Abstract:
An apparatus for hanging decorative media comprising a body portion having a first member and a second member; a coupler to couple the first member to the second member at respective edge portions thereof such that the second member articulates with respect to the first member along the respective edge portions; a support to support the body portion with respect to a surface, the support being coupled to at least one of the first and second members; and a hanger to hang the decorative media therefrom, the hanger coupled to an interior portion of the body portion.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates, in general, to hangers or hanging assemblies. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for hanging or displaying a sheet item of media art such as a quilt, tapestry, embroidery, needlepoint, blanket, rug, flag, cloth banner, curtain, glass beads, glass and like items.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Various types of hangers are known for displaying various items such as quilts, tapestry, curtains, strings of beads, rugs and other items, e.g., those items mentioned above. The items often are used to display such fabric art in various environments ranging from a personal home to a public museum. In a home, for instance, an item of fabric art may be displayed on a wall and changed as the seasons change, for example.  
           [0003]    One of the problems with the conventional apparatus and systems for handling and displaying such decorative items is the need for more than one person to remove the present hanger apparatus and displayed items and replacing with a new item for display. Further, the conventional systems are difficult to use by individuals living alone and individuals suffering from medical conditions, such as arthritis or other medical conditions.  
           [0004]    Thus, a need exists for decorative hangers that can be used by an unassisted individual or an individual with various medical deficiencies.  
           [0005]    This invention addresses these needs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    To meet this and other needs, and in view of its purposes, the present invention provides an apparatus for hanging decorative media.  
           [0007]    In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a body portion comprising a first member and a second member; a coupler to couple the first member to the second member at respective edge portions thereof such that the second member articulates with respect to the first member along the respective edge portions; a support to support the body portion with respect to a surface, the support being coupled to at least one of the first and second members; and a hanger to hang the decorative media therefrom, the hanger coupled to an interior portion of the body portion.  
           [0008]    In another embodiment of the invention, the coupler is a hinge.  
           [0009]    In yet another embodiment of the invention, the hanger is at least one rod, a first portion of the rod coupled to a first side portion of the body portion and a second portion of the rod coupled to a second side portion of the body portion.  
           [0010]    In yet a further embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises attaching means for attaching a cover to an outside surface of the body portion.  
           [0011]    In still another embodiment of the present invention, the support is a frame member having a first vertical member and a second vertical member, the body portion coupled between the first vertical member and second vertical member.  
           [0012]    It is understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]    The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompany drawing. Included in the drawing are the following figures:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]    FIGS.  2 A- 2 B are illustrations of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a portion removed for clarity;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of alternative embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 6A and 6B are various views of is a further embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    Referring now to the figures, wherein like references refer to like elements of the invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, hanging apparatus  100  is comprised of body  101  with a first body member  102  and a second body member  103  each having a generally rectangular shape. Decorative media  108 , such as a fabric or individual elements for example, is captive and extends from body  101 . Details of how decorative media  108  is captive within body  101  are described below. Body  101  may also include a coupling  130  attached or embedded therein for detachably coupling a cover (not shown) to body  101  to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Coupling  130  may be a magnet, or a hook and loop material, for example.  
         [0021]    First body member  102  and a second body member  103  are coupled to one another along respective edges with coupler  112 , such as a hinge, so that first body portion  102  is able to articulate with respect to second body portion  103  to expose the interior of body  101 . In one exemplary embodiment, body portions  102  and  103  may be formed from a variety of materials, such as wood, a polymer and/or metal, for example. It is also possible to form or mold body  101  such that coupler  112  is an integral part of first body member  102  and second body member  103 . As such, coupler  112  may be a conventional hinge having a pin extending along its length, or may be another type of hinge such as a polymer web, for example, extending between first body member  102  and second body member  103 . In one embodiment, hinge  112  is loaded such that it remains in place in both the open and closed positions in order to allow the user to concentrate her efforts on removing or installing decorative media  108  without the need to maintain hinge  112  in the open position, and also allows decorative media  108  to remain in place once installed.  
         [0022]    In order to hang body  101  from a desired surface, such as a wall (not shown), supports  104 , such as metal, wood or polymer, for example extend from body  101  and are attached to conventional support brackets (not shown) extending from the desired surface. In one exemplary embodiment, supports  104  may be formed as rods, for example. Although two shorter support  104  are illustrated in FIG. 2 the invention is not so limited. It is also contemplated that a single support  104  may be used which extends through body  101 . Further, and as shown in FIG. 2B, it is also contemplated that no support rods are used and that rear surface  103   a  of second body member  103  is attached to a mounting surface, such as a wall (not shown) using conventional means such as screws  115 .  
         [0023]    Referring now to FIG. 2A, the interior features of apparatus  100  are shown with body portion  102  removed for clarity. As shown in FIG. 2A, edge portion  109  of decorative media  108  has through holes  109 A that mate with projections  110 , such as pegs, which extend from the interior surface of body portion  103 . Body  101  may include cutout portion  113  to accommodate a thickness of decorative media  108  to allow body portions  102  and  103  to close properly.  
         [0024]    In one exemplary embodiment, projections  110  extend substantially orthogonal to the interior surface of body portion  103 . The invention is not so limited, however, in that projections  110  may extend at an upward angle so that when body portion  102  is moved into a position to expose the interior of body  101 , decorative media  108  remains in place until removed by the user.  
         [0025]    Projections  110  may formed as a unitary part of body portions  103  and/or  102 , or may be coupled thereto using conventional means, such as glue, screws, etc. Further, supports  104  may also be formed as a unitary part of body portion  103 , for example, or may be individual parts attached to body portion  103  using any one of a variety of conventional means, such as screws  114 . Although the illustration indicates that projections  110  have a generally circular cross section, the invention is not so limited. It is also contemplated that projections  110  may have other cross sectional configurations, such as square, rectangular, etc.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIGS. 3 and 4A- 4 B illustrate a top view and side views of alternate embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B, projections  110  may extend from body portion  103  into the interior  111  of body portion  102 . In addition, support  104  may be positioned such that it interfaces with both body portions  102  and  103 , although rod  104  is only coupled to one of these body portions.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIG. 4A, projections  110  may also abut against the inner surface of body portion  102  and support  104  interfaces with only body portion  103 . It is understood by those skilled in the art, that the features illustrated ion FIGS. 4A and 4B may be mixed as desired, and are thus not restrictive.  
         [0028]    Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, a portion of projections  110  are coupled to body portion  103  and the remaining projections are coupled to body portion  102 . Each one of projections  110  mates with a respective receptacle  111  in the opposing body portion.  
         [0029]    In another embodiment, a locking pin  119 /receptacle  120  may be used order to maintain body portions  102  and  103  in a closed position, if desired. Locking pin  119  may be formed as part of body potion  102  or may be a separate element attached to body portion  102 , for example.  
         [0030]    Referring now to FIG. 5, a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, screen structure  500  comprises body  101  positioned between support members  502  and  504 . Decorative media  108  hangs from body  101  and between support members  502  and  504  forming a decorative screen. Mounting feet or wheels  506  may be used to position or reposition screen  500  as desired. Although a single screen  500  is shown, it is contemplated that multiple screens  500  may be coupled to one another in a zig-zag panel form, for example to allow for a free standing arrangement. It is also contemplated that outriggers  510  may be added, if desired.  
         [0031]    As can be appreciated from the above description and accompanying drawing, once the exemplary apparatus is mounted it need not be removed from its mounting surface to change the decorative media. It can also be appreciated that the exemplary apparatus may be used not only within the home, but also outside the home, such as in mobile homes, recreational vehicles (RV&#39;s) decks, gazebos, etc.  
         [0032]    Although illustrated and described herein with reference to certain specific embodiments, the present invention is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.