US2632971A - Picture and mirror holder - Google Patents

Description

March 1953 c. MANCZEK ET AL PICTURE AND MIRROR HOLDER Filed July 50, 1951 w wwml iln lnnnnl nl K h -HMWHWMMTHTHMH' E M A M A Patented Mar. 31, 1953 PICTURE AND MIRROR HOLDER Cashman Manczek, Aberdeen, Wash., and Eric K. Lotthammer, Jamaica, N. Y. said Lotthammer assignor to said Manczek Application July so, 1951, Serial No. 239,326

1 Claim. (Cl. 40 -155) T This invention relates to a support or hol for a picture or mirror;

The object of this invention is to provide a support by means of which a picture may be held and supported in proper position to be placed "on a fiat surface such as a piece of furniture or .mantelpiece.

Another object of this invention is to provide "an adjustable support which may be adjusted to grip and to support pictures of various dimensions, or mirrors of corresponding dimensions, for disposition on a flat table support, or to be suitably suspended from a nail, a, bracket or molding.

, Another object of this invention is to provide a picture and mirror holder that shall be relatively simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and that shall be easy to apply and to remove from pictures or mirrors of different sizes. The construction and operation of the mb nation picture and mirror holder of this invention will be more readily understood upon reference to the accompanying description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the picture holder as viewed from the rear of a picture upon which the holder is welded;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 taken on the diagonal line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken through one arm of the holder in Fig. 1, taken on line 3-3 in the direction indicated;

Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view or the locking and supporting elements of the structure at the middle of the frame;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of a picture or mirror element in supported position in the holder on a fiat surface; and

Fig. 6 is a front perspective View of a corner of a mirror supported by the holder to show the manner in which one of the finger brackets grips the outer edge of the mirror.

As shown in Fig. 1, a picture or mirror l0, indicated in broken line for simplicity of illustration, is held by a supporting fram or holder H of X-shape II, consisting of four cross arms l2, l3, M and I5 respectively, each of which supports and guides an extension arm I6, [1, l8 and I9, respectively. Each of the extension arms IE to 19 inclusive, pivotally supports a finger bracket 20 that fits over the edge of the pictur or mirror that is to be supported, and thereby serves to hold the picture or mirror in place, between two oppositely disposed pairs of brackets 20. v

The construction of the bracket 20 is shown more fully in Fig. 2, as consisting of a body f short section having an arcuate outer surface 2 I, a longitudinal slot 22 extending downwardly into the body of the bracket below an upper surface 23. The slot 22 is made wide enough to accommodate any thickness of mirror or picture that would ordinarily be encountered, and any additional space that remains may be taken up by a suitable backing card 24 and a short filler strip 25. A short pin 26 provides th pivotal connection between the bracket 20 and the supporting extension arm l8.

Once the holder is assembled on a picture or upon reference to Fig. 4. As there shown, the inner ends of the cross arms l3, l2, l4 and I5 may be formed to embody the peripheral groove 32 to serve as seats for correspondingly shaped arcuate portions 33 and 34 on the flanged rims'35 and 36 of two cooperating cups 3! and 38.

Two locking cups 3'! and 38 each consist of a main body portion and a rim flange. Each rim flange is provided with the four out out portions 33, 34, disposed at right angles, in order to permit the two cups to be fitted so the cut out portions will seat in the grooves 32 at the inner ends of the main arms and grip those inner ends of those main arms against relative rotation or displacement. Th two caps 31 and 38 are held tightly together by a lock screw combination consisting of internally threaded ferrule 3i] and a small bolt 40 which threads into the ferrule 35! and pulls it tightly to clamp the two cups 3? and 38 together. Appropriately sized openings 4] and 42 are provided in the two cups 3'! and 38 to accommodate the ferrule 38 and the bolt 4i!- As previously indicated, the tension spring 2i is disposed in each of the upper arms I2 and 13, with the upper end of each spring 27 anchored on a lug 28 at the lower end of the extension arms I6 and H. The lower end of each of the two tension springs is formed into a loop is which is fitted around the ferrule 35 and anchored thereon in order to put the springs 21 under tension and the extension arms [6 and I? are pulled out far enough to enable the brackets 20 to be fitted over the upper edges of the picture or mirror Ill.

The adjustment of the lower extension arms 8 and I9 is achieved by means of adjusting cords 4 and 46, the inner ends of which are secured to th lugs 28 on the inner ends of th tension arms [8 and [9 at the bottom of the frame. Those cords may be tied to the lugs in any suitable manner, being indicated in Fig. 2, as anchored against movement by the formation of a knot 41 at the end of the tied cord 45. p

The cap 38 is provided with two opening 48 and 49 through which the two tie cords '45 and 46 may be brought out from within thehollow arm l4 and the bracket 38. The cup-3811s further provided with three bridging loops 5|, 52 and 53, that are pressed from the base metal of the cup. The two outer loops 5! and 53 serve to guide the two tie cords 45 and 46 after they exit from the cup 38. The three loops 5|, 52 and 53 then serve as retainers to receive and hold correspondingly positioned fingers 55 of a bracing bracket 56 provided with an adjustable extension 5'! and a locking thumb nut 58 to permit the mirror or picture holder to be angula'rly adjusted with respect to a horizontal supporting surface 59 upon which the mirror may be supported. I i v After the two tie cords 45 and 46 pass upward through the guide loops 5! and '53, they extend alongthe length of the two arms I2 and 13 respectively and then through corresponding tunnel brackets 'BI and 62 that are respectively secured t'o their-associated arms l2 and I3 respecthreaded through the small opening 63 or G4 in the respective tunnel brackets 61 or :62, and then knotted, so any slack remaining in the two tie cords will be pulled back into their respective "cro'ss'arms out of the tension of the twotension springs '21, which will tend to raise the two benter cups'to a higher elevation.

since various mOdifica'ItiQns may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is: A picture holder comprising four (4) arms to constitute an X-frame, a center bracket embracing the inner-ends of the arms and consistiin'g of two circular flanged cups to be coaxially disposed to face each other to grip the inner ends of *t'he'ai'ms between the cup flanges, with an axial locking screw to hold the two cups together in position to grip the inner ends of the arms tightly, an extension bar slideably supported on each arm, a tension spring for each upper extension bar with one end of the spring anchored on the extension bar and the other end of the spring anchored on the axial locking screw, a flexible cord carried by said "center bracket and connected to each lowerfextension bar for *adjustably positioning each lower 'extension bar, and a clamp on each extension bar to grip a picture edge.

ERIC K. LO'I'IHKMMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this ipatent:

UNITED sTA'rEsY-rxr'ems Number Name 'Date 236, 45 'sh'e'wiich Jan. is, 1881 445,305 Tidball Jan. 2'7, I891 1,056,636 'Davison Maui's, "1913 1,388,956 KoZldwsky Au /30. 1921 1,860,323 Ebeling May '24, 1932

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