GB2353470A

GB2353470A - Display device with removable fascia

Info

Publication number: GB2353470A
Application number: GB0020455A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Mcgilvray
Original assignee: CHATTAN Ltd
Current assignee: CHATTAN Ltd
Priority date: 1999-08-21
Filing date: 2000-08-21
Publication date: 2001-02-28
Also published as: GB0020455D0

Abstract

A display device 10 comprises at least one sheet of support material 14, for example mirrored glass, and at least one decorative fascia 12 which may have various openings or apertures 16. The rear surface of the fascia is removably attached to the support sheet by means of an adhesive layer which may be covered by a layer of material which can be peeled back off the adhesive. The fascia, which may be manufactured from various materials having an eye pleasing effect, serves to highlight areas of the support sheet or items such as prints, photographs, plaques, certificates, or clocks located in the apertures. Also disclosed is a kit of parts to manufacture such a display device and a method of providing such a display device.

Description

2353470 1

1 DISPLAY DEVICE 2 3 Field of the invention 4 5 The invention relates to a display device of 6 interchangeable construction and to a kit and method of 7 manufacture of this display device. 8 9 Background of the invention 10 11 Decorative items such as framed pictures or mirrors are 12 widely used in wall hanging f orm. and may be found in 13 most homes. In order to match the style and the taste 14 of each person, frames or display devices surrounding is the displayed items (which may be, for example, 16 photographs, prints, paintings, calendars, mirrors) are 17 available in a wide variety of shapes, colours and 18 styles. Most such display devices involve a supporting 19 back sheet, a protective cover (usually a sheet of 20 transparent glass or plastic) and a frame or removable

2 1 clips or fixtures which hold the supporting sheet and 2 the protective cover together. The frames, which may 3 themselves be decorative, are generally selected to 4 display the item in question to advantage, according to 5 the aesthetic taste of the owner. Optionally, a border 6 or fascia (which is usually coloured) may be placed 7 over the displayed item to enhance the presentation 8 thereof. Some fascias have several openings which 9 define one or more display areas and allow a 10 multiplicity of photographs etc to be displayed. The 11 fascias are sandwiched between the displayed item and 12 the inner surface of the protective cover. The 13 pictures are positioned between the fascia and the 14 supporting back sheet with only portions of the 15 pictures being visible through the fascia and so 16 displayed. 17 18 Nowadays people generally desire to change the style of 19 their furniture and furnishings relatively frequently 20 in order to follow the current fashion trends. However 21 the purchase of new furnishings which correspond to the 22 new style required is expensive. 23 24 To overcome this drawback a new display device which 25 allows frequent changes of style at moderate cost is 26 proposed. The new display device allows the colour, 27 design configuration, surface materials, surface 28 decoration, etc to be changed easily and cheaply. 29 Thus, the new display device facilitates alterations to 30 follow different lifestyles and fashion trends at a 31 reasonable price. 32 3 1 Statement of the Invention 2 3 The invention relates to a display device which 4 comprises at least one sheet of support material and at 5 least one decorative fascia. The fascia has a front 6 surface and a back surface which is sized and shaped to 7 fit upon the sheet of support material. The back 8 surface of the fascia is removably attached to the 9 sheet of support material with suitable adhesive means. 10 Advantageously, the display device does not employ a 11 protective cover of transparent glass or plastic or a 12 frame or removable clips or fixtures to hold the 13 support material and decorative fascia together. Where 14 the display device employs a mirror effect for 15 functional or decorative purposes, the support material 16 may be a sheet of reflective glass, plastic or metal 17 which is preferably of a standardised size. Where no 18 reflective effect is employed for functional or 19 decorative purposes the solid support can be made of 20 any suitable material. 21 22 When the support element is a fascia, it is 23 advantageously provided on a support, like cardboard or 24 mountboard, to give rigidity to the fascia. 25 26 The display device of the invention may either be 27 provided with wall attachment means or be self28 standing. 29 30 The display device of the invention may advantageously 31 be provided on one or more layer(s) of decorative 32 elements which can be a fascia and/or another display

4 1 device. The decorative element may protrude (at least 2 partially) from the edges of the main display device to 3 provide a decorative effect. 4 5 Advantageously the display device is removably attached 6 to the additional decorative element to allow 7 modification, replacement and/or repositioning of the 8 decorative element. 9 10 Another object of the invention is a kit to manufacture 11 the display device which comprises a sheet of support 12 material and at least one fascia or a set of 13 interchangeable fascias. The fascia has a front 14 surface and a back surface sized and shaped to fit upon 15 the support material. The back surface of the fascia 16 is provided with adhesive means so as to be capable of 17 being removably attached to the sheet of support 18 material. Preferably a peelable back cover is provided 19 over an adhesive layer provided upon the back of the 20 fascia, and acts to protect the adhesive before 21 appliance of the fascia to the support material. The 22 kit may further comprise additional decorative elements 23 like another fascia and/or a second display device in 24 order to assemble a display device having one or more 25 layers of decorative elements as described above. 26 27 A further object of the invention is a method to 28 provide a display device of interchangeable appearance 29 by providing at least one sheet of support material and 30 fascia(s) having a back surface provided with a 31 suitable adhesive means, the or each fascia being sized 32 and shaped so to be capable of being positioned and 1 removably attached to the sheet of support material and 2 the or each fascia having a front surface provided with 3 a pre-selected design/colour (which may be the same or 4 different). Preferably the display device is attached to one or more decorative elements, such as a fascia or 6 a second display device, via a removable attachment 7 means, like a peelable or non-permanent adhesive.

8 9 Particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings.

11 12 Brief Description of the Drawings

13 14 Figure 1 shows a first preferred embodiment is of the invention.

16 17 Figure 2 shows the elements of the display 18 device of Figure 1 being assembled.

19 Figure 3 shows a second preferred embodiment 21 of the invention.

22 23 Figure 4 shows a third preferred embodiment 24 of the invention.

26 Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the

27 Invention 28 29 According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention the display device employs a mirror as the 31 support material.

32 6 1 As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the display device 10 2 comprises a sheet of mirrored glass 14 and a fascia 12 3 which is positioned on the top of the mirrored sheet 4 14. This sheet of mirrored glass 14 may be of a regular shape such as the rectangular shape represented 6 in Figures 1 and 2 or may be of any irregular shape, 7 and can be of any desired size. The mirrored surface 8 may be plain or may incorporate a pattern. To the back 9 (non-reflective surface) of this sheet of mirrored glass 14 is preferably attached a backboard or 11 supporting back sheet (not shown) This backboard can 12 be made of any suitable material, like cardboard or 13 hardboard or the like, and preferably includes self 14 standing means and/or wall hanging fixtures such as one or more hooks, loops, or picture hanging wire.

16 17 The sheet of mirrored glass 14 may be plain as shown in 18 Figures 1 and 2 or may incorporate other aesthetic or 19 display elements, like a clock. Where a clock is to be displayed, a hole of appropriate size is drilled 21 through the sheet 14, and if necessary the backboard, 22 in order to connect the hands of the clock to its 23 movement mechanism.

24 As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fascia 12 is 26 advantageously provided with multiple openings or 27 apertures 16 of various sizes and shapes. Selection of 28 any particular size or shape will naturally depend on 29 the style or effect desired. Apertures 16 may be cut or stamped out as appropriate. When used upon a 31 mirror, like the mirrored glass sheet 14, the apertures 32 16 create reflective borders and/or highlight patterns 7 1 of reflective glass appropriate to a particular design 2 theme. one or more of such apertures 16 could also be 3 used to present prints, photographs, paintings, 4 plaques, certificates, or the like. 5 6 The adhesive used is of a type allowing easy removal of 7 the fascia 12 whilst simultaneously providing good 8 fixture to the mirrored surface so that the fascia 12 9 is not only positioned and firmly affixed to the sheet 10 14 easily but may also be easily peeled off. Such 11 adhesives are widely available. For example suitable 12 adhesives may include strips of double-sided adhesive 13 tape, suitably sized and shaped. 14 is The fascia 12 is made of any suitable material and may 16 also be made by the juxtaposition of different 17 materials. Desirably, the outer surface of the fascia 18 12 is made of a material having some eye appeal. For 19 example, the outer surface of the f ascia may be a 20 fabric having an attractive eye appeal like velvet; it 21 may be provided with a glossy surface (e.g. of copper 22 or silver appearance); it may be of a single colour or 23 comprise patterns of several colours. 24 25 To change the style of the above display device 10, the 26 user removes the fascia which is in place and positions 27 another fascia onto the display item. The replacement 28 fascia may significantly alter the appearance of the 29 display device. Thus, the overall appearance of the 30 colour, surface material, surface decoration and design 31 configuration can be easily modified to suit changing 32 decor in homes, offices etc by peeling the "old" fascia 8 1 off and replacing it with the "new design,' fascia at a 2 fraction of the cost of replacing the whole item. 3 4 Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention. 5 This embodiment comprises a main display device 30 6 which comprises a sheet of support material 34 and a 7 fascia 32 which is positioned on the top of the sheet 8 of support material 34. The fascia 32 defines a 9 displayed surface 35 which is used to display 10 decorative elements or surfaces. The main display 11 device 30 is attached on the top of additional layers 12 of decorative elements 36 and 37. Element 36 is an 13 open frame-shaped fascia and element 37 is a simple 14 plain board. As shown in Figure 3, these elements 36 15 and 37 are sized and shaped to protrude out from the 16 edges of the main display device 30 in a geometric 17 manner. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the 18 elements 36 and 37 together with the main display 19 device 30 are substantially rectangular and are 20 provided on top of each other albeit offset by 21 rotation of 45 degrees. of course the elements 36 and 22 37 and the fascia 32 can be provided with any desired 23 shape or dimension. 24 25 It is preferred that the decorative elements 36 and 37 26 are attached together and to the main display device 30 27 in a releasable manner, for example through a suitable 28 double-sided adhesive tape of the kind above described. 29 30 The fascia 32 and the elements 36 and 37 may be made of 31 any suitable material and may also be made by the 32 juxtaposition of different materials. Desirably, the 9 1 outer surface of these elements (i.e. the fascia 32 and 2 the elements 36 and 37) have some aesthetic eye-appeal 3 as described above with respect to fascia 12 and can 4 either be identical or different in order to obtain 5 particular aesthetic appearance. 6 7 Figure 4 shows a third embodiment of the invention. 8 This embodiment comprises a main display device 40 9 which comprises a sheet of support material 44 and a 10 fascia 42 which is positioned on the top of the support 11 44. The fascia 42 defines a displayed surface 45 which 12 is used to display decorative elements or surfaces. 13 The main display device 40 is attached on the top of an 14 additional layer which is a second display device 50. 15 This second display device 50 also comprises a sheet of 16 support material 58 and a fascia 52 which is positioned 17 on the top of the support material 58. In this 18 particular embodiment the sheet of support material 58 19 is advantageously a sheet of mirrored glass. The main 20 display device 40 is attached on top of the mirrored 21 display device 50, preferably in a releasable manner. 22 The particular adhesives mentioned above can 23 advantageously be used to provide a releasable 24 attachment. 25 26 In this particular embodiment both display devices 40 27 and 50 and their respective fascias 42 and 52 are 28 substantially rectangular in shape and positioned on 29 top of each other, and off-set by rotation of about 45 30 degrees. Of course the display devices may be formed 31 from different shapes, and located in different 32 positions depending on the decorative result sought.

1 The fascias 42 and 52 may be made of any suitable 2 material and may also be made by the juxtaposition of 3 different materials. Desirably, the outer surface of 4 the fascias 42 and 52 and the support 58 have some eye 5 appeal and can be either identical or different in 6 order to obtain various decorative effects. 7 8 To change the style and the appearance of the display 9 device of the second and third embodiments, the user is 10 able to re-position, remove and/or replace the fascias 11 which are in place on the display devices. 12 13 The display device of the invention can advantageously 14 be incorporated, attached to or embedded in items of 15 furniture, such as tables, desks, display cabinets, 16 doors, partitions, bed headboards, double glazing, 17 mobiles, sun-catchers etc. 18 19 The replacement of the fascias and/or of the support 20 elements may significantly alter the appearance of the 21 display device. Thus, the number of display 22 combinations which can be adopted by the display device 23 enable adaptation of the overall shape, appearance, 24 colour, surface material, surface decoration and design 25 configuration to suit changing decor in homes, offices 2G etc at a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole 27 item. 28 29 Improvements and modifications may be incorporated 30 without departing from the scope of the invention. 31

Claims

1 Claims

2 3 1 A display device which comprises at least one 4 sheet of support material and at least one decorative fascia, said fascia having a front 6 surface and a back surface sized and shaped to fit 7 upon the support material, the back surface of the 8 fascia being removably attached to the sheet of 9 support material with suitable adhesive means.

11

2. A display device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein 12 said sheet of support material comprises a sheet 13 of reflective glass, plastic or metal.

14 is

3. A display device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, 16 wherein the display device does not comprise a 17 protective cover of transparent glass or plastic.

18 19

4. A display device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said fascia comprises a cardboard 21 support.

22 23

5. A display device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 24 to 4, wherein said display device is provided with at least one additional layer of decorative 26 elements.

27 28

6. A display device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein 29 said additional layer of decorative elements is removably attached to said display device.

31 12 1

7. A display device as claimed in Claim 5 or 6, 2 wherein said additional layer is a fascia, a 3 support or a display device as defined in any one 4 of Claims 1 to 4.

6

8. A kit to manufacture the display device defined in 7 any one of Claims 1 to 7, the kit comprising at 8 least one sheet of support material and at least 9 one decorative fascia, said fascia having a front surface and a back surface which is sized and 11 shaped to fit upon the surface of said sheet of 12 support material, said fascia being provided with 13 adhesive means so as to be capable of being 14 removably attached to the sheet of support material.

16 17

9. A kit as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said kit 18 comprises a set of interchangeable fascias.

19

10. A kit as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the back 21 of said fascia is provided with adhesive means 22 covered with a peelable back cover.

23 24

11. A kit as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11, wherein said kit further comprises additional 26 layers of decorative elements.

27 28

12. A method of providing a display device of 29 interchangeable appearance by providing fascia(s) having a back surface provided with a suitable 31 adhesive means, the or each fascia being sized and 32 shaped to be capable of being positioned and 13 1 removably attached to the sheet of support 2 material and the or each fascia having a front 3 surface provided with a pre-selected design and/or 4 colour. 5 6

13. A display device as substantially hereinbefore 7 described with reference to the accompanying 8 drawings.

9