GB1558844A

GB1558844A - Lightbox

Info

Publication number: GB1558844A
Application number: GB714477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-02-21
Filing date: 1977-02-21
Publication date: 1980-01-09

Description

(54) A LIGHT BOX (71) I, JOHN CLIFFORD McNEIL, a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia, of 2, Glencairn Street, and formerly of 17 Matlock Avenue, Mulgrave, Victoria 3170, Commonwealth of Australia, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be grated to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a light box and particularly though not exclusively to light boxes serving as pictorial or advertising display units.

By "light box" in this specification is meant a box capable of containing one or more lamps and which is useful for display purposes, such a box having at least one transport or transluscent side which either constitutes or carries a picture, legend or other display.

In the past, light boxes have been constructed from frames made up of separate frame pieces which were connected together by methods such as gluing, nailing or the like to form a frame. The frame was then connected to a suitable box structure by screws, clips, clamps or adhesives. Such light boxes have several disadvantages in that difficulties are encountered in connecting all the parts of the box together and usually, such contruction requires the use of vices, clamps, mitre-boxes and other specialized equipment. The necessity for such equipment not only makes the production of light boxes expensive but also creates difficulties of assembly and installation.

Light boxes have, in the past, to the best of the Applicant's knowledge and belief, been manufactured in two basic forms. The first form consists of a metal box housing a fluorescent tube providing rear lighting of a print supported on a transluscent panel of the box made of glass or a plastic material such as acrylic sheet. In the second form, the box is vacuum formed from plastic and may be in a number of shapes. Both of these forms are extremely expensive and consequently display light-boxes have not been used in any great quantity.

According to the present invention there is provided a light box including a frame member which is made up of a plurality of frame sections which together outline one side of the box, at least a plurality of such frame sections including a respective longitudinal groove or equivalent opposed fingers in or on each frame section, the groove or fingers serving as a gripping means which is capable of gripping a confronting edge of a respective adjacent side of the box.

According to a preferred version of the invention, at least one of the frame sections has a slot therethrough the slot being located such that in use it receives a marginal part of a pictorial display which forms or is carried by one side of the light box.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, side walls of the groove are formed as jaws.

The frame member may be moulded as a single unit of synthetic plastics material.

Alternatively, the frame member may be constructed of a plurality of individual moulded or extruded or vacuum-formed frame sections of synthetic plastics material which are secured together to form the frame by suitable securing means.

In such an arrangement, the securing means may be staples or an adhesive.

A preferred but non-limiting embodiment of the invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a frame member in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of one form of frame member in accordance with the invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a light box having a frame constructed from the frame member shown in Figure 2.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown an elongate frame member 1 which is bendable at preselected points 7 along the length thereof to provide frame sections 4 that with, bending at such points, may be positioned to form a frame 5 (see Figure 3).

By this means, a frame may be constructed from a single length of frame member, which may for example be an extruded synthetic plastics material. In Figure 3 the frame member 1 is constructed to form the frame of a light-box.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3 the frame member 1 is substantially rectangular in cross-section having four surfaces which as a matter of convenience will hereinafter be referred to as the inner surface 20. the outer surface 21.

the back surface 22 and the front surface 23.

It will be readily apparent to those persons skilled in the art that many other crosssectional shapes could be utilized, for exam ple, the frame member may be U-shaped in cross-section, with the channel 8 formed in an outer surface of one of the limbs of the 'U', or may have a cross-section defined at least in part bv a curved outer surface.

Furthermore, the frame member could be constructed from many types of material such as plastics, for example. PVC or foamed A.B.S: or metal.

A frame for a light box may take many shapes such as. e.g. square, rectangular, hexagonal circular or other shape, according to the shape of the light box. As a manner of convenience and bv wav of example only, the box shown in the drawings is in rectangular form.

For a rectangular light box as shown, one method of making the frame member is to make it so that it is bendable at three points 7 along its length. The frame may be made bendable at each point by provision of a notch or cut 3 formed in the frame member.

Each notch or cut 3 may be wedge-shaped and formed in the inner surface 20 of the frame member 1, the apex of each wedge shaped notch or cut extending transversely of the frame member towards and being located near the outer surface 21 of the frame member so as to provide a hinge 6 between adjacent sections of the frame member 1. Each wedge-shaped cut has two opposed faces 17 which when the frame member is bent at each hinge, are brought together in a conventional mitred manner thereby defining the corners of the frame 5.

The end portions 2 of the frame member are also cut or formed to provide each end portion with a mitred face so that when the end frame sections are brought together to form the frame, they engage neatly to define the fourth corner of the frame. The two inclined faces may be secured together by means of a screw or staple although it will be readily apparent that many other forms of connections would be suitable. Furthermore, or alternatively, the faces of the wedge-shaped cuts may be glued when the frame member is bent to form the frame so as to give the frame more rigidity.

The box is constructed in the preferred version of the invention with a frame which is specially constructed for easy and replaceable mounting of a pictorial display. For this purpose, the frame may be provided with a slot 10 which passes through at least one of the frame sections from the surface 20 to the surface 21 and extends continuously along the length thereof almost to the hinge 6.

Thus, in the case of the rectangularly shaped frame as shown in Figure 3 the slot 10 may extend through one frame section to enable a picture or poster or other display sheet to be slid through the slot 10 so that its marginal edges are located in the channels 8 of the longer frame sections 4. In this way the edges of the picture are held in position to form one side of the light box. In this manner, a pictorial display can be quickly replaceably and simply mounted on the frame by sliding the display through the access aperture 10 so it enters the slot as described.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the frame member 1 includes gripping means 12 which is secured to or integral with the frame member 1 for releasably gripping and holding the remainder of the light box, herein called a backing member 13, to the frame 5.

The gripping means 12 may be in the form of a set of gripping jaws 11 located at the back surface 22 of the frame member 1. In one form the gripping jaws may be defined by a pair of opposed flanges 27 and 28 extending along at least two opposed frame sections. More than two frame sections may have such gripping jaws if desired, according to the construction of the light box.

Alternatively the gripping means may be in the form of opposed fingers, at least one set of opposed fingers being located on at least a plurality of the frame sections. The gripping jaws and the frame member may be constructed from two pieces of the same or different materials. or alternatively and as shown, be formed integrally with the frame member as a single unit, such as by extrusion or by moulding or other convenient fabricating method.

In one form of the invention, the light box is made from a frame 5. a front wall and a backing member 13, having a base portion and four side portions. In assembly, one edge of each side portion of the box is adapted for insertion into the adjacent confronting jaws 11 and is held therein by the resilient nature of the jaws 11. The jaws may have, on the inner opposed surfaces thereof, elongated ribs or teeth 9 to aid in holding the edges of the backing member therein. The backing member may be manufactued from any suitable material such as wood, or plastics such as "Polyflute", "Corflute" or like material.

It is believed that Polyflute is the British trade name for a material known in Australia as Corflute. It consists of two flat sheets of transluscent plastics material separated by and bonded to an intermediate corrugated sheet of plastics material. Thus the material Polyflute can be regarded as the plastics equivalent of corrugated board, but unlike corrugated board, it allows light to pass through it. It can be obtained in various colours.

A light source 15 may be mounted on the backing member 13 in any convenient manner. The light source may be an electric fluorescent or filament lamp which can be operated from either electric mains or batteries. In this particular application, the front wall consists of a transluscent pictorial display. When the light source is in operation, the display is attractively lit up by the light source.

Light boxes made in accordance with the present invention have a wide variety of applications and many advantages over the prior art.

For example, the light box can be used for painting reproductions. The light box may be adapted to be mounted on a wall in a home and painting reproductions can be produced on "Polyflute" backing or other suitable material. The paintings may be quickly and easily interchanged due to the construction of the slot 10. Similarly. the light box can be used for advertising material for retail outlets and the like.

The invention as particularly described herein has many advantages over the prior art. For example, by using the frame member described above, it is a simple matter to vary the size of the frame required by varying positions of the notches 3 in the member. Alternatively, for a standard size of light box, integral frame members can be readily produced in quantity by moulding.

Furthermore, no complicated equipment is required in the assembly of a light box including a frame member as described.

The light box according to the present invention may be sold in the form of a kit which can be made up by the purchaser.

Having regard to Section 9 of the Patents Act 1949, the reader is referred to the claims of my Patent No. 1 484 964.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A light box including a frame member which is made up of a plurality of frame sections which together outline one side of the box; at least a plurality of such frame sections including a respective longitudinal groove or equivalent opposed fingers in or on each frame section, the groove or fingers serving as a gripping means which is capable of gripping a confronting edge of a respective adjacent side of the box.

2. A light box according to claim 1 in which at least one of the frame sections has a slot therethrough, the slot being located such that in use it receives a marginal part of a pictorial display which forms or is carried by one side of the light box.

3. A light box according to claim 1 or 2 in which side walls of the groove are formed as jaws.

4. A light box according to any one of claims 1-3 in which the frame member is moulded as a single unit of synthetic plastics material.

5. A light box according to any one of claims 1-3 in which the frame member is constructed of a plurality of individual moulded or extruded or vacuum-formed sections of synthetic plastics material which are secured together to form the frame by suitable securing means.

6. A light box according to claim 5 in which the securing means are staples.

7. A light box according to claim 5 in which the securing means is adhesive.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the resilient nature of the jaws 11. The jaws may have, on the inner opposed surfaces thereof, elongated ribs or teeth 9 to aid in holding the edges of the backing member therein. The backing member may be manufactued from any suitable material such as wood, or plastics such as "Polyflute", "Corflute" or like material. It is believed that Polyflute is the British trade name for a material known in Australia as Corflute. It consists of two flat sheets of transluscent plastics material separated by and bonded to an intermediate corrugated sheet of plastics material. Thus the material Polyflute can be regarded as the plastics equivalent of corrugated board, but unlike corrugated board, it allows light to pass through it. It can be obtained in various colours. A light source 15 may be mounted on the backing member 13 in any convenient manner. The light source may be an electric fluorescent or filament lamp which can be operated from either electric mains or batteries. In this particular application, the front wall consists of a transluscent pictorial display. When the light source is in operation, the display is attractively lit up by the light source. Light boxes made in accordance with the present invention have a wide variety of applications and many advantages over the prior art. For example, the light box can be used for painting reproductions. The light box may be adapted to be mounted on a wall in a home and painting reproductions can be produced on "Polyflute" backing or other suitable material. The paintings may be quickly and easily interchanged due to the construction of the slot 10. Similarly. the light box can be used for advertising material for retail outlets and the like. The invention as particularly described herein has many advantages over the prior art. For example, by using the frame member described above, it is a simple matter to vary the size of the frame required by varying positions of the notches 3 in the member. Alternatively, for a standard size of light box, integral frame members can be readily produced in quantity by moulding. Furthermore, no complicated equipment is required in the assembly of a light box including a frame member as described. The light box according to the present invention may be sold in the form of a kit which can be made up by the purchaser. Having regard to Section 9 of the Patents Act 1949, the reader is referred to the claims of my Patent No. 1 484 964. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A light box including a frame member which is made up of a plurality of frame sections which together outline one side of the box; at least a plurality of such frame sections including a respective longitudinal groove or equivalent opposed fingers in or on each frame section, the groove or fingers serving as a gripping means which is capable of gripping a confronting edge of a respective adjacent side of the box.

6. A light box according to claim 5 in which the securing means are staples.

7. A light box according to claim 5 in which the securing means is adhesive.