Screen frame and assembly

A screen frame comprising:

• a plurality of first pads, each having a first pad width and a first face, from which face, spaced stems project in an ordered arrangement;
• a plurality of second pads, each having a second pad width and a second face formed with at least one receptacle extending into the second pad, the receptacle being shaped to receive at least one of the stems from the first pad with frictional engagement therebetween;
• a screen material having a weave corresponding in substantial space relation with the spacing of the stems, a portion of the screen being engaged between the first pad and the second pad with each stem passing through the mesh of the weave before passing through the corresponding opening and into the receptacle thereof;
• and
• a cover for covering at least a portion of mated first and second pads, the cover having an outer face and spaced outside and inside sidewalls extending substantially perpendicular from the outer face, each sidewall having an engagement finger extending inwardly at a substantially right angle from said respective sidewall for engagement with locking engagement teeth at respective outside and inside surfaces of either said first or second covered pads;
• wherein the plurality of first pads or plurality of second pads are configured into a multi-sided frame shape and securely attached at opposing ends;
• and
• wherein the engagement finger of the outside sidewall is engageable with locking engagement teeth on the outside surface of either said first or second covered pads, and the engagement finger of the inside sidewall is engageable with the locking engagement teeth on the inside surface of the covered second pads, the outer face of the cover extends across the width of the engaged second pads, and said sidewalls of the cover extends alongside at least a portion of both the outside and inside surfaces of said second pads.

A method for making a multi-sided screen frame using a plurality of first pads, with each pad having a first width and stems projecting in an ordered, spaced arrangement from an inner surface, and a plurality of second pads, with each having a second width, an inner surface and at least one receptacle arranged to align with the stems, each receptacle being extendable into a thickness of the second pad, the method comprising the steps of:

• linearly aligning for attachment the plurality of first pads into a multi-sided frame shape;
• attaching each aligned first pad to a linearly adjacent first pad at abutting ends;
• inserting the stems of the first pad through the mesh of a screen;
• mating at least one of the first pads with one of the second pads by aligning the receptacle of said mating second pad with the stems of the mating first pad, and applying force in opposite directions to the outer surfaces of the first and second pads sufficiently to insert the stems into said receptacle, thereby securing the noted first and second pads to the screen of the assembled multi-sided frame;
• and
• covering at least a portion of the mated first and second pads with a cover having an outer face and spaced outside and inside sidewalls extending substantially perpendicular from the outer face, each sidewall having an engagement finger extending laterally inward at an angle from said respective sidewall for engagement with at least one of the locking engagement teeth of an outside wall of either said mated first or second pads and the inside sidewall engagement finger of the cover engages at least one of the inside locking engagement teeth of the mated second pads, the outer face of the cover extends across the width of the second pads engaged by the cover, and said sidewalls of the cover extend alongside and aesthetically cover at least a portion of both the outside and inside walls of said engaged second pads.