US20080035825A1

US20080035825A1 - Picture hanging system for stretched artist canvas hung without a frame

Info

Publication number: US20080035825A1
Application number: US11/502,688
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph H Torrey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-12
Filing date: 2006-08-12
Publication date: 2008-02-14

Abstract

A picture hanging system for stretched artist canvas intended to be hung on a wall without a frame, comprising a frame support means attached to the inside of the wood frame upon which said artist canvas has been stretched, and a specially designed hanger intended to support said picture when it is hung on a wall. Said hanger is attached to a wall by means of a nail passing through holes in said hanger, said nail driven into said wall at an angle. Said hanger has a sloped “ramp” upon which said frame support (and with it the frame to which said frame support is attached) rests when said picture is hung on a wall. When said hanger is attached to a wall, said ramp slopes toward said wall. Said frame support (and with it the frame to which said frame support is attached) will slide by force of gravity toward said wall and said picture will come to rest flush and flat against said wall. The picture hanging system of the present invention functions in such a way that, when a picture for which said picture hanging system has been used to hang said picture on a wall, there is no space at all between said picture and said wall. Said picture hanging system may be manufactured in metal or in plastic, and it may also be adapted for use with objects other than pictures, where it is desired that said objects, when hung on a wall, rest flush and flat against said wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to picture hanging hardware and systems, specifically to hangers and hanging devices used to hang stretched artist canvases on a wall.
2. Description of Prior Art
Paintings on stretched canvases with no staples on the edges—just clean canvas—have become very popular because they can be hung without frames. Often, the artist will paint the edges, either a continuation of the image on the face of the canvas, or just a compatible solid color.
Hanging such canvases without a frame isn't always a matter of saving money. Sometimes, especially with contemporary subject matter, the artist simply prefers to show his or her work without a frame. He or she just likes the look of it that way.
Conventional picture hanging hardware and methods are inadequate for this special type of art. Conventional hardware (hooks or hangers) attached to the back of a frame takes up space, and therefore necessarily force the hung picture to lean away from the wall at the top of the picture, at least to some degree. This is aesthetically undesirable. Many people, in an effort to have the picture rest flush and flat against the wall, for purposes of a more desirable appearance, have resorted to simply driving nails into a wall, and hanging the stretched canvas on the nails. This is precarious at best The picture could easily be dislodged—by bumping, for example, or even by just slamming a door. The falling picture could cause damage—to itself, or to something it strikes when falling, or it could even cause injury if it falls on a person. A personal experience with a falling canvas led to our decision to design a proper hanging system for this type of art.
The system we envisioned would not only support unframed canvas art, it would ensure that the picture when hung would, for best aesthetic appearance, rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall—would not lean out from the wall even a little bit; as it does with conventional means and methods.

PRIOR ART

We conducted a search to see if there were such a system already in the market that we hadn't heard about We did find a hanger called E-Z HANGER, marketed by Jerry's Artarama, designed for stretched canvases. But this hanger still allows part of the hanger to separate the picture from the wall. Further searches in the marketplace did not turn up any hardware or system to accomplish the objective stated above in the paragraph beginning, “The system we envisioned . . . ”
We researched patents in the classification in which supports/picture hangers/picture hooks are listed (Class 248, Subclass 489). We looked at all relevant patents all the way back to U.S. Pat. No. 28,174 issued to H. Hochstrasser for a Picture Hanger in 1860. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,761 issued to Wassell in 1987 discloses a system called a “Picture Wall Hanging Assembly,” in which one hardware component is attached to the wall and a second hardware component is attached to the back of a picture. In the hanging of a picture, the picture hanging hardware takes up space between picture and wall, and the hardware components actually prevent the picture from resting flat and flush against the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,802 B1 to Munson et al. (2001) discloses a hanger system having a bubble level insert Its primary purpose is to insure that objects hung with the system will be level. In this system the components engage one with the other when an object is hung. One component is attached to the object to be hung, the second component is attached to the wall. When so attached and engaged in hanging, the components insinuate themselves between the object, such as a picture, and the wall. Therefore, a picture hung with this system cannot rest flush and flat against the wall as called for in our objective as stated above.
The following patents were reviewed for their possible relevance in the present context: U.S. Pat. No. 1,887,159 (1932) to Knight; U.S. Pat. No. 2,330,373 (1943) to Moore; U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,467 (1948) to Smith; U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,051 (1957) to Scheyer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,761 (1987) to Wassell; U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,139 (1994) to Barnes; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,468 (2000) to Francis; U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,478 (2000) to Barnes; U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,802 B1 (2001) to Munson et al.
None of the hangers disclosed in the patents mentioned above, or in other patents that were reviewed, would make it possible for a stretched canvas to be hung so that it would rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall, with no space between the picture and the wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.
The company which we believe invented the technique for stretching canvases across a wooden frame in such a way as to show no tacks or staples on the edges is Fredrix. It is this development that has made it not only acceptable, but often desirable, to hang such canvases without a frame. In addition, the cost of framing is avoided. The use of pre-stretched canvases has become increasingly popular and the market for them has been growing substantially. However, there has not until now been a means to hang these canvases so they will be flush and flat against the wall for best aesthetic appearance. The need for a hanging system which can accomplish this result has become apparent.
While there are other companies producing such canvases now, Fredrix is the largest. In researching the marketplace, we felt that if a special hanger were available to hang stretched canvases without a frame so that the picture would rest flush and flat against the wall, it would be likely that Fredrix would know about it. When we asked at Fredrix if they knew of a special type of hardware to accomplish this, their vice president for sales responded. He told us he did not know of any. He said his wife is an artist and has sold quite a few paintings done on pre-stretched canvases intended to be hung without a frame, and a number of them hang in his house. He said he just uses a nail with a flat, oversize head, something like a roofing nail, and he gouges out the frame and the nail head fits into the notch he has made. A crude means, he agreed, and one hardly to be recommended for the general marketplace. But, he said, he knew of nothing better, and agreed there is need for a proper hanging method.
Ordinary picture hooks used in combination with wire or cord attached to the frame by means of screw eyes or other hanging hardware force the picture away from the wall at the top, preventing the picture from resting snug and flat against the wall. This is aesthetically unattractive for canvas art hung without a frame. The simple nail-in-the-wall means of hanging is risky, insecure, even potentially dangerous. The hangers found in our patent search did not achieve the result we were looking for. We therefore set about designing a system ourselves. The system we designed is the subject of this patent application.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

As stated in the foregoing discussion, our objective was to design a picture hanging system for stretched artist canvas intended to be hung without a frame such that, when the picture is hung, it will rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall, will not lean out from the wall even a little bit (as it does with conventional or available means and methods). Thus hung, the picture will look aesthetically its very best. This objective has been achieved in the hanging system of the present invention

SUMMARY OF OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

The objects and advantages of our invention are summarized as follows:

- (a) to provide a hanging system for stretched artist canvases which will make it easy to hang the picture on a wall so that it will rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall, will not lean away from the wall even a little bit (as it does with conventional means), with nothing whatsoever intervening between the picture and the wall when the picture is hung;
- (b) to provide a system which is simple in concept, easy to understand, and easy to use;
- (c) to provide a system which can be used effectively for canvases stretched on various sizes of wood frames, from small to large, and in a variety of shapes and dimensions;
- (d) to provide a system with components which are easy and inexpensive to manufacture and which can be sold at retail at a modest price;
- (e) to provide a system with potential appeal to artists, art galleries and museums, art schools, art associations, and dealers and distributors of artwork and pictures for home and office, dealers in art supplies, installers of artwork and pictures, as well as, importantly, buyers of pictures and paintings on stretched canvas intended to be hung without a frame, including buyers for homes, offices and public places or wherever such artwork may be hung; and
- (f) to provide a hanging system potentially adaptable to the hanging of objects other than art work and paintings on stretched canvas, where it would be desirable that the object rest flush and flat against a wall.

SUMMARY—A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a picture hanging system designed especially for the hanging of stretched artist canvases on a wall, such that the picture when hung will rest flush and flat against the wall, with no space intervening between the picture and the wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware. The system comprises two components, a frame support attachable to the wood frame underlying the canvas, and a hanger, attachable to a wall, upon which the picture or painting may be hung.

DRAWINGS DRAWING FIGURES

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of the Frame Support as cut out of flat sheet metal, before bending at 17.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the Frame Support after bending at 17.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the Frame Support in its preferred embodiment, attached by screws to the inside of the top horizontal frame member of a wood frame upon which canvas has been stretched.

FIG. 3 shows three different perspective views of the Hanger in its preferred embodiment, with key parts of the Hanger identified and preferred dimensions called out.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a Frame Support attached to the inside of a wood frame near one corner, and also illustrating how the Frame Support rests on top of a Hanger, the Hanger shown in the position it would be in if it were attached to a wall.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wall side of a wood frame underlying a stretched canvas, illustrating an alternative means of hanging the canvas on the Hanger; in this case a pan head screw has been inserted part way into the side of a wood frame (the vertical frame member) underlying a stretched canvas, the pan head screw then resting on top of the Hanger when the picture is hung.

FIG. 6 is a view of the back (wall side) of a wood frame of nominal dimension, to illustrate the recommended positioning of the Frame Supports, inside the frame, near the corners, thus to provide stability of the picture when hung.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

13 the part of the Frame Support that rests on the Hangers
14 protrusion or “stopper”
15 location of screw holes
16 front edge of Frame Support that aligns with wall side of frame
17 90° bend
18 sloping ramp (inclined plane)
19 shoulder
20 wall side of Hanger
21 nail
22 wall side of wood frame supporting stretched canvas
23 inside of vertical frame member of wood frame
24 inside of top horizontal frame member
25 No. 2 pan head screw serving as frame support
27 point of Hanger farthest from wall when picture is hung
28 ⅝″
29 1½—length of Frame Support
30 ¼″
31 ⅜″
32 ⅛″
33 small radius
34 5/16″
35 1¼″

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The picture hanging system of the present invention comprises two components: a Frame Support, which, in its preferred embodiment (FIGS. 1A and 1B), is attached to the wood frame underlying a stretched canvas by means of screws provided; and secondly, a Hanger (FIG. 3), which, in its preferred embodimentis nailed to a wall by means of nails provided.
In describing the application of the system components, it would be helpful, first, to visualize the object intended to be hung on a wall, namely a stretched artist canvas, the canvas stretched over a wood frame, rectangular in shape, the wood frame made of what are usually called stretcher bars. The stretcher bars as presently marketed are commonly, in cross section, one of three standard sizes: ¾″×1½″, or 1½″×1½″, or 1½×2″. In each of these sets of dimensions, the second dimension would be the surface that goes against the wall. The Frame Supports are attached to the inside of the wood frame, the part of the frame that does not touch the wall, as illustrated in FIG. 2. For the sake of the stability of the picture when hung, two Frame Supports are recommended for each picture, positioned inside the wood frame near the corners, as illustrated in FIG. 6.
A key point to be made in this connection:
It is the placement of the Frame Support inside the wood frame that keeps it from touching the wall when the picture is hung, and insures that the picture will rest flush and flat against the wall, with nothing between the picture frame and the wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.
Referring again to FIG. 2, it will be seen that there is a notch at the bottom of the Frame Support The portion of the Frame Support that will rest on the top of the Hanger is identified as 13 in FIG. 2. The notch has created protrusions (14 in FIG. 1B) at the bottom of the Frame Support. These protrusions serve as “stoppers” to keep the Frame Support from sliding off the Hanger either to the left or to the right when the picture is hung, which might be caused by bumping, as from a person walking by the picture.
Positioning the Frame Supports in attachment is easy to do with the screws provided. The front edge of the Frame Support (16 in FIG. 1B) is aligned with the inside edge of the wall side of the frame, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Positions are marked and screws inserted.
It is recommended that two Frame Supports be used for each picture, in order to provide stability when the picture is hung. It is recommended that the Frame Supports be attached to the wood frame at the ends of the top horizontal frame member, near the corners. Placing the Frame Supports near the corners has the further advantage of making it easy to place the frame on the Hangers in hanging the picture.
The Frame Supports in their preferred embodiment are made of bendable sheet steel, approximately 20 gauge, and coated in bright zinc or brass.
The Hanger—the Second Component in the Present System
The Hanger, illustrated in FIG. 3, is nailed to the wall The Hangers (two for each picture are recommended) are positioned on the wall to match the spacing of the Frame Supports attached to the picture to be hung. The picture with Frame Supports attached is then simply hung on top of the Hangers.
The Hanger, in its preferred embodiment, is formed out of flat bendable sheet steel of a gauge deemed appropriate to support the potential weights of pictures to be hung, the metal coated in zinc or brass.
There are several features of the Hanger design that should be pointed out The first feature is the sloping surface which we call the ramp (18 in FIG. 3). The ramp is sloped toward the wall at an angle of at least 15° from horizontal. The purpose of the slope: when a picture is hung, the Frame Supports are placed so that area 13 in FIG. 2 comes into contact with the ramp, and by force of gravity slides down the ramp toward the wall, until the picture comes to rest against the wall, which is the objective of the design.
A second feature of the Hanger is the shoulder (19 in FIG. 3), which serves to keep the Frame Support from slipping off the Hanger when the picture is hung.
The third feature to be mentioned is the dimension which may be identified as the distance between the wall side of the Hanger (20 in FIG. 3) to the point that is outermost when the Hanger has been nailed to the wall (27 in FIG. 3). This dimension is ⅝″, which will insure that the Hanger, when nailed to the wall, will not touch the canvas which has been stretched on the wood frame, since the thickness of the wood frame underlying the stretched canvas is at least ¾″.

Operation —Preferred Embodiment

It is surprisingly easy to install the present system, and then to position the picture exactly where it is wanted. Once one has done it, or has seen it done, the system and its installation will seem almost obvious, and it won't be necessary to refer to directions anymore.
In reading this section, it will be helpful to refer to the accompanying drawings.
In order for the Hanger to serve the purpose intended, there needs to be a means to support the wood frame upon which the canvas has been stretched. If the picture is to hang flush and flat against the wall, the Frame Support and the Hanger must both be inside the frame, not on the outside surface that touches the wall, when the picture is hung.
In putting into operation the components of the present system, two Frame Supports (FIGS. 1 and 2) and two Hangers (FIG. 3) are recommended for each picture. The two Frame Support are positioned as described above on page 9, and attached by screws provided to the inside of the top horizontal frame member, near the corners, as shown in FIG. 2.
Assume one is hanging a picture (canvas stretched on wood frame), say 24″×30″, oriented with the 30″ dimension horizontal. Having installed the Frame Supports, one measures the space from the middle of the left Frame Support to the middle of the right Frame Support Assume this space to be 25½″. The Hangers are placed and spaced on the wall to match the Frame Supports In this case the Hangers will be placed 25½″ apart and nailed to the wall.
The Hangers are attached to the wall by means of nails of appropriate length (supplied with the Hangers) The nails are driven into the wall at an angle, the angle controlled by holes which have been cut in the Hanger in pre-selected locations, and through which the nails pass as they are driven into the wall. The angle of the nail as it enters the wall is such that it provides strength to the Hanger and its supporting capability, while also preventing the nail, and hence the Hanger, from pulling out of the wall when the Hanger is supporting the weight of a picture. This angle is similar to the angle designed for the nails used with traditional picture hooks as they are attached to a wall.
It can be seen that the Frame Support can move horizontally on the Hanger a little distance to the left or to the right before being stopped by the protrusions or “stoppers” (14 in FIG. 1 B). This leeway allowance in the hanging system means that measurements (for placement of supports on the frame and placement of the Hangers on the wall) do not need to be precise. Yet, with a little care in measurement for and in placement of the Frame Supports and the Hangers, precise placement of the picture on the wall can be achieved.
It may a be noted parenthetically that for quite small canvases, e.g., where the top horizontal frame member is, say, 10″ or less, a single Frame Support placed in the center of the upper horizontal frame member, may be sufficient In such case, of course, only one Hanger is used. The fact that the hanger has a flat surface, and that the part of the Frame Support that rests on the Hanger is straight and horizontal, means that even using just one hanger, the small picture will hang straight on the wall. However, for most canvases two each of the Frame Supports and Hangers are recommended to provide maximum stability for pictures when hung.

Alternative Embodiments

An alternative means of attachment of the Frame Support, may be considered, and that is attachment by means of strong adhesive instead of with screws. The adhesive that might be used is similar to the adhesive commonly used to attach hooks to walls. Since the typical stretched canvas is relatively light in weight, and the stresses on the hanging hardware encountered in hanging such artwork are low, attachment of the Frame Support by adhesive might be an alternative to consider. This means would make attachment of the Frame Support quicker than screws. However, the uncertainty of stability and security of this component if attached by adhesive, the uncertainty of proper and dependable adhesion, makes this alternative less attractive. Hence, it is not a preferred embodiment.
Another alternative means of attachment of the Frame Support would be by sharp prongs at the ends of this component, designed as an integral part of the Frame Support in manufacture and intended to be driven into the wood frame. However, it is always possible that for some reason one would want to move or remove the Frame Support. This would be more difficult with the prong-attached component than with the same component attached with screws.

Another Alternative Embodiment

Both the Frame Support and the Hanger could be made out of plastic by the injection molding process. There would be some modification in product design, but the functionality of both components if made in plastic would be comparable to that of the parts made in metal. Cost of manufacture would be the primary consideration in the choice of this alternative.

First System of Its Kind

In addition to its effectiveness in performance, there is substantial advantage in the fact that the system of the present invention is the first and only system we are aware of that accomplishes what we have stated as our objective in designing it (see second paragraph on page 2). It is simple in concept, easy to understand, easy to use, inexpensive to make and market, and very effective in keeping the canvas when hung snug and perfectly flat against the wall—with no space between the picture and the wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.

Operation—Hanging A Picture Using the System, Described in Detail

First, bear in mind that the objective is to position the Hangers on the wall to match the position of the Frame Supports which have been attached to the wood frame upon which the canvas has been stretched.
Measurements should be reasonably accurate, but they do not need to be precise. The hanger system allows a little leeway.
As a first step, we measure the distance between the Frame Supports, which have been attached to the wood frame, measuring from the middle of the Frame Support on the left side of the wood frame to the middle of the Frame Support on the right side of the frame. Using the example suggested earlier of a frame measuring 24″×30″, with the 30″ dimension oriented horizontally, let us assume that the space between the two Frame Supports measures 25½″. The Hangers will be placed on the wall 25½″ apart and nailed to the wall.
Next we simply hang the picture on the Hangers, making sure the Frame Supports are placed on top of the Hangers, on the sloping ramp. The Frame Supports, along with the picture to which they are attached, of course, will slide down the ramp toward the wall until the picture comes to rest snug and flat against the wall, just as intended.
While it takes many words to describe in the abstract the steps to be taken to attach the frame supports and the hangers in the proper manner, and then to place and hang the picture, it is a fact that with the actual hardware in hand and with the aid of brief directions and drawings, it is really quite a simple matter to understand this system and put it into use Once done, directions will no longer be needed. Those to whom the system has been shown confirm this.

Manufacture

While models and prototypes of the hanger and the frame support disclosed herein were made by a metal fabricator in the U.S., it is anticipated that production quantities will be manufactured in Asia, where costs are much lower. The project has been discussed with a qualified Asian manufacturer from whom quotations have been received.
Prototypes in the preferred embodiment of both the hanger and the frame support were made in the dimensions shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 from 22 gauge sheet steel, zinc coated. It is obvious that the hanger could be made in a different gauge, in different dimensions, in a somewhat different shape, while still not departing from the essential principle and spirit of the basic design as described above and illustrated in the drawings. The components could also be made of different materials such as plastic, and still function as called for in the system design. It is expected that metal will prove to be the more practical material for manufacture of both the Frame Support and the Hanger.

An Alternative Form of the Frame Support Means

The frame support means could be something totally different from the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2—and, in cooperation with the Hanger, still function so as to insure that a stretched canvas would, when hung, rest flush and flat against the wall.
One such frame support means is this: a form of a pin, which could be, for example, a small-diameter long=shank screw eye, or a small-diameter pan head screw, e.g. a 1¼″ No. 2 pan head screw, or another form of a pin, inserted part way horizontally into the inside of a vertical frame member (the side of the wood frame underlying the stretched canvas). The portion of the pin left to “stick outs”—about ⅝—would then be placed on the ramp (18 in FIG. 2) on top of the Hanger, and it would slide down the ramp until the picture came to rest against the wall. This variation works effectively, it will produce the desired result as described above in connection with the preferred embodiment, but it is judged by the applicants to be a less attractive alternative. FIG. 5 illustrates this variation, in this case showing a pan head screw.
In accordance with the principle of the design of the present invention, whatever support means are chosen would be installed inside the wood frame upon which canvas has been stretched, and in hanging the picture, would be placed on the top of the hangers, on the ramp, and would function just as do the support means in our preferred embodiment, as illustrated and described. We prefer the “preferred embodiment” as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 because as a system it works very effectively as intended, while it is also judged to be easier to understand and use than the alternatives.

Conclusions, Ramifications and Scope

The present invention Is here described In a few words In the form of a summary, and includes the main benefits in using the system
Frame support means in the preferred embodiment as described are attached to the inside of a wood frame upon which artist canvas has been stretched. Hangers, in their preferred embodiment and as heretofore described, are nailed to a wall. Said frame is then simply hung on the Hangers In doing this, the Frame Supports are placed upon the top surface of the Hangers, that surface being a ramp that slopes toward the wall. The frame (thus the picture) slides down the ramp by force of gravity until it comes to rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall. There will be nothing intervening between the picture and the wall no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware. Thus, the objective of the present invention, as heretofore stated, is effectively achieved. The Objects and Advantages as summarized on pages 5 and 6 are achieved, and are here restated as follows:
The picture hanging system of the present invention

- a. provides a hanging system for stretched artist canvases which will make it easy to hang the picture on the wall so that it will, for best aesthetic appearance, rest absolutely flush and flat against the wall, will not lean away from the wall even a little bit (as it does with conventional means), with nothing whatsoever intervening between the picture and the wall when the picture is hung;
- b. provides a system which is simple in concept, easy to understand and easy to use;
- c. provides a system which can be used effectively for canvases stretched on various sizes of wood frames, from small to large, and in a variety of shapes and dimensions;
- e. provides a system with components which are easy and inexpensive to manufacture and which can be sold at retail at a modest price;
- f. provides a system with potential appeal to artists, art galleries and museums, art schools and colleges, artist associations, dealers and distributors of artwork and pictures for home or office, dealers in art supplies, installers of artwork and pictures, as well as, importantly, buyers of pre-stretched artist canvases and buyers of pictures and paintings on stretched canvases for homes, offices and public places, or wherever such artwork may be hung; and
- g. provides a hanging system potentially adaptable to the hanging of objects other than art work and paintings on stretched canvas, where it would be desirable that said objects, when hung on a wall, rest flush and flat against the wall for best aesthetic appearance.

Alternative embodiments of the present picture hanging system have been discussed, but none seem to the applicants as attractive, from the standpoint of utility, appeal in the marketplace, or manufacturing cost, as those that have been identified as preferred embodiments.
While the discussion above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of presently preferred embodiments and some alternative embodiments. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1. A picture hanging system comprising:

a support means intended to be attached to the inside of the top horizontal member of a wood frame upon which artist canvas has been stretched, said stretched canvas intended to be hung without a frame, and

a hanger intended to be attached to a wall, upon which may be hung a wood frame such as the wood frames used for stretched artist canvas intended to be hung without a frame, said wood frame having attached to it said support means, said support means intended to rest on the top of said hanger when the picture is hung on a wall, and

wherein said top of said hanger, which might be called a ramp, is a sloped surface or inclined plane which slopes toward the wall when said hanger is attached to a wall, said sloped surface being at least 15° from horizontal, said sloped surface intended to have said support means, which have been attached to a frame upon which artist canvas has been stretched, to rest on said sloped surface on said top of said hanger, said slope intended to cause said wood frame with said canvas stretched on said frame, to slide down by force of gravity on said sloped surface in the direction of said wall upon which said stretched canvas is intended to be hung, and, finally, intended to cause said frame with said stretched canvas to come to rest flush and flat against said wall on which said picture is hung, and

wherein said sloping surface on said top of said hanger has a shoulder at the end of the sloped region farthest from the wall when said hanger is attached to a wall, said shoulder intended to prevent said frame support, and hence said picture to which said frame support is attached, from slipping off said hanger after said picture is hung, and

wherein said hanger in its preferred embodiment is attached to a wall by means of a nail or pin of appropriate diameter and appropriate length, intended to be driven at an angle into a wall, said nail or pin directed in an angular direction relative to said wall by means of the positioning of holes in said hanger, said angular direction of said nails or pins such as to increase the weight supporting potential of said hanger, while preventing said pin or said nail from pulling out of said wall under said weight of said picture when hung, thus securing said hanger to said wall, and

whereby said support means attached to a stretched canvas picture on a wood frame engages with said hanger in such a way as not only to support said stretched canvas picture when hung on a wall, but to insure that the entirety of said stretched canvas picture, top, bottom and sides, will come to rest flush and flat against said wall, with no space between said picture and said wall, and with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.

2. The picture hanging system of claim 1 in which said support means and said picture hanger in their preferred embodiment are made of bendable sheet steel of predetermined gauge and predetermined dimension, and in which said support and said hanger made of steel are then bright zinc coated or brass coated.

3. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein both the shape and the dimensions of said support means and of said picture hanger are predetermined and are variable, while consistent in shape and function with the essential principle of support method and the resultant ideal aesthetic appearance of said stretched canvas picture after it is hung on a wall, as described in claim 1.

4. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein said support means and said hanger are made of plastic of predetermined composition, in predetermined thickness, in predetermined shape and dimension.

5. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein the support means which have been attached to a wood frame upon which artist canvas has been stretched, are in the form of a pin, such pin being of appropriate length and appropriate diameter, said pin intended to be inserted horizontally part way into the inside of the vertical member of said wood frame, thus leaving a portion of said pin to stick out horizontally, said portion of said pin intended to rest upon said hanger when said pre-stretched canvas is hung upon a wall, said pin selected from a list that includes a small diameter wood screw, a small diameter pan head screw, a small diameter long shank screw eye, or another form of pin intended to be used in the manner of pin forms which have been mentioned.

6. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein said frame support is attached to said wood frame by means selected from a list that includes strong adhesive, screws, sharp prongs made as part of said frame support and intended to be driven into the inside of said wood frame, or attached by other means not specifically identified in this document.

7. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein said frame support and said hanger are made in such shape and in such size and of such materials as to be able to support virtually any size of pre-stretched canvas or other similar object which it is desired, when hung, to be flush and flat against a wall, with no obstruction whatsoever from the hanging hardware.

8. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein said frame support and said hanger are made of such materials and in such sizes, shapes and dimensions as will make said picture hanging system suitable for hanging objects other than pictures or stretched artist canvases on a wall, whereby such other objects, when hung on a wall, will rest flush and flat against said wall, with no obstruction from the hanging hardware.

9. The picture hanging system of claim 1 wherein said sloping surface on said top of said hanger is other than 15° from horizontal, while still sloping at an angle that will cause said support means attached to said wood picture frame to slide by force of gravity toward a wall upon which said picture frame is being hung, said picture frame then coming to rest flat and flush against said wall, with no space between said picture and said wall, and with no obstruction from the hanging hardware.