IM- PROVEMENTS IN FRAMES OR HOLDERS FOR MAPS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Ward Hale, of the City of New York, in the State
of New York, United States of America, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FRAMES OR HOLDERS FOR MAPS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Ward Hale at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1879.
ALBERT WARD HALE, of the City of New York, in the State of New York,
United States of America, Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN FRAMES OR HOLDERS
FOR MAPS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."
This Invention relates to a holder or device for holding and suspending pictures,
engravings, lithographs, photographs, chromos, drawings, maps, plans, and archi-
tectural or mechanical drawings, which device can be used as a temporary frame or
as a substitute in place of frames as ordinarily constructed, and which is also adjust-
able in size and proportion, so that the same holder can be used for pictures, maps,
drawings, and the like of different sizes at the pleasure of the user.
The said device consists generally of corner pieces or clamps shaped to receive
the corners of the pictures, maps, drawings, or other articles, and constructed so.
that they can be securely attached thereto, and with which are combined a series
of braces extending from the corner pieces toward the centre of the picture or
other article, and which have movement upon each other to adjust or adapt the
device or holder to different sized pictures, maps, or other articles, and by which
the same can be strained as desired.
The said corner pieces may be of metal or of wood or composition, or the faces.
only may be of wood or composition, with a metal back, the parts being connected
by screws or other sufficient fastening, and the faces of the corner pieces may be of
various ornamental designs, as preferred. Projecting from the back of such faces.
are edge pieces, which form a right angle with each other and make a seat or
receptacle for the corners of the maps, pictures, or other articles, and these are
connected by a cross-bar, through which passes a screw for connecting the corner.
pieces to the picture, the ends of the braces entering also such.corner pieces behind,
the picture, and being fastened therein by the same screws which secure the corner,
Price 6d 1

page_text: pieces to the picture, map, or other article. The braces referred to may be held
together at the centre by plates and a screw and thumb-nut, the parallelism of the
braces being preserved by suitable lugs on the plates; or they may overlie each
other and be held together by a clamp, or may be connected together in various
ways. Upon the adjacent edges of such braces toothed or grooved strips may also
be fixed, into which a common pinion may be made to work, and thus the straining
of the picture or other article be more easily and uniformly effected.
upon
For small pictures, maps, and the like on thick heavy paper, only the corner
pieces or clamp will be required; but if the picture, map, or the like is flexible
paper requiring support. elsewhere than at the corners, then the said braces may
be made use of.
.
The holder and its enclosed picture, map, or other article may be suspended by
cords attached to the corner pieces or to the braces, or by means of cords attached
to the upper and lower sides of the holder, and having that part of the cord which
passes over the nail or point of support connected to the other cords by a slide or
half-hitch, so that the angle of the picture with the wall may be varied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Albert Ward Hale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
September 1879.
ALBERT WARD HALE, of the City of New York, in the State of New York,
United States of America, Engineer. “IMPROVEMENTS IN FRAMES OR HOLDERS
FOR MAPS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of a device for holding and suspending pictures,
engravings, lithographs, photographs, chromos, drawings, inaps, plans, and archi-
tectural or mechanical drawings, which can be used as a temporary frame, or as a
substitute in place of frames as ordinarily constructed, and which is also adjust-
able in size and proportion, so that the same device or holder can be used for
pictures, maps, drawings, &c., of different sizes at the pleasure of the user.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, show a holder arranged for a square picture or map, and
Figs. 4 and 5 are arranged for a picture having a length greater than its breadth.
It consists generally of corner pieces or clamps constructed to receive the corners
of pictures, maps, &c., and so that they can be securely fastened thereto, with which
may be combined a series of braces, which have movement on each other to adjust
the holder to different-sized pictures, maps, &c., and by which the picture or thing
held can be strained as required.
The corner pieces or clamps a, a, may be made of metal cast in one piece, or of
wood, or composition, or the faces only of such clamps may be of wood or com-
position, with a metal or other strong back fastened together by screws or other
sufficient fastening, and the faces of such corner-clamps may be made of various
ornamental designs as preferred. Projecting from the back of such faces are.

page_text: pieces b, b, which form a right angle with each other, and against which the edges
of the corners of the picture, map, &c., rest, and connecting such right-angled
pieces b, b, is a cross-bar c, through which passes a screw d for attaching the clamp
to the picture, and holding the latter against the back side of the face of the clamp.
Such corner-pieces also receive the ends of the braces hereinafter mentioned, which
can also be fastened by the same screw d, or any equivalent device may be
used.
The braces e, e, e, e, connecting with the corner pieces or clamps a, a, may be
made of various materials or forms, but preferably as shewn in Fig. 3, the outer
ends being curved or bent, so as to rest upon the back of the picture, map, &c., at
their corners, and press the same as the screws d are turned against the back of the
face of the clamp. These braces are held together at the centre by plates f, g, and
a screw and thumb-nut h. The plates f, which confine the ends of the braces
together, are provided with lugs or projections i (as shown by the dotted lines in
Fig. 2 and 4) to preserve the parallelism of such braces, and cause them as they are
expanded to strain uniformly the picture, map, &c. These braces may also be so
placed as to overlie each other at the contre, and be held in position by a clamp
embracing them, a screw being used as before to hold them in any position, as
required by the size of the picture, &c.
Another arrangement of such braces is shown in Fig. 5, the braces being united
by means of rivets h, k, and screws 7, with thumb-nuts passing through slots t so
as to act as a toggle-joint. By this method greater force to strain the picture, &c.,
may be brought to bear upon the corners by applying pressure at k, k.
Other modes of connecting and arranging such braces may also be made use of,
the particular mode not being material so long as such braces are capable of
expansion and contraction, for the purposes mentioned.
If the picture or inap is small and on thick heavy paper, then only its corners
will require protection and support, and in such case only the corner-pieces or
clamps a, a, are necessary, which can be attached without the braces e, e, and withi
or without a glass to cover the picture, &c.
If the picture or map is upon flexible paper, or such as requires support besides
at the corners, then in such case the braces c, c, can be used in connection with the
corner-picces a, a, as shown in Fig. 2.
If the picture or map is of considerable or large size, and on paper that is thin or
flexible (as is very frequently the case in maps, engineers' drawings, and similar
representations), a device for extending the braces e, e, equally and simultaneously,
so as to strain the paper uniformly, is desirable. Such a device is shown in Figs. 4,
44, and 4b.
Along the edges of the braces e, e, at their ends which enter between the plates f, g,
are fixed toothed or geared metallic or other strips o, with which gears or works a
pinion 8, which may be, and preferably is, upon the same pin which confines such
plates and the braces together. By the use of such device the straining or
smoothing of large pictures, maps, drawings, &c., is easily effected, and without
injury of such papers.
The holder and its picture may be suspended by attaching a cord around the
screws by which the upper corner-clamps are secured to the picture, or by attaching
such cords, when it is desired to have the picture hang at an angle with the wall,
to the braces e, e, by means of holes or rings 1, 2, placed at different points, according
to the desired pitch of the picture.
The holder and its inclosed picture, map, &c., may also be suspended by cords
attached as follows:-The ends of the cord are attached to the upper screws d, d,
or a perforated piece projecting downward therefrom, and is then passed through
two holes m, m', in a block or slide n, and afterward through two holes in a
hook P attached to or connected with the lower screw d, and then back through
the hole m in the slide n, and the other end of the cord is secured in the same
manner on the other side of the frame or holder. The friction of the cord in the
holes in the hooks p, p, tends to keep taut that part of the cord between the upper

page_text: and lower fastenings, and the blocks or slides n slide on such cord, so that the
picture or map may be hung at any desired angle. The same result, though in not
so perfect a manner, can be secured if there is but a single hole in the hooks p,
and the slides or blocks n are dispensed with by attaching the free end of the cord
by a "half-hitch to the other part of the cord, which will act similarly to the
slides or blocks n, and thus admit of adjustment, so that the angle of the
picture with the wall may be varied.
"
What I claim as my Invention is,―
I. A picture or map holder, consisting of the corner pieces or clamps a, a, rigid
in all their parts, having projections b, b, to take and hold the corners of the picture,
and a cross-bar c, or its equivalent, to take a screw or other device for fastening the
corner of the picture in the corner-piece.
II. An adjustable picture or map holder, having separate corner-pieces or clamps
a, a, for receiving and securing the corners of the picture or map, in combination
with the adjustable braces e, e, e, e, so connected with each other as to be movable
upon or in respect to each other for varying the size and form of the holder, and
either with or without the holes or rings r, r, for suspending the same, substantially
as described.
III. In combination with the corner-clasps a and adjustable braces e, or their
equivalents, the gearing mechanism o, 8, or its equivalent, for the purposes set
forth.
IV. The mode of arranging and fastening the suspending-cords by attaching
the same at the upper and lower sides of the holder, and then connecting there-
with the free end of the cord by means of the slide n, or its equivalent, sub-
stantially as described, for suspending the holder from the wall at different angles
of inclination.
:
In witness whereof, I,. the said Albert Ward Hale, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord 1879.