US2791051A

US2791051A - Flush mounted picture frame or the like

Info

Publication number: US2791051A
Application number: US352914A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stuart R Scheyer
Original assignee: Reliance Industries Inc
Current assignee: Reliance Industries Inc
Priority date: 1953-05-04
Filing date: 1953-05-04
Publication date: 1957-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-07

Description

s. R. SCHEYER,

FLUSH MOUNTED PICTURE FRAME 0R THE-LIKE k 2 sheets-sheet 1 May 7, 1957 2,791,051

' Filed May 4. 1953 INVENTOR. STUART R. SCHEYER BY 7 1 6mm, gwzumw im- I S. R. SCHEYER FLUSH MOUNTED PICTURE FRAME OR THE LIKE May 7, 1957 2 Sheets-SheetZ Filed Ila-y 4, 1.953

R .E mm TH. N mR, T R A U T 5 United States Patent FLUSH MOUNTED PICTURE FRAME OR THE LIKE Stuart R. Scheyer, Chicago, 11]., assignor to Reliance Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois- Application May 4, 1953, Serial No. 352,914

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-152.1)

The present invention relates to picture frames or the like adapted to be wall mounted, and has particularly to do with provision for mounting such articles flat or flush against the wall surface.

The general aim of the invention is to provide a picture frame or the like which is adapted to be flush mounted on a vertical wall, that is, with the rear face of the article in flat, contiguous relation to the wall; which is simple, economically made, and easily mounted on an ordinary nail in the wall without the need for special fittings, such as hooks, wire, or brads, on either the frame or the wall; which may have its elevation easily adjusted without repositioning the nail; and which is constrained against rotation or skewing when once mounted.

Such an arrangement is particularly desirable in mounting a matched set'of framed pictures in a group. Much of the charm of such decoration is lost if the frames lean out from the wall or if the locations are uneven and lacking in precision. With the present invention it is possible to simply drive an ordinary nail for each picture, and slap the pictures up, so to speak. They will be flat and snug against the wall, can be readily shifted for corrective alinement. No juggling and maneuvering of special fittingsin the cramped space behind the picture is required.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a picture frame constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a picture frame embodying a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 in Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are front elevations of a picture frame embodying another modification of the invention; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 7--7 and 88, respectively, in Figs. 5 and 6.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in some detail, there is no intention thereby to limit the invention to the details of such embodiments. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all alterations, modifications, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

As shown in the drawing, the present invention contemplates a picture frame or the like which can be hung with its back flush or flat against a vertical wall and with no more than an ordinary nail driven into the wall. The nail is upwardly inclined, but at an angle of more or less random choice. Nor is any special hardware or fitting required in the frame itself. While a picture frame has been illustrated, it will be apparent that the invention is also applicable to similar articles such, for example, as miniature shelves, clocks, lamps, etc.

2,791,051 Ice Patented May 7, 1

Referring particularly toFigs. 1 and 2, a rectangular picture frame 10 is shown made of customary wood molding. The molding may take any suitable cross-sectional shape and the frame may be of octagonal or other polygonal outline rather than rectangular, if desired.

In keeping with the invention, a groove or undercut 11, running lengthwise along the upper rail 12 of the frame 10, is fashioned to open into the rear face 13 of the frame. The cross-sectional configuration of the groove 11 is such that its upper wall or boundary surface is inclined inward and upward from the frames rear face 13 (Fig. 2). More particularly, the groove 11 is inclined in the direction of its depth to angle toward the margin of the-frame. The groove or slot 11 may be quite simply formed by, for example, a router or circular saw. The groove is of a depth slightly greater than the protruding portion of any mounting nail to be used and is of a width to permit free entry of the nail head.

To hang the frame, an ordinary nail 14 is driven at a more or less random upwardly inclined angle into a vertical wall 15. The nail is then inserted into the groove, i. e., frame is then hung with the nail 14 received in the groove 11. The weight of the frame 10 causes it to slide down on the nail 14 until the rear face 13 is flat against the wall 15. The frame is thus securely mounted in a flush position. The frictional engagement of the rear face 13 against the wall will ordinarily cause the frame to remain in a selected position of leveling and even if the nail is not precisely at the vertical center line of the frame. Accordingly, the frame may be slid back and forth horizontally a reasonable amount or skewed angularly to locate it exactly as desired, both as to lateral position and as to leveling.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the construction of the picture frame is generally similar to that described above. In this instance, however, a groove or slot 11a is cut to angle upwardly in an end-to-end direction, although it is still generally horizontal. With the frame slipped onto an ordinary nail 14 as shown, its vertical position or elevation may be considerably adjusted without removing the frame 10 from the wall 15 or repositioning the nail 14 itself. This is done simply by sliding the frame 10 horizontally so that it rides up or down on the nail 14 due to the endwise incline of the groove 11a. While this tends to unbalance the picture slightly, the flush engagement of the rear face 13 against the 'wall 15 creates a sufficient frictional restraining force to hold the frame in a selected level position. In hanging several pictures in a horizontal row such adjustment affords great convenience, since the nails need not be located with extreme accuracy in a vertical direction before the picture frames are hung.

If desired, grooves angling toward the margin of the frame, as described, may be formed in two or even all four rails of the frame, so that the frame may be hung with any edge topmost without changing any fittings whatever. It is simply slipped onto the nail with the selected edge uppermost.

In another form of the invention (Figs. 5 through 8), two grooves 16 are formed in spaced parallel relation within the rear face 13 of the frame 10, preferably in the rear sides of the top and

bottom rails

17 and 18 of the frame as shown. Both the lengthwise and depth dimensions of the grooves 16 are parallel, that is, the grove in the rail 17 is inclined toward the margin of the frame while the groove in the rail 18 is inclined toward the center of the frame. The frame 10 is therefore adapted to be rigidly secured on two spaced nails 19 driven into the wall at upwardly inclined angles. The vertical spacing between the nails 19 is made slightly greater than the vertical spacing between the two grooves 16. In order to mount the frame, it is rotated from its 3 horizontal positionaapdsslipped onto the'."na ilsl,.=l9;ilhieh are received inthe grooves'16 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The frame may then be rotated back" to"its'horizontal position (Figs. 6 and 8), theetwo spaced nails 19 thus ben ja m aga s e sides of the r re pec i eflsmpw Y to P i e a i i r tmi t.l'.r fo the -t ame w thi t rear face 13 flush against they/211115. The jammed fit of the nai1s 19in the. grooves 16 (Eigsi6 andifl8) locks the" frame in position and. prevents it from beingpigfied directly from the wall withoutifirst being rotated tGthe position'shown by Fig. 5.

I claim'as my invention:

A p w fmlm Q hel ehavins a n lyltiet ea c p edt l fl against a wl nax dhavins Pai of elongated grooves, generally parfalljeljn' their lengthwise dimensions definedi in 'the upper and lower; pofrions j rep vel sa er s drs oove eaehfieiaeanked or nd u n p l eli m inwar y andupwardly. infheir -idiredtionszof4ldepth {mm maid face iowreoeiver. aslairsdf ordinary nails driven into the wall at more or less random '"upward"angles and'spaced apart' slightly'more--than-= the spacing between said grooves, whereby rotation or skewing of said frame relative to a line connecting the nails after the nails have been entered in respective grooves serves to jam them in said grooves to secure said frame flush against the wall.

R Referenges in :the tile of .this; patent UNITED STATES PATENTS