Decorative structural member and a method of making the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a structural decorative member which could be made of a different type of material, such as wood, plastic and metal, and serve as a supporting element in a construction field, such as a baluster for a railing, as well as a supporting peace of an article of a furniture, such as a leg for a decorative chair or a table. The structural member comprises a core made of one type of material and at least one sleeve made of another type of material, which is adhered on a top and surrounding said core. The core and the surrounding sleeve each has predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape complimenting each other. At least one circumferential groove of a preselected length and a depth, as well as a geometric shape, which is sufficient to reveal a portion of the core, is formed on a surface of the member. The groove defines a respective shoulder of predetermined geometric shape and dimensions. The number of grooves is determined by a favorable decorative pattern to be created on the surface. As the result, grooves and the respective shoulders form the variety of multi-colored and/or multi-shaped decorative patterns.

1 . A structural decorative member comprising 
 a core made of one type of material,    at least one sleeve made of another type of material surrounding said core, said core and said surrounding sleeve each having predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape complimenting each other, and    at least one circumferential groove, said groove being cut on a preselected length and a depth sufficient to reveal a portion of said core, whereby a desirable decorative pattern is formed on a surface of the member.    
   
   
       2 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said core is made of a wood having one type of a grain structure, and said at least one surrounding sleeve made of a wood having another type of a grain structure.  
   
   
       3 . A structural member according to  claim 1 , wherein said core is made of a plastic.  
   
   
       4 . A structural member according to  claim 1 , wherein said core is made of a metal.  
   
   
       5 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one circumferential groove has a preselected length and a depth of a size at maximum substantially equal to an outer size of the core, and defining a shoulder of a predetermined geometric shape and dimensions.  
   
   
       6 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 5 , wherein said groove is designed to have the depth of a size which is less than the outer size of said core.  
   
   
       7 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said core and said at least one surrounding sleeve are coaxial with each other to create the decorative pattern symmetrically arranged on said surface of said member.  
   
   
       8 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said core and said at least one surrounding sleeve are axially offset toward each other to create a free style decorative pattern on said surface of the member.  
   
   
       9 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein an inner size of said at least one surrounding sleeve is substantially equal to an outer size of said core.  
   
   
       10 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said groove is designed to have the depth of a size alternating along its length.  
   
   
       11 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 10 , wherein said groove is designed to have a variety of the geometric shapes or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       12 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 11 , wherein said groove has a frustum-conical shape.  
   
   
       13 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 11 , wherein said groove has a cylindrical shape.  
   
   
       14 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said surrounding sleeve is formed of at least two pieces complimenting each other to define an inner surface forming a cavity having a geometric shape corresponding to the geometric shape of said core.  
   
   
       15 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 14 , wherein said pieces when joint define the inner surface of a geometric shape substantially identical to the geometric shape of said core.  
   
   
       16 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 15 , wherein said core has a rounded shape.  
   
   
       17 . A structural decorative wood member according to  claim 15 , wherein said core has a square shape.  
   
   
       18 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 15 , wherein said core has a triangle shape.  
   
   
       19 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 15 , wherein said core has a rectangular shape.  
   
   
       20 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 19 , wherein said rectangular core oriented such that its longitudinal sides are parallel with the longitudinal sides of an outer surface of the surrounding sleeve.  
   
   
       21 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 15 , wherein said inner surface of said surrounding sleeve and its outer surface each has a different geometric shape.  
   
   
       22 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 21 , wherein said outer surface has a square shape and said inner surface has a rounded shape.  
   
   
       23 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 21 , wherein said outer surface has a square shape and said inner surface has a rectangular shape.  
   
   
       24 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 21 , wherein the outer surface has a square shape and the inner surface has a triangle shape.  
   
   
       25 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 1 , wherein said member includes a plurality of axially spaced grooves along the length thereof.  
   
   
       26 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 25 , wherein said plurality of grooves defines a plurality of axially spaced shoulders having a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape.  
   
   
       27 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 26 , wherein at least one of said grooves is designed to have different dimensions and the different geometric shape from others.  
   
   
       28 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 26 , wherein at least one of said shoulders is designed to have different dimensions and the different geometric shape from others.  
   
   
       29 . A structural decorative member comprising: 
 a core made of one type of material;    a plurality of sleeves made of another type of material, said sleeves surrounding each other in a consecutive order, so as an inner size of each of said consecutive sleeve is substantially equal to an outer size of a previous adjacent sleeve; and    a least one circumferential groove of a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape, said groove being dimensioned to have a circumference of a size substantially equal to a size of an outer surface of said core, and to define a shoulder of a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape, whereby a multi-colored multi-grained decorative pattern is form on a surface of said member.    
   
   
       30 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 29 , wherein said groove has a circumferential size which is less than the outer size of said core.  
   
   
       31 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 29 , wherein an inner size of an innermost sleeve adjacent to said core is substantially equal to an outer size of said core.  
   
   
       32 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 29 , said member including a plurality of axially spaced grooves along the length thereof.  
   
   
       33 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 32 , wherein said plurality of grooves defines a plurality of axially spaced shoulders having a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape.  
   
   
       34 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 32 , wherein each of said grooves is designed to have a variety of geometric shapes or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       35 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 34 , wherein at least one of said grooves is designed to have different dimensions and the different geometric shape from others.  
   
   
       36 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 32 , wherein each of said shoulders is designed to have a variety of geometric shapes or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       37 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 36 , wherein at least one of said shoulders is designed to have different dimensions and the different geometric shape from others.  
   
   
       38 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 29 , wherein each of said surrounding sleeves is formed of at least two pieces complimenting each other to compose a geometric shape corresponding to the geometric shape of said core.  
   
   
       39 . A structural decorative member according to  claim 38 , wherein said pieces when joint define an inner surface of a geometric shape substantially identical to the geometric shape of said core.  
   
   
       40 . Method of making the structural decorative member comprising the steps of: 
 preparing a core of a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape from one type of material;    preparing at least two pieces of a predetermined dimensions and a geometric shape from another type of material;    permanently joining said at least two pieces to form at least one sleeve surrounding the core;    forming at least one circumferential groove of a predetermined geometric shape and dimensions along a length of said decorative wood member, said groove having a circumference of a maximum size sufficient to partially reveal the core and defining a shoulder of a predetermined geometric shape and dimensions to create a variety of decorative patterns on a surface of the member.    
   
   
       41 . Method according to  claim 40 , said method further comprising a step of forming a plurality of axially spaced grooves along the length of said decorative member.  
   
   
       42 . Method according to  claim 40 , said method further comprising a step of forming a plurality of differently shaped axially spaced shoulders respective to said grooves along the length of the decorative member.