U.S. patent application number 10/898812 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-26 for photo mat with alignment grid and method of using the same.
Invention is credited to Mark Vanderberg.
Application Number | 20060016114 10/898812 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35655628 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060016114 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vanderberg; Mark |
January 26, 2006 |
Photo mat with alignment grid and method of using the same
Abstract
A photo mat includes a base, a grid, and at least one adhesive
strip. The base includes a front surface, a rear surface, and an
opening disposed within a perimeter of the base. The grid and the
at least one adhesive strip are disposed on the rear surface of the
base, and the grid includes a first plurality of parallel lines and
a second plurality of parallel lines that are generally
perpendicular to each other.
Inventors: |
Vanderberg; Mark;
(Georgetown, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
233 S. WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 6300
SEARS TOWER
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
35655628 |
Appl. No.: |
10/898812 |
Filed: |
July 26, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/768 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 2001/0672 20130101;
A47G 2001/0694 20130101; A47G 1/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
040/768 |
International
Class: |
A47G 1/06 20060101
A47G001/06 |
Claims
1. A photo mat comprising: a base having a front surface, a rear
surface, and an opening disposed within a perimeter of the base; a
grid disposed on the rear surface having a first plurality of
parallel lines, and a second plurality of parallel lines, wherein
the first plurality of parallel lines are generally perpendicular
to the second plurality of parallel lines; and at least one
adhesive area disposed on the rear surface.
2. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the base has one of a
generally rectangular and a square shape.
3. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the opening has one of a
generally rectangular and a square shape.
4. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the opening and the base have
the same general shape.
5. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
6. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
7. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the grid includes a first grid
disposed adjacent a first edge of the opening and a second grid
disposed adjacent a second edge of the opening, the first and
second edges being generally parallel to each other.
8. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein a first adhesive area is
disposed adjacent a first edge of the opening and a second adhesive
area is disposed adjacent a second edge of the opening, the first
and second edges being generally parallel to each other.
9. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the grid includes a first grid
disposed adjacent a first edge of the opening and a second grid
disposed adjacent a second edge of the opening, the first and
second edges being generally parallel to each other, and a first
adhesive area disposed adjacent a third edge of the opening and a
second adhesive area disposed adjacent a fourth edge of the
opening, the third and fourth edges being generally parallel to
each other.
10. The photo mat of claim 1, wherein the at least one adhesive
area is constructed from a multi-use adhesive strip.
11. A display device, comprising: a photo mat including a base
having a front surface, a rear surface, and an opening disposed
within a perimeter of the base, a grid disposed on the rear surface
having a first plurality of parallel lines and a second plurality
of parallel lines, wherein the first plurality of parallel lines
are generally perpendicular to the second plurality of parallel
lines, and at least one adhesive area disposed on the rear surface;
and a frame adapted to receive the photo mat.
12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the opening has one of
a generally rectangular and a square shape.
13. The display device of claim 1 1, wherein the opening and the
base have the same general shape.
14. The display device of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
15. The display device of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
16. The display device of claim 11, wherein the grid includes a
first grid disposed adjacent a first edge of the opening and a
second grid disposed adjacent a second edge of the opening, the
first and second edges being generally parallel to each other, and
a first adhesive area disposed adjacent a third edge of the opening
and a second adhesive area disposed adjacent a fourth edge of the
opening, the third and fourth edges being generally parallel to
each other.
17. A photo album, comprising: a body including a mechanism to
receive a plurality of album pages; and at least one of the
plurality of album pages including a base having a front surface, a
rear surface, and an opening disposed within a perimeter of the
base, a grid disposed on the rear surface having a first plurality
of parallel lines and a second plurality of parallel lines, wherein
the first plurality of parallel lines are generally perpendicular
to the second plurality of parallel lines, and at least one
adhesive area disposed on the rear surface.
18. The photo album of claim 17, wherein the opening has one of a
generally rectangular and square shape.
19. The photo album of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
20. The photo album of claim 17, wherein the second plurality of
parallel lines are equally spaced from each other.
21. The photo album of claim 17, wherein the grid includes a first
grid disposed adjacent a first edge of the opening and a second
grid disposed adjacent a second edge of the opening, the first and
second edges being generally parallel to each other, and a first
adhesive are disposed adjacent a third edge of the opening and a
second adhesive area disposed adjacent a fourth edge of the
opening, the third and fourth edges being generally parallel to
each other.
22. A method of displaying an image on a photo mat, comprising:
providing at least one grid on a rear surface of the photo album,
the grid having a first plurality of parallel lines and a second
plurality of parallel lines, wherein the first plurality of
parallel lines are generally perpendicular to the second plurality
of parallel lines; aligning the image to the at least one grid,
wherein the at least one grid is aligned to an opening in the photo
mat; and adhering a front surface of the image to at least one
adhesive area located on the rear surface of the photo mat.
23. The method of positioning an image of claim 22, further
including removing a backing from the adhesive area.
24. The method of positioning an image of claim 22, further
including aligning the image to a second grid portion located on
the rear surface of the photo mat.
25. The method of positioning an image of claim 22, further
including adhering the front surface of the image to a second
adhesive area located on the rear surface of the photo mat.
26. The method of positioning an image of claim 22, further
including placing the photo mat into a photo frame.
27. The method of positioning an image of claim 22, further
including placing the photo mat into a photo album as part of a
page.
Description
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to photo mats for
displaying graphic materials and, more specifically, to photo mats
having an alignment grid for aligning the graphic materials to the
photo mat, and a method of using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Mountings for photos and, more particularly, photo mats for
mounting pictures in frames, are known in the art. For example,
U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,553 discloses a mount for photographs having a
back panel and a mounting panel. The back panel includes indices
and adhesive strips to locate and adhere the photo on the back
panel. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,423 discloses a
self-sticking page for photo albums, production scheduling charts,
presentation pages, advertising layouts and the like. The
self-sticking page includes a board or support member having a pair
of transparent sheets associated therewith.
[0003] In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,770 discloses
materials and a method for mounting a picture in accurate relation
on a sheet of mount material and providing a mat with a picture
viewing opening of the correct size to frame the picture and
provide the proper overlap of the mat onto the edges of the picture
adjacent the picture viewing opening, thereby making a neat mounted
and matted picture. The mount is provided with coordinate guide
means marking equal distance intervals extending horizontally and
vertically in opposite directions from intersecting horizontal and
vertical axes through a selected central point on said mount,
identifying means for selected of said coordinate guide means, and
a sheet of mat material having coordinate guide means and
identifying means similar to the coordinate guide means and
identifying means on said mount for use as guides in cutting the
picture viewing opening through the mat material, the coordinate
guide means and identifying means on said mat material
corresponding to the coordinate guide means and identifying means
on said mount being closer to said horizontal and vertical axes by
the amount of the desired overlap of the mat onto the edges of the
picture at the edges of the picture viewing opening.
[0004] In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,933 discloses a
picture framing system for mounting, displaying and protecting a
photograph or work of art on a vertical surface of ferrous metal,
non-ferrous metal, or a non-metallic surface without using nails.
The picture framing system includes a sleeve or pocket-type
photograph holder which can be used with various styles of mats and
picture frames for mounting, displaying, and protecting the
photograph against the flat vertical surface, such as a
refrigerator door or dining room wall. The picture framing system
includes a flexible sheet having an adhesive front surface for
attachment to the photograph holder and a magnetized rear surface
for permitting the attachment of either type of photograph holder
to a ferrous metal surface. The picture framing system also
includes a flat, flexible ferro-magnetic sheet having a front
magnetically-attractive surface and a rear adhesive surface for
allowing either type of photograph holder and the picture frame to
be mounted on a non-ferrous metal surface or any non-metallic
surface. In addition, the picture framing system includes a
centering tool for centering the photograph or art work on the mat
and within the sleeve or pocket-type photograph holder and also
within the picture frame.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0005] In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a photo mat
including a base, a grid, and at least one adhesive strip is
disclosed. The base includes a front surface, a rear surface, and
an opening disposed within a perimeter of the base. The grid is
disposed on the rear surface of the base and includes a first
plurality of parallel lines and a second plurality of parallel
lines that are generally perpendicular to each other. The at least
one adhesive area is disposed on the rear surface.
[0006] In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a
display device including a photo mat and a frame adapted to receive
the photo mat is disclosed. The photo mat includes a base, a grid,
and at least one adhesive strip. The base includes a front surface,
a rear surface, and an opening disposed within a perimeter of the
base. The grid is disposed on the rear surface of the base and
includes a first plurality of parallel lines and a second plurality
of parallel lines that are generally perpendicular to each other.
The at least one adhesive area is disposed on the rear surface.
[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a
method of positioning an image on a photo mat is disclosed. The
method includes aligning the image to at least one grid located on
a rear surface of the photo mat, wherein the grid is aligned to an
opening in the photo mat. The method further includes adhering the
image to at least one adhesive area located on the rear surface of
the photo mat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a rear isometric view of one exemplary embodiment
of a photo mat, constructed in accordance with the teachings of the
present disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 2 is rear plan view of the photo mat of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a partial rear plan view of the photo mat of FIG.
1, with emphasis on the grids;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a rear isometric view of the photo mat of FIG. 1,
with a photo partially attached thereto;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a front isometric view of the photo mat of FIG. 1
in a picture frame; and
[0013] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a photo album having album
pages implementing photo mats of the present disclosure.
[0014] While the method and device described herein are susceptible
to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain
illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings
and will be described below in detail. It should be understood,
however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the
specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to
cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by
the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to
FIG. 1, a photo mat is generally depicted by reference numeral 20.
As shown therein, the photo mat 20 in this one exemplary embodiment
includes a base 21, an opening 22, and a grid 24, and one or more
adhesive areas 26 disposed on a rear surface of the base 21. A user
may attached an image or picture 28 to the photo mat 20 with the
image of the pictures aligned with and viewable through the opening
22, and may then display the picture 28 on the photo mat 20 in a
frame, or the like.
[0016] The photo mat 20, as seen in FIG. 1, may be constructed from
a paper, cardboard, wood, metal, chipboard/mat board, ceramic,
leather, glass, poly-resin, magnetic material, etc., or any
combination thereof. The base 21 may include a front surface 30, a
rear surface 32, and a perimeter.
[0017] The base 21, as seen in FIG. 2, may have one or more edges
depending on the shape of the photo mat 20. For example, in this
exemplary embodiment, the base 21 has a generally rectangular shape
and, as such, includes an upper edge 34, a lower edge 36, a first
side edge 38, and a second side edge 40, wherein the upper and
lower edges 34, 36 are substantially parallel to each other and
substantially perpendicular to the first and the second edges 38,
40. The shape of the base 21 may, however, be round, square,
triangular, oval, odd shaped or a combination thereof, and may,
therefore, have a corresponding number of edges.
[0018] In one exemplary embodiment, the opening 22 may be located
near a center of the photo mat 20, but the opening 22 may be
located anywhere in the perimeter of the photo mat 20. The opening
22, like the perimeter of the photo mat 20, may have one or more
edges which may correspond to the shape of the perimeter. In this
exemplary embodiment, the opening 22 has a generally rectangular
shape and, as such, includes an upper edge 42, a lower edge 44, a
first side edge 46, and a second side edge 48, wherein the upper
and lower edges 42, 44 are substantially parallel to each other and
substantially perpendicular to the first and second side edges 46,
48. The shape of the opening 22 may, however, be round, square,
triangular, oval, odd shaped or a combination thereof, and may,
therefore, have the corresponding number of edges.
[0019] The grid 24, as seen in FIG. 2, includes a plurality of
first lines oriented parallel to each other, and may include a
plurality of second lines oriented parallel to each other and
perpendicular to the plurality of first lines. The grid 24 is
oriented and aligned relative to the photo mat 20 and/or portions
thereof, to enable the alignment of the image 28 relative to the
opening 22. The grid 24 may be located anywhere on the rear surface
32 of the photo mat 20 and, as in this exemplary embodiment, may be
locate near two edges of the opening 22. More specifically, the
grid 24 may be located on opposite edges of the opening 22 and, as
such, may be located near the top edge 42 and the bottom edge 44 of
the opening 22. The grid 24, when disposed in more than one area of
the photo album 20 may be located at a substantially similar, if
not equal, position relative to the opening 22 and/or the perimeter
of the base 21. For example, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, a first grid
section 24a is located in the same position relative to the upper
edge 42 as a second grid 24b is positioned relative to the lower
edge 44. As such, the first set of lines or the second set of lines
of the first and second grid sections 24a, 24b will align along a
first axis, and the other of the first and second set of lines will
be equally spaced from the edges 42, 44 and be parallel to each
other. The grid 24 may be printed on the photo mat 20, but may be
placed on the photo mat 20 by many other means. For example, the
grid 24 may be on a sticker that is placed on the photo mat 20, the
grid 24 may be stitched on the photo mat 20, and/or the grid 24 may
be part of the one or more adhesive areas 26.
[0020] The grid 24 may, however, be adapted to function with photo
mats having various shapes and configurations. For example, the
grid 24 may be disposed on the rear surface 32 of a photo mat
and/or opening 22 that is round, square, triangular, oval, odd
shaped or a combination thereof. Similarly, the grid 24 may have
such shapes and configurations to align an other than four sided
image to the opening 22.
[0021] The one or more adhesive areas 26, as seen in FIG. 2, may
include double-sided tape, a sticky surface, and/or any other type
of adhesive or adhesion method that may allows for the
repositioning of the image 28 intended to be attached to the
adhesive areas 26. In this exemplary embodiment, the adhesive areas
26 are a pair of multi use adhesive strips 26 that allow the user
to place, remove, and replace the image 28 on the adhesive areas 26
multiple times with out greatly reducing the adhesive properties of
the adhesive areas 26, and without damaging the image 28. The
adhesive areas 26 may be located anywhere on the rear surface 32 of
the photo mat 20, and as in this exemplary embodiment, may be
locate near two edges of the opening 22. More specifically, the
adhesive areas 26 may be located on opposite edges of the opening
22 and, as such, may be located near first side edge 46 and the
second side edge 48 of the opening 22.
[0022] Additionally and/or alternatively, the photo mat 20 may be a
page, or a part of the page, in a photo album 60, as seen in FIG.
6. The photo album 60 may include a body 62 having a front cover 64
and rear a cover 66, and a binding mechanism 68. The photo mat 20
may be disposed between the front and rear covers 64, 66, and the
binding mechanism 68 may be a perfect bind, or any other mechanism
able to attach the photo mat 20 to the body 62. For example, the
binding mechanism 68 may include, but is not limited to, a ring and
hole mechanism, a hook and loop mechanism, a clip, and the
like.
[0023] For reasons of clarity and brevity, the following operation
will be described while referring to a photo mat 20 having the pair
of grids 24a, 24b and a pair of adhesive areas 26a, 26b located
near the opening 22 as described previously, but may be used with
any number of grids 24 and adhesive areas 26 located anywhere on
the rear surface 32 of the photo mat 20.
[0024] In operation, as seen in FIG. 4, the user depending on the
construction of the adhesive areas 26 may remove a backing or cover
50 from the adhesive areas 26 to expose a tacky, sticky or
otherwise adhesive surface. The user may then align the image 28 to
the grid 24 prior to adhering the image 28 to the adhesive areas
26. In one exemplary embodiment, the user may align the image 28 to
the opening 22 and/or the perimeter of the base 21, by aligning an
upper portion 52 of the image 28 to the first grid section 24a, and
aligning a lower portion 54 of the image 28 to the second grid
section 24b. In doing so, the user may place the upper portion 52
on a corresponding area of the grid 24a, as the lower portion 54 is
placed on the grid 24b.
[0025] The image 28 may be adhered to the photo mat 20 by then
pressing the image 28 against the adhesive areas 26a and 26b. If
desired, the user may remove the image 28 from one or more of the
adhesive areas 26 by simply pulling the image 28 from the adhesive
areas 26, and may reposition or replace the image 28 as described
previously. The photo mat 20, after and/or before the image 28 is
placed thereon, may be disposed into a display device, such as a
frame 50, as seen in FIG. 5. As such, the image 28 may be aligned
to the photo mat 20, and the photo mat 20 and/or the image 28 may
be aligned to the frame 50.
[0026] While the above has been described with reference to
specific examples which are intended to be illustrative only and
not to be limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those
of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions
may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *