FRAME HAVING INTERCHANGEABLE FACADES

Abstract

A frame for pictures or other two dimensional objects has one or more facades that may be interchanged on the top surface of the frame. The various facades may have decoration for various occasions, holidays, anniversaries or match different color schemes. The facades may be attached to the top surface of the frame by magnetic means. Decorative objects may also be removably attached to the frame or the facades.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/673,224, filed Jul. 18, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Endeavor

The present invention relates to systems and methods for frames having interchangeable facades. Specifically, the present invention provides a frame for pictures or other two dimensional objects that includes means for interchanging the front facing facade of the frame to allow the environment of an image to be readily altered without inserting the image into a different frame.

2. Background Information

It is a common practice in homes, offices, public and private facilities and institutions, to mount photographs covering every conceivable subject on walls and other surfaces, by using a variety of framing, holding, and hanging structures. In addition to mounting photographs on walls, photographs are also mounted on desks, filing cabinets, shelves To protect the photograph or other image and enhance its visual appeal, a number of picture frames and holders are available. Framing is advantageous in that it improves the aesthetic appearance of the work. However, framing methods are expensive and time consuming when attaching the work to the frame. It may also be difficult to find a properly sized frame and one that matches the interior decorating motifs of the room in which it is displayed.

It is also common practice to alter the decorations of a home or office throughout the year, depending on the season and upcoming holidays. For example, around the holidays Christmas, Chanukah, Thanksgiving and Easter, it is common to decorate a home or office with various and sundry ornamental objects. Frames for all of these and other occasions are available. However, it is not practical to reframe all of the images in a room for each season or holiday. This is time consuming and finding the correctly sized frames is overly burdensome. Thus, throughout the year the images within a room retain the same frame, and thus the same ornamentation, despite changing seasons and their surroundings.

Similarly, it is desirable to alter the interior decorating style of a home or office every few years or at other intervals. This usually entails finding all new frames to match the new motifs of design, or restricting the new choice of style to one that matches the existing frames. Neither alternative is desirable.

It is therefore desirable to provide a means for expeditiously and inexpensively changing a picture frame.

It is also desirable to provide a means for altering one or more picture frames to match changing interior decorating styles, seasons and holidays without requiring the purchase of new frames and the removal and re-installation of pictures or images from one frame to another.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a frame having a plurality of facades that may be readily interchanged to provide different decorative features surrounding the enclosed picture.

In one embodiment, a frame in accordance with the invention may include a frame having at least one enclosed area for retaining a photograph or other two dimensional object, a top surface having a magnetic layer and a plurality of facades magnetically and removably attachable to the top surface. The frame may also include a plurality of components and objects that are magnetically and removably attachable to the top surface.

In another embodiment, a frame in accordance with the invention may include a frame having at least one enclosed area for retaining a photograph or other two dimensional object and a top surface having flanged strips. The frame may include a plurality of facade components that may be removably attached to the top surface and held in place by the flanged strips.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a frame the appearance of which may readily be altered for various occasions or settings.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame in accordance with the principles of the invention_having three interchangeable facades;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a multitude of magnetically attachable decorative objects which may be utilized to accentuate various facades or to be used directly with a frame in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of the back of frame in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a frame having a removable facade in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a cross section of the frame shown in FIG. 4 in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As used herein, “magnetic,” “ferromagnetic” and “paramagnetic” may be used interchangeably and generally refer to the quality of responded with an attractive force to other magnetic materials. “Magnetic affixing” generally refers to to objects that exhibit attractive magnetic force upon each other sufficient to hold them together.

FIG. 1 shows a frame 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Frame 10 may have a typical, rectangular body 12 for holding a picture or other two dimensional image within enclosure 16. Optionally, the frame 10 may includes several enclosures for holding and displaying several pictures or other two dimensional objects. The frame may have any geometric configuration, such as for example oval, round, octagonal, polygonal, or may be designed to present a collage in several connected frames. Similarly, the frame may be three dimensional, such as for example a cube or other parallelepiped, having one or more pictures or other two dimensional images on multiple facets. The frame may be constructed of any suitable framing material.

The front surface 14 of the body 12 of frame 10 may be magnetic or metal. The entire frame body 12 may be comprised of a magnetic material or a layer of magnetic material may be fixed to the top surface 14. For example, magnetic tape and magnetic rubber, e.g. as used in fabricating refrigerator magnets, may be applied to form a magnetic layer on the top surface 12. The top surface 14 may have a design or decoration or may be a single color. Optionally the top surface 12 may have a pattern such as for example plaid, or may have school colors and themes.

A patterned facade 18 may have a design and/or decorations related to a holiday or theme. Patterned facade 14 may be ferromagnetic, metallic or have a metallic or magnetic bottom surface such that it may magnetically affixes to the top surface 14 of the frame 10. Similarly, a Valentine's Day themed facade 20 may be removably attachable to the top surface 14 of frame 10 by magnetic means. Likewise, facade 22 may be removably attached to the top surface 12 of frame 10 by magnetic means. Additional facades may be used that may be removably attachable to the top surface 14 by magnetic means and have any desired design, pattern or decoration for various seasons or events, for example the 4^th of July, Birthdays, anniversaries, Halloween, and the like. The facades may be made of metal, a magnet or be ferromagnetic or otherwise capable of interacting with a magnetic field such that it remains magnetically affixed to the top surface. Other mechanisms of removable attachment, such as for example a hook and loop mechanism, may be used.

The facades 18, 20 and 22 are all substantially planar. However, it may be optionally desirable to include facades having a three dimensional design, thicker in some regions and thinner in others. The shape and design of the facades may be of any desired and may optionally include different textures.

FIG. 2 shows a multitude of magnetically attachable components 30 that make up portions of the frame may be magnetically attachable to the top surface 14. The various frame facade components 30 may be mixed and matched to utilize different colors and color schemes. Similarly, other magnetically attachable decorative objects 32 may be utilized to accentuate the various facades or to be used directly on the top surface 12 of the frame 10. The magnetic components 30 and/or the objects 32 may be made of metal, a magnet or be ferromagnetic or otherwise capable of interacting with a magnetic field such that it remains magnetically affixed to the top surface. Optionally, the objects 32 may be made of a plastic or other non-magnetic material but include a metal or magnetic backing to provide magnetic interaction with the frame 10. Objects 32 may have a three dimensional shape or texture.

FIG. 3 shows the back 40 of the body 12 of the frame 10 of FIG. 1. The back 40 has a rear panel 42 which may be removed to insert a picture or other two dimensional object within the frame 10 and may be held in place by stays 44. Brace 46 extends outward from the panel 42. Brace 46 is attached to plate 48 which is removably attached to the panel 42. The brace 46 and plate 48 may be removed so that the frame may be more easily hung on a wall. The brace 46 may later be re-attached to accommodate placement on a horizontal surface.

FIG. 4 and enlarged cross section 5 show an alternative embodiment of a frame 30. Frame 40 may have several flanged strips 42 that create slots for holding different facade strips 44. The facade strips 44 may be any of a variety of shapes or colors. In this embodiment, the flanged strips 42, instead of magnetism, may hold the the facade components in place. It may be desirable to use both flange strips and magnetism to affix various objects to the frame's top surface. It may also be desirable to use a hook and loop mechanism, or other means of removably attaching a facade to the top surface of a frame. Similarly placards, facades or decorative items may snap on and snap off.

Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A frame having interchangeable facades comprising a body, a front surface and one or more facades magnetically attachable to the front surface.

2. The frame of claim 1 wherein the front surface is metallic.

3. The frame of claim 1 wherein the one or more facades are magnetic.

4. The frame of claim 1 further comprising one or more decorative objects magnetically attachable to the front surface or one or more facades.