Picture Frame

The invention concerns a picture frame which may be designed for any number of pictures, especially photographs, comprising a front frame member, enclosing at least one picture window, and a back-plate held against it to secure a picture which may be placed behind the picture window.

Every amateur photographer needs to be able to exhibit a few particularly nice photographs of one or another of his films as an agreeable wall decoration and to be able to replace them easily by the next good photographic result.

Existing interchangeable frames do not meet this need, for either manipulation and/or aesthetic reasons. These frames, which may or may not have borders or masks, rarely encourage anyone to change a picture since the procedure is too cumbersome. Moreover, it is impossible with these interchangeable frames to set up a modern arrangement of several photographs of standard size.

A known picture frame system with cassette-type components which may be combined together has the same drawbacks.

It is the aim of the invention to provide a picture frame which may be designed for holding any number of pictures and which is particularly suitable for the arrangement of horizontally or vertically-taken photographs of a standard size, e.g., 9.times.13 cm, and can also accomodate standard-sized square pictures, e.g., 9.times.9 cm. The design is intended to make it as simple as possible to interchange the pictures.

According to the invention, the frame member of the picture holder has, in plan view, two rectangular frames identical in area and shape, and crossing each other symmetrically in the manner of a Greek cross, with the picture window bordered at least on two parallel sides by a longitudinal element of one rectangular frame extending beyond an end region of the other rectangular frame.

This design extends the rectangular shape of the picture window into a square basic or cover shape of the picture unit while optically concealing the square shape. Squares may, however, be put together as desired by laying out the picture window transversely or longitudinally for each picture unit. The picture frame thereby appears, however, by no means as a group of squares but as an undulating pattern of rectangular frames.

Further advantages of the cruciform for the arrangement of the backplate and the picture backing, enhanced front panel stability, etc., will become clear from the description with reference to the drawings.

Another embodiment of the invention concerns a picture frame of the type described in the preamble in the form of a combination system, the combination unit of which consists of a single-picture cassette (E) designed for interconnection, having a frame member (1) with a picture window (1c), on which a seating for a picture to be placed behind the picture window and a seating for a back-plate are formed at the rear, the frame member having a square basic or cover area is provided with a symmetrically-arranged oblong picture window, the back-plate fitted in the frame member of the rear crosses the picture window and is so dimensioned that at least one of two end regions of the picture seating is open at the rear, and the back-plate is, in the region of the picture window, at a slight distance from the back of the frame member to provide the seating for the picture.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, which show:

FIGS. 1 to 5: a picture frame system consisting of single-picture cassettes;

FIGS. 6 and 7: a picture frame consisting of interlocking rails, and

FIGS. 8 and 9: a picture frame with a one-piece frame member designed for several picture windows.

The picture frame of FIGS. 1 to 5 shows a single-picture cassette E. According to FIG. 5, seven such cassettes are combined together. Each cassette E consists of the frame member 1 designed as a front-plate and the back-plate 2. At the front, front-plate 1 has two symmetrically crossing rectangular frames 1a, 1b, giving a cruciform plan with a square cover shape 3. One rectangular frame 1b is interrupted by the other 1a, providing the rectangular picture window 1c in the latter. The cross-elements 1d of the rectangular frames 1a, 1b are narrower than its longitudinal elements 1e in order to reduce the length of the cover square 3 and thus the size of cassette E for a given window size to the minimum.

A seating for back-plate 2 is formed by the rear circumferential rim 1f in front-plate 1. Back-plate 2 is rectangular in plan and, completing the interrupted frame 1b, extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the picture window 1c. It engages with circumferential rim 1f of front-plate 1 at the points indicated by 4. Engagement and disengagement are facilitated by slots 2a in the back-plate. Transversely, back-plate 2 has the flat channel of about the width of the picture window which, together with front-plate 1, forms the seating 5 for a photograph to be inserted. As the end regions 5a of picture seating 5 are open at the rear, i.e., are not covered by back-plate 2, the picture (photograph) can be slid into seating 5 by one transverse side (in the direction of arrow P) and removed in the same way. The gap 1h in the rim 1f and the curved recess 1i in the front-plate make it possible to grip the pictures to be removed with the thumb-nail, for instance. The sloping surfaces 2c of the back-plate also facilitate the removal of the picture.

The interconnection of the single-picture cassettes E is effected by means of connecting tongues 6. To this end, a seating 2e, surrounded on three sides by strap 2d, is formed at the rear of back-plate 2 in the middle of each circumferential side. Inside the seating there is a convex bulge 2f with an engagement aperture 2g, which acts like a press-stud with the projections 6a on connection tongues 6. As the tongue seating 2e is not locally limited to a narrow area of the back-plate rim, but covers a relatively large area of that plate, the connection is extremely solid. The connecting tongues 6 grip behind corresponding regions of the circumferential rim 1f of front-plate 1 with the two straps 6b forming a channel. Tongue recesses 6c provide a point for the insertion of a screwdriver or knife for the purposes of disengagement.

At the rear, in the corner areas of back-plate 2, are other convex bulges 2h with slot arrangements 2i. These are for holding string-like hanging members 7 with ends thickened into the form of a button. Each slot arrangement 2i consists of three slots facing one another in T array with a central region widened into a key-hole shape, with each central slot oriented diagonally towards the appropriate corner of the cover square 3. In order to see the advantages of this slot arrangement, it must be understood that each cassette may be fitted with its picture window directed longitudinally or transversely and that the gravity line may run along the middle of the cassette (FIG. 5) or along the dividing line between two neighboring cassettes (e.g., with four cassettes together forming a square). In the latter case, string 7 is not secured as in FIG. 2, but extends from one slot arrangement of one cassette to the neighboring one of the next cassette. All these requirements are taken into account in the hanging device.

Rectangular frames 1a, 1b of front-plate 1 of transparent thermoplastic material may be applied thereto by screen printing or heat embossing, for example.

There is a variety of advantages to this picture frame. The square cover shape of the cassettes E fitted with rectangular windows 1c permit cassettes to be easily arranged in an infinite number of combinations, with the direction of the windows (longitudinally or transversely) selectable at will. In a cassette with a rectangular picture window 1c, only the end region 1l projecting beyond the longitudinal sides 1k of the other rectangular frame 1a of the interrupted rectangular frame 1b remains. By fitting the interrupted longitudinal element regions 1e' of the appropriate rectangular frame 1b, every rectangular picture window 1c may, however, be converted into a square window 1c', which fits just as well into the entire combination. It is advantageous to give the longitudinal elements 1e' subsequently, where needed, the form of a suitably printed transparent film which is simply pushed into the picture seating 5. This gives the user a wider choice of combinations, in that he can set out or combine a picture frame designed for the standard photograph format of 9.times.13 cm as desired for longitudinal and/or transverse 9.times.13 photographs and/or for 9.times.9 photographs. Although the edges of cassettes E are in direct contact, picture windows 1c, 1c' are separated at least on two sides. Thus within and despite the grouped arrangement, this provides an individual presentation of each picture window 1c, 1c', i.e., of each picture. Nevertheless, all picture windows 1c, 1c' are decently interconnected by the necessarily produced combination resembling a simple weave. The simple hanging device in the form of a slot arrangement 2i takes account of every possible combination of pictures. It is even possible to change pictures in the rectangular format with the frame hanging on the wall. The entire structure requires a minimum of parts, materials and fitting.

The broad longitudinal elements 1e of the rectangular frames 1a, 1b are eminently suitable for the widest variety of graphic design.

As shown by the cross-hatching in FIG. 3, it is possible to shape back-plate 2 with at least one spring-like position 2k pressing lightly against front-plate 1. This allows circumferential edge 1f to be completely interrupted in the region of the end of a picture window to make changing photographs even easier. Moreover, spring 2k would center a square or grossly undersized photograph.

The cruciform is also helpful in stabilizing where the frame member takes the form of a thin front-plate 1.

A flexible film pushed behind the pictures fitted in the frames makes it possible for said pictures to be protectively covered within the end regions 5a of picture seatings 5 which are open at the rear.

The rectangular frames 1a, 1b surrounding picture windows 1c, 1c' and consisting in the embodiment of a coating on front-plate 1 can, of course, also take the conventional form of an independent frame in which transparent panes are fitted from behind to cover picture windows 1c, 1c' (although these may, of course, be omitted). The embodiments concerning the construction of said rectangular frames 1a, 1b merely represent particularly inexpensive devices which are nevertheless highly contemporarily styled.

In an alternative construction, the picture frame of FIGS. 6 and 7 consists of four flat rails 11. Two of the rails are shown as partial lengths (broken off at point 11f) in order to illustrate the extensibility of the system. The rails cross one another in the manner of a simple weave. They mutually interlace within their crossing areas, to which end they are fitted with transverse channels 11a, 11b. The upper longitudinal rail regions 11g in the crossing areas have the longitudinally and transversely oriented picture windows 12a, 12b which, after the manner of the first embodiment, are enclosed by mutually crossing rectangular frames 13. It may be seen from FIG. 6 that the longitudinal frame elements may be properly graphically designed by means, for instance, of rows of holes 13a, transverse strips 13b, longitudinal strips 13c or the like.

In order to form the picture seatings 14, the transverse channel 11b of the longitudinal rail regions 11g are recessed beneath their picture windows 12a, 12b from the opposite seating plane 11c and elongated in longitudinal direction along the corresponding rails. Recesses 11d of the longitudinal rail areas 11h at the back of the crossing areas are to provide approximately equal wall thicknesses.

Holes 11e for self-securing pins (not shown) are provided in the corners of the crossing areas so that rails 11 may be secured together. In addition, they may, on the back of the frame, be used to anchor a hanging cord or the like. It is, of course, possible to shape rails 11 for direct mutual engagement in the manner of the first embodiment.

If all rails 11 are made only in the length of one picture window 12a, 12b, single-picture cassettes are formed which are similar to the first embodiment (with as many possible combinations). Here, the rear rails of the cassette would have to be fitted with fixing means for connecting tongues (as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4) for an interconnection of the cassettes.

If the user is prepared to forego facilities for combination, a picture frame of the invention laid out for several photographs may be fitted with a one-piece front-plate. Such an embodiment is illustrated diagrammatically with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Front-plate 21 is graphically designed in accordance with FIG. 6 at the front and has four picture windows. At the rear, front-plate 21 has circumferential rim 21a, separator strips 21b and central strip 21c forming a square. Seatings for photographs 22, shown cross-hatched, lie in the direction of the arrows 23 which also indicate the direction in which the photographs are pushed in. Back-plate 24 is also in one piece and leave the outer end regions 23a the seatings free so that photographs 22 may be pushed in and pulled out from the side.

Clamping projections 25 are formed at the rear on circumferential rim 21a. An elastic, self-clamping, stretched cord 26 is held between them at the rear of back-plate 24, and cord region 26a is used for hanging the frame.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8 and 9 the outer cover shape may be used for the cut of the front-plate and the corner regions (3i, 21d, 21e) left transparent.

Square pictures (photographs) may, for instance, be rendered easy to put into position and change by sticking them with a piece of double-sided adhesive tape to a thin substrate of suitable rectangular format.

In the embodiments the picture windows 1c, 1c'; 12a, 12b are surrounded by straight lines (inner lines) of the rectangular frames 1a; 13. These lines may be curved or wavelike in view of a more romantic design of the picture frame.