| DE2059244A1 | 1972-06-15 | |||
| DE4035367A1 | 1992-05-14 | |||
| US2263629A | 1941-11-25 | |||
| DE2061885A1 | 1972-07-06 | |||
| FR2734463A3 | 1996-11-29 | |||
| US5515630A | 1996-05-14 | |||
| PT103746A | 2008-11-18 |
| CLAIMS 1 - The infinite frame is characterized for being a constructive system of frames to support graphics such as photographs, drawings, paintings and similar (hereinafter referred as "graphics") . It is designed and dimensioned through a matrix of coordinated axes, perpendicular and at the same distance between themselves (hereinafter referred as "matrix") . It is composed by two parts, the corner part, and the side part, aiming to allow assembling not only a single frame, but also several connecting frames, in order to show graphics on frame panels with infinite configurations, only depending on the number and size of the acquired frames (fig.l) . 2 - According to claim 1, the matrix characterized by the set of perpendicular coordinates at the same distance between themselves, defines the base unit of the smallest frame, the progressive enlargement of the major frames, and the axis which can support infinite frame assembles, thus creating frame panels. 3 - According to claim 1, the infinite frame is characterized for being a constructive system which is built and based on two kinds of parts, the corner part and the side part. 4 - According to claims 1 and 3, the corner part is characterized by its uniqueness, being always the same: it has a square shape and contains four female mortises, one on each side, to allow assembling four side parts (fig.2) . 5 - According to claims 1 and 3, the side part is characterized for being linear, and its length is defined by the matrix, where the shorter side part corresponds to the matrix unit, which consists in the smallest frame size. Side parts have a tenon on top and along their length they have female mortises that work for both sides, to allow assembling two others side parts, one for each side. The smallest frame has only one of this female mortises at the middle of his length (fig.3) . The number of these female mortises along the side parts, increases gradually and simultaneously with the increasing dimension of the side part, both defined on the matrix (fig.4) . 6 - According to claims 1 to 5, the Infinite Frame System is characterized by the matrix, plus corner and side parts. Through the matrix, the length of its side parts and its mortises points are defined, in a way to articulate frames with different size between themselves, thus mounting the most variable configuration of frame panels to exhibit any desired number of graphics, according to the number and the size of frames the user have, of which some examples are presented (fig.5). 7 - According to claim 2, the matrix defines all frames dimensions, its own unit corresponding to the base frame, with the smaller dimensions and square shape. 8 - According to claims 1, 2, 6 and 7, the matrix is characterized to define the progressive size dimension of the different frames that are squares when assembled with side parts of equal size, or rectangular when assembled with side parts of different size, two by two. 9 - According to claims 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8, and through the matrix characterized to define sizes and shapes of the frames, it claims for the system production the square shape, and the rectangular shapes made on the proportion of size sides defined by the one interval of the matrix axes, which have as reference the proportional relation sizes of current photographs (generally, 3:2 analogue photography and 4:3 digital photography) . 10 - According to claim 9, defining the proportion of the side sizes dimension for the rectangular frame in order to be produced for commercialization, it must be referred that, with this system, it is also possible to mount rectangular frames with other proportions as well as other exposing areas than squares and rectangles, being this option left to the user and/or to the producer criteria. 11 - According to claims 1, 3, 4 and 5, defining the frame system and the parts, the latter are characterized by having a "T" shape profile, whose upper part is the largest and the visible one. The lower part is thinner, structural and contains the male/female mortises. 12 - According to claim 11, defining the frame's parts profile, the mortises can be made in several different ways, of which two examples are presented. 13 - According to claim 12, defining the possibility of having different ways of making the female/male mortises, let's describe the first of two models: the male mortise is a protruding pin on top of the side parts of the frame, defined on the central axes of the bottom part of the "T" profile which fits inside the female mortise on the corner parts, and on the female mortises along the frame side parts. The fixation of this assembling is made by a screw that completes this connection (fig.6). 14 - According to claims 12 and 13, defining the different possible ways to make the mortises of the frames parts, presenting two examples, let's present the second example: in this case, the male mortise placed on top of the side parts is made by a 45° cut at mid height of the low "T" profile part overlaying the corner parts, which have half of their original height on the lower "T" profile part. The side parts have their female mortises along their length made by two 45° cuts at half the height of the lower "T" part, in order to allow assembling two other side parts per mortise, one on each side. The complete connections of this assembling way are also made by screws (fig.7) . 15 - According to claim 11, which defines the "T" profile shape of the frame parts, the upper and larger part of the "T" profile is characterized by being the visible part and also by serving as a backboard and as a guard for the layers of the acrylic protection, for the graphics to be shown and for the paper support later applied to protect the graphics. 16 - According to claim 15, defining the function of the upper part of the "T" profile shape of the frame's parts, the fixation of the graphics layers to the frame is made through fixing parts suitable to the adopted female and male mortises. In the first presented example of mortise, this fixing part is similar to the top tenon of the side parts except for a larger and cut "head" to fit on the female mortise holes of the frame side parts fixed by a screw (fig.8) . As for the second example, this fixing parts have a wedge shape with a 45° cut on one side, in order to fit on the female 45° mortise of the frame side parts also fixed by a screw screws (fig.9) . 17 - According to claims 1 and 11, detailing the frame constructive system and the profile type shape of the frame parts for different kinds of graphics, the "T" profile presents two different sizes. One side is designed for graphics on paper support, such as photographs, drawings and similar, and the other for a frame system dedicated to canvas paintings and similar graphics with a reinforced support thicker than paper. 18 - According to claim 17, the existence of two sizes for the "T" profile is the main difference between the system for paper graphics and the system used for graphics on canvas or other supports thicker than paper; this height's difference is achieved in the lower part of the "T" profile which is higher for the system dedicated to graphics thicker than paper. The solutions describing how to fix the graphics to the frame are the same for both systems (fig.10) . 19 - According to claims 1 and 11, characterized to define the frame constructive system and the profile type shape of the frame parts for different graphics, the upper and visible "T" profile part can be plain or showing any kind of decoration, being an option left to the studies of marketing production. 20 - According to the description in claims 1 and 11, characterized to define the frame constructive system and the profile type parts, they can be made of any kind of material currently used for this type of object like massive wood, recycled wood, plastic or any metal alloy, leaving this decision to be discussed and taken with the producer. 21 - According to claims 1 and 11, characterizing the frame constructive system and the profile type parts, the fixation of the frames and the frames panel to the walls can be made using any kind of resistant string which snares the graphics' layer fixing parts, and then hanging them up on any kind of resistant wall using a nail or a fixing screw suitable for this purpose (figs.11 e 12) . |
Infinite frame
The present invention is designed for the object decoration market. It is a frame construction system, which allows the assembling of an infinite number of frames, making a frames panel with infinite configurations, only dependent on the number and sizes of single frames acquired.
By using different frame profile sizes, the system to disclose is conceived to work for any graphics on paper format, like photographs, drawings or similar (hereinafter referred as "graphics") , and another to work for painting canvas frame or other graphics whose support is thicker than paper.
This patent aims to innovate the existing frame market with the described system, which besides having a common function of a simple frame (to protect, to expose, to emphasize or decorate graphics) , allows the users to combine and assemble infinite frame panels, personalized and adapted to the decoration of spaces, to the thematic of the graphics and to the individual personal taste.
State of art
The Frames' market is widely developed with a large variety of different kinds of frames: from the simplest to the more ornamented, for one or more exposing areas, different sizes, colors and materials, to apply on walls or to settle on horizontal surfaces.
Frames with more than one exposing area are limited to its own original shape and configuration, which is fixed and limits the user forcing him to adapt to them his own intentions and graphics to expose.
One of the frame aspects which has originated some patent creations is the wish to make them versatile in respect to their dimensions, in a way of a standardization that one frame can change its dimensions, height and width, and that can be reused.
Some examples of these intentions are the following patents: FR publish number 2 734 463 from 22 of May of 1995; US patent number 5 515 630 from 14 of May of 1996 and PT publish number PT 103746 A from 18 of November of 2008.
These patents show different ways, shapes and solutions of frames constituted with parts that allow the users to handle the frames changing their sizes, adapting them to the dimensions of the graphics they want to expose, and also reuse them at any time, by adapting them to new graphics .
Present invention
The present invention is connected to the problematic of the versatility of frames in respect to the matter of conjugate more than one single frame to compose multiple exposing areas making a frame panel and expose several graphics of the same theme or not, constituting decorative panels, on an infinity of configurations and sizes.
There are several kinds of frames in the market, which include two or more exposing areas, but they are fixed and permanent, defined by the conceptual draw to build the frame .
On this matter a frame constructive system has been developed that not only deals with the versatile problematic of frames, when the user wants to conjugate more than one graphics on a frame panel, but also allows the disassembling and reconfiguration of the panel, joining or reducing more frames/ exposing areas, changing the frame panel at any time at the users' own interest.
This system was also created to work for both graphics on paper support, like photographs, drawings and similar, and other graphics like paintings, which have a canvas frame, therefore thicker than paper. For both the system is the same, only the height of its frame profile is changed.
Nature of the frame constructive system
The design of this constructive system is supported by a matrix of horizontal and vertical coordinate axes, perpendicular and at the same distance between them (hereinafter referred as "matrix") . This matrix defines the unity base of the smallest frame and all of the progression sizes of the major frames (fig.l) .
A single frame is constituted by two different parts, the corner part and the side part. The corner part is unique, which means it is always the same; the side part is made with different length sizes. The small size corresponds to the unity of the matrix, which originates the smallest frame .
The corner part has a square shape and it holds on its four sides a female mortise to assemble four side parts of frames ( fig .2 ) .
The side parts have a tenon on top and along with their length, on the shortest frame size, they have one female mortise at the mid length, that works for both sides to allow assembling two others side parts, one on each side. The number of this female mortise along the side parts increases gradually at the same time as it increases the side part dimension, both defined on the matrix (fig. 3) . As all the parts are dimensioned and designed by the same matrix, the female mortises are placed on the side parts on the intersection points coincident to the matrix axes (fig.4) . In this way it is possible to articulate and assemble all sizes of parts and to build infinite configurations of frame panels, depending only on the number and dimensions of parts that the user has, of which some examples are presented (fig.5) .
The base frame and the smallest of the matrix have a square shape. Following the progression unities in the matrix, it is possible to define the dimensions of the bigger frames. They have a square shape when they have equal side sizes, and rectangular when they have sides with different sizes, two by two .
Based on the related proportional relation of the dimensions of current photographs (in general, 3:2 for analogue photography and 4:3 for digital photography), it was considered standardization measures for the production of rectangles, which are defined by a single interval of progression measure on the matrix, i.e. one side has a dimension defined on the matrix and the other side has the next matrix measure.
Although it was established the proportion relation for the rectangles sides expressed above, in order to be produced for commercialization, it can also be assembled with the parts of this system, rectangles with other proportions as well as frame panels with different configurations of the exposing areas others than squares and rectangles, being an option that depends on the user and/or the producer criteria.
The frame parts have a "T" profile shape, where the upper part is larger and it is the visible one. The part below is thinner, structural and contains the female mortises and tenons .
Mortises and tenons can be made in different ways, of which two examples are presented. In one, the male mortise is a protruding pin on the top of the side parts of the frame, made on the central axes of the below part of the "T" profile which fits in one female mortise on the corner parts, and on the female mortises along the frame side parts. The fixation of this assembling is made by a screw that completes this connection (fig.6).
The second shape presented is constituted by the mail mortise on top of the sides parts made by a 45° cut and at a half height of the low "T" profile part to overlay over the corner parts, which have half of is original height on the lower "T" profile part. The side parts have their female mortises along the length made by two 45° cuts at half of the height of the lower "T" part to allow assembling two other side parts per mortise one on each side. The complete connections of this assembling are also made by screws (fig.7) .
The upper and larger part of the "T" profile, apart from being the visible part, it also serves as backboard and guard to the layers of the acrylic protection, to the graphics on paper support and back card protection.
The fixation of the graphics layers to the frame is made by fixing parts according to the adopted female and male mortises. On the first type of mortise presented above, this fixing part is similar to the top tenon of the side parts, which also have a larger and cut "head" to fit on the female mortise holes of the frame side parts fixed with a screw (fig.8) . For the second mortise type presented above, this fixing part has a wedge shape with one of the sides cutted at 45° to fit on the female 45° mortise on the frame side parts also fixed with a screw (fig.9) .
In the frame system used to canvas paintings and similar, in which the support thickness is larger than a sheet of paper, the lower part of the "T" profile is higher, in order to serve as a backboard and guard the canvas layer. The solution to fix the canvas layer to the frame is exactly the same as the one used for graphics on paper support, i.e. likewise it depends on the type of fixation adopted (fig.10) .
The upper and visible "T" profile part can be flat and smooth or contain any kind of decoration, being an option of the production studies for commercialization.
The fixation of the frames and the frames panel to the walls are made by any kind of resistant string which snares the graphics layer fixing parts, and then are hanged up on any kind of resistant wall fixing screw made for this obj ective ( figs .11 e 12) .
Materials
The presented frame can be produced with any kind of material currently used for this type of object like, massive wood, recycled wood, plastic, or any metal alloy, being this decision left to the study and the producer.