NZ524762A - A method and assembly for photo frames for displaying decorative pressed flower - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for displaying pressed plants which may comprise pressed flowers is disclosed, wherein the method includes the steps of mounting the plants between at least a portion of a first substantially transparent and substantially rigid sheet of material, and at least a portion of a second sheet of material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted, and sealing the edges of the sheets of material.

Description

52 4 76 2 52476 2 Patents Form # 5 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFRCE OF M1 1 b MAR 2C33 RECEIVED NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION TITLE : A Method and Assembly for Displaying Pressed Flowers I, FURUKAWA, Satoko Address: 8-12-31-505 Karita, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-0011, Japan Nationality: A Japanese citizen do hereby declare the invention for which 1 pray that a patent may be granted to me and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: PF05.JWP FEE CODE 1050 2 A METHOD AND ASSEMBLY FOR DISPLAYING PRESSED FLOWERS FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to displaying methods and assemblies for photo frames and has been devised particularly though not necessarily solely for decorative pressed flowers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, displaying devices or assemblies, sometimes known as front boards, are used in combination with photo frames for presenting photos and/or pressed flowers. The front boards commonly include a single sheet of clear glass. This design has a major disadvantage in that it lacks air tightness. As a consequence, when pressed flowers are to be displayed alone or together with for example a photo, they cannot be kept sufficiently dry.

Previous attempts to solve the above problem have involved inserting the pressed flowers between two sealed sheets of clear glass. Although achieving a high quality appearance, this method has also proven to be impractical. This is due to the fact that the glass sheets have to be thick enough such that they are durable, resulting in the device becoming too heavy for practical use.

Sheets of transparent synthetic resin have been used instead of glass. Although the resin is much lighter in weight without any reduction in strength, the surface of it is highly susceptible to unavoidable distortions that reflect light. Photographs underneath the resin therefore cannot be clearly seen, resulting in inferior product appearance.

OBJECT It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for displaying pressed flowers which will overcome the foregoing disadvantages in a simple yet effective manner or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION Accordingly in one aspect the present invention consists in a method of displaying pressed plants, such as flowers, the method including the steps of positioning the plants between at least a portion 10649SnzCS.0203.doc 3 of a substantially clear and substantially rigid sheet of material and at least a portion of a further sheet of material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted, and sealing the edges of the two sheets of material.

Accordingly in another aspect the present invention consists in a method of displaying pressed flowers, the method including the steps of providing the pressed flowers in between at least a portion of another sheet of substantially clear glass and at least a portion of a sheet of substantially transparent vinyl chloride, and sealing the edges of the two sheets of material.

Accordingly in further aspect the present invention consists in display assemblies having pressed plants disposed in between at least a portion of a substantially clear and rigid sheet of material and at least a portion of another sheet of material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted and sealing the edges of the sheets of material.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS One presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein; is a side elevation of the displaying assembly in accordance with the present invention. is a side elevation of another embodiment of the displaying assembly of figure 1. is a plan of the displaying assembly of figure 1 or figure 2 incorporated into a photograph frame. is a side elevation of the displaying assembly of figure 1. shows schematic diagrams of the various type of materials or components of the displaying assembly of figure 1 or figure 2. is a front elevation of another embodiment of the displaying assembly of figure 4. 106495nzCS.0203.doc Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 is an exploded view showing another arrangement of the displaying assembly of figure 1.

Figure 8 is an exploded view showing a further arrangement or embodiment of the displaying assembly of figure 1.

Figure 9 is an exploded view of a still further arrangement or embodiment of the displaying means of figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to figure 1, a display assembly generally referenced 1 is shown, the outermost layer of which is a first substantially clear and rigid sheet of material, for example glass 10, which is positioned within the photograph frame 1. The thickness of the glass is preferred to be as thin as possible, although the need for durability means that glass of substantially the same thickness as those commonly used for photograph frames is most preferred and suitable. The display assembly 1 also includes a second sheet of material 20 that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted surface, for example vinyl chloride. This sheet of vinyl chloride 20, which forms the bottom layer of the display assembly 1, is preferred, but not restricted, to be substantially 0.S to 1.0mm thick so as to ensure air tightness and minimise light refractions resulting from scratches or distortions on the surface of the sheet of vinyl chloride 20, thereby achieving a high degree of clarity. Pressed plant or plants, for example pressed flowers 30, are provided and held in place between at least a portion of the sheet of glass 10 and at least a portion of the sheet of vinyl chloride 20. In order to attain air tightness, the edges of the sheets of glass 10 and vinyl chloride 20 are sealed. One method by which such sealing can be achieved is by the use of adhesive tape 70. Preferably, but not necessarily, the adhesive tape is made from aluminium due to its outstanding strength and sealing qualities.

Referring to figure 2, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. In addition to the display assembly 1 described above, a sheet of background pasteboard 40 having a window 45 cut out from substantially its centre is provided beneath the pressed flowers 30. Optionally, a sheet of translucent material such as Japanese rice paper (not shown) with a window cut out from substantially its centre may be provided between the pressed flowers 30 and the background pasteboard 40. The pasteboard 40 is provided to improve the stability of the pressed flowers 30. It also enhances the attractiveness of the pressed flowers 30 if a colour or a combination of colours that matches with those of the pressed flowers is selected. Preferably a drying agent or an anti- 10649SnzCS.0203.doc oxidant SO, which substantially preserves or maintains the condition of the pressed flowers 30 for a substantially long period of time, is provided between the pasteboard 40 and a backing sheet of material, for example a backing card 60. A window 65 is provided in substantially the centre of the backing card 60. The backing card 60 is provided to enhance the stability of the drying agent or anti-oxidant 50.

The following describes one of the preferred ways, steps and orders of assembling and arranging the displaying assembly 1. The steps include providing the glass 10, providing the pressed flowers 30 underneath the glass 10, providing the translucent Japanese rice paper 55 and background pasteboard 40 beneath the pressed flowers 30, providing the drying agent or anti-oxidant 50 underneath the background pasteboard 40, providing the backing card 60 beneath the drying agent or anti-oxidant 50, providing the sheet of transparent vinyl chloride 20 underneath the backing card 60, and sealing the edges of all of the layers of material with adhesive tape 70. Inclusion of the background pasteboard 40, the drying agent or anti-oxidant 50 and the backing card 60 are preferred but optional. Also, the sheet of glass 10 can be replaced with any clear and substantially rigid and strong material, and the transparent vinyl chloride 20 can be replaced with any material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface that is not easily distorted. It should be noted that, for aesthetic purposes, the pressed flowers 30 may either cover only a portion of or the whole surface of glass 10 and vinyl chloride 20 at the discretion of the user or designer for aesthetic purposes.

Turning to figure 3, a plan view of the displaying assembly having some pressed flowers 30 encircling the window 45 is shown.

Referring to figure 4, a side elevation of the display assembly 1, being accommodated in the photograph frame 11 is shown. A photograph 12 is placed beneath the display assembly 1 and held in place by a sheet of backing board 13. It can be contemplated that when the displaying assembly 1 is disposed on top of the photograph 12, the photograph 12 is visible through the window 45. It should also be noted that the photograph can be easily replaced at will. The display assembly 1 can be incorporated into a photograph frame or any other displaying means, or used by itself independently.

Referring to figure 5, a schematic representation of the various layers of components or materials is shown. For the sake of clarity, the following key is provided which should be referred to when 10649SnzCS.0203.doc 6 viewing figure 5: 10 denotes the glass sheet; 30 denotes the pressed flowers; 55 denotes the rice paper, 40 denotes the pasteboard; 45 denotes the window; 50 denotes the drying agent or antioxidant; 60 denotes the backing card; 65 denotes the cut-out window in the backing card; 20 denotes the sheet of vinyl chloride; and 80 denotes a sheet of laminated plastic. Figure 6 is a front elevation of the assembled displaying assembly 1, which is sealed by aluminium adhesive tape 70.

It should be noted that the Japanese rice paper 55 is preferred to be used only in combination with the background pasteboard 40. In other words, if the back pasteboard 40 is made from a piece of coloured pasteboard, the rice paper 55 becomes dispensable.

Turning to figure 7, an exploded view of the layers of materials is shown demonstrating the arrangement of the materials. It can be seen that the middle layers are covered by the sheet of glass 10 as the uppermost layer, and backed by the sheet of vinyl chloride 20.

Variations Optionally, the glass 10 can be substituted by a second sheet of material, for example, vinyl chloride, which is as effective as the glass 10 but offers the advantage of rendering the assembly of the present invention substantially lighter and therefore easier for transportation. Referring to figure 8, it can be seen that the covering sheet of glass 10 is replaced by a second sheet of vinyl chloride 20, which is lighter in weight.

Alternatively, the pressed flowers 30, preferably but not necessarily mounted directly onto a substantially rigid sheet of material, for example the backing card 60, may be provided or inserted into a wrapping means having two sheets of transparent and preferably laminated plastic 80, which are subsequently heat-sealed. An exploded view of this arrangement is shown in figure 9. Essentially, the sheets of laminated plastic 80 form an envelope encapsulating the pressed flowers 30 with or without the backing card 60. The pressed flowers 30 may optionally be mounted onto the backing card 60 by or making use of the wrapping means. This has substantially the same effect as the aluminium adhesive tape of ensuring air-tightness, but is much more economical. Optionally, the backing card 60 has a suitably-sized window for the photograph.

Preferably but not necessarily, the pressed flowers 30, are mounted on a sheet of coloured paper, (which may or may not comprise Japanese rice paper) for aesthetic purposes, which is in turn 106495nzCS.0203.doc mounted on the sheet of background pasteboard 40. Optionally, the background pasteboard includes a suitably-sized window for a photograph. Conveniently, the drying agent or anti-oxidant SO and the backing card 60, together with a sheet of clear vinyl as the top layer covering the pressed flowers 30, are provided and enclosed within the vinyl envelope. Air is then squeezed or sucked out of a cavity defined by the wrapping means, ie. of the envelope, which is subsequently heat-sealed to ensure air tightness. The drying agent SO is provided within the wrapping means such that a dry environment may be preserved.

Advantages It can thus be seen that at least in the preferred form of the invention a displaying assembly is provided which offers the following advantages: 1. possessing superlative durability as well as strength so as to accommodate pressed plants of different sizes and thicknesses; 2. being able to maintain the condition in which the pressed plants are placed for a long period of time due to outstanding air tightness; 3. being easy and economical to manufacture; 4. being easy to implement; . allowing easy replacement of the object on display, for example a photograph, underneath the displaying assembly; 6. providing a high quality appearance and effect. 10649SnzCS.0203.doc 8

Claims (26)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of displaying pressed plant or plants, the method including the steps of mounting the plants between at least a portion of a first substantially transparent and substantially rigid sheet of material, and at least a portion of a second sheet of material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted, and sealing the edges of the sheets of material.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plant or plants include or comprise pressed flowers.

3. The method as claimed in any of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first substantially transparent and substantially rigid sheet of material comprises glass.

4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first substantially transparent and substantially rigid sheet of material comprises vinyl chloride.

5. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the second sheet of material comprises vinyl chloride.

6. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the thickness of the second sheet of material is substantially O.S to 1.0 mm thick.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the edges of the sheets of material are sealed by adhesive tape.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the adhesive tape is made from aluminium.

9. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a sheet of pasteboard having a window is provided between the pressedplants and the second sheet of material.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a substantially translucent sheet of material having a window is provided between the sheet of pasteboard and the pressed plants. 10649SnzCS.0203.doc 9

11. The method as claimed in either claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the substantially translucent sheet of material comprises rice paper.

12. The method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein a drying agent or anti-oxidant is provided between the sheet of pasteboard having a window and the second sheet of material.

13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein a backing card having a window is provided between the drying agent or anti-oxidant and the second sheet of material.

14. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further including the step of disposing a photo underneath the second sheet of material such that the photo is visible via the window.

15. A method of displaying pressed plants, the method including the steps of providing pressed flowers in a laminated substantially transparent wrapping means having a cavity, squeezing or sucking air out of the cavity defined by the laminated wrapping means, and heat-sealing the wrapping means to ensure air-tightness.

16. A method of displaying pressed plants as claimed in claim 15, wherein the wrapping means comprises one or more laminated plastic sheets.

17. A method of displaying pressed plants as claimed in either one of claim 15 and claim 16,wherein the pressed flowers are mounted onto at least one sheet of substantially rigid material within the wrapping means.

18. A method of displaying pressed plants as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein a pasteboard is provided between at least the sheet of substantially rigid material and the pressed flowers.

19. A method of displaying pressed plants as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein a coloured sheet of material is provided between the pasteboard and the flowers. 10649SnzCS.0203.doc 10

20. A method of displaying pressed plants as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein at least one sheet of substantially transparent and rigid material is provided as an uppermost layer to cover the pressed flowers within the wrapping means.

21. A method of displaying pressed flowers as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein a drying agent or an anti-oxidant is provided within the wrapping means such that a dry environment may be preserved.

22. Displaying assemblies having a window and pressed plants in a laminated transparent wrapping means, out of which air is squeezed or sucked, the wrapping means being heat-sealed so as to ensure air-tightness.

23. A method of displaying pressed flowers, the method including the steps of providing the pressed flowers between at least a portion of a first sheet of substantially clear glass and at least a portion of a second sheet of substantially transparent vinyl chloride, and sealing the edges of the sheets of material.

24. Display assemblies having pressed plants mounted between at least a portion of a first sheet of substantially clear and rigid sheet of material and at least a portion of a second sheet of material that is substantially transparent, durable, light and has a surface which is not easily distorted, the edges of the sheets of material being sealed.

25. A method of displaying pressed plant or plants as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

26. Displaying assemblies as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. Attorneys for FURUKAWA, Satoko PIPERS 106495nzCS.0203.doc