US3213925A - Picture screen and mounting therefor - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 26, 1965 P. F. ALBEE, JR

PICTURE SCREEN AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed Jan. 16, I963 FIGS INVENTOR.

PERCY FREDERICK ALBEE,JR

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,213,925 PICTURE SCREEN AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Percy Frederick Albee, Jr., Barrington, R.I., asslgnor to Q-Panel Corporation, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Jan. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 251,782 4 Claims. (Cl. 160-329) This invention relates to a picture screen and a wall mounting therefor.

Picture screens that are used for small groups and which generally comprise a fabric wound on a roller that is either attached directly to a wall or a stand are only adaptable for distant projection. When short focal lengths are used as in many visual-aid projection devices, it is virtually impossible to orient a screen of the above described type perpendicular to the line of projection to minimize image distortion and keep the screen at a vertical height where it can be viewed by all.

It is accordingly a principal object of the invention to provide a mounting for a screen which may have its plane adjusted perpendicular to the line of projection.

Another object of this invention is to provide a screen which may .be wall mounted in a bracket in such a manner that the screen may be detached from the bracket and stored in a closet or some such place while only the bracket remains on the wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a screen which, when detached from its bracket, may be so collapsed and rolled that it will be in a compact form for easy storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a screen which may be rolled into a compact form but which may be unrolled .and quickly assembled into a taut form for the reception of a picture projected thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will be extremely simple and inexpensive and yet one which will be effective in use.

A still further object of the invention is to impart to a plastic screen a stretching force so that it will remain taut and in a flat plane and yet limit the stretch which may occur.

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.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating a motion picture projector and the screen of this invention mounted upon a wall, the same being shown somewhat diagrammatic;

FIG. 1A is a rear elevational View of the screen of the invention;

FIG. 2 is -a sectional view with parts broken away illustrating on a larger scale the rigid bars at the upper and lower edge of the screen and portions of the tensioning rod mounted therein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the rigid bar which is at the opposite upper and lower edges of the screen;

v FIG. 4 is an elevation of one of the rods utilized in tensioni-ng the fabric or flexible screen before arched;

FIG. 5 is an elevation illustrating one of the rods in arched position ready for mounting in the bars at the opposite edges of the screen;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the bracket which is secured to the wall; and

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are sectional views through the bracket of FIG. 6.

In proceeding with this invention, I have secured rigid bars at the opposite edges of a flexible screen of plastic fabric or the like, and I hold this screen in tension by securing the ends of bowed flexible rods to the bars so that as the ends of the rod tending to spring apart they tension the flexible screen. I mount brackets on the wall and then by means of these flexible rods mount the screen in the brackets in such a manner that the rods may be easily attache-d to or detached from the bracket. Thus only the bracket need remain in place on the wall, while the screen may be detached therefrom, disassembled and rolled into a snug bundle and stored in a closet or the like.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates the vertical wall of a room upon which there is mounted a bracket 11 which supports a screen designated generally 12 for the reception of a picture projected from-a projector 13 res-ting on table 14 which is supported on the floor 15 of the room.

The screen 12 comprises a plastic sheet 16 exhibiting a memory characteristic such as the vinyl family, for example polyvinylchloride, the surface of which is embossed for screen eifect or a fabric with recovery characteristics suitably treated to present a suitable surface for receiving and reflecting the light rays of a picture. The opposite top and bottom edges of this sheet are fastened to a bar or strip of rigid material which in this case is designated generally 1-7 and comprises a hollow metal tube with a front wall 18 and a back Wall -19 connected by a wall 20 at one side, while the edges of the front and back walls 1 8 and 19 are brought together as at 21 and rolled in such a manner as to provide an ope-n groove 22 for the reception of the sheet of web material of the screen 16 which is held wedged in this groove by a binding channel 23 (FIG. 2) forced into the groove to tightly bind the edge of the web material 16 in the groove. This same construction is presented in the opposite relation at the opposite edge of the web material of the screen as will be seen in FIG. 2.

In the back wall 1 9 of this rigid tubular bar at loca tions spaced inwardly from the ends of the bar (that is, both ends of the bar), there are openings 25 provided which openings receive rubber grommets so as to prevent the edge of the opening from abrading a rod placed therein. These openings provide a means of attaching a flexible rod designated generally 28 and which is of usually a solid cylindrical construction about a quarter of an inch in diameter. This rod is slotted at its upper end as at 29 and also slotted at its lower end as at 30. A flexible wire 31 is provided with a fixed loop 32 which is inserted .in the slot 29 at the upper end of the rod, and this slot is closed by bringing the ends 33 and 34 of the slot together so as to confine the loop of the wire therein. The opposite end of the wire is provided with a loop 35 which is received in the slot 30 at the lower end of the rod 28. This wire, however, is of a much shorter length than the length of the rod as will be indicated in FIG. 4, and

the rod 28 is arched or bowed as shown in FIG. 5, and when in this arched condition, the loop 35 of the wire 31 may then be positioned in the slot 30 at the end of the rod so as to hold the rod in this arched condition.

The arched bowed rods are assembled with the rigid bars 17 on the edges of the screen 16 by inserting the ends of the rods in the openings 25 in these bars. The lower end of the rod 28 in its arched condition is inserted in the opening 25 in the lower bar along the edge of the screen designated 17, it being noted that the bowed or arched rod has its ends further apart than the normal stretch of the screen material .16, and then the upper end of this rod is given a further bow or curvature bringing its end 37 closer to its lower end 36, and then is inserted in the opening in the upper bar 17" on the upper edge of the screen. A notch 38 is located in the rod 28 adjacent the bottom end thereof, and a bail 39 which is anchored in the bar 17 in a rockable manner may be swung int-o this notch to lock the rod in position. Then when the bowed or bent rod is released, it will stretch the screen 16 taut, leaving Patented Oct. 26, 1965 v 3 the wire 31 slight-1y limp but still of such a length that when each side of the plastic screen stretches, a planar surface will be maintained. Further, this wire limits the stretch of the screen so that it will not stretch beyond-its elastic limit. Rods 28, 28' will accordingly be adjacent each of the opposite side edges of the screen material 16 or near the ends of each of the bars 17' and 17" with wires 31 of identical length, and also there may be abowed rod 28A in the middle, if desired. A screen of material such as alluded to above, when released, will contract and may be rolled into a compact form for storage.

The mounting of the screen on the wall will be by means of two wall brackets engaging the opposite outside bowed rods. Such a wall bracket 11 comprises a plate 40 with .a flange 41 bent at generally right angles thereto. This flange 41 will be provided with top and bottom openings and a middle opening for the reception of some fastening means such as screws to mount this flange 41 in face to face relation with the vertical wall upon which the screen is to be mounted, thus presenting the plate 40 at right angles to the wall .10. Mounting lugs 42, 43 and 44 are bent upwardly from the outer edge of the plate 40 at spaced locations also at right angles to the plane of the plate 40 but in a relation not parallel to the flange 41. These lugs will be so positioned that they will present the maximum contacting surface with the rod 28 in its bent condition so that the middle lug 43 will engage one side of the rod, and the end lugs 42 and 44 on either side of the lug 43 will engage the other side of the rod as is shown in FIG. 1. A strip of plastic material 45 such as nylon is located on the rod engaging surface of the lug and is secured thereto by rolling the edge of the lug over as at 46 for lug 42, 47 for l-ug 43 and 48 for lug 44. This plastic material allows some resilience and allows the rod to sink in slightly into the plastic material and present a larger frictional engaging surface than would occur with a metal to metal surface of the parts.

A bail is also located in the bar 17 so that it may be grasped to slide the screen from the full line position shown in 'FIG. 1 to the dotted line position in FIG. 1 where it is desired that the inclination of the screen be more perpendicular than that shown in full line position for a projector close to it. The adjustment of this screen in the bracket is thus very readily provided for, the opti- 1. A picture screen comprising a flexible sheet of stretchable material, rigid bars fixed along its upper and lower edges, a pair of bendable rods of a straight length greater than the distance between said bars, said rods being arched with their ends connected to said bars to spread them and place the flexible sheet under tension by the inherent tendency of said rods to assume a straight position, and means between the ends of said rods to limit said tendency to straighten and thus the amount of stretch imparted to said flexible sheet so as to create a planar surface with said sheet.

2. A picture screen as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said bendable rods has a notch in its surface and a latch carried by said bar insertable in said notch to lock said rod in place. V

3. A picture screen as in claim 1 wherein said rigid bars have grooves therein, said sheet edges being in said grooves and members wedging said sheet edges in said grooves.

4. A picture screen as in claim 1 wherein said rigid bars are hollow with outwardly opening grooves, said sheet edges are in said grooves, and channel shape members wedge said sheet edges in said grooves to hold them there- References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES, PATENTS 1,212,424 1/ 17 Tillotson 88-289 2,005,134 6/35 Emley. 2,272,269 2/42 Heck 8828.91 2,468,190 4/49 Friedheim 248-300 2,473,301 6/49 Ramstad 8828.9 2,789,042 4/ 5 7 Kinney -248300 JULIA E. C OINER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A PICTURE SCREEN COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SHEET OF STRETCHABLE MATERIAL, RIGID BARS FIXED ALOGN ITS UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, A PAIR OF BENDABLE RODS OF A STRAIGHT LENGTH GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID BARS, SAID RODS BEING ARCHED WITH THEIR ENDS CONNECTED TO SAID BARS TO SPREAD THEM AND PLACE THE FLEXIBLE SHEET UNDER TENSION BY THE INHERENT TENDENCY OF SAID RODS TO ASSUME A STRAIGHT POSI-

Images