EP0333907A2

EP0333907A2 - Photo-hanging and display apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP0333907A2
Application number: EP88106530A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sai M. Chiang
Original assignee: COLOR 2000 Inc
Current assignee: COLOR 2000 Inc
Priority date: 1988-03-03
Filing date: 1988-04-23
Publication date: 1989-09-27
Also published as: JPH01229109A; EP0333907A3; AU1468288A

Abstract

A hanger assembly is used for hanging sheet material, e.g. tapestries or large photographic wall hangings for artistic, decorative or promotional displays. The hanger assembly comprises an elongated upper rod (10) normally intended to be used with its longitudinal axis horizontal. The upper rod (10) has a first slot (26) formed in the lower portion thereof and extending along substantially its entire length. The first slot (26) has a transverse internal width wider than the width at its opening. The rod (10) further has means formed in an upper portion thereof for mating with suitable hanging means.

The hanger assembly further comprises an elongated lower rod (12), the longitudinal axis of which is intended to lie parallel to the longitudinal axis of the upper rod (10). The lower rod (12) has a second slot formed in its upper surface and extending along substantially its entire length. The second slot (12) has a transverse internal width greater than the width at its opening.

The hanger assembly further comprises strip means (50, 54, 60, 64, 68) adapted to engage the upper and lower edges of a sheet of material (16, 18) to be hung, said strip means (50, 54, 60, 64, 68) being respectively adapted to be slidingly received within said first and second slots (26) with the attached sheet (16, 18) extending through the slotted openings in each said rod (10, 12) said sheet (16, 18) being thereby attached to said first and second rods (10, 12).

Description

Background of the Invention

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to display hanging apparatus, and more particularly to a novel set of rod-like members and associated appliances for hanging flexible sheets of material such as large photos in any of a wide variety of display orientations.

Description of the Prior Art

Scrolls, calendars, wall hangings, tapestries and many other similar articles have long been displayed by attaching upper and lower edges to elongated rods, tubes or the like made of wood or various metals so that the article can be hung from a ceiling or a wall. The rods are typically rigid and serve the purpose of providing means for maintaining one or more edges of the sheet material in a planar configuration. Typically, the edge was glued or stapled to the surface of the rod or wrapped thereabout and attached to itself. In most cases, the edge engaging rods were permanently affixed to the sheet. This meant that the rods and associated hanging hardware were either not reusable upon discard of the sheet material or required refurbishing prior to reuse. In addition, where the rods were permanently affixed to the sheet material, shipping of the product from one point to another was somewhat difficult and awkward in that the material would have to be wrapped about at least one of the rods with the other forming the tail of the roll. This made packaging inefficient.
With the advent of more rugged plastic and plastic-like sheet materials including photographic sheets such as made by Kodak, it has become practical to use very large photographic wall hangings for artistic, decorative or promotional displays. However, to date, no one has addressed the problem of providing an efficient, easy to install and use hanging system for use of such applications.

Summary of the Present Invention

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel hanging system including several components which can be combined in selected arrangements to provide various types of hanging displays.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive means for hanging poster type displays without requiring use of staples or other means for attaching the sheet material to the hanging structure.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of related component parts which can be mated to one or more pieces of sheet material to provide a hanging display of virtually unlimited size and configuration.
Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an upper rod-like member having specially configured slots running along the top and bottom portions thereof, hanging means including wires or cables with attachment loops affixed to one end and slot engaging clip means attached to the other for engaging the upper slot of the upper rod. Flexible strips of edging material are provided for attachment to the upper edge of the sheet to be hung, the edging strips being configured to mate with and slide into the lower slot of the upper bar. An elongated lower rod-like member also has a specially configured slot formed in its upper surface which is adapted to receive edging strips affixed to the lower edge of the sheet. Alternatively, a plurality of sheets may be coupled together using an intermediate rod-like member having multiple slots formed in its surfaces for engaging edging strips attached to the upper and lower edges of adjacent sheets. Decorative end caps are also provided for the rods.
Among the many advantages of the present invention are that it is reusable, may be used to hang any type of sheet material and may be shipped or stored in disassembled form for assembly at the hanging site.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a relatively inexpensive means of hanging sheet material in a wide variety of configurations.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are shown in the several figures of the drawing.

In the Drawing

Fig. 1 is a partially broken and exploded isometric view illustrating a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-section taken through the upper rod depicted in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section taken through the lower rod depicted in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-section taken through the intermediate rod depicted in Fig. 1;
Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse cross-sections taken through alternative rod embodiments for hanging sheet material in other than vertical disposition;
Figs. 7 and 8 are transverse cross-sections taken through alternative rod embodiments;
Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating use of the present invention to hang sheet material in various combinations and orientation;
Fig. 10 is a broken and exploded isometric view illustrating a side rod and corner cap for use in accordance with the present invention; and
Fig. 11 is an isometric view illustrating an intermediate rod to side rod connector in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown in partially broken and exploded isometric view a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, including an upper rod 10, a lower rod 12 and an intermediate rod 14, shown hanging two pieces of sheet material 16 and 18 which could take the form of photographs, canvas sheets of colored paper or plastic or any other suitable material. Rod 10 is suspended from hangers shown assembled at 20 and in disassembled form at 22.
As further evidenced by the cross-section shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, rod 10 is preferably a metal or plastic extrusion having an inverted T-shaped slot 24 formed in its upper portion and extending along the entire length thereof. A generally rectangular second slot 26 open at the bottom is provided in the lower portion of the rod as illustrated. In order to conserve material and reduce weight, a generally rectangular central opening 28 extends along the entire length of rod 10. Furthermore, in order to improve the aesthetic appearance, the exterior surface of rod 10 is bevelled to form several facets.
As indicated at 30 and 32, end caps may be provided having outwardly extending tabs 34 which are adapted to be inserted into the open ends of the opening 28 and to frictionally engage the inner walls thereof to hold the caps 30 and 32 in place. Note that the outer perimeters of the caps are configured to conform to the facetted surface of rod 10.
Hangers 20 and 22 are each comprised of an elongated slider bracket 36 that is generally T-shaped in cross-section and is adapted to slide into the slot 24 from the ends of rod 10 before the end caps are installed. A wire (or cable) 38 has one end attached to the upper portion of slider 36, and the other end looped and clamped to itself by a suitable clamping fixture 40. A ferrule 42 conceals the attachment of wire 38 to slider 36, and a cup shaped sleeve 14 is provided at the upper end of wire 38 to cover the end loop and clamp 40.
In order to affix the sheet material 16 to rod 10, rectangular holes 46 are punched along the upper edge thereof for receiving the tabs 48 of the plastic strip 50. After passing through the opening 46 the tabs 48 are inserted into corresponding openings 52 in a second strip 54 sandwiching the edge of sheet 16 therebetween. The resulting edge assembly is then slid into the passageway 26 with sheet 16 extending through the slotted opening at the bottom. Note that as is more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the strips 50 and 54, when combined with the thickness of sheet 16, form an assembly having an outside dimension slightly less that that of the slot 26. As indicated in Fig. 2 the assembly is retained within slot 26 by its interference with shoulders 56 formed at the bottom of the lower opening.
In the case of a single sheet to be hung in accordance with the present invention, the bottom edge thereof would be similarly punched and engaged to a pair of plastic strips as indicated at 60. The assembly 60 would then be inserted into an elongated rectangular slot 62 formed in the top portion of a solid rod 12. As is suggested in Fig. 3 of the drawing, rod 12 is made solid in order to provide sufficient weight to overcome any tendency of the hanging sheet to roll as a result of its having been previously rolled for shipping or storage.
Where two sheets are to be hung as a unit, an intermediate rod, such as is shown at 14, is utilized. In this case, both upper and lower portions of bar 14 are provided with slotted openings similar to slot 26 of bar 10 and slot 62 of bar 12, and such slots are adapted to receive plastic strip assemblies 64 and 68 which are mated thereto in the same manner as in the case of bars 10 and 12. Note that in order to save material and reduce weight and cost, a rectangular hollow 70 is formed in the middle of bar 14 during its extrusion. As in the case of bar 10, end caps 72 and 74 having wall engaging tabs 76 are mated to the ends of rod 14.
As one can readily see, once the openings 46 are provided in the upper and lower edges of sheets 60 and 18, no tools are normally required to assemble and hang the assemblage for display. This of course means that the several parts of the assembly can be efficiently packaged, and even shipped in separate containers if that is desired.
In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, cross-sections of modified hanging rods are shown at 80 and 90 for accommodating other than vertically hung sheets. Aside from the external configuration, the only differences between these embodiments and those shown in Figs. 2 and 4 are that multiple lower hanging slots are provided. More specifically, in the embodiment of Fig. 5, two hanging slots 82 and 84 are angled at approximately 45 degrees relative to horizontal. In the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 6, two laterally extending slots 92 and 94 are provided in combination with a vertically extending slot 96. Use of these alternatives will be discussed below.
In Figs. 7 and 8, two alternative slot configurations are depicted. As suggested in Fig. 7, instead of the T-shaped top and rectangularly shaped bottom slots, round or oval slots 100 and 102 may be used, or as illustrated in Fig. 8, triangular or trapezoidal configured slots 104 and 108 may be used. Note however, that the shapes of sliders 101 and 105 as well as strips 103 and 109 must also be modified to insure proper fit and engagement.
Turning now Fig. 9, various forms of use of the present invention are suggested. Single sheet vertical displays are illustrated at 100 and similar wall displays are shown at 102, the principal difference between the two being the configuration of the hanger mechanism and its engagement with either the slider 36 or the rod 10.
Multiple panel displays are shown at 104 and 106, and various angled hangings at vertical, inclined and horizontal are shown at 108, 110 and 112 respectively. Ceiling displays including multiple panels hung individually or jointly are illustrated at 114, 116 and 118, with the hanger rod embodiment of Fig. 5 being utilized in the display indicated at 116, and the embodiment of Fig. 6 being utilized in the display illustrated at 118.
In Fig. 10 a corner connector 120 is illustrated for connecting two rods 122 and 124 of the type used to form the upper rod 24 shown in Fig. 1. Connector 120 includes a corner forming body portion 126 the exterior surface of which is configured to match the facetted surfaces of the rods 120 and 124. The body portion can be curved as illustrated or can be squared to give the impression of intersecting rods. Extending from each of the rod engaging faces are three fastening tabs 128, two of which slide into the openings 130, with the third tab being insertable into the openings 130, with the third tab being insertable into the T-shaped slots 132.
It will be appreciated that if instead of using a lower rod of the type shown at 12 in Fig. 1, one uses a rod of the type shown at 24 for the lower rod, and then uses two additional rods of the same type along with four of the corner connectors 120, a complete four sided frame can be fabricated. In the usual case edging strips of the type depicted at 48 and 50 in Fig. k1 would be attached to the upper and lower edges of the sheet to be mounted, and after such edges were mated to the upper and lower rods, a pair of side rods would be attached to the assembly using corner connectors 126. The length of the side rods are selected so as to impart a slight stretching force to the upper and lower rods and thereby hold the sheet taut. In the usual case the sheet would be sized so that the side edges would extend slightly into the slots 134 in the side rods to give the appearance of all around attachment.
For similar applications wherein it is desired to mount multiple sheets, intermediate rods 14 (Fig. 1) would be used and connectors 140 such as illustrated in Fig. 11 would be used to join the intermediate bars to the side bars.
As is readily apparent from the above, the present invention provides an almost unlimited choice of mix and match combinations with the principal variables being the type and shape of sheet material, the desired hanging characteristics, the type of hanger subassembly, and the length of rod stock. It will of course be appreciated that the rods and end caps can be configured in a wide variety of shapes and colors, and various materials can be used for their construction. It is thus anticipated that numerous alterations and modifications of the preferred embodiments illustrated above will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the above disclosure. It is therefore intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material, characterized by:
an elongated upper rod (10; 80; 90) normally intended to be used with its longitudinal axis horizontal, said upper rod (10; 80; 90) having a first slot (26) formed in the lower portion thereof and extending along substantially its entire length, said first slot (26) having a transverse internal width wider than the width at its opening, said rod (10; 80; 90) further having means formed in an upper portion thereof for mating with suitable hanging means;
an elongated lower rod means (12) the longitudinal axis of which is intended to lie parallel to the longitudinal axis of said upper rod (10; 80; 90), said lower rod (12) having a second slot formed in its upper surface and extending along substantially its entire length, said second slot having a transverse internal width greater than the width at its opening; and
strip means (50, 54, 60, 64, 68) adapted to engage the upper and lower edges of a sheet of material (16, 18) to be hung, said strip means (50, 54, 60, 64, 68) being respectively adapted to be slidingly received within said first and second slot (26) with the attached sheet (16, 18) extending through slottet openings in each said rod (10, 12; 80; 90), said sheet (16, 18) being thereby attached to said first and second rods (10, 12; 80; 90).

2. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 1 wherein said upper rod (10; 80; 90) includes a third slot (24) formed along its upper portion forming said means for mating with said hanging means (20, 22), said third slot (24) having a generally inverted T-shaped cross section, and wherein said hanging means (20, 22) includes slider means (36) which are likewise T-shaped in transverse cross-section and are adapted to be slideably received within said T-shaped slot (24).

3. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 1 or 2, characterized by a third rod (14) having fourth and fifth slots respectively formed in the upper and lower portions thereof, said fourth and fifth slots having transverse internal dimensions larger than the width of their openings, said third rod (14) being used to connect the lower edge of a first sheet (16) attached to said upper rod (10; 80; 90) to the upper edge of a second sheet (18), the lower edge of which is attached to said lower rod (12).

4. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in any of claims 1 through 3, wherein said upper rod (80; 90) includes a plurality of said first slots (82, 84; 92, 94, 96), each adapted to slideably receive strip means attached to the edge of a sheet to be hung.

5. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 4, where said plurality of first slots (92, 94, 96) include two slots (92, 94) which respectively open to each side of vertical and angularly are oriented relative thereto to slideably receive strip means attached to the edges of two sheets to be hung.

6. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 5 wherein said plurality of first slots (92, 94, 96) further includes an additional slot (96) disposed between said two slots (92, 94) and opening downwardly to slideably receive strip means attached to a third sheet to be hung.

7. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 1, characterized by left and right side rods; and corner connectors (126) having fastener means (128) for engaging the ends of said upper, lower and side rods to fasten them together in a frame-like configuration.

8. A hanger assembly for hanging sheet material as recited in claim 3, characterized by upper and lower left and right side rods;
corner connectors having fastener means for engaging the ends of said upper and lower rods and fastening them to one end of said side rods; and
intermediate connectors (140) having fastener means for engaging the ends of said third rod and fastening them to the other ends of said side rods.