Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02486107 2004-10-27
VANDAL-RESISTANT FRAMES FOR ADVERTISING, PHOTOGRAPHIC
OR LIKE MATERIAL
RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application no.
60/51 S 11 S filed October 29, 2003.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001 ] The present invention relates to vandal-resistant frames for
advertising,
photographic or like material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is often desirable to provide vandal-resistant frames for
advertising,
photographic or like material so that the advertising, photographic or like
material
cannot easily by removed by unauthorized persons and can be removed by
authorized
persons so that new advertising, photographic or like material can be
inserted.
[0003] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a vandal-
resistant frame for
advertising, photographic or like material which is securable to a
substantially vertical
surface and which can readily be opened by an authorized person.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to the invention, a vandal-resistant frame has a rear member
securable to a relatively vertical supporting surface and a front member
hinged to the
rear member for movement between open and closed positions. The front member
has an aperture through which advertising, photographic or like material
within the
frame can be seen from an external position. In the closed position, the front
member
is secured to the rear member by at least one projection on one member engaged
in a
recess in the other member adjacent to the aperture in the front member,
whereby the
projection or projections can be detached from the recess or recesses to open
the
CA 02486107 2004-10-27
frame by an appropriately shaped key member inserted between the front and
rear
members from a position within the aperture.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of
example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0006] Fig.l is a perspective view of the front of a chair back showing an
empty
vandal-resistant frame in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
secured
thereto,
[0007] Fig.2 is a similar view of the frame containing advertising,
photographic or
like material (with the chair back omitted) showing a key member positioned in
the
aperture in the front member and about to be inserted between the front member
and
the rear member,
[0008] Fig.3 is a similar view showing the key member inserted between the
front
member and the rear member,
[0009] Fig.4 is a similar view showing a card carrying advertising,
photographic or
like material being positioned in an open frame secured to a chair back, and
[0010] Fig.S is a similar view of an open frame.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011 ] Referring to the accompanying drawings, a vandal-resistant frame 10 of
suitable plastic material or metal in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention
is secured to the front surface 12 of the back portion 14 of a seat 16, which
may for
example be one of many seats in a sports stadium. The frame 10 is generally
rectangular in shape with rounded corners and has a rear member 18 and a front
member 20 secured to the rear member 18 by a hinge 21 at their lower edges.
The
frame 10 is secured to the seat 16 by screws (not shown) which pass through
apertures
22 in the rear frame member 18. There are of course many other ways in which
the
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frame may be secured to the seat or other support. The front member 20 has a
large
aperture 24 through which advertising, photographic or like material 26 in the
frame
can be seen.
[0012] The rear member 18 has four recesses 28 unevenly spaced along an upper
portion of the front face thereof, and the front member 20 has four similarly
spaced
projections 30 along an upper portion of the rear face thereof. The upper
portion of
the rear face of the front member 30 also has grooves 32 extending from the
aperture
24 on opposite sides of each projection 30. The front surface of the rear
member 18
also has a pair~of laterally spaced circular projections 34 adjacent to its
lower edge.
[0013] When the frame 10 is closed, the projections 30 are located in the
recesses 28
and are a relatively tight frictional fit therein. The front member 20 has a
peripheral
34 extending therearound except where the hinge 21 is, and the rear member 18
is of a
size such that, when the frame 10 is closed, the wall 34 fits over the
corresponding
edges of the rear member 18, thereby rendering it difficult to open the frame.
[0014] A key member 40 of suitable plastic material or metal is of elongated L-
shape
with a manually grippable portion 42 and a finger portion 44 with eight
laterally
spaced projecting forgers 46. The key member 40 has a width slightly less than
the
width of the aperture 24 in the front member 20, and the forgers 46 have a
width and
spacing such that they can be slid into the grooves 34 in the front member 20.
[0015] Fig. 1 shows the frame 10 secured to the seat 16 and in a closed
position. Fig.
2 shows the key member 40 positioned in the aperture 24 in the front frame
member
with the fingers 46 of the key member 40 adjacent and aligned with the
recessses
32 in the front frame member 30. Fig. 3 shows the frame 10 with the fingers 46
of the
key members 40 fully inserted into the grooves 32 of the front frame member 20
so as
to push the top of the frame member 20 away from the top of the rear frame
member
18 and remove the projections 30 on the front frame member 20 from the
recesses 28
in the rear frame member 18, thereby opening the frame 10.
[0016] The advertising, photographic or like material 26 (see Fig. 4) is in
the form of
a card of such a size that it will fit into the open frame 10 and carrying
advertising,
photographic or like material on its front face. The card 26 has holes 50
adjacent to
its upper edge so that, when in the frame 10, the holes 50 will be aligned
with the
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recesses 28 in the rear member 18 so that the projections 30 on the front
frame
member 20 can pass therethrough. The card 26 also has two holes 52 adjacent
its
lower edge which receive the projections 34 on the rear frame 18 to correctly
and
securely position the card 26 in the frame 10. When the card 26 has been
positioned
in the open frame 10, the frame 10 can be closed by pushing the front frame
member
20 onto the rear frame member 18.
[0017] The advantages of the invention will now be readily apparent to a
person
skilled in the art from the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment.
For
example, instead of the projections 30 simply being a friction fit in the
recesses 28,
there may be snapping engagement, with the key fingers 46 being designed to
also
move the projections 30 out of such snapping engagement when opening the frame
10. Also, a frame in accordance with the invention may of course be secured to
suitable supports other than the front of a chair back, for example to the
back of a tray
attached to the back of an aircraft seat or to an office door.
[0018] Other embodiments will also now be readily apparent to a person skilled
in the
art, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims
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