Picture frame and corner bracket assembly

A corner construction in an assembled picture frame wherein frame sections are engaged end-to-end to enclose a predetermined area to form the frame with a forwardly facing front and a rearwardly facing back and wherein said frame sections have matching mitered ends at each corner of the frame, said construction comprising:

• each said frame section containing at least a region of material that is deformable under the imposition of a localized force, each said frame section having an end portion at each end defining a rearwardly opening channel entending forwardly into the depth of the frame section from the rear of the frame and communicating with a similar channel in the adjoining frame section, each said frame section defining a cavity that is open to the rear of the frame at said region of deformable material and that communicates with said channel, each said frame section further defining a deformable bearing surface comprising said deformable material adjacent said cavity;
• and
• a bracket having two legs disposed at an angle substantially identical to the angle formed by said two adjoining frame sections at said frame corner, said bracket being disposed within the channels of the two adjoining frame sections at the corner of the assembled frame, said bracket having a top margin and a bottom margin with said bracket bottom margin disposed in said channels forwardly of said bracket top margin, each said bracket leg having an engaging member received in one of said frame section cavities, said engaging member having an engaging wall defining a toothed engaging face that is engaged with said frame section deformable bearing surface, said toothed engaging face facing away from the end of the bracket leg and being inclined at an angle along the height of the bracket from the bracket top to the bracket bottom so as to dispose said engaging face closer to said frame corner with increasing distance from said bracket bottom whereby the two frame sections are forced together at the corner.

A corner bracket for a corner construction in an assembled picture frame wherein frame sections are engaged end-to-end to enclose a predetermined area to form the frame with a forwardly facing front and a rearwardly facing back, wherein said frame sections have matching mitered ends at each corner of the frame, wherein each said frame section contains at least a region of material that is deformable under the imposition of a localized force, wherein each said frame section has an end portion at each end defining a rearwardly opening channel extending forwardly into the depth of the frame section from the rear of the frame and communicating with a similar channel in the adjoining frame section, wherein each said frame section defines a cavity that is open to the rear of the frame at said region of deformable material and that is in communication with said channel, and wherein each said frame section further defines a deformable bearing surface comprising said deformable material adjacent said cavity, said bracket comprising:

• a generally rigid member having two legs disposed at an angle substantially identical to the angle formed by said two adjoining frame sections at said frame corner, said bracket having a top margin and a bottom margin, said bracket being adapted to be disposed within the channels of the two adjoining frame sections at the corner of the assembled frame with said bracket bottom margin disposed in said channels forwardly of said bracket top margin, each said bracket leg having an engaging member for being received in one of said frame section cavities, each said engaging member having an engaging wall defining a toothed engaging face facing away from the end of the bracket leg and which is adapted to engage said frame section deformable bearing surface, said toothed engaging face being inclined at an angle along the height of the bracket from the bracket top to the bracket bottom whereby, when said bracket is disposed within said frame section channels, said engaging face is closer to said frame corner with increasing distance from said bracket bottom to force the two frame sections together at the corner.