US1764398A - Ornamented screen - Google Patents

Description

1930- 4 M. F. FITZ GERALD 1,

ORNAMENTED SCREEN Filed Feb. 26, 1927 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 ORNAMENTED SCREEN Application filed February 26, 1927. Serial No. 171,179.

Heretofore, ornamented screens have been produced by filling in the meshes of .the entire surface of the woven-fabric section in order to obtain a base on which the design of the ornamentation and its details could be placed. Such filling in was commonly accomplished by dipping the screen into a suitable adherent solidifying material, which by adhering to the strands of the meshes formed a web therein.

But by such covering and closing of all the meshes the passage of air and light through the whole screen is blocked, while the area of the screen surface necessarily covered because lying within the outline or profile of the design may be only a small part of the entire area of the Woven fabric.

lVhere the screen is to be used in a window, the exclusion of air and light would be undesirable. Also, where the screen is used for a fireplace, it is desirable that the glow of the fire on the hearth, and the heat therefrom should be permitted free passage through the greater portion of the screen. In short, the

ornamentation of the screen should not detract from its utility.

The object of my invention is to produce an ornamental screen, the body of which consists of open mesh fabric, for example, wire cloth, without intercepting the passage of light and air through those portions of the screen not lying within the design, 'or the profile of the decorative base upon which the details of the design are placed.

Thus, if the screen is to be used in a window, a substantial part of the meshes will be left open for the passage of light and air; and if the screen is to be used for a fireplace, the meshes not lying within the outlines of 9 the design will permit the passage of the glow and heat of the fire on the hearth.

I attain my object by filling in, in whole or part, with a suitable plastic adherent solidifying material, only those meshes of the screen which lie within the outlines, or profile, of the design of the ornamentatlon; 1n that way to provide a web constituting a back-ground or decorative base, as it were, on which the details of the design may be imposed as desired; the meshes lying wlthout 'efiect is desired.

the outline of the design being left open for the passage of light and air.

The filling of the meshes of the fabric to form said web may be conveniently done with a material consisting largely of a substance like plaster of Paris and where a translucent decorative base is desired, a material consisting largely of a parafiin or wax may be employed. Since these substances are more or less brittle, and the body of the screen will be subjected to more or less flexing in service, the decorative webs are liable tochip and break off the strands of the fabric, unless secured in place by a flexible casing. There fore I encase both sides of the web with a skin of pliant moisture proof and heat resisting material, which encasing skin functions to secure and hold the decorative web or base firmly in the meshes of the fabric, and pre vent the same from being chippedor broken off by the flexing of the screen in service, as otherwise would be likely to occur.

The mode of carrying my invention into practice is hereinafter fully described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a fireplace screen, the woven fabric body of whichis ornamented in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 shows a magnified section of the woven fabric illustrating the'mo'de of application to the meshes lying within the outlines or profile of the design,of the fillingin material which shall constitute the decorative base of the design; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated or pointed toby the arrows and illustrates the making of the decorative base in relief where such In carrying my invention into practice, I first draw an outline of the design on the woven fabric body of my screen, and then produce a web in those of the meshes of the fabric'lying within said outline, by filling in such meshes with a suitable plastic, adhesive material, capable of attaining substantial solidity.

In that way a web is formed in said meshes which provide the decorative base upon which the details of the design may be placed.

The said filler may consist of gesso, by itself which is a compound of calcium sulphate similar in its characteristics to plaster of Paris, or thickened with wood flour, or other suitable material, and colored as desired by mixing therewith oil paint. The filler may be applied by a spatula.

On the webs or decorative base so produced, may then be painted the details of the design. The painting may be-done in water colors, or in oil.

lVhere the design is to be finished in relief, or embossed effect, wood flour or similar suitable material may be mixed with the oil paint together with a suitable color and with gesso, or other binder, to produce a plastic mass with which the relief effect may be worked out, as in modeling; and the relief base of the decorative design so produced, may then be further ornamented by placing thereon the details of the design, and the finished product coated over by a suitable protective varnish.

As mentioned, Fig. 1 illustrates a screen decorated in accordance with my invention; a representing the frame and Z) the wovenfabric body bearing the ornamentation; and

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged, or magnified, section of the portion of the woven-fabric body I) on the surface of which the web or decorative base, as c, is produced as mentioned. In order toillustrate the mode of working my method, the left hand, upper portion of the web or decorative base a as shown in: Fig. 2 has a portion of the details of the design imposed thereon, whilethe other portion of the web or decorative'base is shown as representing a merearea or surface enclosed by the outline of the design, without the details of the design having as yet been placed thereon. In the section Fig. 3 the decorative base is formed as mentioned so as toprovidea relief effect, as at d.

When the screen is to be used for a window, the Web in the meshes of its woven-fabric body should be produced of translucent material. Such material is available in paraffin. The paraflin is first rendered plastic by heating, and is then applied with a spatula to the meshes lying within the outlines of the design to be imposed upon the screen.

Finally the surface of both sides of the web of the filled-in area, that is the decorative base, must be coated with the elastic moisture and heat resisting material, preferably a suitable transparent varnish, in order to 'encase both sides of the web with a transparent elastic skin whose edge is then firmly secured to the meshes of the fabric lying without the web or decorative base, and thereby to prevent the chipping and breaking off of the decorative web from the strands of the fabric constituting the body of the screen, which chipping-or breaking off, asabove mentioned, would otherwise be liable to occur, due to the unavoidable flexing of the screen in service. Incidentally the said skin covering protects the design against heat and moisture to which it may be exposed in service.

In my experience, I found it best to give the said surfaces not less than two coats of varnish of the character mentioned, in short the web or decorative base should be given a sufficient number of coats of the varnish to protect the web in its entirety, and the decorations thereon placed, from chipping or cracking or being afiected by heat, or moisture the latter occurring in exposure, in the case of my screen being used for a window or door; or in the cleaning of the screen however used.

I claim:

1. An ornamental screen of the character described, comprising a body of open mesh fabric, a decorative Web affixed in those meshes of the fabric of the screen body lying within the outline of the ornamentation to be placed on the screen, said decorative web consisting of a semi-resilient material and hearing the embellishments of the decoration, and a skin ofelastic moisture and heat proof material encasing both sides of the decorative web and securing the same on the fabric, thereby to prevent the chipping and breaking off of the decorative web from the strands of the fabric by the flexing of the screen body.

2. An ornamental screen of the character described, comprising a body of open mesh fabric, a decorative web affixed in those meshes of the fabric of the screen body lying within-the outline of the ornamentation to be placed on the screen, said decorative web consisting of semi-resilient translucent material and bearing, the embellishments of the decoration, and a skin of elastic moisture and heat proof material encasing both sides of the decorative web and securing the same on the fabric, thereby to prevent the chipping and breaking. off of the decorative web from the strands of the fabric by the flexing of the screen body.

MARION FORSYTH FITZ GERALD.

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