
In a further aspect the envelopes have two opposed transparent surfaces separated by a mat, wherein each envelope is configured to contain two separate art displays on opposite sides of the mat.
In a further embodiment the hinges are flexible connectors extending between adjacent envelopes which flexible connectors readily bend when the display arrangement is folded for storage and transport and unbend to unfold the envelopes for displaying the art.
In a further embodiment the envelopes have a stiffness which exceeds the stiffness of the flexible connectors.
In a further embodiment the flexible connectors are made of bands of transparent Duck brand tape, each having adhesive on one side and each affixed to two edges of adjacent envelopes, resulting in a hinge between the two envelopes that is more flexible than the envelopes. The bands readily fold and unfold to stack and unstack the envelopes thereby providing a package of the art work and a display of the art work, respectively.
In a further embodiment the bands extend parallel to the bottom edges of the envelopes.
In a further embodiment the bands extend transverse with respect to the bottom edges of the envelopes.
In a further embodiment the envelopes are made of transparent plastic sheet material.
In further embodiments the hinges are in the form of webs or sheets adhered to adjacent envelopes and folded when used as hinges.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various other 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 the reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a display configured in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a close up back view of the display configured in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a first side of the display in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a second side of the display of FIG. 1
FIG. 5 is a close up perspective view showing the elements of the display in FIGS. 1-4;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the first side or closed side of the folded display of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a side view of the second side or open side of the folded display of FIG. 4;
FIG. 8 is a front view of the display of FIG. 1 in a folded configuration;
FIG. 9 is a view of the display showing how sheets of artwork are slid into the pockets of the transparent envelopes;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the display of FIG. 9 in folded configuration;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the display of FIG. 10 with a ribbon wrapped around it;
FIG. 12 shows the display of FIGS. 1-11 displayed horizontally with different sheets of artwork;
FIG. 13 shows an alternative method for hanging the display with handles on the top and bottom envelopes of the display;
FIG. 13A shows the display in FIG. 13 in folded configuration with the handles positioned for easy transport;
FIG. 14 shows another alternative method for hanging the display with two loops attached to the top of the top envelope;
FIG. 14A shows the display in FIG. 14 in folded configuration;
FIG. 15 shows an alternative mechanism for hinge connectors between the envelopes from the current embodiment in FIGS. 1-11;
FIG. 15A is a close up view of the alternative mechanism for hinge connectors in FIG. 15;
FIG. 15B shows the display of FIGS. 15 and 15A in folded configuration;
FIG. 16 shows another alternative mechanism for hinge connectors between the envelopes;
FIG. 16A is a close up view of the alternative mechanism for hinge connectors in FIG. 16;
FIG. 16B shows the display of FIGS. 16 and 16A in folded configuration;
FIG. 17 shows yet another alternative mechanism for hinge connectors between the envelopes;
FIGS. 17A and 17B are a close up views of the alternative mechanism for hinge connectors in FIG. 17;
FIG. 17C shows the display of FIGS. 17, 17A and 17B in folded configuration;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to FIG. 1, a display arrangement for art, such as but not limited to children's art, is shown in a display wherein art in the form of sheet material is mounted within transparent plastic envelopes 12, 14, 16 and 18. While four envelopes 12-18 are shown, the display 10 may include as few as three or more than four envelopes. For example, there may be five to ten envelopes. The transparent envelopes are joined to one another by hinges 19, 20 and 21 which in the current embodiment of the invention are made of bands 25 (FIG. 1) and 25(a) (FIG. 2) of transparent Duck tape. The Duck tape bands each have adhesive on one side.
In FIG. 1, showing the front of the invention, the Duck tape band 25 is adhered to the bottom of envelope 12 and the top of envelope 14. The upper edge 26 of the Duck tape band is adhered just above the lower edge 28 of envelope 12; and the lower edge of the Duck tape band 27 is adhered just below the upper edge 29 of envelope 14. Similarly, the Duck tape band 25 is adhered to the lower edge of envelope 14 and the top of envelope 16. The upper edge 26 of the Duck tape band is adhered just above the lower edge 28 of envelope 14; and the lower edge of the Duck tape band 27 is adhered just below the upper edge 29 of envelope 16. Similarly, the Duck tape band 25 is adhered to the bottom of envelope 16 and the top of envelope 18. The upper edge 26 of the Duck tape band is adhered just above the lower edge 28 of envelope 16; and the lower edge of the Duck tape band 27 is adhered just below the upper edge 29 of envelope 18.
As FIG. 2 illustrates, the placement and adhering of Duck tape band 25(a) relative to the back-sides of envelopes 12-18 is identical to the placement and adhering of Duck tape band 25 relative to the front-sides of envelopes 12-18 shown in FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 1 and 2 the Duck tape bands 25 and 25(a) are two strips of transparent tape having adhesive on one side. The adhesive adheres to the outer surfaces of the transparent envelopes 12-18 and to opposed adhesive surfaces on the tapes in the gaps 19, 20 and 21 between the spaced edges 28 and 29 of the envelopes 12-18. With this arrangement the bands 25 and 25(a) have a double thickness without exposed adhesive in the gaps 19, 20 and 21 that define the folding hinges of FIGS. 1-2. The hinges 19, 20 and 21 are more flexible than the envelopes 12-18 and as explained further hereinafter may be of other configurations.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the edges 26, 26(a) and 27 and 27(a) of Duck tape bands 25 and 25(a) adhering to the envelopes are invisible (dotted lines) because they are covered over by colored opaque tape 23 and 23(a), e.g., gaffers duct by Tape Brothers.com, to create a pleasing aesthetic effect. Similarly, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom edges 28 and top edges 29 of the envelopes 12-18 are invisible (dotted lines) because they are covered over by colored opaque tape 23 and 23(a) to create a pleasing aesthetic. Colored opaque tape 23 further creates a pleasing aesthetic effect by creating a frame effect around the four edges of envelopes 12-18 and therefore around the sheets of artwork inside the envelopes.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a pair of adhesive strips 22 at the top of each panel 12 and 16. The strips 22 are invisible (dotted line) from the front of the display in FIG. 1, but are visible from the back of the display in FIG. 2. The strips 22 are used to hold the display 10 onto a vertical surface such as a wall, refrigerator or door. In the current iteration of the invention, the pair of adhesive strips 22 each are made up of a material similar to Velcro™ on one side and a tacky form of adhesive on the other side. In the current iteration of the invention, a pair of adhesive Velcro strips is used such as “hook & loop dry adhesive tacky tape” by Aleene's (company name). The adhesive side of one strip in the pair of strips 22 adheres to the back upper edge of envelope 12 in FIG. 2. The adhesive side of the other strip adheres to the vertical surface such as a wall, refrigerator or door. The Velcro side of the strip on envelope 12 adheres to the Velcro side of the other strip on the vertical surface. The result is that the display 10 is held in place on a vertical surface such as a wall, refrigerator or door when these same kind of adhesive strips are used on panel 16 as well.
As shown if FIGS. 1 and 2 colored opaque tape 23 and 23(a) used in the current iteration, adheres to the front and back edges of each of the envelopes to create a pleasing aesthetic effect by hiding the edges 26, 26(a), 27, 27(a) (dotted lines) of the Duck tape bands and the edges 28 and 29 (dotted lines) of the envelopes.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, hinges 19, 20 and 21 are displayed from two sides of display arrangement 10. Referring now to FIG. 3 it is seen that first side edges 32 of the envelopes 12-18 are each closed. As is seen in FIG. 4 the second side edges 34 of each envelope are open so as to receive mats 36 and first and second sheets 38 and 40 of art material so that the mats 36 are sandwiched between the sheets 38 and 40. Since the envelopes 12-18 are made of transparent plastic material, the sheets 38 and 40 comprising the art to be displayed are visible through the transparent surfaces comprising the envelopes 12-18. In that the edges 34 of the envelopes 12-18 are open in FIG. 4 and the edges 32 of the envelopes 12-18 are closed in FIG. 3, the artwork is securely retained within the envelopes against the backing of the mats 36 and yet are readily removable.
Accordingly, the display of FIGS. 1-4 makes the art objects readily visible while allowing the art to be easily changed by sliding the art 38 and 40 in and out of the open edges 34 of the envelopes 12-18. Since the ends 32 are closed, the sheets of art 38 and 40 are conveniently positioned within the envelopes 12-18. Adhesive strips 22 are displayed from both sides in FIGS. 3 and 4.
In the current iteration of the invention in FIGS. 1-4, the adhesive strips 22 are on the back surfaces of transparent envelopes 12 and 16, as depicted in FIG. 2. Since adhesive strips 22 will face the vertical surface onto which they adhere art display 10, sheets of art 40 in FIG. 4 will not be visible from the front side of art display 10, represented by FIG. 1. Since, as shown in FIG. 4, adhesive strips 22 and sheets of art 40 are both placed at the back side of art display 10, the view of sheets of art 40 will be obstructed by the mat 36 against which sheets of art 38 and 40 rest. Therefore, in this iteration of the invention, it is recommended to use the art display to display sheets of art 38 only. Placement of sheets of art 40 in the art display is an option only for storage of sheets of art 40.
Alternative arrangements for hanging the art display in which sheets of art 38 and 40 both will be displayed will be discussed later in this specifications document.
FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of art display 10 that incorporates both the front view of FIG. 1 and the side view of FIG. 4, representing the open sides 34 of the envelopes for receiving sheet art. Colored opaque tape 23 and 23(a) covers the top edges 26 and bottom edges 27 of the Duck tape thereby making the edges 26 and 27 of the Duck tape invisible and creating a pleasing aesthetic. Colored opaque tape 23 also covers the bottom edges 28 and the top edges 29 of the envelopes, thereby making the envelopes' edges invisible and creating a pleasing aesthetic.
As shown by FIGS. 5 and 2, the elements on the back side of the art display have the same placement relative to one another as the elements on the front side of the art display: Colored opaque tape 23(a) covers the top edges 26(a) and bottom edges 27(a) of the Duck tape thereby making edges 26(a) and 27(a) of the Duck tape invisible. Colored opaque tape 23(a) also covers the bottom edges 28 and the top edges 29 of the envelopes.
Also of note in FIG. 5 is the mat 36 against which sheet artwork lies and the spaces 38(a) and 40(a) into which sheets of artwork are placed on either side of mat 36. In this iteration of the invention, the mat 36 is black and forms an aesthetically pleasing framing effect around 3 edges (top, right, left) of sheet artwork that is smaller than the envelope.
Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the display arrangement 10 is shown folded to form a package 50 for storage and transport. In order to form the package 50, as illustrated by FIGS. 6 and 7, the intermediate transparent envelopes 14 and 16 are folded against one another by bending middle hinge 20. Then the end envelopes 12 and 18 are folded over the two intermediate envelopes 16 and 14 by bending hinges 19 and 21. This results in the envelopes 12-18 being stacked to form the package 50. The folded arrangement of the package 50 is easily transportable. The adhesive strip 22 stays in place in folded configuration, as seen from both the sides of the envelopes: the side with closed edges 32 in FIG. 6 and the side with open edges 34 in FIGS. 7.
In the illustrations thus far the thickness of the transparent envelopes 12-18 and the spaces between the transparent envelopes when the envelopes are stacked are exaggerated to make clear how the display arrangement functions.
As shown in FIG. 8, adhesive strip 22 is invisible (dotted line) from the front view of package 50, as it is adhered to the back-facing surface of envelope 12, the first envelope in package 50. The front-facing surface of envelope 12 is fully visible. The top edge of Duck tape 26 is invisible because it is covered by opaque colored tape 23. Hinge 19 is visible at the bottom of envelope 12, but hinge 21 is just behind hinge 19 and is therefore invisible (dotted line). Middle hinge 20 is visible from the top of envelope 12.
FIG. 9 illustrates how individual sheets of artwork 38 are slid into the open sides 34 of envelopes 12-18 when art display 10 is in unstacked position and hanging from a vertical surface by adhesive strip 22.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the package 50 of FIGS. 6-9 as it appears in an actual embodiment of the invention. Sheet artwork 38 is displayed in transparent envelope 12 which is bordered on all four sides by opaque colored tape 23 to create a pleasing aesthetic framing effect for the sheet artwork 38. Adhesive strips 22 are in place but not visible behind envelope 12. Envelopes 12 and 14 are folded together over hinge 19; envelopes 14 and 16 are folded together over hinge 20; and envelopes 16 and 18 are folded together over hinge 21.
FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10. In order to hold the package 50 together for transport, storage, including but not limited to giving it as a gift, it is surrounded by a strap 52, that is made of ribbon or other kind of fabric containing a bow 52(i) made of the same or different material from the strap 52. The ends of the strap are held together with Velcro 52(ii) shown in dotted lines. The sheet artwork 38 is partially visible around the strap 52 and bow 52(i). Since the adhesive strips 22 in FIG. 10 and in previous Figures leading up to FIG. 11 can be easily removed without damaging the package 50, FIG. 11 shows the package 50 without the adhesive strips 22.
As is seen in FIG. 12, the transparent envelopes can also be extended horizontally for display instead of vertically as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. With this arrangement, the adhesive strips 22 are placed at the tops of each envelope 12-18 and at the bottoms of envelopes 12 and 18 to provide appropriate adhesive support for this horizontal configuration. The closed edges 32 of envelopes 12-18 are downward facing so that the sheet artwork 38(i) remains in the envelopes and does not slide out. The open edges of envelopes 12-18 are the upward facing so that sheet artwork 38(i) will not slide out of the bottom of the envelopes.
FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative mechanism for hanging the art display 10 using a loop 54 instead of the adhesive strips 22 illustrated in FIGS. 1-10. The top and bottom envelopes 12 and 18 include loops 54 and 56 with the loop 54 serving as a hanger for hanging the array of plastic envelopes 12-18 from any location, such as but not limited to, refrigerator doors, regular doors, clothes hooks, and hooks on vertical surfaces such as walls. The loops 54 and 56 may be made of any convenient material, such as a length of cord or lengths of braided rope, and are held in place by passing through apertures 58 formed through the top and bottom edges of the transparent end envelopes 12 and 18, respectively. In this iteration of the hanging mechanism for art display 10, the top edge of envelope 12 is reinforced with thick cardboard 60 for the purpose of helping the envelopes 12-18 lie flat against the surface onto which the art display 10 is hung. In an alternative iteration the bottom edge of envelope 18 also is reinforced with thick cardboard 60 for the purpose of helping the envelopes 12-18 lie flat against the surface onto which the art display 10 is hung.
FIG. 13A shows the folded configuration of FIG. 13. The handles 54 and 56 overlie one another so they can be gripped in one hand allowing the package 50 of art work to be readily transported by simply gripping the two now opposed handles 54 and 56. Envelope 12 and its sheet artwork 38 are fully displayed in folded configuration.
FIG. 14 is yet another alternative iteration of the hanging mechanism for art display 10 in which two loops 62 and 64 are used to hang the art display 10 on vertical surfaces identical to those identified in the discussion of FIG. 13. The loops 62 and 64 located at the top of envelope 12 may be made of any convenient material, such as a length of cord or lengths of braided rope. Loops 62 and 64 are held in place in the same manner in which loops 54 and 56 are held in place in FIG. 13, by passing through apertures 58 formed through the top edge of the transparent envelope 12.
FIG. 14A shows the folded configuration of FIG. 14 with loops 62 and 64 visible from the top of the package 50. Envelope 12 and its sheet artwork 38 are fully displayed in folded configuration.
Turn now to FIGS. 15-17C which illustrate alternative embodiments of the hinge mechanism between envelopes 12-18. Starting with FIG. 15, the envelopes are joined to one another by three hinges, 66, 68 and 70, which in this alternative embodiment of the invention are made of flexible material such as ribbon fabric. The ribbon fabric is held in place by passing through apertures 58(i) formed through the top and bottom edges of the transparent envelopes 14 and 16, the bottom of envelope 12 and the top of envelope 18. Furthermore as seen in FIG. 15A, the ribbon fabric hinges 66, 68 and 70 are joined together at the ends with a snap in which 66(ii) is adjoined to 66(i) as indicated by directional arrow 72.
Because the ribbon fabric hinges 66, 68 and 70 are easily opened and closed by taking apart or putting together snap pieces 66(i) and 66(ii) at either end of each ribbon fabric hinge, these hinges can be used to add or subtract the number of envelopes in an art display 10. A user of the art display can add more envelopes simply by placing the ribbon fabric hinges 66, 68 and 70 through the apertures 58(i) and attaching the ends of the ribbon fabric together using a snap as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 15A. Similarly, the user of the art display can subtract envelopes from the art display 10, by removing the ribbon fabric hinges 66, 68 and 70 from the apertures 58(i).
FIG. 15B shows the folded configuration of FIGS. 15 and 15A to create package 50 in which envelopes 12-18 are folded in the same manner as all of the folded configurations of package 50 discussed up to this point. Ribbon hinges 66, 68 and 70 attached to the bottom edge of envelope 12 are the only hinges that are visible at the bottom of package 50. The hinges 66, 68 and 70 positioned at the top of package 50 are mostly invisible, as illustrated with dotted lines, because they are largely hidden behind the opaque colored tape 23 that adheres to the outer edges of each of the envelopes 12-18.
Turning now to FIG. 16, the envelopes are joined to one another by two hinges, 74 and 76, which in this alternative embodiment of the invention are binder rings of either metal or plastic, commonly used in 3-ring notebook binders. The binder rings are held in place by passing through apertures 58(i) formed through the top and bottom edges of the transparent envelopes 14 and 16, the bottom of envelope 12 and the top of envelope 18. Furthermore as seen in FIG. 16A, the binder rings forming hinges 74 and 76 can be opened and closed as directional arrow 78 indicates.
Because the binder rings 74 and 76 are easily opened and closed, they can be used to add or subtract the number of envelopes in an art display 10. A user of the art display can add more envelopes to the display simply by placing the binder rings 74 and 76 through the apertures 58(i) as illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 16A. Similarly, the user of the art display can subtract the number of envelopes by removing binder rings 74 and 76 from the apertures 58(i).
FIG. 16B shows the folded configuration of art display 10 in FIGS. 16 and 16A to create package 50 in which envelopes 12-18 are folded in the same manner as all of the folded configurations of package 50 discussed up to this point. Binder ring hinges 74 and 76 attached to the bottom edge of envelopes 12 and 14 are visible at the bottom of package 50. Hinges 74 and 76 positioned at the top of package 50 are largely hidden behind the opaque colored tape 23 that adheres to the outer edges of envelopes 12-18.
Turning now to FIG. 17, the envelopes are joined to one another by two hinges, 80 and 82, which in this alternative embodiment of the invention are made of looped bands of rubber material, e.g. ElastiNote® tags (product name) by Martha Stewart Home Office™ and Avery™. The bands forming the hinges 80 and 82 are held in place by passing through apertures 58(i) formed through the top and bottom edges of the transparent envelopes 14 and 16, the bottom of envelope 12 and the top of envelope 18. Furthermore as seen in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the ends, 80(i) and 80(ii) of the bands forming hinges 80 and 82 can be easily placed together and taken apart as directional arrow 84 indicates.
Because the bands forming hinges 80 and 82 are easily placed together and taken apart as illustrated by FIGS. 17A and 17B, they can be used to add or subtract the number of envelopes in an art display 10.
FIG. 17C shows the folded configuration of art display 10 in FIGS. 17, 17A, and 17B to create package 50 in which envelopes 12-18 are folded in the same manner as all of the folded configurations of package 50 discussed up to this point. Hinges 80 and 82 attached to the bottom edge of envelope 12 are the only hinges in the package 50 that are visible at the bottom of package 50. Hinges 80 and 82 positioned at the top of package 50 are largely hidden behind the opaque colored tape 23 that adheres to the outer edges of envelopes 12-18.
While the preferred arrangement is to have rectangular envelopes, the envelopes may in other embodiments of the invention be square, circular or any other shape.
While the preferred use of the invention is to display, store and transport children's sheet art, the invention can accommodate other sheet material, including but not limited to homework assignments, notes, etc.
From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing form the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
