Abstract:
A display device made of transparent flexibly resilient plastic having a pair of nestable members forming a weather resistant framed area for holding flat planar display material such as a photograph or memorabilia or advertising material or the like.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention is aimed at providing a durable display frame for holding a flat or planar display such as a photograph or memorabilia or advertisements and the like. More specifically, it is a display frame made out of flexibly resilient clear polymer plastic with the display material secured in a framed area between two similar nested members.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     There are a number of prior art devices for holding photographs and the like in the form of ordinary picture frames and there are a number of prior art devices for placing signs, such as real estate signs or outdoor sale signs, upright using a stake or post inserted into the ground. These devices usually are made out of a combination of different materials. Some have members or attachments to protect the sign against weather elements and some are constructed so that the content of the sign can be changed from time to time.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A pair of substantially similar nestable members are made out of flexibly resilient transparent plastic such as PVC, each member having a fairly shallow cavity defined by a generally planar face or floor surrounded by an enclosing upstanding wall. Preferably the face has a surrounding area which is dimensioned with respect to the surrounding wall to define a framed area in which flat or planar display material such as a photograph or memorabilia or the like is placed for display. The frame area may be made by a slight indentation of part of the face. One member is nested snugly within the cavity of the other member with the respective faces in close proximity to securely hold the members together and to hold the display material in place between them. In one embodiment a pointed stake extends out from an edge of one of the members for insertion into the ground to hold the display frame upright for use as a marker at a gravesite. Preferably a flange extends completely around each of the members extending outward from the walls which surround the cavities. The overlapping flanges in combination with the nesting of the members serves as a further barrier to help seal off the interior area to protect against damage from the weather. The two members can be disengaged or pulled apart if desired to remove and/or replace the display material and then renested.  
         [0004]     In one embodiment the members are made integral with one another out of a single sheet of plastic with the two members joined together along an edge by a living hinge. Alternatively, the two nestable members may be separable from one another, i.e., without the living hinge. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  can be considered a plan or front view of an embodiment of the invention as a gravesite marker or the like in the open condition;  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a side view of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a plan or front view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 1  in closed or use position;  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a sectioned view of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a side view illustrating another embodiment of the invention as a gravesite marker or the like;  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a plan or front view of an embodiment of the invention other than as a gravesite marker in the open condition;  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a side view of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is a plan or front view showing an embodiment of the invention other than as a gravesite marker in closed or use position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 9  is a sectioned view of  FIG. 8 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 10  is a side view illustrating another embodiment of the invention other than as a gravesite marker; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 11  is a blow-apart somewhat functional illustration. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     With reference to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 14 , a pair of substantially similar members  10 A and  10 B are formed of flexibly resilient transparent polymer plastic such as PVC by a conventional thermal-forming process. Each of the members has a cavity,  11 A and  11 B, respectively, defined by a generally planar face or floor  12 A and  12 B, respectively, surrounded by an upstanding wall  13 A and  13 B, respectively. In the illustrated embodiments the respective cavity faces  12 A and  12 B each have a very slight indentation  14 A and  14 B, respectively, defining a surrounding frame area  15 A and  15 B, respectively, with their corresponding cavities&#39; surrounding walls  13 A and  13 B. Extending outward from the edge of each of the respective surrounding walls parallel to the cavity faces are enclosing flanges  17 A and  17 B, respectively. Attached to and formed integrally with an edge of one of the members, for example,  10 B is a pointed arrow-like stake  18 . In one embodiment, illustrated in  FIGS. 14 , members  10 A and  10 B are made out of a single sheet or layer of plastic joined together by an integrally formed living hinge  20  at an edge of the respective flanges.  
         [0017]     In practice, as illustrated for example in  FIG. 11 , flat or planar display material  32  may be placed within the framed area  15  of one of the members and then the two members are nested together to firmly hold the display material between the faces  12 A and  12 B. The members are dimensioned and the materials of which they are made are such that one member, e.g.,  10 B, will nest snugly in the cavity of the other member, e.g.,  11 A, to hold the display material firmly between the two faces  12 A and  12 B. The snug fit between the side walls  13 A and  13 B not only serves to hold the two members securely together and the display material firmly in place but also provides a barrier or protective shield against weather elements. In addition the overlap of the flanges  17 A and  17 B may serve as a further barrier to prevent weather elements from reaching the interior. In one embodiment a stake  18  may be formed as part of the display frame for insertion into the ground adjacent a gravesite to hold the display frame upright in place. If desired, the display frame can be removed from the ground and the two members  10 A and  10 B disengaged or pulled apart and the display removed and replaced in the manner as described above.  
         [0018]     Typically, with no limitation intended, a display frame made according to the teachings of the invention is made of 0.030 in. clear PVC, an outer width (including flange  17 ) of about 6.25 in., a depth of cavity  11  about 0.38 in., the width of the frame  15  about 0.5 in., the depth of the shallow indentation about 0.08 in. and the dimension of the framed area about 3 in. by 5 in. to hold a conventional 3×5 photograph.  
         [0019]     Alternatively, as in the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 10 , the two members  10 A and  10 B, may not be connected or attached to one another by a living hinge. In all other respects the display frame shown in  FIG. 5  is the same as the above-described embodiment and functions the same and is used in the same manner with the same attendant benefits and features.  
         [0020]     The embodiments, as illustrated in  FIGS. 6-11 , are similar to the embodiments in  FIGS. 1-5  so the same reference numbers are used where there is duplication. One difference between the embodiments in  FIGS. 6-11  and those in  FIGS. 1-5  is that the former do not have a stake for insertion into the ground. Another difference is that the former may have magnets  30 , see  FIGS. 6 and 7 , or suction cups  31 , see  FIGS. 8, 9  and  10 , attached such as by a suitable adhesive so that the display frame can be mounted on or coupled to an upstanding supporting surface such as a vertical wall of a refrigerator or automobile or window or the like. Other commonly known coupling or mounting devices might be Velcro or double-sided adhesive tape. As a further feature, the frame area  15 A and/or  15 B may be decorated in some fashion to make the display even more attractive.