Patent Publication Number: US-2005115126-A1

Title: Vandal-resistant frames for advertising, photographic or like material

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/515115 filed Oct. 29, 2003. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to vandal-resistant frames for advertising, photographic or like material.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      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.  
      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  
      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 frame by an appropriately shaped key member inserted between the front and rear members from a position within the aperture. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:  
       FIG. 1  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,  
       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,  
       FIG. 3  is a similar view showing the key member inserted between the front member and the rear member,  
       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  
       FIG. 5  is a similar view of an open frame. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      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 comers 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 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.  
      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.  
      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.  
      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 fingers  46 . The key member  40  has a width slightly less than the width of the aperture  24  in the front member  20 , and the fingers  46  have a width and spacing such that they can be slid into the grooves  34  in the front member  20 .  
       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  20  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 .  
      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 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 .  
      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.  
      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