Abstract:
Decorations that adhere to metal and non-metal surfaces consisting of individual pieces for display during holidays, special occasions and various other times of the year. Such decorations are for decorating homes, schools, office buildings, daycare centers and similar places of celebration but are ideal for use on the exterior surface of a garage door of the type having a plurality of door panels permitted to rotate relative to each other when the garage door moves from a closed position to an open position. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the decorations are made of flexible, die cut plastic and mounted on metal and non-metal surfaces using magnetic strips and two sided tape.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the display of decorations in and around homes, schools, retail stores, office buildings and other locations for the purpose of celebrating holidays and special occasions. Such decorations are used by the general public, businesses and non-profit organizations for the purpose of advertising various times of the year, stimulating excitement and good cheer. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0004]    Holidays and special occasions are celebrated year round. To stimulate excitement and encourage celebration, many people decorate with banners, lights and other objects. Christmas is by far the most popular time of the year for decorations with Halloween a close second. But, there are scores of other holidays and special occasions that are celebrated throughout the year. Some of these include, Valentine&#39;s Day, St. Patrick&#39;s Day, Veteran&#39;s Day, birthdays, weddings, the arrival of a new baby to name a few. 
         [0005]    It is common to decorate with themed images of each special time; pumpkins during Halloween; hearts and kisses for Valentine&#39;s Day; Santa and snowflakes for Christmas. 
         [0006]    Decorating homes includes areas inside and out; from decorations adorning a fireplace in December to a wreath on the front door and lights hanging from the rooftops and trees. Businesses get in the spirit too hoping to keep shoppers in the mood to buy their goods. Numerous office buildings, daycare centers and schools are decorated too. 
         [0007]    While all of these areas are ideal for decorating, one place around the home is not; garage doors. It&#39;s one of the largest flat surfaces on a home and ideal for decorating but yet few people decorate this area. Certainly a home&#39;s garage door would seem well suited for decorating. So, why aren&#39;t more decorated? 
         [0008]    The reason seems to concern the operation of the door. Decorating such a large surface would be ideal but having the door go up and down while decorated is an entirely different matter. 
         [0009]    It is well known that most garage doors consist of multiple hinged panels that separate when the doors open and close. These separations in the panels create gaps. These gaps can often separate the panels from each other by one or more inches.. It is possible decorations attached to the door or hanging near or on the door are likely to cause damage to the operation of the door or the door itself when objects get lodged between these panels. Therefore, any decoration must be able to remain on the door, allowing for the separation of the panels with no concern for damage to the operation of the door or the door itself as it opens and closes. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,369 issued to Randone demonstrates how to decorate using a banner attached via elastic strips at the top and bottom edges of a conventional garage door. A limitation in Randone&#39;s design is that it requires a large amount of material and hardware to secure the decoration to the door. This material and hardware can also be costly. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,238 issued to Johnson demonstrates how to decorate a garage door using strings of lights with just enough slack between each door panel to allow each panel to separate as the door opens and closes. A limitation is that it is still possible for the wires to become logged in the area between the panels as the door goes up and down. Another limitation is the possibility of electrocution since most garage doors are made of steel. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,803 issued to Zinbarg demonstrates how to decorate a garage door with multiple rectangular decorative panels using double sided tape. As the door goes up, the panels separate. The rectangular decorative panels return to their original positions when the door closes. A limitation with Zinbarg&#39;s design is the cost of producing multiple large panels. Another limitation with Zinbarg&#39;s design is being a mural with only a single way to display the panels. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. App. 20010008702 issued to Vela reduces the amount of material used to decorate. Vela die cuts flexible magnetic material which then adheres to any ferrous surface. Vela demonstrates in U.S. Pat. Application No. 20010008702 how to reduce the amount of material needed to effectively decorate a garage door. Vela die cuts magnetic sheets into individual pieces of decorative artwork without the need for one or more large mural-like or canvas-like panels. A limitation of this design is the use of magnetic sheeting since this type of material is very expensive. Another limitation is the weight of the die cut magnetic sheeting. Shipping such a heavy material would increase the cost of such a product compared to lightweight canvas or plastic panels making it impractical to produce and market at reasonable prices for such a product. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    In order that the invention be readily understood, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; 
           [0015]      FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are a detailed view of an exemplary decoration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10  are a back view of an exemplary decoration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 11 ,  FIG. 12 ,  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14  are a two piece view of an exemplary decoration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 15  and  FIG. 16  is a display view of an exemplary decoration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18  is a non display view of an exemplary decoration according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. 
         [0021]    Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. 
         [0022]    As shown by way of example in  FIG. 1 , a decoration in accordance with the present invention includes a sheet material  1 , a die cut  2 , a decoration  3  and an adhesive strip  4 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  illustrates sheet material  1  with sheet opening  5  after removing decoration  3 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates decoration  3  removed from sheet material  1  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates the back side  6  of decoration  3 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perforated sheet of adhesive  7 .  FIG. 5  illustrates adhesive strip  4  before being removed from perforation  8  and perforation  9 .  FIG. 5  illustrates adhesive strip  10  before being removed from perforation  9  and perforation  11 .  FIG. 5  illustrates adhesive strip  12  before being removed from perforation  11  and perforation  9 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates the back side  14  of adhesive strip  4 , the back side  16  of adhesive strip  12  and the back side  15  of adhesive strip  10 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates the adhesive strip  4  of back side  14  attached to the backside  6  of decoration  3 .  FIG. 7  illustrates the adhesive strip  10  attached to the backside  6  of decoration  3 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 9  illustrates adhesive strip  15  and  16  attached to decoration  19  (shown in  FIG. 11 ). 
         [0031]      FIG. 10  illustrates adhesive strip  14  attached to decoration  19  (shown in  FIG. 11 ). 
         [0032]      FIG. 11  illustrates sheet material  20  with die cut  18  around decoration  17  and decoration  17 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 12  illustrates sheet material  20  with sheet opening  21  after removing decoration  17 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 13  illustrates sheet material  20  with sheet opening  22  after removing decoration  17  and decoration  19 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 14  illustrates decoration  17  and decoration  19  removed from sheet material  20 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 15  illustrates, by way of example, a display view of decoration  3 ,  16  and  18  on garage door panels  25 ,  27  and  29 .  FIG. 15  illustrates garage door seams  24 ,  26  and  28 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 16  illustrates, by way of example, a garage door open half of the way whereby garage door seam  24  separates from garage door panel  25 .  FIG. 16  illustrates, garage door seam  26  separating from garage door panel  25  and  27 .  FIG. 16  illustrates decoration  16  as garage door panel  25  separates from garage door panel  27 .  FIG. 16  illustrates decoration  18  as garage door panel  25  separates from panel  27 .  FIG. 16  illustrates decoration  3  attached to garage door panel  29 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 17  illustrates, by way of example, a partially raised garage door whereby garage door seam  26  and  28  has separated from garage door panel  27  and  29 .  FIG. 17  illustrates decoration  18  as garage door panel  27  separates from garage door panel  29 .  FIG. 17  illustrates decoration  3  attached to garage door panel  29 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 18  illustrates, by way of example, a fully raised garage door  30 . 
       Description of Particular Embodiments  
       [0040]    The first embodiment of decoration shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a material molded of polyvinylchloride in the form of a thin sheet, then printed with decorative dots, then die cut into a shape of a candy cane. 
         [0041]      FIG. 2  shows the sheet with the die cut candy cane removed from the sheet. 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  shows the candy cane turned over. The back side of the candy cane in this embodiment is without graphic display but could easily enough include colorful artwork so that when displayed in a window, the artwork could be displayed on both sides of the candy cane. 
         [0043]      FIG. 5  shows a sheet of perforated double sided tape. Each piece measures 101 mm long, 6 mm wide and 6 mm thick. The double sided tape is light weight, flexible and allows a person to use their fingers to easily cut or tear to any size suitable for use. 
         [0044]      FIG. 6  shows a sheet of perforated magnetic strips. Each piece measures 101 mm long, 6 mm inches wide and 6 mm thick. The magnetic strips are light weight, flexible and allow a person to use their fingers to easily cut or tear to any size suitable for use. 
         [0045]      FIG. 7  shows two pieces of magnetic strips glued to the back side of the candy cane. The candy cane is now ready to attach to a metal surface. Fixing the candy cane to a metal surface is quick and easy. Removal is also quick and easy requiring little effort. 
         [0046]      FIG. 8  shows a side view of the candy cane shown in  FIG. 7 . The thickness of the sheet and the thickness of the magnetic strips are both 6 mm. 
         [0047]      FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10  shows a top half and a bottom half of a candy cane. Such pieces may be suitable when decorating above and below the seams of garage door panels as shown in  FIG. 15 . The magnetic strip  15  and  16  has an adhesive back side allowing it to easily attach to the candy cane top half as shown in  FIG. 9  and the candy cane bottom half as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 11  comprises a material molded of polyvinylchloride in the form of a sheet, then printed with decorative dots, then die cut into the shape of a top half of a candy cane and die cut into the shape of a bottom half of a candy cane. 
         [0049]      FIG. 12  shows the die cut decorative piece  17  removed from sheet  20 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 13  shows the die cut decorative piece  17  and  19  removed. 
         [0051]      FIG. 15  shows the decorations displayed on a garage door. The use of magnetic strips makes this form of display ideal since most garage doors in the United States are made of steel. Using magnetic strips allows for ease of use and savings.  FIG. 15  shows the two halves of the candy cane  17  and  19  fixed above and below seam  26  of garage door panels  25  and  27 .  FIG. 15  also shows candy cane  3  fixed to door panel  29 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 16  shows the garage door raised slightly causing seams  24  and  26  to separate. The candy cane  16  is not affected by the operation of the door. The magnetic strips  15  and  16  hold the decoration  17  firmly in place. Decoration  19  is also not affected by the operation of the door. Magnetic strip  14  holds the decoration firmly in place. 
         [0053]      FIG. 17  shows the garage door half way up. The magnetic strips hold the decorative artwork firmly in place. 
         [0054]      FIG. 18  shows the garage door fully open. Decoration  3 ,  17  and  19  are no longer viewable. The home owner can now close the door and once again display the decorated artwork as shown in  FIG. 15 . The homeowner can also easily remove and reapply the decorations in seconds. The homeowner can also choose to turn the decorative artwork in any direction he or she desires or mix and match how each piece is displayed relative to one another. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0055]    The use of die cut materials produced with weather resistant UV protected, 4 color offset graphics, together with the use of Velcro, double sided tape and magnetic strips offers home owners a fast and easy way to decorate their garage doors. School teachers, office managers, businesses and countless others will also finds ways to use die cut graphics with Velcro, double sided tape and magnetic strips to be a cost effective and time saving alternative to other forms of decorating. Furthermore, adhesives that allow for easy removal and reuse makes die cut decorations a winning combination like never before. The ability to remove and reuse die cut materials in various materials, sizes and shapes year after year for holiday celebrations and other special occasions will save people money compared to buying cheap thin cut plastics and paper products that easily tear and wear out. 
         [0056]    Those skilled in the art will readily recognize other useful ways to adapt the present invention in light of the prior art previously mentioned. It is to be understood that the relationship of the parts and their dimensions include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, and are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art. It is further understood that all equivalent relationships illustrated in the drawings and described in the specifications are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. The illustrative drawings and the specifications described are not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art.