GB2220854A

GB2220854A - Picture frames

Info

Publication number: GB2220854A
Application number: GB8817117A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adrian James Creeper; Keith Roland Creighton; David Christopher Fellows
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-07-19
Filing date: 1988-07-19
Publication date: 1990-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-19
Also published as: GB2220854B; GB8817117D0

Abstract

A picture/photo frame designed to hold a picture or photograph or display material is made from a single piece of card, pre-cut and scored and constructed by folding and held together by tabs and slots. Its technical features allow a person to make frames without using external means of holding it together, i.e. cutting instruments and adhesives. It can be hung on walls or free standing on any of the sides. <IMAGE>

Description

DISPLAY FRAME This invention relates to a means of constructing a frame.

A simple version of a conventional solid picture frame surround can be expensive to purchase and it must be realized that skill and precision tools are required to produce such a fram. The average do it yourself enthusiast would experience great difficulty in forming the mitres and assembling the surround of a simple solid picture frame.

The invention is a simple system of forming or construction of a frame with the choice of supporting the said frame in any one of four free standing positions, or hanging the frame flush against a wall with a concealed fixing point, this is formed in a single sheet of material such as cardboard, aluminium, corrugated fibreboard or plastic film, or any pliable material less than 1000 microns in thickness. The material used for descriptive purposes in this application will be referred to as cardboard.

A frame constructed by means of this invention is suitable in its form to display photos and pictures or any graphic or three dimensional display items etc within its aperture.

The cardboard constructed frame is self supporting in its form of assembly requiring no adhesives to maintain its rigidity and the construction method has the advantage of requiring no instruments such as scissors or knives etc., this is convenient and should prove to be appreciated as a safety factor. The frame construction being almost self explanatory and well within the comprehension and the ability of the average child. The crease and fold assembly system could prove to have educational value.

The sheet of cardboard used to form the said frame is pre-cut to a convenient size and shape and processed with a formation of scored lines, slots, perforations and locking tabs within and through the thickness of its embodiment. Formed within a central position of the pre-cut sheet of cardboard is a rectangular panel It is formed and retained within its position by means of perforations. Remove this rectangular panel from the main pre-cut processed sheet of cardboard by disengaging perforations to reveal a rectangular opening. This rectangular opening will be used for descriptive purposes and referred to as the frame aperture. The series of scored lines formed within the surface of the pre-cut cardboard sheet are formed parallel between each of the four edges of the frame's aperture and the extreme outer edges.

The four scored lines adjacent to the extreme outer edges of the cardboard sheet are attached in each case to locking tabs which are shaped and formed in the extreme outer edges of cardboard sheet. Between each of the four edges of the frames aperture and the adjacent scored lines, slots are formed within and through the thickness of the cardboard sheet, these slots being parallel to aperture edges and of a convenient size and positioning to correspond with the locking tabs formed in the outer edges of the cardboard sheet. The series of scored lines formed within the surface of the pre-cut cardboard sheet and positioned between each of the four edges of the frame's aperture and the extreme outer edges are creased and folded to and from each scored line to form the identical shape or section to the four sides of the frame's surround.

When the scored lines between the outer edges of the cardboard sheet and the aperture edges are creased and folded to form the section of frame surround the locking tabs formed on the outer edges are positioned within slots adjacent to aperture edges to secure the four sides of the frame surround.

To construct a frame surround the following operations would be applied preferably by placing the pre-cut processed cardboard sheet face down on a flat horizontal surface. For descriptive purposes this surround section requires five scored lines between outer edges of the cardboard sheet and each of the four frames aperture. The areas of cardboard between the extreme outer edges of the cardboard sheet and the four scored lines adjacent to the aperture edges are creased and folded perpendicular to horizontal working surface. Then the portion of cardboard between the extreme outer edges and the second scored lines from the aperture edges are creased and folded at right angles or horizontal to working surface.Then the areas of cardboard between the third and fourth scored line from the aperture edges are creased and folded to form a bevel or slope which enables the fourth scored line to be in contact with the frame's aperture edges. The area of cardboard between the fourth scored line and the outer edges is creased and folded backunder the aperture edges and locking tabs attached to the outer edges of the cardboard sheet are inserted into slots adjacent to aperture edges to secure the sections of the four sides of the. frame surround. The four sides of the frame surround are constructed with a sequence, the two sides having a full length sectional formation are constructed and secured by means of locking tab and slot, then the two intermediate sides of frame are formed and secured by means of locking tab and slot.The extreme ends of the two intermediate side formations are conveniently shaped to form a scribe which sits over and on the surface of the sections of the two full length sides this scribe gives the appearance of a true well formed mitre. A D/cut flap is conveniently formed and positioned at the rear of the four sides of the frame surround, open ends the said D/cut flaps being adjacent to frames aperture edges. A photo or picture etc. canoe supported behind these four said D/cut flaps to give a visual display within the aperture of frame. Each of the said flaps forms a means of an attachment to engage and support a stand.This said stand provides a means of supporting the frame in a required free standing position.The indentations to form said stand are formed within the embodiment of the rectangular panel, the stand construction is achieved by two self explanatory creases and folds.

It is within the limits of the invention to remove stand formation from the indentations formed within the rectangular panel embodiment and assuring that flap arrangement is situated at the top of the stand formation, then using a central fixing point the adjacent flap is fixed to a wall or partitioning etc a drawing pin providing an adequate fixing.

With the D/cut flap within flap attachment at the top of stand formation to support a frame in a hanging position. This hanging position provides a concealed fixing with the advantage of the frame seating neatly against the wall. It is also possible to hang the frame in the traditional manner with cord as porvisions are provided by means of a hole formed in each of the four Dlcut flaps attached to the rear of the frame surround. It will be appreciated that cardboard sheets can be processed and shaped to provide a means of producing frames of varying sizes. It will also be appreciated that it is within the limits of the invention to process pre-cut cardboard sheets with a varied spacing or number of scored lines between the extreme outer edges and the frames aperture edges to form alternative shaped surround sections.

The frame in accordance with the invention will now be described in way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which.

Fig 1 is a plan of a processed sheet of cardboard.

Fig 2 is a perspective view of frame assembly.

Fig 3 is a perspective view of folding operations as stage 1.

Fig 4 is a perspective view of folding operations as stage 2.

Fig 5 is a perspective view of folding operations as stage 3.

Fig 6 is a perspective view of folding operations as stage 4.

Fig 7 is a perspective view showing the back of frame.

Fig 8 is a plan of the processed formation of the stand.

Fig (1) shows a pre-cut sheet of carboard with its processed indentations, these are formed within and through the thickness of the cardboard, these indentations will be indicated as the following, scored lines (A) slots (B) and the perforations (C).

Construct a frame by disengaging perforations (C) to release the rectangular panel (D) from the main pre-cut processed sheet of cardboard, position remaining portion of cardboard sheet face down on a flat horizontal surface. In order of sequence the two sides with flaps (F) attached are creased and folded working away from scored lines (A) adjacent to the frames aperture edges (P) these folds being perpendicular to flat working surface as fig (3).

Crease and fold at the second scored lines (A) from the frames's aperture edges (P) these folds being at right angles as fig (4).

Crease and fold at third scored lines (A) from the aperture edges (P) these folds form splays as fig (5).

Crease and fold at the fourth scored lines (A) from the aperture edges (P) these folds are formed under aperture edges (P) as fig (6).

Crease and fold at the fifth scored lines (A) from the frames aperture edges and insert attached locking tab (H) into slot (G) as fig (6).

Crease and fold flaps (F) to form constructional corner supports as fig (2).

Construct the two intermediate frame sides (J) by repeating the sequence as figs (3). (4). (5). (6).

D/cut flaps (K) are formed at the back of the frame and positioned on each of the surround sides with open end being adjacent to aperture edges (P) as fig (7). A photo or picture (L) is positioned behind the four D/cuts flaps (K) becomes secure and visual within frames aperture (P), as fig (7).

Remove stand formation (E) from rectangular panel (D), crease and fold stand formation as fig (7) position flap (0) attached to stand (E) behind either of the four D/cut flap (K) attached to frame surround, flap (0) becomes engaged behind D/cut flap (K) to support frame in a free-standing position.

To support the frame in a hanging position each of the four D/cut flaps (K) attached to the frame surround have holes (M) formed within their embodiment this provides a means of traditional cord hanging.

It is within the limits of this invention to remove stand formation (E) from rectangular panel (D) and with flap (0) situate at the bottom of said stand to fix stand formation (E) to a wall or partitioning etc using a fixing point adjacent to flap (0) as fig (8) a drawing pin (R) as fig (8) would be adequate. With stand (E) fixed to a required surface it is possible to position either of the four flaps (K) attached to frame surround behind flap (0) attached to stand (E) to retain frame in a hanging position with a concealed fixing point and seated neatly against the wall.

Claims

1. A frame made by folding a single, pre-cut piece of card and held together by tabs or slots without adhesives.

2. A frame as claimed in (1) with a stand enabling it to be free standing on any edge.

3. A frame as claimed in (1) with or without tabs and/or punched holes enabling it to be hung.

4. A frame as claimed substantially, but printed in any design or colour.

5. A frame capable of holding a piece of card from 70gm. weight to 2 mm. board.

6. A picture frame of any size upwards from 30mm. square.

7. A frame as claimed substantially but which can be glued.

END Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A blank of foldable sheet material for forming a picture/display frame, said blank comprising a centre rectangular portion with a display aperture defined therein, and four side portions joined to the respective side edges of the centre portion at fold lines, each of said side portions having a plurality of parallel fold lines defined thereon whereby it can be folded inwardly of the blank and through said aperture so as to form a side member of the erected frame in which an edge section of each side portion lies against the back face of said centre portion to which it is secured.

2. A blank according to claim 1, wherein said display aperture is defined in the centre portion by perforations in the original blank, which perforations surround a centre panel which is pushed out and detached from the remainder of the blank at an early stage in erection of the frame.

3. A blank according to claim 2, wherein said central panel provides a stand formation which can be used to support the erected frame in free-standing form.

4. A blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said edge section of each side portion has a locking tab engageable in a corresponding slot in the centre portion of the blank, whereby to secure it to the back face of the centre portion.

5. A blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edge sections of said side portions have cut flaps adapted, in the erected frame, to provide clips for holding a photograph or the like at the back of the frame behind said display aperture.

6. A blank according to claim 5, wherein said cut flaps are D/cut flaps.

7. A blank according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein each of said cut flaps has a hole for attachment of a cord to hang up the frame.

8. A blank according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an opposite two of said side portions have projecting flaps connected at fold lines, which flaps in the erected frame engage within the respective side members of the frame formed by folding the other two side portions inwardly and through the aperture, whereby to reinforce and rigidify the corners of the frame.

9. A picture/display frame produced by the erection of a blank in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

10. A blank for a picture/display frame, substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A picture/display frame produced by erection of a blank and substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.