Picture Frame

This application claims priority to Chinese Application No. 202420704819.5 filed 8 Apr. 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present application relates to the technical field of framing devices, and in particular to a picture frame.

Art picture frames are devices used for display and exhibition of calligraphy works, paintings, photographs, or posters. The design of the art picture frames not only protects the works, but also enhances the beauty and enjoyment of the artworks. Most traditional art picture frames have an integrated wooden frame structure. Although this structure is classic and possesses traditional aesthetic value, it sometimes causes inconvenience in practice.

First, the mounting of a picture requires collaboration of multiple people. They tension the picture hard and fix it with rows of nails, leading to a laborious and time-consuming process. Large frames are more difficult to mount due to their considerable size, requiring more human and material resources.

Secondly, when the picture needs replacement, all the fixed nails must be removed first, so that the old picture can be taken out and the new one can be mounted. This not only makes it more difficult to replace the picture, but also may damage the picture when removing the nails and hammering new ones, which will affect the integrity and aesthetics of the picture.

Furthermore, it is inconvenient to package and transport the traditional large-scale art picture frames. Due to their large size and heavy weight, these frames not only occupy considerable space but also cause high transportation costs. If hit or crushed during transportation, the frames may be deformed or damaged, hence hurting the service life and display effect of the frames.

Therefore, solving at least one of these issues is a technical problem for those skilled in the art.

Preferred embodiments of the present application seek to provide a picture frame to address at least one of the problems related to the mounting difficulty and inconvenience in replacement and transportation of the traditional picture frame.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a picture frame, comprising four frame sides forming a rectangular frame structure, wherein an end portion of each frame side is provided with a mounting groove, and the frame side is provided with a picture groove for receiving an edge of a picture; four corners, wherein each corner is arranged between two adjacent frame sides and is provided with an insertion portion, and the insertion portion is configured to be inserted into the mounting groove and connected to the mounting groove in a detachable manner, wherein each of the frame sides comprises a first side which faces away from a wall surface during use and a second side which faces the wall surface during use, and wherein the picture groove is provided on the first side and/or the second side of each of the frame sides.

In one embodiment, the frame further comprises: corner cover plates, the corner is provided with a corner groove, and the corner cover plate is configured to press a part of the picture at the corner into the corner groove; and one of the corner and the corner cover plate is provided with a corner engagement groove, and the other one of the corner and the corner cover plate is provided with a corner engagement protrusion that is configured to be inserted in the corner engagement groove.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, the insertion portion is provided with an elastic protrusion that is configured to abut against a side wall of the mounting groove for position limiting.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, the entire elastic protrusion is strip-shaped and is arranged along an extension direction of the insertion portion. One end of the elastic protrusion away from the corner is connected to the insertion portion, and the other end of the elastic protrusion close to the corner is spaced apart from the insertion portion. A side of the elastic protrusion away from the insertion portion has a convex curved structure, which is configured to abut against the side wall of the mounting groove.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, a silicone strip is configured to be mounted to the picture. The picture groove is arranged along an extension direction of the frame side, and the silicone strip is configured to be embedded in the picture groove.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, a side of the frame side for being oriented away from a wall surface is referred to as a first side, and another side of the frame side for facing the wall surface is referred to as a second side.

The picture groove is provided on the first side of the frame side and/or the second side of the frame side.

In an embodiment, the above picture frame further includes a corner cover plate that is connected to the corner in a detachable manner, and the corner cover plate is provided with a hanging hole for hanging; and/or the corner is provided with a corner accommodating notch for insertion of the picture.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, the corner is provided with a corner groove, and the corner cover plate is configured to press a part of the picture at the corner in the corner groove; and/or

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, a disassembly opening is provided between the corner and the corner cover plate for insertion of a disassembly tool to separate the corner engagement protrusion and the corner engagement groove from each other.

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, a reinforcing support is provided between two adjacent frame sides; and/or

In an embodiment, based on the above picture frame, the frame side is made of aluminum profile, and the corner is made of plastic or metallic material.

The picture frame according to the present application includes four frame sides and four corners, and the frame sides form a rectangular frame structure. The end portion of each frame side is provided with the mounting groove, and the frame side is provided with the picture groove for fixing the picture. The picture groove is arranged along the extension direction of the frame side. Four edges of the picture are fixed to the picture grooves of the four frame sides in one-to-one correspondence. Each corner is arranged between two adjacent frame sides and is provided with the insertion portion configured to be inserted into the mounting groove. The insertion portion is connected to the mounting groove in a detachable manner, so as to connect the two adjacent frame sides to each other. In this way, the frame sides are fixed to form the rectangular frame structure, thereby fixing the picture.

Compared with the picture frame having an integrated structure in the conventional technology, according to the present application, the parts of the picture frame can be detachably connected through the insertion fit between the mounting groove and the insertion portion without fixation by screws. Therefore, the picture frame can be easily assembled and disassembled, which facilitates carrying and transportation, thereby effectively reducing the packaging and transportation costs.

A core of the present application is to disclose a picture frame to solve at least one of the problems related to the mounting difficulty and inconvenience in replacement and transportation of the traditional picture frame.

Embodiments are illustrated hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the content of the present application described in the claims. Furthermore, the overall content of the following embodiments are not limited to the necessary solutions described in the claims. It should be noted that, to facilitate description, only the parts related to the present application are shown in the drawings. Without contradiction, the embodiments and the features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other.

Referring to, a picture frame according to an embodiment of the present application includes four frame sidesand four corners, and the frame sidesform a rectangular frame structure. An end portion of each frame sideis provided with a mounting groove, and each frame sideis provided with a picture groovefor fixing a picture. In one embodiment, the grooveis configured to receive an edge of the picture for securing the picture against the frame side. The picture grooveis arranged along an extension direction of the frame side. Four edges of the picture can be fixed to the picture groovesof the four framesin one-to-one correspondence. Each corneris arranged between two adjacent frame sidesof the four frame sidesand is provided with an insertion portionconfigured to be inserted into the mounting groove. The insertion portionis connected to the mounting groovein a detachable manner, so that the two adjacent frame sidesare connected to each other. In this way, the frame sidesare fixed to form the rectangular frame structure, thereby fixing the picture.

Compared with the picture frame having an integrated structure in the conventional technology, according to the present application, the parts of the picture frame can be detachably connected through the insertion fit between the mounting grooveand the insertion portionwithout fixation by screws. Therefore, the picture frame can be easily assembled and disassembled, which facilitates carrying and transportation, thereby effectively reducing the packaging and transportation costs.

Preferably, the corneris made of plastic or metallic material, and can be integrally formed by injection molding, casting or the like, so as to facilitate the processing and production of the corner, which has a complex structure. The frame sidemay be made of aluminum profile or plastic material, and may be preferably made of aluminum profile to achieve a certain structural strength.

The four frame sidesare divided into two groups of parallel frame sides. The frame sidesin one group are defined as first frame sides, and the frame sidesin the other group are defined as second frame sides. Referring to, the cornerhas two insertion portionsthat are respectively inserted in the first frame side and the second frame side, and the cornerand the insertion portionsform an overall L shape. The cornerextends beyond the frame side. Such arrangement allows the end surface of the frame sideto be directly processed into a flat surface, thereby facilitating production.

During mounting, the cornersare respectively mounted to two ends of each first frame side firstly. Then, the two second frame sides are mounted to the two first frame sides in one-to-one correspondence to form assemblies. Finally, the two assemblies are assembled into a whole.

To achieve the detachable connection between the frame sideand the corner, a side of the insertion portionis provided with an elastic protrusion. When the insertion portionis inserted into the mounting groove, the elastic protrusionabuts against a side wall of the mounting groove, so that the insertion portionand the mounting groove are positioned relative to each other and are assembled with each other.

Referring to, according to a further optimized solution, the entire elastic protrusionis strip-shaped and is arranged along an extension direction of the insertion portion. One end of the elastic protrusionaway from the corneris connected to the insertion portion, and the other end of the elastic protrusionclose to the corneris spaced apart from the insertion portion. In this way, a gap is provided between the main body part of the elastic protrusionand the insertion portionfor the deformation of the elastic protrusionunder a force. A side of the elastic protrusionaway from the insertion portionhas a convex curved structure, which is configured to abut against the side wall of the mounting groove.

The end of the elastic protrusionconnected to the insertion portionis defined as a connected end, and the other end of the elastic protrusionnot in connection is defined as an unconnected end. With such arrangement, when mounting the cornerto the frame side, a force applied to the connected end of the elastic protrusionadapts to a moving direction of the insertion portion, so that the main body part of the elastic protrusionmoves close to the insertion portionuntil the curved structure of the elastic protrusionis tightly engaged with the side wall of the mounting groove. When separating the cornerfrom the frame side, the unconnected end of the elastic protrusionwill not be limited by the mounting grooveto prevent the insertion portionfrom departing from the mounting groove.

Multiple elastic protrusionsmay be provided on each insertion portion.

It is understandable that, different pictures (such as paper pictures and cloths) may be detachably fixed to the picture groovein different manners. For example, for some pictures, a silicone strip is sewn at an edge of the picture. The picture is fixed to the picture frame by embedding the silicone strip into the picture groove.

To better cooperate with the silicone strip, the shape of the cross section of the picture groovecorresponds to the shape of the cross section of the silicone strip. For example, if the silicone strip has a strip groove running from one end to the other end of the silicone strip, a strip protrusion for insertion fit with the strip groove is provided in the picture groove.

The picture frame is configured to be fixed to a wall surface. One side of the frame sidefor being oriented away from the wall surface is defined as a first side, and the other side of the frame sidefor facing the wall surface is defined as a second side. The picture grooveis provided on the first side of the frame sideand/or the second side of the frame side.

If the picture grooveis provided on the first side of the frame side, the edge of the picture can be fixed to the picture grooveon the first side of the frame side, and an edge part of the picture frame can be exposed. Correspondingly, referring to, a right-angle picture matching grooveis provided on the corner. Two ends of the picture matching grooveare in communication with the picture groovesof the first frame side and the second frame side respectively for fixing a corner of the picture.

If the picture grooveis provided on the second side of the frame side, the main body part of the picture is arranged on and in contact with the first side of the picture frame. The edge of the picture is folded at an outer edge of the frame sideto be fixed to the picture grooveon the second side of the frame side. With this mounting manner, the entire picture frame is hidden behind the picture. The user may select from the mounting manners for hiding or exposing the picture frame.

The picture frame according to the present application can be reused for multiple times, and there is no need to disassemble the picture frame when replacing the picture after finishing the assembly of the picture frame.

The corneris further provided with a corner accommodating notch, and the picture is inserted into the corner accommodating notch. With the mounting manner for hiding the picture frame, four corners of the picture can be inserted into the corner accommodating notches. It is understandable that, the corner accommodating notchis specifically arranged at the sharp corner at the periphery of the corner, and corresponds to the position of the corner of the folded picture.

Specifically, the picture frame according to the present application is fixed to the wall surface through an opening or a hanging ring that is separately provided. In an embodiment, referring to, the picture frame further includes corner cover platesthat are detachably connected to the cornersin one-to-one correspondence. Each corner cover plateis arranged at a side of the picture frame facing the wall surface, and is provided with a hanging holefor hanging, so that the picture frame can be hanged on the wall surface through screws or other components.

Alternatively, the corner cover plateis a magnetic component, so that the picture frame is attached to a plate surface made of metallic material.

Specifically, in order to achieve the detachable connection between the corner cover plateand the corner, one of the cornerand the corner cover plateis provided with a corner engagement groove, and the other one of the cornerand the corner cover plateis provided with a corner engagement protrusionthat is configured to be inserted in the corner engagement groove. Referring to, in this present embodiment, four corner engagement protrusionsare provided on the corner cover plate, and correspondingly, four corner engagement groovesare provided on the corner. The hanging holeis arranged at the center of the four corner engagement protrusions. The corner cover plateand the cornerare connected by snap-fit, so as to avoid damage to the picture.

In a further optimized solution, the corneris provided with a corner groove. With the mounting manner for hiding the picture, the corner cover platecan press a part of the picture folded over to the second side of the frame sideat the cornerinto the corner groove, thereby fixing the corner of the picture. For example, the picture can be pressed into the corner engagement grooveby the corner engagement protrusion.

During specific implementation, the silicone strip on the picture is engaged into the picture grooveon the second side of the frame sidefirst, and then the corner of the picture is inserted into the corner accommodating notch. After that, the remaining part of the picture is inserted in the corner groove by the corner cover plate, and finally, the cornerand the corner cover plateare fixed by snap-fit.

To facilitate the disassembly of the corner cover plateand the corner, a disassembly opening is further provided between the cornerand the corner cover platefor insertion of a disassembly tool to separate the corner engagement protrusionand the corner engagement groovefrom each other. For example, a disassembly tool, such as a screwdriver, can be inserted into the disassembly opening, so that the replacement of the picture can be completed by operation of a single person.

For picture frames having a large size, a reinforcing supportis provided between two adjacent frame sidesto enhance the connection strength. For example, as shown in, if the length of each first frame side is greater than the length of each second frame side, the reinforcing supportis preferably arranged between the two first frame sides. The reinforcing supportmay be perpendicular to the extension direction of the first frame sides.

Referring to, the reinforcing supportmay have a plate or rod structure. A weight reduction groovemay be provided on the plate structure to reduce the mass of the structure.

Based on the above description of the disclosed embodiments, those skilled in the art are capable of carrying out or using the present application. It is obvious for those skilled in the art to make many modifications to these embodiments. The general principle defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Specific technical methods in some embodiments can be partially or completely combined with another embodiment if they are not explicitly excluded by another embodiment. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the embodiments illustrated herein, but should be defined by the broadest scope consistent with the principle and novel features disclosed herein.