WO2001010272A1

WO2001010272A1 - Frame member

Info

Publication number: WO2001010272A1
Application number: PCT/NL2000/000517
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henricus Niklaas Josephus Dusink
Original assignee: Weltec BV
Current assignee: Weltec BV
Priority date: 1999-07-23
Filing date: 2000-07-21
Publication date: 2001-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2002-01-23
Also published as: AU6190400A; NL1012685C2

Abstract

Frame member for framing pictures, posters and similar image carriers. The frame member has a first flange (1), serving as a support flange for an edge portion of the image carrier (8), and a second flange (2) which encloses a dihedral angle with said first flange (1) to laterally hold said edge portion. For the purpose of pressing the image carrier onto the first flange (1) a hinged press strip (4) is provided which is under the influence of a pretensioning element (5) and is adapted to turn from an inactive position beyond said dihedral angle, against pretension, to an unstable midposition and under pretension from and through said midposition into an active position. In the active position the press strip (4) extends obliquely to the plane of said first flange (1).

Description

Frame member .

The invention relates to a frame member as defined in the first part of claim 1 and the identical first part of claim 2.

Such a frame member is disclosed in document DE-U-298 09 261 (see the embodiment according to fig. 4 and 4A in particular). The advantage of this type of frame member is that the use of a picture frame composed of four sections of such a frame member makes the framing of pictures, posters and similar image carriers to a simple job, that may be carried out without any further auxiliary means such as individual clamps. To that end the composed picture frame is put with the first flanges facing downwardly on a supporting surface, while making sure that the press strips have been swung into the outer, inoperative positions. The image carrier, usually enclosed between a glass plate and a support plate of cardboard or hardboard, is then simply put onto the first flanges within the picture frame, after which the press strips need to be turned over into the operative press positions only.

The well-known frame member, however, has the disadvantage that composing a picture frame from four sections of the frame member requires the use of a base plate to keep the four frame member sections in the mutual positions. Furthermore, with the well-known frame member the flange portion of the second flange, to which the press strip is pivotally connected, extends relatively far beyond the first flange, which necessarily leads to a relative wide and flat picture frame. Moreover, the tensioning element which covers the entire width of the picture frame, will be necessarily oriented in the front, i.e. in sight, because the front view of the first flange is far from fine because of the laterally extending portion of the second flange. Thus the well-known frame member requires a manner of framing, whereby the image carrier is placed from the front side, which could be indicated by the term "front loading", as distinguished from the more common "back loading" with other types of frame member, whereby the image carrier is placed from the rear side and it is the first flange that comes in sight. It will be understood that "front loading" may easily lead to open mitre joints between the tension elements which join in the corners of the picture frame, and that this may affect the appearance of the picture frame, in proportion as the width of the picture frame being larger.

Now the invention aims at providing an improved frame member of the type above referred to, enabling sections of the frame member to be composed to a rigid and relatively slim picture frame.

According to the invention this aim is achieved, according to a first embodiment, by the features mentioned in the second part of claim 1 and, according to a second embodiment, by the features defined in the second part of claim 2.

In this connection it is to be remarked at first that forming the second flange as a hollow box section is well-known perse with angle section-shaped frame members which cooperate with individual clamps, and it is also well-known to use the hollow spaces of the second flange to receive therein one leg of an angle section-shaped connecting member.

In both embodiments the tensioning element has been reduced to a compact, C-shaped element, that becomes, in the active press position of the press strip, enclosed within a predetermined space which is formed adjacent said hollow space on the side turned away from the first flange and located completely within the confinement of the outer upstanding wall of the hollow box section. The frame member of the present invention is therefore particularly suited for "back loading" use, whereby the first flanges which mutually join in the corners, come in sight and wherein the mitre joints are completely closed. The width of the picture frame to be composed of the frame member of the present invention is reduced to the width of the first flange. In view of the small width the frame member in the first embodiment, wherein the tensioning element s enclosed (hidden) within the dihedral angle between the press strip and the extended outer upstanding wall of the box section, could also be used in the "front loading" mode, if desired. The invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a frame member according to the present invention in a first embodiment, with the press strip in an active position; fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the frame member of fig. 1, with the press strip swung outwardly, in an inoperative position; fig. 3 shows the frame member of fig. 1 and 2 with the press strip in an unstable midposition; fig. 4 shows a modification of the frame member of fig. 1-3, with the press strip in the active position and fig. 5 shows the frame member of fig. 4 with the press strip swung outwardly, in the inoperative position.

With reference to fig. 1-3 the frame member shown therein is formed in one piece of a suitable plastic material. It has a first, hollow flange 1 with a convex outer or front side. Furthermore the frame member has a second flange 2 that is connected at right angles to the first flange 1 and formed as a rectangular box section with an inner upstanding wall 2a and an outstanding upper wall 2b. The outer upstanding wall 2b is extended in a direction turned away from the first flange 1 by a flange portion 2 ' . The free longitudinal edge of the flange portion 2' is connected, through a first film hinge 3, with a press strip 4, that normally takes the position shown in fig. 1, in which it extends obliquely towards the plane of the first flange 1, while its free end 4' deviates slightly outwardly. The press strip 4 is held in the position shown in fig. 1 by a C-shaped connecting and tensioning portion 5 that is provided in the sharp dihedral angle between the flange portion 2' and the press strip 4, the ends of said tensioning portion 5 being connected, through a second and a third film hinge 6 and 7 respectively, to the press strip 4 and the flange portion 2' respectively. The thus shaped frame member is preferably extruded with its press strip in the position shown in fig. 1. In that position the free end 4 ' of the fundamentally tensionfree press strip 4 is spaced through a distance dl from the bearing surface of the flange 1, which distance represents the minimum thickness of the image carrier unit 8 (= glass plate, image carrier and rear support plate) to be framed by means of the frame member, said unit being designated by dash lines. In the tensionfree press strip position shown in fig. 1 the two film hinges 6 and 7 and the corresponding ends of the C-shaped tensioning portion 5 are spaced at a minimum distance.

Moving the press strip 4 in the arrow direction indicated in fig. 1 causes the legs of the C-shaped tensioning portion 5 to spread apart which places the press strip under pretension, said pretension being directed towards the flange 1. This pretension has its maximum value in the unstable midposition shown in fig. 3 and gradually decreases when moving from this midposition towards the outwardly swung position shown in fig. 2. In the outwardly swung position shown in fig. 2 an image carrier unit to be framed may be simply placed in the arrow direction. After the respective edge portion of the image carrier unit has been positioned in the dihedral angle between the flange 1 and the wall 2a of the flange 2, the press strip 4 is simply turned inwardly from its inoperative position shown in fig. 2. This causes the press strip 4 to engage the rear side of the image carrier unit and exert a pressure (directed perpendicular to the plane of the flange 1) that is larger according to the extent to which the thickness of the image carrier unit exceeds the minimum thickness dl. The maximum thickness of the image carrier unit corresponds with the spacing between the film hinge 7 and the plane of the flange 1.

The embodiment shown in fig. 4-5 is quite similar to that of fig. 1-3; identical parts are therefore designated by the same reference numbers as in fig. 1-3.

Unlike the embodiment shown in fig. 1-3 the press strip 14 is connected, through a first film hinge 13, to the free longitudinal edge of a flange portion 12', which in this case is formed by an extension of the inner upstanding wall 2a. The C-shaped connecting and tensioning portion 15 is now provided on the outer side of the first film hinge 13 and is shielded laterally outwardly by means of an extension 12" of the outer upstanding wall 2b, the free longitudinal edge of the latter constituting also a stop for the press strip 14 in its inoperative position (fig. 5). Composing a picture frame from four mitred sections of the frame member of the invention may be effected in a well-known manner, i.e. by making use of right angled corner connecting members, the legs of which are inserted into the box section spaces of the flanges 2 (or 22) of two adjacent frame members. An example of a suitable corner connecting member is disclosed in NL-A-1011210.

Claims

C L A I S

1. A frame member for framing pictures, posters and similar image carriers, comprising a first flange (1), serving as a support flange for an edge portion of the image carrier to be framed and a second flange (2) which encloses a dihedral angle with said first flange and serves to hold said edge portion laterally, said second flange (2) having a flange portion (2') turned away from said first flange (1) , said flange portion being pivotally connected to a press strip (4), which is engaged by one end (6) of a curved tensioning portion (5), the other end (7) of which engages said flange portion (2')_r said press strip (4) being adapted to be moved from an inoperative and tensionfree position beyond said dihedral angle, while stretching and therefore tensioning the tensioning portion (5), to an instable midposition and further, under the influence of the tensioning force in the tensioning portion (5), from and through the midposition into an active press position, in which latter position the press strip (4) is directed obliquely towards the plane of said first flange (1) and engages the image carrier through its free end (4'), characterized in that the second flange (2) is in the form of a rectangular box section, wherein the flange portion (2'), of which the free longitudinal edge is pivotally connected to said press strip (4), is formed by an extension of the outer upstanding wall (2b) of the box section and wherein the tensioning portion (5) is a folded C-shaped element (5) positioned on the interior side of the hinge connection (3) between the extension (2') and the press strip (4), the legs of said C-shaped element being adapted to spread against spring action, while engaging said extension (2') and said press strip (4) respectively at locations (7; 6) adjacent said hinge connection (3).

2. A frame member for framing pictures, posters and similar image carriers, comprising a first flange (1), serving as a support flange for an edge portion of the image carrier to oe framed and a second flange (2) which encloses a dihedral angle with said first flange and serves to hold said edge portion laterally, said second flange (2) having a flange portion (12') turned away from said first flange (1), said flange portion being pivotally connected to a press strip (14), which is engaged by one end (16) of a curved tensioning portion (15), the other end (17) of which engages said flange portion (12'), said press strip (14) being adapted to be moved from an inoperative and tensionfree position beyond said dihedral angle, while stretching and therefore tensioning the tensioning portion

(15) , to an instable midposition and further, under the influence of the tensioning force in the tensioning portion (15), from and through the midposition into an active press position, in which latter position the press strip (14) is directed obliquely towards the plane of said first flange (1) and engages the image carrier through its free end (14'), characterized in that the second flange (2) is in the form of a rectangular box section, wherein the flange portion (12'), of which the free longitudinal edge is pivotally connected to said press strip (14), is formed by an extension of the inner upstanding wall (2b) of the box section and wherein the tensioning portion (15) is a folded C-shaped element (15), the legs of which are adapted to spread against spring action, while engaging said extension (12') and said press strip (14) respectively at intermediate locations (17; 16) adjacent said hinge connection (13), in such a way that the tensioning portion (15) is kept on the inner side of the plane of said outer upstanding wall (2b), said outer upstanding wall (2b) being extended at least as far as the level of the hinge connection (13) between the press strip (14) and the extension (12') of the inner upstanding wall (2a) of the box section.