US3686782A

US3686782A - Inflated picture holder

Info

Publication number: US3686782A
Application number: US41834A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wallace A Erickson
Original assignee: JOHN HANCOCK CENTER
Current assignee: JOHN HANCOCK CENTER
Priority date: 1970-06-01
Filing date: 1970-06-01
Publication date: 1972-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-29

Abstract

An inflatable holder adapted to hold a substantially rigid inner member in a substantially fixed position when the holder is inflated, the holder comprising a plurality of flexible plastic sheets whose marginal edges, when the holder is deflated, are spaced from the inner member whereas upon inflation, the edges will bear against the inner member in such a manner to hold the inner member in a substantially fixed position.

Description

United States Patent Erickson et al.

[451 Aug. 29, 1972 [54] INFLATED PICTURE HOLDER [72] Inventors: Wallace A. Erickson, c/o John Hancock Center, Apt. 8908, Chicago, 11]. 60611; Donald K. Safstrom, 3122 Belwood Lane, Glenview, 111. 60025 [22] Filed: June 1, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 41,834

[52] US. Cl. ..40/152, 46/87, 40/10, 40/212 [51] Int. Cl ..G09f l/l2 [58] Field of Search ..40/10, 10 D, 327, 212, 126, 40/152, 154, 155; 206/DIG. 30; 46/87 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,300,640 4/ 1919 Pasternak ..46/87 7/1950 Shufer ..46/87 3,038,539 6/ 1962 Root et al. ..206/DIG. 30

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 234,339 5/1925 Great Britain ..46/87 Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney-Merriam, Marshall, Shapiro & Klose [5 7] ABSTRACT An inflatable holder adapted to hold a substantially rigid inner member in a substantially fixed position when the holder is inflated, the holder comprising a plurality of flexible plastic sheets whose marginal edges, when the holder is deflated, are spaced from the inner member whereas upon inflation, the edges will bear against the inner member in such a manner to hold the inner member in a substantially fixed position.

14 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEmuszs m2 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTORS 2/28 (Kare mam-6%,,

ATTORN EYS 0 v I f A a Wru wg INFLATED PICTURE HOLDER The invention of the present application relates to a new and unobvious inflatable holder for articles and more particularly to an inflatable holder adapted to hold a substantially rigid inner member such as a picture in a substantially fixed position when the holder is inflated.

While it has been known to enclose articles in plastic, often the face surfaces of the articles which are encased are positioned so they will be in substantial contact with the plastic sheets. Disadvantages exist with articles encased in this manner in that caution must be exercised not to damage the article by improperly sealing it to the plastic. Consequently, in the manufacturing of such holders an operator must be alert not to seal the inner member to the plastic sheets in a sealing operation. The exercise of such care, of course, adds to the time and ultimately the cost associated with making the holder.

Other holder arrangements are known in which an encased article being held in position by the plastic sheets which bear against the surfaces of an article such as shown, for example, in US. Pat. No.3,292,339.

It has been desired to provide a holder which would enclose a rigid inner member such as a picture or the like in which the face surfaces of the picture are not in contact with the plastic and yet the member is held in a substantially fixed position within the holder. The new and unobvious holder disclosed and claimed herein serves to satisfy this need.

Briefly, the instant invention resides in a holder, comprising plastic sheets which, in a deflated position, will have the marginal edges spaced substantially from the marginal edges of an inner member. In other words, the overall dimensions of the enclosing plastic sheets are greater than the overall dimensions of the inner member. The marginal edges of the plastic sheets forming the holder are readily sealed and a conventional means for inflating the holder is provided.

Upon inflation of the holder, a substantially rigid inner member, which can be a decorative picture, advertisement, record album or the like, will become seated within the holder in that at least a portion of the edges of the inner member will fit snugly against the sealed edges of the plastic sheets to fix the position of the inner member within the sealed, inflated holder. The effect of this arrangement, aside from presenting an aesthetic appearance, serves to prevent the face sur faces of the inner member from damage as they are substantially spaced from the plastic sheets forming the holder.

The invention of the application will be further understood by reference to the specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the inflatable holder of the present invention in a deflated condition with the edges of the plastic sheets sealed together;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the picture holder taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the picture holder of FIG. 1 in an inflated condition in which the inner member is held in a substantially fixed position;

FIG. 4 shows an end or side view of the picture holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a partial sectional view of the holder of FIG. 3 taken along lines 5-5 in FIGURE 3;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which a triangular-shaped holder is depicted in an inflatable position; and,

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present in vention in which the holder is cube-shaped and the inner members are fixed by the holder seams which are diametrically opposed to each other.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there are shown two air or fluid impervious plastic sheets 10, 11. Preferably, these sheets are transparent so that one can view anything disposed within the sheets. The sheets, which can be made of a flexible material such as polyvinylchloridle, polyethylene or other suitable material, are illustrated in a deflated position in FIGS. 1 and 2 and, as shown in those figures, the dimensions of sheets 10, 11 are much larger than the corresponding dimensions of picture insert or inner member 12. The length and width dimensions of sheets 10 and 11, in a deflated position, are purposely larger than the maximum length and width dimensions of rigid member 12 so that when sheets 10 and 11 are heat sealed or joined together in some other manner to form

seams

14, 15, 16 and 17, rigid member 12 will not be close to the seams thereby minimizing the possibility of sealing ordamaging member 12 in sealing the plastic sheets.

Valve 30 which has been shown for purposes of illustration in FIG. 4 only, is sealed to at least one of the sheets forming the holder to permit egress and ingress of air or other fluid. Any desirable valve may be em ployed. The valve shown in FIG. 4 is known as a Roberts Valve, type 420-AC Presto-Seal Valve, manufactured by Halkey-Roberts Corporation, Spring Valley Avenue, Paramus, New Jersey and shown in Data Sheet 2a.

Upon inflation of the holder, sheets 10 and 11 will be forced or pushed outward as illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 whereupon the sealed edges of the plastic sheets will be drawn or will shrink into position to seat against a substantial portion of the edges of member 12. This is seen more clearly in FIGS. 1 and 3 where

seams

14, 15, 16 and 17 are drawn inward upon inflation of the holder to substantially fit the contour of the

marginal edges

20, 21, 22 and 23 of member 12. As the sides of sheets 10 and 11 bulge outward away from the face surfaces 8, 9 of member 12 during inflation of the holder or pillow, the sealed

seams

14, 15, 16, and 17 are pulled inward until they come in contact with a portion of

edges

20, 21, 22 and 23 of member 12 sufficient to hold member 12 in a substantially fixed position.

FIG. 5 shows a partial cross section illustrating the manner in which a seam such as 16 aligns and contacts a substantial portion of the length of edge 22 of insert 12 while the face surfaces 8 and 9 of member 12 are purposely spaced from the sheets 10 and 11.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, two triangular-shaped sheets 50 are shown sealed together about their

marginal edges

52, 53 and 54 such that the tabs 57, 58 and 59 are formed at each corner of the holder 49 to provide a means for holding or hanging holder 49. Other suitable fastening means can of course be employed. If desired, the holder of the present invention can be suspended from a ceiling or other surface by means of a string or other suitable means which is connected to the holder at tab 40. While tabs have been shown located at the three corners of the triangular holder, it is appreciated the tabs could be located elsewhere and that more or less tabs could be employed.

In FIGURE 7, another embodiment of the invention is shown in which a cube-shaped member is employed having rigid intersecting

inner members

70 and 71 located within inflated plastic holder 80. Member 70 is held in a fixed position within the holder as

edges

73 and 74 nest or seat against

welded seams

81 and 82 while member 71 is retained in position with

edges

75 and 76 wedged against

seams

83 and 84 respectively. It will be observed from the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7 that the entire periphery of the inner member need not be wedged against the seams of the inflated holder. Rather it is important that the inner member be wedged against the seams of the holder at a sufficient number of points, such as the three points of FIG. 6, to assure that no substantial movement of the inner member will occur within an inflated holder.

In one application an inner member comprising a record album having dimensions of about 12-% inches square by one-sixteenth inch thick was enclosed within two plastic sheets approximately 14-56 inches by 13-78 inches and about 0.015 inches thick. The sheets were sealed about their marginal edges and the holder inflated with air. As the sheets of the holder bulged outward upon inflation of the holder, the seams pulled inward and wedged against the edges of the album thereby retaining the album in a substantially fixed position within the holder.

One method of manufacturing the holder of the present invention comprises the sealing together of two plastic sheets after which the sealed sheets are inflated to their desired size. The inflated holder is then laid onto a flat surface having a piece of paper or other suitable material from which a pattern can be made and an outline of the inflated sealed sheets can be transferred onto the paper. The inflated holder is then removed from the flat surface and the piece of paper is cut to provide the configuration which had been transcribed onto the paper. The severed paper then serves as a pattern for making the rigid inner members which are to be utilized within the sealed sheets. The rigid inner members can be made of any suitable material, such as cardboard or plastic.

After a rigid member 12 has been made, it is placed on sheet 12 away from the edges of the sheet. Plastic sheet 10 is placed over insert 12 after which the edges of the sheets are sealed as illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, sheet 1 1 has a suitable valve means 30 which may be selectively opened as desired so that the space between the members 10 and 11 may be filled with air or other gas or fluid.

By employing an inner member such as 12 which is designed to fit snugly into position when the holder is inflated, the inner member will not float or have any substantial movement within the inflated holder. Moreover, when one views a picture through the transparent plastic sheets of the holder, the scene depicted is given added elegance or aesthetic effect due to the sloped contour of the plastic sheets.

Another method of making the inflatable holder of the present invention is to select an inner member 12 of a desired size. Plastic sheets are then selected which are larger in size than the member 12 and at least sufficient in size to permit sealing of the edges of the sheets so that the rigid inner member will not be damaged or sealed in the course of the heat sealing operation. The sheets which form the holder will be of such size as to permit them to take on the desired rounded or sloped contour when the holder or pillow is inflated.

In those cases where a cube shape or other three dimensional type holder is employed, the inner member is designed so that when the holder is inflated, the edges of the member will seat against seams which are diametrically opposed to each other. The inner member is larger in size than a sheet forming one of the sides of the holder, such as in FIG. 7. The length of the inner member will be about equal to the diagonal of the top or bottom sheet when the sheet is in an inflated position, forming, as in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the cube-shaped holder. In making the three dimension type holder, the sheets in a deflated position are sealed with one or more rigid members inside. Upon inflation, the inner member can be directed to seat against the seams.

While several configurations of an inner member are shown in the drawings, it is appreciated that inner members having various shapes, either symmetrical or asymmetrical, can be employed. For example, a triangle, rectangle or oval shape inner member could be employed. The requirement is that at least a sufiicient portion of the edges of the inner member seat against the seams of the sealed inflated holder so that the member will be retained in a fixed position within the inflated holder.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An inflatable holder comprising:

at least two flexible plastic sheets sealed along their edges to form a leak-free seam about said sheets; at least one substantially rigid inner member positioned within said sealed sheets; said inner member being freely movable within said sheets when said holder is in a deflated condition;

at least a portion of the marginal edges of said member being positioned against said seam to retain said inner member in a substantially fixed position when said holder is in an inflated condition; and,

said seam being drawn substantially inward when said holder is inflated to contact at least a portion of the edges of said member sufficient to restrain said member from substantial movement within said inflated holder.

2. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said inner member had two face surfaces, with substantially all of said surfaces being spaced from said sheets when said holder is in an inflated condition.

3. A holder in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sheets are made of gas impervious plastic.

4. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said holder is inflated.

5. An inflatable holder with a substantially rigid inner member disposed within said holder, said holder comprising:

a first flexible sheet;

a second flexible sheet;

said first and second flexible sheets being joined together at the margins of said sheets to form a leak-free connection between said sheets where said holder is inflated;

a substantially rigid inner member disposed within said joined sheets;

each of said sheets in a deflated condition being larger in dimension than said inner member and of a predetermined size in relation to said inner member;

whereby, when said sheets forming said holder are inflated, said joined margins will upon inflation of said holder, be drawn inward and contact at least a portion of the edges of said inner member to hold said member in a fixed position and free of any substantial movement within said holder.

6. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim further including said flexible sheets being made of plastic.

7. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 6 having at least one tab extending from a joined margin of said sheets.

8. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 7 having a valve means for selectively inflating said holder with a gas.

9. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said sheets are made of polyvinylchloride.

10. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said sheets are made of polyethylene.

11. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 5 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said holder is inflated.

12. An inflatable holder comprising:

a plurality of flexible plastic sheets sealed together to provide a leak-free seam;

valve means for inflating and deflating said holder;

a substantially rigid member disposed within said holder and adapted to be movable within said holder when the holder is deflated;

said member having at least a portion of the edges of said member seated against said seam sufficient to hold said member in a substantially fixed position when said holder is inflated.

13. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 12 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said holder is inflated.

14. The method of fixedly retaining a member within holder according to the steps of:

enclosing a member within a holder made of flexible sheets which are sealed together to provide a leakfree seam with said inner member being movable within said holder;

inflating said holder whereby said seam is drawn inward; and,

positioning said member so that a portion of the edges of said member sufficient to retain said member in a fixed position in said holder are wedged against said seam and the face surfaces of said member are substantially spaced from said sheets.

Claims

2. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said inner member had two face surfaces, with substantially all of said surfaces being spaced from said sheets when said holder is in an inflated condition.
3. A holder in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sheets are made of gas impervious plastic.
4. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said holder is inflated.
5. An inflatable holder with a substantially rigid inner member disposed within said holder, said holder comprising: a first flexible sheet; a second flexible sheet; said first and second flexible sheets being joined together at the margins of said sheets to form a leak-free connection between said sheets where said holder is inflated; a substantially rigid inner member disposed within said joined sheets; each of said sheets in a deflated condition being larger in dimension than said inner member and of a predetermined size in relation to said inner member; whereby, when said sheets forming said holder are inflated, said joined margins will upon inflation of said holder, be drawn inward and contact at least a portion of the edges of said inner member to hold said member in a fixed position and free of any substantial movement within said holder.
6. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 5 further including said flexible sheets being made of plastic.
7. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 6 having at least one tab extending from a joined margin of said sheets.
8. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 7 having a valve means for selectively inflating said holder with a gas.
9. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said sheets are made of polyvinylchloride.
10. An inflatable holder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said sheets are made of polyethylene.
11. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 5 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said Holder is inflated.
12. An inflatable holder comprising: a plurality of flexible plastic sheets sealed together to provide a leak-free seam; valve means for inflating and deflating said holder; a substantially rigid member disposed within said holder and adapted to be movable within said holder when the holder is deflated; said member having at least a portion of the edges of said member seated against said seam sufficient to hold said member in a substantially fixed position when said holder is inflated.
13. An inflatable holder in accordance with claim 12 in which said rigid member is a member to be displayed and said holder being of a material adapted to permit said rigid member to be displayed therein when said holder is inflated.
14. The method of fixedly retaining a member within holder according to the steps of: enclosing a member within a holder made of flexible sheets which are sealed together to provide a leak-free seam with said inner member being movable within said holder; inflating said holder whereby said seam is drawn inward; and, positioning said member so that a portion of the edges of said member sufficient to retain said member in a fixed position in said holder are wedged against said seam and the face surfaces of said member are substantially spaced from said sheets.