US2651867A - Picture frame holder - Google Patents

Description

Filed Sept. 1, 1950 FIG INVENTOR. Howord A Prew ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1953 PICTURE FRAME HOLDER Howard A. Prew, Providence, R. I., assignor to Pru-Lesco, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application September 1, 1950, Serial No. 182,759

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for holding a picture and its frame which is rather narrow about the picture and provides a means for mounting the picture frame on the wall of a room.

Heretofore, picture frames are usually made complete and some sort of a hanger provided on the back of the frame for hanging it on a hook on the wall, or in many cases the picture frame is supported upon some horizontal surface.

One of the objects of this invention is to enhance the ornamental effect of a picture in a narrow frame by providing a holder for the frame which in effect increases the dimension of the frame around the picture, while utilizing the glass or cover over the picture which already exists in the frame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder for a picture frame into which a picture frame may be easily and quickly inserted and easily and quickly withdrawn therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement so that the picture frame may be mounted on the wall to have the appearance of hanging like an old fashioned frame which tilts outwardly at its upper edge from the vertical wall from which it is hung.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder which will be sufficiently resilient so that it will flex in order that the picture frame which is inserted into it may be ejected therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the picture frame holder and picture frame mounted therein;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the holder alone;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the picture frame and picture therein;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 1 with the bottom of the holder flexed for ejecting the frame therefrom;

Figure 5 is a side elevation showing the picture frame holder as hung from a vertical wall.

In proceeding with this invention I form from thin sheet copper stock which is somewhat resilient a shallow tray like device the side walls of which will snugly frictionally fit and hold a picture frame which is inserted thereinto. From these walls there flares outwardly a flange which may be made in the form of an old fashioned border with a wavy edge. The formation is sufficiently resilient so that it may be flexed to eject the picture frame which is frictionally held within its side walls therefrom. I raise from the stock of this holder a tab so that the same will be spaced at its upper edge from a vertical wall on which it is hung that it may simulate the hanging of a picture frame from a vertical wall by means of eyes and a wire extending between them as was the ancient way of holding a picture in place.

With reference to the drawings, the picture frame holder is designated generally [0, and is shown by itself in Figure 2. The picture frame is designated II and is shown by itself in Figure 3. The picture frame comprises a narrow L shape border strip 12 with a glass l3 covering the picture 30 which is mounted from the back in a usual manner with a covering 3| over which the rear edge M of the strip [2 is turned.

The holder in is formed from a single piece of sheet stock such as copper or brass which is drawn without seam to the shape shown. This holder comprises a bottom It from which there extends at right angles thereto a wall ll. The whole is of a resilient nature. The corners I8 occur where the walls extend at right angles to each other as shown in Figure 2. A flange I9 extends forwardly and outwardly from the wall it and is bent at substantially right angles as at El! to provide a lip from this flange. The outer edge of this lip H is of a wavy formation to simulate an antique frame.

The stock of the base IE is slit as at 22 (see Figure 2) to provide a tab 23 which may be bent along a juncture line between the right angularly arranged walls H and the base l6 so that it may be lifted from the base rearwardly and bent to the position shown in Figure 5. This tab has an opening 24 therein to receive a hook 25 which may be mounted in the vertical wall 26. In mounting the frame on a wall, this hook serves to suspend the picture frame holder from the wall and also to position its outer edge from the wall so that the holder will simulate the appearance of the frame having eyes with a wire between which was an old way of mounting a picture frame. Thus, the manner of mounting is in harmony with the antique edge provided.

The holder bottom I6 is normally flat and the back of the picture frame is also flat to lie snugly thereagainst over its entire surface while the wall ii snugly frictionally fits the picture frame to hold it in position. If it is desired to remove the picture frame H and substitute another frame and picture in the holder, it is merely necessary to fiex the base l6 by bending the same outwardly as initially shown in Figure 4 so as to raise the picture frame l2 outwardly from the side wall ll thus freeing it from the side wall where it is frictionally held and thus permitting it to be grasped and removed from the holder and a different picture may be inserted therein.

I claim:

A picture frame holder comprising a flexible resilient sheet metal base with a rectangular surrounding wall of resilient material upstandingr at right angles thereto of a size and shape to resiliently frictionally engage the edge of a -pic ture frame and hold the same therein and a wall being of a dimension substantially the thick- 4 ness of the picture frame and said base being sufiiciently resilient throughout the width and length of the base to be flexed to eject the picture frame from frictional engagement with the walls of the holder.

HOWARD A. PREW.

References Cited in the ;fi1.0f=' thiS patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 616,200 Oldenbush June 11, 1901 1,692,999 Siegel Nov. 27, 1928 2,490,058? Jalblonz; Dec. 6, 19%9 2,528,366 Houston Oct. 31, 1950

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