GB2057870A - Picture holder - Google Patents

Abstract

A picture holder having a frame (4) formed for example from profiles, a rear wall (1) and spring clips (2) which press the rear wall together with the picture and a cover, if any, against a margin (3) of the frame and which are fixed to the rear wall by means of a rivet or other fastening element (5) having a head or other holding projection (6) wherein the head (6) or the like ofthe fastening element (5) is spaced from the rear side (7) of the rear wall (1), the spring clip (2) has in its anchoring region (8) remote from the frame (4) a slot (9) whose end (10) adjacent the frame (4) has a widening (11) exceeding the dimensions of the head or other projection the length of the slot (9) is equal to or greater than the depth of engagement of the spring clip (2) with the frame (4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Picture holder The invention relates to a picture holder with a frame, a rear wall and a plurality of spring clips which press the rear wall together with the picture and a cover, if any, against a margin of the frame and which are secured to the rear wall by means of a rivet or other fastening element having a holding projection.

Such a picture holder is known, for example, from German utility model 7805519. The spring clip of this known interchangeable picture holder is bent in an approximately U-shaped manner and has nearthe edge of the rear wall a lateral tongue through which the rivet or the like passes. It is thereby possible to rotate the clamping or spring clip round the rivet and thus bring it out of the region of the frame so that the rear wall can be removed from the frame or else to pivot the clip under the frame for fixing with its free arm. One disadvantage is the expensive manufacture associated with connecting the clip to the rivet.

An automated production is not possible, in practice, since it would be too expensive to deliver the various clips to the various edges of the rear wall. Furthermore, the mounting of the rear wall provided with such clips is difficult since the clips of several rear walls can become hooked with one another.

In particular, the fastening of the clip simultaneously with the riveting, which means that the clip has to be placed individually in the riveting operation on the riveting machine, signifies a high expenditure of labour with corresponding costs and prevents several riveting operations from being carried out simultaneously.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a picture holder of the above-mentioned type in which the clamping or spring clip is designed so that, although it is fixed by a fastening element having a head or the like and is undetachable in the functional position and also enables a picture to be changed easily and quickly, nevertheless the rivets or the like can be attached without placing the spring clip in the riveting machine and it is possible to fit several such fastening elements into the rear wall preferably simultaneously.

According to the invention, there is provided a picture holder comprising a frame, a rear wall and a plurality of spring clips which, in use, press the rear wall together with the picture and a cover, if any, against a margin of the frame and which are secured to the rear wall by means of a fastening element having a holding projection, wherein said projection of the fastening element is spaced from the rear face of the rear wall, the spring clip has in an anchoring region remote from the frame a slot whose end nearest the frame has a widening exceeding the dimensions of the projection and the length of the slot is equal to or greater than the depth of engagement of the spring clip within the frame.

This form of the spring clip and of its fastening to the rear wall of the interchangeable picture holder makes it possible to provide this rear wall initially with rivets or suchlike fastening elements, thereafter to place a cover, if any, a picture and the rear wall in the frame and, finally, to push on the spring clips by means of their slot and to bring them simultaneously with slight compression into their functional position, that is into engagement with the frame. With a single pushing movement the spring clips and simultaneously therewith also the rear wall of the interchangeable picture holder can be fastened in this way. Several fastening elements can thereby be fastened simultaneously to the rear wall and the subsequent fitting operation for the spring clips is at least no more expensive than the pivoting of previously riveted spring clips into their functional position.

Appropriately, the rivet preferably provided as fastening element can have between its shank engaging into the rear wall and the head a stop region having a greater cross-section than the shank. The insertion of the rivets is thereby also simplified and correspondingly large contact region between the rivet and slot margin is obtained.

The anchoring region of the spring clip with the slot can be arranged in the prolongation of the spring parts of the clip which are spread with respect to one another due to spring force and the connecting region between the spring arm and the tongue can extend towards the rear face of the rear wall, which the anchoring region adjoins at an angle of preferbly more than 90". The fastening region and especially the slot are consequently a continuation of the spring region, so that the desired straight pushing-on of the spring clip also ensures that the spring region assumes its required functional position.

In order, on the one hand, to permit a simple fitting of the spring clips, but to enable these to be held subseqeuntly practically undetachably on the rear wall, it is provided according to a preferred feature of the invention that the slot for gripping over the fastening element and gripping under the head of this fastening element extends into the connecting region and that the widening for the passage of the head is provided in said region. It is thereby ensured that the lower region of the connecting region also grips over the head laterally and thus forms a safeguard against detachment.It is especially appropriate, in so doing, if the widening for the rivet head or the like in the connecting region is arranged in the functional position higher than the rivet head if the curve between the connecting region and the anchoring region has a larger spacing from the rear face of the rear wall than the widening has from the curve and if the anchoring region is resilient.

In this embodiment, by means of a pressure on the spring clip in the connecting region, the fastening region and consequently also the curve are pressed down when the spring clip is pushed on into its functional position, so that the widening can be pushed underthe projection of the fastening element, while after the release and springing back a corresponding stop is obtained which makes the clip practically undetachable even when it is pushed back out ofthe engaged position.

In another preferred feature, the anchoring region has at the end of the slot remote from the frame a crimp or suchlike deformation, extending towards the rear wall, which bears, on the one hand, against the rear wall and, on the other hand, against the underside of the projection of the fastening element.

There thereby arises a firm seat under the head which has, in turn, a spacing from the rear wall. The crimp can be designed so that the end of the slot forms its lowest point. Since in a preferred embodi mentthe spring clip serves simultaneously as a suspension element on which a suspension hook or nail is to be capable of engaging, the suspension force is introduced in this way in the most favourable region of the fastening element, namely as near as possible to the rear wall, so that a clamping moment in this region is avoided as far as possible. The spring tongue, which extends towards the rear wall, is appropriately partly punched out of the spring arm and bent downwardly. The punch-out thus formed can be used in a simple way simultaneously as a recess for the suspension hook or nail or the like.

Additionally, the spring clip which is formed from the spring arm and spring tongue and which also requires a slot and a bend can'partly be punched and stamped very simply optionally even in a single pressing operation.

An embodiment of a picture holder according to the invention is described below in detail with reference to the drawing wherein: Figure 1 is a side view, partly in longitudinal section, of a spring clip for a picture holder according to the invention in its functional position, the remaining parts of the picture holder being illustrated by broken lines; Figure 2 is a plan view and Figure 3 is an end view ofthe spring clip of Figure 1.

At several points of a rear wall 1 clamping or spring clips 2 are fastened as described below, which clips press the rearwall 1 together with a picture and a cover, if any, against a margin 3 of picture frame 4. In the exemplary embodiment the spring clips 2 are fastened to the rear wall 1 by means of a rivet 5 which has a head 6. Instead ofthe rivet 5, another fastening element having a head 6 or suchlike projection could also be provided.

Figure 1 shows that the head 6 of the rivet 5 has a spacing from the rear face 7 of the rear wall 1. It is illustrated, above all in Figure 2, that the spring clip 2 has in its anchoring region 8 remote from the frame 4 a slot 9 whose end 10 adjacent the frame 4 has a widening 11 (see also Figure 3) which exceeds the dimensions of the head 6, in the exemplary embodiment above all the diameter, but also the height of this head 6. The length of the slot 9 is greater than the depth of engagement of the spring clip 2 into the frame 4. It may be seen by reference to Figure 1 that by means of this embodiment it is possible to attach the rivet 5 before the assembly of the spring clip 2, whereafter the spring clip 2 can then be pushed under at the head 6 with the slot 9.This pushingunder and pushing-in in the direction of the arrow Pf 1 then simultaneously ensures that the spring clip 2 also enters the frame 4 with a spring arm 12. The spring clip 2 has in the exemplary embodiment such a spring arm 12 gripping in the functional position under the frame 4 or a specific cavity of the frame and has a spring tongue 13 pressable against the rearwall 1, said spring parts according to Figure 1 forming with one another an approximately V-shaped cross section. A U-shaped cross section of these spring parts would also be possible if other structural parts had to engage into the gap between these spring parts.It should be mentioned that in Figure 1 the spring clip 2 already stands under spring force, while, without being engaged into the frame 4 and without being supported on the rear wall 1, it has a larger spread between the spring arm 12 and the spring tongue 13.

The spacing of the fastening element or of the rivet 5 from the margin 14 of the rear wall 1, the length of the entire spring clip 2 and the length ofthe slot 9 are selected and adapted to one another so that the spring clip 2 assumes its functional position shown in Figure 1 and engages into the frame 4 when the end 15 of the slot remote from the frame 4 rests against the shank 16 ora region 17, described below, of the shank of the rivet 5.

It will be seen in Figure 1 that the rivet 5 provided as fastening element has between its shank 16 engaging into the rear wall 1 and the head 6 a stop region 17 which is enlarged in diameter with respect to the shank 16. It is thereby ensured in a simple way that the spacing of the head 6 from the rear wall 1 is preserved. The contact face on the inside of the slot is simultaneously enlarged.

Figure 1 also shows that the spring arm 12 is longer than the spring tongue 13 at least by the amount of its depth of engagement into the frame 4.

However, it becomes clear that the contact region 18 of the spring tongue 13 can be arranged as near as possible to the margin 14 of the rear wall 1, so that a favourable transmission of the spreading force of the spring clip 2 from the frame 4 via the rear wall 1 to the stop margin 3 of the frame 4 is achieved.

The anchoring region 8 of the spring clip 2 with the slot 9 is arranged in the prolongation of the spring parts 12 and 13 of the clip 2 which are spread in respect of one another by spring force, the connecting region between the spring arm 12 and the to gue 13 being designed as a bend 19 which is directed towards the rear face 7 of the rear wall 1 and which the anchoring region 8 adjoins at an angle of preferably more than 90". The slot9 to grip under the head 6 reaches into the region of this bend 19 and the widening 11 for the passage ofthe head 6 is also provided in said region. It is suggested in Figure 1 that the widening 11 for the rivet head 6 in the region of the bend 9 is arranged in the functional position higher than the rivet head 6, that the curve 20 from the bend 19 into the anchoring region 8 has a larger spacing from the rear face 7 of the rear wall 1 than the widening 11 has from this curve 20 and that the anchoring region 8 is designed resiliently. To push or slide on the spring clip 2, the spring clip is placed on the rear wall 1 so that the widening 11 comes to rest on the side of the rivet 5 remote from the margin 14 of the rear wall 1. The spring clip 2 can now be pressed down, both the spring tongue 13 and, above all, the anchoring region 8 being pressed against the rear wall 1.The stop region 21, lying between the curve 20 and widening 11, of the bend 19 can thereby be pushed through under the head 6 when the entire spring clip 2 is moved in this presseddown position in the direction of the arrow Pf 1.

When this region 21 is pushed through under the head 6, the spring can be partly relaxed and in the case of an inadvertent rearward movement against the arrow Pf 1 the region 21 acts as stop against the head 6 and thus makes the entire spring clip 2 undetachable. Nevertheless, it can also be removed again if it is deliberately pressed down again against the tongue 13.

The anchoring region 8 has at the end 15, remote from the frame 4, of the slot 9 a crimp 22 or suchlike deformation, directed and curved downwardly towards the rear wall, so as to bear, on the one hand, against the rear wall 1 and, on the other hand, against the underside of the head 6 of the fastening element. It will be seen clearly that in the functional position the anchoring region 8 engages directly under the head 6, but runs downwardly therefrom towards the rear face 7 of the rear wall 1 to the end of the slot 15 which rests on the widened shank region 17. The head 6 of the rivet 5 thus forms a certain abutment for the entire spring clip 2, while it is nevertheless ensured simultaneously that a suspension force acting in the direction ofthe arrow Pf 1 is introduced into the rivet 5 as near as possible to the rear wall 1.The rounding of the crimp 22 facilitates, analogously to the rounding in the region of the end 18 of the spring tongue 13, the desired displacement of the spring clip 2 also under spring force on the rear face 7 of the rear wall 1. The rivet 5 is therefore, in practice, stressed only with shearing and not with bending if the spring clip 2 is used in a desired way simultaneously as suspension of the entire interchangable picture holder on a hook, a nail or the like.

The crimp 22 is therefore designed so that the end 15 of the slot 9 forms its lowest point.

It is especially appropriate if the spring clip 2 is punched and stamped in one piece from spring steel or the like. The downwardly spread spring tongue 13 is punched partly out of the spring arm 12 and bent downwardly, as can be seen, above all, in Figures 2 and 3. The spring arm 12 thereby simultaneously acquires a recess 23 which can serve to grip over a suspension nail or hook or the like. Since this recess 23 reaches near to the frame 4, there is also obtained a favourable engagement of such a suspension element which, in the case of a hook, could engage even itself into the frame 4.

Figure 1 illustrates clearly that in the region of the bend 19 there is provided on the upper spring arm 12 a deformation 24, for example an upwardly directed crimp or the like as finger engagement when the clip 2 is pushed on. It is possible to grip effectively on this deformation 24 with one or more fingers-the deformation extends according to Figure 2 over the entire clip width-when the spring clip 2 is to be pushed on, on the one hand, by being pressed down and, on the other hand, by being displaced in the direction of the arrow Pf 1. Conversely, this projection 24 can also be gripped effectively when the spring clip is removed.

Above all with a combination of the abovedescribed features and measures in an interchangeable picture holder is obtained in which the rivets 5 can be attached rationally and quickly to the rear wall 1, since even several such rivets 5 can be attached simultaneously. This is made possible due to the fact that the spring clips 2 do not have to be riveted on directly. Rather, upon the movement, necessary also in the state of the art, into the functional position, these can simultaneously be fastened to the previously attached rivets, so that the further advantage arises that these clips can also be removed again. Moreover, this arrangement has the advantage that, under certain circumstances, more rivets can be provided, as a precaution, than clips are required in each case. The clips can then be attached selectively to the rivets where they are most advantageous. Also when a picture is changed, this clip permits a simple handling, since it is not necessary to turn or pivot the clip to be pressed down, but the clip can be pushed out of the frame simply after it has been pressed down in the direction which is most natural for opening the frame, until the region 21 butts against the head 6. Nevertheless, it is possible to turn or pivot the clip to one side as desired.

Owing to the spring tension also in the anchoring region 8, moreover, the clips sit firmly in any position due to frictional contact and do not wobble to and fro uncontrollably.

Claims (14)

1. A picture holder comprising a frame, a rear wall and a plurality of spring clips which, in use, press the rear wall together with the picture and a cover, if any, against a margin of the frame and which are secured to the rear wall by means of a fastening element having a holding projection, wherein said projection of the fastening element is space from the rear face of the rear wall, the spring clip has in an anchoring region remote from the frame a slot whose end nearest the frame has a widening exceeding the dimensions of the projection and the length of the slot is equal to or larger than the depth of engagement of the spring clip with the frame.

2. A picture holder according to claim 1, wherein the spacing of the fastening element from the edge of the rear wall, the length of the spring clip and the length of the slot are selected so that the spring clip assumes its functional position and engages into the frame when the end of the slot remote from the frame rests against the shank of the fastening element.

3. A picture holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fastening element comprises a rivet, the head of which forms said holding projection and having between its shank engaging into the rear wall and the head a region of greater cross-section than the shank.

4. A picture holder according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring clip has at least one spring arm engaging underthe frame and has a spring tongue pressable against the rear wall, said spring parts forming with one another an approximately U-shaped or V-shaped cross section.

5. A picture holder according to claim 4, wherein the spring arm is longer than the spring tongue at least by the amount of its depth of engagement into the frame.

6. A picture holder according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the anchoring region of the spring clip with the slot extends away from the spring arm and the spring tongue which are spread with respect to one another due to spring force, the tongue extending towards the rearface ofthe rear wall and which the anchoring region adjoins at an angle of preferably more than 90 .

7. A picture holder according to claim 6, wherein the slot extends into said connecting region and the widening is provided in said region.

8. A picture holder according to claim 7, wherein the widening is arranged in the functional position further from the rear face of the rear wall than said projection, a curve between the anchoring region and the connecting region is further from the rear of the rear wall than the widening is from said curve and the anchoring region is resilient.

9. A picture holder according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the anchoring region comprises a portion at the end ofthe slote remote from the frame which extends towards the rear wall and which bears, on the one hand, against the rear wall and, on the other hand, against the underside of the holding projection of the fastening element.

10. A picture holder according to claim 9, wherein the end of the slot coincides substantially with the lowest point of said portion.

11. A picture holder according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the spring clip is punched and stamped in one piece from spring steel or the like.

12. A picture holder according to claim 11, wherein the downwardly spread spring tongue is partly punched out ofthe spring arm and is bent downwardly.

13. A picture holder according to any of claims 4 to 12, wherein there is provided on the upper spring arm a deformation, especially an upwardly directed crimp or the like suitable for finger engagement when the clip is pushed on.

14. A picture holder substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.