GB2461863A

GB2461863A - Decorative article

Info

Publication number: GB2461863A
Application number: GB0812758A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith John Peck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-11
Filing date: 2008-07-11
Publication date: 2010-01-20
Also published as: GB0812758D0

Abstract

A decorative article comprises a blank 2 of a rigid board material having a front face 6 and a rear face 4, and a picture 8 either printed on the front face of the blank or the front face being adapted to receive a picture. The blank includes a central panel 10 and a plurality of flaps 12, 14 arranged around the central panel and connected thereto along fold lines 16 a, b; each flap being constructed and arranged to be folded away from the front face to form a support member 20,24 along an edge of the central panel. Locking elements 28, 38, in particular tongues having complementary slots are provided for locking the assembled support members to form a rigid support structure around the central panel. The picture may extend onto one or more of the flaps.

Description

Decorative Article The present invention relates to a decorative article and in particular but not exclusively to a decorative article in the form of a mounted picture that is suitable for display in a residential or commercial building.

* There are many ways in which pictures can be mounted for display including for example :.:: mounting the picture in a traditional wooden or metal frame, block mounting (in which the picture is mounted on a surface of a solid block) or "frameless" mounting (in which the picture is sandwiched between a cover glass and a rigid backing board, the assembly being held together by clips arranged around the edges of the glass and the board). These picture mounting methods are all attractive but they add to the cost of the picture and may *S.S * therefore be inappropriate in certain circumstances. Mounting the picture in one of these : * * ways may also require some significant effort and skill.

Alternatively, it is possible to attach a printed picture or poster directly to a wall, using pins or adhesive tape or putty. However, while these methods of displaying pictures are very cheap and easy, the result may be unattractive. Attaching a picture directly to a wall may also cause some damage to either the picture or the wall.

There is therefore a need for a decorative article in the form of a picture that allows the picture to be displayed in an attractive manner, but which is inexpensive and requires little effort or skill to assemble.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a decorative article comprising a blank of a rigid board material having a front face and a rear face, and a picture printed on the front face of the blank, wherein the blank includes a central panel and a plurality of flaps arranged around the central panel and connected thereto along fold lines, each flap being constructed and arranged to be folded away from the front face to form a support member along an edge of the central panel, and a plurality of locking elements for locking the assembled support members to form a rigid support structure around the central panel.

The decorative article is very quick and simple to assemble, and it is also very cheap as it can be sold in the form of a single sheet of printed cardboard. It therefore avoids the problems of previous more complicated mounting methods such as frame mounting, block mounting or frameless mounting. However, the assembled article is very attractive and a great improvement on pictures and posters that are attached to a wall using pins or adhesive tape or putty. It is very light and can be hung very easily, for example from a picture hook, without causing significant damage to the wall or the picture. When the * article is no longer required, it can be easily disposed of or recycled as it consists entirely of printed cardboard. * ***

Advantageously, adjacent flaps include complementary locking elements for locking the assembled support members to one another. This allows the article to be assembled very *** easily, without the need for glue, adhesive tape or other fixings. The locking elements * also provide a very secure and rigid support structure. The complementary locking I...

* :* elements preferably include a tongue that is constructed and arranged to be locked into a complementary slot.

Preferably, each flap includes an inner portion, an intermediate portion and an outer portion that are interconnected along parallel fold lines, whereby the flap may be folded along the fold lines form a support member in the form of a box girder. This provides a very rigid support structure.

In one preferred form, the central panel is rectangular and is connected to two side flaps and two end flaps. Other shapes and forms are however possible. The end flaps are preferably constructed and arranged to cover the ends of the side flaps.

In one preferred form, the picture covers substantially the entire front face of the central panel. Preferably, the picture extends at least partially onto one or more of the flaps, to provide a three-dimensional visual effect. Alternatively, the picture may cover just the front face of the central panel, or only part of that face.

The rigid board material preferably comprises card or cardboard, although other materials may also be used.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a decorative article comprising a blank of a rigid board material having a front face and a rear face, the front face of the blank being adapted to receive a picture, wherein the blank includes a central panel and a plurality of flaps arranged around the central panel and connected thereto along fold lines, each flap being constructed and arranged to be folded away from the front face to form a support member along an edge of the central panel, and a plurality of locking elements for locking the assembled support members to form a rigid support structure around the central panel.

The front face may adapted to receive a separate printed picture that may be attached to :. the front face, or it may be adapted to allow a picture to be formed on the front face for * example by printing, painting, drawing or any other imaging technique.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference * *** to the accompanying drawings, in which: ** S. * Figure 1 is a plan view showing the rear face of a decorative article comprising a cardboard blank; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing part of the blank during a first assembly step; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing part of the blank during a second assembly step; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the rear of the fully assembled article; Figure 5 is a plan view showing the front face of the blank before assembly, and Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the front of the assembled article.

The decorative article comprises a blank 2 of a rigid board material (for example cardboard), which is shown in an unfolded form in Figures 1 and 5. The blank 2 has a rear face 4 shown in Figure 1 and a front face 6 shown in Figure 5 on which a picture 8 is printed. Although in this example the picture 8 comprises a simple pattern, it will be appreciated that any picture may be printed on the blank by any suitable method.

The blank 2 comprises a central panel 10 and a plurality of flaps 12,14 that are arranged around the central panel 10 and connected thereto along fold lines I 6a,b. The fold lines 16a,b may for example comprise scores formed in the rear face of the blank 2, which allow the blank to be folded easily and neatly along the fold lines. In this example, the central panel 10 is rectangular and it is connected to two end flaps 12 and two side flaps 14. It will be appreciated that the central panel 10 may be any suitable size or shape and that the number and position of the side flaps will then be adapted accordingly.

Each end flap 12 comprises an inner portion 12a, an intermediate portion 12b and an outer portion 12c, which are interconnected along parallel fold lines 18a,b. These fold *:** lines allow the end flap 12 to be folded backwards, away from the front face 6, to form a support member 20 in the form of a square section box girder 20. Similarly, each side flap 14 comprises an inner portion 14a, an intermediate portion 14b and an outer portion 14c that are interconnected along parallel fold lines 22a,b. These fold lines allow the side * flap 14 to be folded away from the front face 6 to form another square section box girder support member 24. The end support members 20 and the side support members 24 S...

together form a rigid support structure around the rear face of the central panel 10, as : * shown in Figure4.

Looking in more detail at the end flap 12, the inner portion 12a is rectangular having an inner edge connected to the central panel 10 along fold line 16a and an outer edge connected to the intermediate portion I 2b along fold line 1 8a. The intermediate portion 12b is trapezoidal, having an inner edge connected to the inner portion 12a along fold line 1 8a and an outer edge connected to the outer portion 1 2c along fold line 1 8b, and end edges that converge towards the outer edge. The outer portion 1 2c is connected at its inner edge to the intermediate portion 12b along fold line 18b. Two slots 26 are provided in the outer edge of the outer portion I 2c. The end portions of the outer portion I 2c form tongues 28 that are connected to the middle part of the outer portion 12c along fold lines 30.

Each side flap 14 includes in more detail an inner portion 14a that is connected to the central panel 10 along fold line I 6b and an outer edge that is connected to the intermediate portion 1 4b along fold line 22a. At each end of the inner portion 1 4a a flap 32 is provided, which is connected to the inner portion 14a along fold line 34. The intermediate portion 14b is connected at its inner edge to the inner portion 14a along fold line 22a, and at its outer edge to the outer portion 14c along fold line 22b. The outer corners of the outer portion 14c are chamfered at 36. Two slots 38 are provided in each side flap 14, towards the ends of the intermediate and outer portions 14b, 14c. The slots 38 and the tongues 28 form complementary locking elements.

The article is assembled as shown in Figures 2 and 3. First, the side flaps 14 are folded inwards along the fold lines 16b, 22a and 22b to form the side support elements 24, each of which has the form of a square section box girder (as illustrated by the arrows A). The *.. end flaps 32 are then folded inwards along fold lines 34 as illustrated by the arrows B. *::* After folding, the slots 38 are located on the inner and rear faces of the side support members 24. * .

* *:. Next, each of the end flaps 12 is folded inwards along the fold lines 16a, 18a and 18b as illustrated by arrow C to form an end support member 20, which again has the form of a * *** square section box girder. The tongues 28 are folded backwards along the fold lines 30 (arrows 0) and inserted into the slots 38 in the side support members 24, the slots 26 in the end flaps 12 allowing the free edge of the flap to be pushed down to the rear face of the central panel 10. When fully inserted, the tongues 28 spring outwards to lock the end support members 20 to the side support members 24, thereby forming a rigid support structure around the central panel 10. This completes the assembly process, the assembled article being shown from the rear in Figure 4 and from the front in Figure 6.

In this embodiment, the printed picture 8 covers the entire area of the central panel 10 and extends onto the inner portions 12a of the end flaps and the inner portions 14a of the side flaps, as shown in Figure 5. This gives the picture a three-dimensional appearance when the assembled article is seen from the front, as shown Figure 6. Alternatively, the picture can be printed so that it covers only the central panel 10, the side and end flaps 14,12 then being left entirely blank. As another alternative, the printed picture can be smaller than the size of the central panel 10, so as to form an optical border around the picture 8.

After assembly, the article can be hung on a wall by any suitable method for example using a nail, a hook and string or any suitable adhesive. When the article is no longer required, it can be easily disposed of or recycled as it consists entirely of printed cardboard.

Various modifications of the invention described herein are of course possible. For example, instead of having a pre-printed picture, the front face of the blank may be left unprinted, allowing a selected printed picture or poster to be attached to the blank at a later date. It may also include an adhesive coating to which a printed picture may be attached. * **

Alternatively, the front face may be provided with a surface coating that is adapted to receive inks, paints or other similar materials, allowing a picture to be created on the blank, for example by printing, painting or drawing. The front face may also be * *:. coloured, or include a printed border, leaving a space on which a picture may subsequently be printed or attached. A set of blanks may be bound together in the form **** of a sketch book, allowing pictures painted or drawn in the book to be removed and mounted directly on a wall.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A decorative article comprising a blank of a rigid board material having a front face and a rear face, and a picture printed on the front face of the blank, wherein the blank includes a central panel and a plurality of flaps arranged around the central panel and connected thereto along fold lines, each flap being constructed and arranged to be folded away from the front face to form a support member * * along an edge of the central panel, and a plurality of locking elements for locking the assembled support members to form a rigid support structure around the central panel.
2. A decorative article according to claim I, wherein adjacent flaps include complementary locking elements for locking the assembled support members to one another. * *** * * ****
3. A decorative article according to claim 2, wherein said complementary locking elements include a tongue that is constructed and arranged to be locked into a complementary slot.
4. A decorative article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each flap includes an inner portion, an intermediate portion and an outer portion that are interconnected along parallel fold lines, whereby the flap may be folded along the fold lines form a support member in the form of a box girder.
5. A decorative article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central panel is rectangular and is connected to two side flaps and two end flaps.
6. A decorative article according to claim 5, wherein the end flaps are constructed and arranged to cover the ends of the side flaps.
7. A decorative article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the picture covers substantially the entire front face of the central panel.
8. A decorative article according to any one of claims I to 6, wherein the picture extends at least partially onto one or more of the flaps.
9. A decorative article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rigid board material comprises card or cardboard.
10. A decorative article comprising a blank of a rigid board material having a front face and a rear face, the front face of the blank being adapted to receive a picture, wherein the blank includes a central panel and a plurality of flaps arranged around the central panel and connected thereto along fold lines, each flap being constructed and arranged to be folded away from the front face to form a support member along an edge of the central panel, and a plurality of locking elements for locking the assembled support members to form a rigid support structure around :1. the central panel.* *
11. A decorative article substantially as described herein with reference to and asSillustrated by the accompanying drawings. I... * * 1 ** * * * * S