US2434860A - Easel - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 2o, 194s. u

J. H. oxLEY 2,434,860

EASEL Filed July 26, 1944 Patented Jan. 20, 1.948

' U1\111"1a:| N STATES PATENT .ortica f Johari. oxley, Watertown, rilassa4 Janet M. nxley,

-executrix of 'said Jahn H. :(xley, deccased, :as- Y lsigner to Jenni-I. Oxley Company, Watertown) ',Mass., a corporation oFMaSsach-usetts y Application July .12.6, 1944,2SerialNo546i625 l 1 claim. (Crees-349 My invention relates to easels for holding and displaying articles of thin sheet material such as photographs. prints and the like, and it has for its object to provide an attractive, inexpensive and eiiicient device of the class referred to which will embellish its contents.

To these ends I have provided an easel of the class described which, in its preferred form, may be constructed and function as set forth in the following description, although it is to be understood that modifications thereof are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claim by which the several novel features of the invention are separately pointed out and deiined.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an easel constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the easel shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the frame member hereinafter described.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the base member hereinafter described.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5 5 of Fig. l but with the middle portion of the frame broken away.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing an article of sheet material mounted Within the frame.

Figure 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a partial section on line 8-8 of Fig. 1 with the intermediate portion of the frame b-roken away and showing an article of sheet material mounted within the same.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention is an ornate easel suitable for use in a parlor, bedroom or other situation where it is desired to display a photograph or the like to good advantage and in an attractive manner. This form of my invention comprises a frame member IIJ and a supporting base member II. The frame l0 is herein shown as consisting of a single rectangular piece of stiilly flexible transparent sheet material provided along its opposite sides and at its top, only, with re-entrant flaps 10a and lllb, respectively, disposed closely 4adjacent to the rear face or side of frame lll.

The base member Il is herein shown as made from a rectangular piece of the same stiflly exible transparent sheet material that is bent sharply transversely as at llc into the acute angular shape shown so as to provide the same with a base wing lla to rest ilatwise upon a support and with an upstanding rearwardly inclined or tilted iiat wing IIb whose opposite side marginal portions are adapted to be slid edgewise into position beneath the lower ends of side ilaps Illa of frame Ill from the lower ends thereof as will be clear from Figs. 1, 7 and 8 of the drawings, the lower ends of said side naps serving through engagement with supporting wing I la as stops to limit the inward movement of the wing IIb.

In using my new easel the opposite side marginal portions of the photograph P, or other article of sheet material, that is to be displayed, is rst slid edgewise into position beneath the side flaps Illa of frame l0 as shown in Fig. 6, with its top marginal portion beneath the flap ib at the top of frame l0 as shown in Fig. 8, the upper portion of the frame being sprung or exed slightly by finger pressure, when necessary, to permit said top marginal portion to enter between the ap lob and the body portion of the frame as shown in Fig. 8.

Then the wing I Ib of base member II is shoved edgewise into position between the photograph P, or the like, and the side flaps 10a of the frame as shown in Fig. 8 so that the lower portion of said photograph is clamped and held between wing IIb of the base member and the body portion of the frame.

The angular relationship of the Wings of the base member is less than ninety degrees and is made such that when the loaded device is placed in position upon a flat horizontal support such as the top of a dresser or table with wing lla resting atwise thereon, the center of gravity of the loaded frame is directly above the intermediate portion of said wing Ha and therefore the device will stand alone with the frame held in a rearwardly inclined upstanding position.

In the best form of my invention herein shown, both frame I0 and b-ase member II are each molded to shape from a single piece of a sheet plastic such as Vinylite, Lucite or the like, such material being available on the market and having a glassy lustrous iinish and of crystal` clear transparency which gives to the photograph or the like a highly desirable sheen and attractive appearance. An additional ornamental eiect may be secured through the use of such material that is slightly tinted with a desired c0101'. In practice I have employed material of the kind referred to measuring about twenty one-thousandths of an inch in thickness.

When the body of the frame member Ill is made as a complete imperforate rectangular panel as shown, the photograph is shielded and protected by the same. not limited to an imperforate body portion.

The invention. however, is

What I claim is:

An easel comprising a rectangular frame member and a base member, said frame member being made from a single piece of transparent sheet material and including a flat body portion provided at its top and opposite sides only with integral narrow resilient independently flexible and inwardly bent marginal clamping aps disposed upon the rear side of said body portion and by which a photograph or the like is gripped and held in position against the rear side of said body portion, and said base member being a single piece of sheet material bentV transversely to provide the same withtwo fiat wings that are relatively disposed at an acute angle,`one of said Wings being slidable edgewise into position beneath the lower end portions of the side aps of said frame member behind the photograph or the like so that both said wing and said photo- 4 graph or the like are gripped and held by said side flaps, and the other wing serving as a base to support said frame member and its contents in an up-standing rearwardly canted position with the center of gravity thereof directly above said other Wing.

f Y JoHN H, QXLEY.

REFERENCES CITED Lane Oct. 21, 1930

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