Method and Apparatus for Framing Greeting Cards

Abstract

An apparatus for framing a greeting card in a manner that allows relatively simple access to the entire contents of the card, while still providing protection and a decorative presentation for the card, is disclosed. A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first mat, a second mat, and a mount board, each of which is equipped with magnetic surfaces to allow all three pieces to hold together when mounted in a picture frame. The first mat resembles a conventional mat used in framing art. The second mat, held to the first mat magnetically, contains two vertical slits that are sized to allow a greeting card to be threaded through the slits and thus mounted to the second mat. The mount board is placed behind the second mat and is held in place magnetically to the second mat. The mount board may be removed by pulling an attached tab.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates generally to framing equipment and supplies, such as would be used to frame works of art. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for facilitating the framing of greeting cards for display and preservation. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART [0002] Framing is a common method of decoratively displaying, as well as preserving, a document, photograph, or work of art. A paper product, such as a watercolor painting, photograph, or document, is typically framed in the following manner: The work (e.g., photograph, document, etc.) is generally mounted behind one or more semi-rigid mats, such that the portion of work to be displayed shows through the opening(s) in the mat(s). The matted work is then sandwiched between a pane of glass and a mount board or backing. This layered set of materials is placed within a frame, which fixes the relative lateral positions of the layered materials with respect to each other. Finally, some f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for framing a greeting card in a manner that allows relatively simple access to the entire contents of the card, while still providing protection and a decorative presentation for the card. A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first mat, a second mat, and a mount board, each of which is equipped with magnetic surfaces to allow all three pieces to hold together when mounted in a picture frame. The first mat resembles a conventional mat used in framing art. The second mat, which is held in place magnetically to the back of the first mat, contains two vertical slits that are sized to allow a greeting card to be threaded through the slits and thus mounted to the second mat. A self-adhesive magnet is provided for attaching to the card's envelope, and the second mat includes an additional magnetic surface that may be used to attach the card's envelope to the second mat. The mount board is placed behind the second mat and is held in place magnetically to the second mat. A pull tab extends from the front of the mount board to allow the mount board to be readily detached from the second mat to allow access to the card.

Problems solved by technology

While these existing framing techniques are suitable for single-sided works of art such as a single photograph or illustration, they are less suited for framing more complex works, such as a greeting card.

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