AU2006100791A4 - A printed blank - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant: Richard Paul Mockridge Invention Title: A PRINTED BLANK The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 A PRINTED BLANK This invention relates to a printed blank, and more particularly to a kit that includes a printed blank.

When people visit a new destination they often purchase post cards as a memento of the visit. Some visitors take photographs and some purchase paintings or photographic prints which they then take home as a memento of the visit. Modern digital photography allows photographers to compose stunning photographs of places of interest. Although these photographs can be sold attractively framed, visitors have the problem of transporting framed photographs back to a destination.

The purchase of photographs unframed still leaves the purchaser with the problems of undertaking the framing before the photograph can be displayed to its full effect.

It is these issues that have brought about the present invention.

According to the present invention there is provided a blank, printed to define a picture, a border of the picture and cut and fold lines, whereby cutting and folding along the cut and fold lines enables the blank to be formed into a framed picture.

In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a kit comprising a hollow tube comprising a rolled up blank of the kind described above and an instruction sheet, the ends of the tube being closed by end caps. The end caps may be interconnected by a length of cord.

In a preferred embodiment, the tube is filled by a foam insert.

H:\melindaf\keep\Speci 's\P62074 .doc 15/09/06 3 Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shrink wrapped tube containing a printed blank.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the components of the tube; Figure 2A is a view of an information sheet; Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a user marking a backing board; Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a user cutting out corners and removing a backing sheet; Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a user wrapping the printed blank onto the backing board and fixing a hanging cord; Figure 6 shows the assembled product from the rear and the front; Figure 7 is an exploded view of components that make up a second embodiment; Figure 8 is a rear view of the blank of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a perspective, view of the blank of Figure 7; Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating folding of overlapping edges onto the rear of the blank; Figure lla is a front view of the assembled product; and Figure llb is a rear view of the assembled product.

The kit 10 that incorporates a printed blank as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is purchased as an elongate cylindrical tube 11 that is sealed at either end by end caps 12 and 13 and shrink wrapped in plastics.

The components of the kit shown in Figure 2 comprise a printed blank 20, an instruction sheet 18, end caps 12 and 13, a length of cord 14, a location sticker 15 and a foam plastics filler tube 19. The printed blank 20 and H:\melindaf\keep\speci's\P62074 .doc 5/09/06 4 instruction sheet 18 are rolled into a cylinder with the instructions sheet defining the outer surface of a cylindrical outer tube 11. The cord and location sticker are positioned within the tube and the foam filler 19 is also positioned within the tube. The end caps 12 and 13 are then placed on the tube which is then shrink wrapped in plastics to assume the completed point of sale product 10, shown in Figure 1.

The printed blank 20 could be a photograph or a print of any subject matter. In this embodiment it comprises a photograph of a particular scene, elongated as shown in Figure 2. The blank is printed so that the periphery 21 of the blank has the visual appearance of a frame and the printing includes a plurality of cut and fold lines 22.

In one embodiment the instructions recommend that a suitable backing board 30, usually a piece of plywood, plastics or strong cardboard, be selected and then as shown in Figure 3 be marked and cut to the correct dimensions of the picture.

In use, the purchaser of the kit 10 peels off the shrink wrap and opens the tube 11 to extract the contents.

The printed blank 20 is rolled flat and the instructions are read from the instruction sheet 18. The blank 20 is laid flat on the backing board 30 which may be a piece of cardboard, plastics or plywood and then the outline of the blank is marked with a pencil, as shown in Figure 3 by marking the corner points. The backing board is then cut to size. The blank is then cut along the cut lines 22 in accordance with the instructions as shown in the highlighted corner of Figure 2. The back of the blank carries a removable plastics backing 25 that once removed exposes an adhesive surface on the back of the blank that then allows the blank to be adhesively secured to the backing board 30. By folding the edges of the blank around the periphery, mitred corners are formed allowing H:\melindaf\keep\Speci 's\P62074 .doc 15/09/06 IND- 5 c the periphery of the blank 20 to be folded over the e backing board so that the printed frame is folded around the backing board 30 to give the appearance of a framed Spicture.

The blank 20 has two pairs of spaced apertures 26, 27 through which the cord 14 is positioned as shown in Figure The end caps 12, 13 are secured over the cord holes 26, 27 from the rear of the frame as shown in Figure 6 so that once assembled, the cord 14 extending through the Sholes 26, 27 covered by the end caps 12, 13 to define a means for hanging the picture.

Although not shown in the drawings, it is understood that the printing of the picture is such that suitable shading is utilised on the edge of the picture to give the picture a three dimension perspective. In other words, to make the picture to look as if it is inset into a mount before being inserted into a frame. This three dimensional imagery is all done by the image printed on the blank.

The kit provides a photographer with the ability of supplying high quality prints, often digitally enhanced in a medium for simple transportation. The tube 11 in its completed form shown in Figure 1, can be sent through the mail or simply placed in luggage for transportation. The purchaser, upon reaching his/her destination, can then assemble the picture in accordance with the instructions, thus providing a ready to hang, aesthetically pleasing memento of a trip or visit.

It is understood that the printed blank can assume many forms and can be of any particular subject matter.

The image that forms the frame of the picture can vary enormously in terms of different woods, textures and colours as can the shape and configuration of the final H:\melindaf\keep\Speci s\P62074 .doc 15/09/06 6 picture. The printed blank may comprise various grades of paper, cardboard, plastics or even textiles and fabrics such as canvas.

In a second embodiment shown in Figures 7 to the assembly of components is designed to do away with the backing board that forms part of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the blank 120 is printed to carry the picture, the visual appearance of a frame, and the cut out and fold lines described in the first embodiment together with instructions to assemble. Thus, the blank 120 assumes an elongate rectangle in plan view with printing on one side as shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 8 the opposite side of the blank is located with an adhesive and covered at opposite ends 121,122 with peel off strips 123,124. The longer strip 124 end has a spine 125 shown dotted in Figure 8. The remainder of the blank, that is the portion directly behind the image, adhesively supports a sheet 130 of special foam plastics that sits behind the zone of the blank 120 that carries the image of the picture. To assemble the kit, the end 123 of the blank is folded about the spine 125 over the strip of foam 120. A core 19 of the kind described in the first embodiment, that is a core 19 of foam plastics, is used to enable the folded blank to be wound up onto the core from the left hand side shown in Figure 9. The blank that carries the strip 130 of memory foam is secured into the slit 19a in the core 19 and the blank and foam are rolled up onto the core 19. The foam 130 is of a specific memory plastics that can be compressed to assume virtually the thickness of a sheet of paper so that when the foam memory is wrapped onto the core, it is compressed down to a substantially thin cross section until the whole blank 120 has been rolled onto the core 19. The memory foam is usually about 6mm thick but can be compressed to a thickness of about imm and when released returns to the expanded form. It is then covered in heat shrink plastics H:\melindaf\keep\Speci 's\P62074 .doc 15/09/06 7 for postage and delivery as shown in Figure 1.

To assemble the picture the heat shrink plastics is removed which causes the memory foam 130 to expand. As the blank 120 is unrolled from the core 19, the memory foam 130 expands to assume the substantially planar configuration shown in Figures 10 and 11. The blank 120 is cut along the cut and fold lines and the overlapping are folded onto the back of the foam layer 130 as shown in Figure 10. The peel off strip 123 is removed from the rear of the instruction sheet which can be cut down the spine 125 so that the sheet 124 can be adhesively secured to the rear of the foam 130 to produce the finished picture shown in Figure lb. In this manner the picture is formed with printed surface of the blank 120 and secured to the foam layer 130 with the foam layer 130 effectively replacing the backing board of plywood or plastics of the first embodiment. The fact that the blank is secured to the foam layer 130 on both sides also ensures that the foam layer assumes a planar configuration so that once the hanging cord 14 is attached to the blank, the picture can be hung as in the first embodiment. It is understood that addition weights can be attached to the rear of the picture to increase its mass and improve its capacity to hang.

In another embodiment (not shown) the blank 20 can have projecting ears that serve both as the end caps of the tube and the stickers for the hanging cord. The cord may be string, nylon or even braided brass or copper wire.

The cord may also be integrated with the blank having the end caps to produce the complete hanging device.

H:\melindaf\keep\ peci's\P62074 .doc 15/09/06

Claims (5)

1. A printed blank comprising a planar structure printed on one side, the printing defining a picture, a border of a picture and cut and fold lines whereby cutting and folding along the cut and fold lines enables the blank to be formed into the image of a framed picture.

2. The printed blank according to claim 1 wherein the surface of the blank opposite the printed surface is coated in an adhesive with a peel off strip covering the adhesive.

3. The printed blank according to claim 2 wherein a strip of compressible memory foam plastics is adhesively secured to the surface of the blank directly behind the print of the picture.

4. A kit comprising a shrink wrapped tube that includes the printed blank according to any one of the preceding claims wrapped around a foam core, the ends of the tube being closed by end caps, the tube including a length of cord and a sheet of instructions.

5. The kit according to claim 4 wherein the sheet of instructions forms one end of the blank. H:\melindaf\keep\peciS\P62074 .doc 15/09/06