1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a frame assembly for displaying objects. More particularly, the invention pertains to a segmented frame having an adjustable depth to form a variable three dimensional enclosure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices are available for displaying three dimensional objects in a frame. U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,306 describes an apparatus for displaying such objects on a display panel that includes a panel layer formed of a penetrable, stiff material sandwiched between a layer of a penetrable, flexible sheet material and a layer of mesh material. The objects are held in position by wires looping about the objects and extending through the display panel. The depth of the display panel is not adjustable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,305 illustrates and describes an adjustable framing system for three-dimensional objects having an access door in the rear that allows objects to be easily inserted, temporarily removed for examination, and then returned. The framing system has a deep compartment for holding publications having a variety of sizes by using matting in the front of a document, shims for vertically and horizontally locating the document in the frame, and back shims for locating the document correctly in the frame depth. Merely increasing the thickness of the backing shims changes the cavity depth. Separate display compartments are provided for displaying thin sheets of paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,483 discloses a display frame for holding a magazine or similar article to display the cover. The frame has a front piece and rear piece, the rear having a back and walls, the front having a bezel and walls. The walls telescope together forward and rearward, and ratchets and pawls hold a selected spacing between the front and rear pieces at a set position. Removable tabs in the frame can be broken out or retained to position the magazine within the frame for the desired aesthetic appearance. The depth of the cavity can be adjusted only by fitting a pawl in a ratchet recess. The front and back of the frame are each unitary, requiring no joints or attachments for connecting segments. The cavity depth is limited to the narrow range of displacement of the front and back portions of the frame, and its adjustability is limited to the spacing between the racket recesses.
The frame described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,922 includes a pair of edge members for engagement along opposite edges of a picture, and a pair of clamping assemblies, extending between the pair of edge members for holding the components in position. The depth of the space occupied by the display object is established by the thickness of a panel on which the object is mounted, similar to shimming. A screw passing through a backing engages a body portion of the frame of U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,714 and holds the display item fixed against the frame. There is no provision for adjusting the depth of the display cavity to suit the size of the object.