The disclosed embodiments are directed to methods and devices for securing pieces of furniture to a surface, such as a wall.
Furniture securing devices are known for helping to prevent pieces of furniture from tipping over. Typically a first plate is attached to a wall and a second plate is attached the back of a piece of furniture. A cord is attached to each of the plates to secure the furniture to the wall to resist tipping when a force is applied to the furniture.
According to one embodiment, a furniture mount includes a mounting plate arranged to be mounted to a piece of furniture, a first connector attachment plate attached to the mounting plate, the first connector attachment plate having a first opening sized to receive a connector, and a second connector attachment plate attached to the first connector attachment plate, the second connector attachment plate having a second opening sized to receive the connector. The first opening is arranged to receive at least a portion of the connector when the mounting plate is mounted to a first surface of the piece of furniture. The second opening is arranged to receive at least a portion of the connector when the mounting plate is mounted to a second surface of the piece of furniture, the second surface being different from the first surface.
According to another embodiment, a furniture securing device includes a connector, a furniture mount arranged to be mounted to a piece of furniture, the furniture mount including a mounting plate and first and second connector attachment plates, each of the first and second connector attachment plates having an opening sized to receive the connector, and the first connector attachment plate being oriented at an angle relative to the second connector attachment plate, and a wall mount arranged to be mounted to a wall. A first end of the connector is arranged to be attached to an opening of the first connector attachment plate when the furniture mount is mounted to a first surface of the piece of furniture. A second end of the connector is arranged to be attached to the wall mount.
According to another embodiment, a method of securing a piece of furniture to a wall includes mounting a furniture mount to a first surface of a piece of furniture, the furniture mount having a mounting plate and first and second connector attachment plates, each of the first and second connector attachment plates having an opening sized to receive a connector, and the first connector plate being angled relative to the second connector plate, mounting a wall mount to a wall, connecting a first end of the connector to an opening of the first connector attachment plate, and connecting a second end of the connector to the wall mount.
It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.
The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
Furniture securing devices are used to secure pieces of furniture to a surface, such as a wall, to help prevent the furniture from moving and/or tipping over. For example, furniture securing devices may be used to secure pieces of furniture in a child's room to help prevent the furniture from falling if the child climbs on the furniture.
Applicant has recognized that some furniture securing devices may not provide sufficient versatility in positioning an anti-tip device relative to a piece of furniture and a wall. For example, in anti-tip devices having a cord connected to two plates (one plate on the wall and one plate on the furniture), the ability of the devices to resist a load may depend on the angle of the cord relative to one or both plates when the load is applied. Applicant has recognized that advantages may be realized by providing an anti-tip furniture mount that is capable of being attached to either the rear and sides of the piece of furniture or the top of the piece of furniture, and achieve a desired angle between the cord (or other connector) and the furniture mount. In this manner, a wall mount mounted to the wall can be positioned directly behind the furniture or not directly behind the furniture, and a desired alignment of a connector (e.g., a cord) relative to the wall mount can be achieved. For example, when installed, the device may be positioned so that the cord is oriented substantially perpendicular to a plate of the furniture mount regardless of whether the furniture mount is attached to the rear or side of the furniture, or to the top of the furniture.
In some embodiments, the anti-tip device may permit a desired alignment of the cord (or other connector) relative to the furniture when the connector is perpendicular to an attachment plate of the mount regardless of whether the furniture mount is mounted to the rear or side of the furniture or to the top of the furniture. For example, in some embodiments, the furniture mount may include a furniture mounting plate and a first connector attachment plate which are arranged to orient the connector at a certain angle relative to a top surface of the furniture (e.g., parallel) when the furniture mount is mounted to the top surface of the furniture. The same furniture mount may include a second connector attachment plate which is arranged to orient the connector at a certain angle relative to a rear surface of the furniture (e.g., ninety degrees) when the furniture mount is mounted to the side or rear surface of the furniture.
The furniture mount may be arranged and used in such a manner that the cord (or other connector) can be oriented relative to a connector attachment plate within a desired range of angles regardless of whether the mount is attached to the rear, sides, or top of the furniture. For example, a first connector attachment plate may allow the cord to be oriented between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees relative to the first connector attachment plate when the furniture mount is mounted to the top of the furniture. A second connector attachment plate may similarly allow the cord to be oriented between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees relative to the second connector attachment plate when the furniture mount is mounted to the rear or side of the furniture.
Anti-tip devices disclosed herein may include a wall mount arranged to be mounted to a surface, such as a wall. In some embodiments, the wall mount may allow the angle of the connector to be adjustable relative to the wall, furniture, and/or connector attachment plate, as described in further detail below. As will be appreciated, although the wall mount is shown and described as being mounted to a wall, the wall mount may be mounted to other surfaces, such as to a ceiling, to secure the piece of furniture to the surface.
In some embodiments, by combining an adjustable wall mount with a furniture mount having multiple cord attachment plates, flexibility is provided regarding the placement of the furniture mount and the wall mount during installation, while maintaining the ability to keep the cord angle within a certain range. As will be appreciated, in traditional furniture securing devices, the plates are limited with respect to their position on the furniture and wall and also with respect to the alignment of the cord relative to the plates. This may result in pinching or bending of the cord or other connector, which may lead to an inferior securement of the piece of furniture to the surface.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a furniture securing device includes a furniture mount and a wall mount attachable to one another via a connector. In some embodiments, the furniture mount is mountable to a rear and/or side of a piece of furniture in a first orientation, and is mountable to a top of the piece of furniture in orientations different from the first orientation. In some embodiments, the connector may be a cord, a cable, a rope, a strap, or another suitable connector. The wall mount may include any suitable arrangement, such as bracket and an attached cord fastener. In some embodiments, the cord fastener is pivotable relative to the wall mount.
In some embodiments, the furniture mount may include a mounting plate arranged to attach the furniture mount to the rear, top, or sides of the piece of furniture (also referred to herein as furniture). In some embodiments, the furniture mount includes first and second connector attachment plates, each of the first and second connector attachment plates being arranged to attach the connector to the furniture mount. For example, in some embodiments, the connector is attachable to the first connector attachment plate when the furniture mount is attached to the top of the piece of furniture, and is attachable to the second connector attachment plate when the furniture mount is attached to the rear and/or side of the furniture. In some embodiments, by permitting attachment of the connector to the first or second connector attachment plates, the connector may be maintained at a desired angle relative to the furniture mount, wall mount, the piece of furniture, and/or the wall.
In some embodiments, the cord 106 may be directly attached to the furniture mount and/or to the wall mount. For example, as shown in
As will be appreciated, the connector may be attached to the cord fastener via any suitable method. As shown in
According to some embodiments, the furniture mount includes a bracket having multiple plates. In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
As will be appreciated, the plates may have any suitable shape and size. As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Although the mounting plate is shown as having three openings, the mounting plate may have zero, one, two, three, or more openings. As will be appreciated, fasteners need not be inserted in to each of the openings to mount the furniture mount to the furniture. For example, the mounting plate may have three openings, with fasteners being inserted into only two of the openings for mounting the furniture mount to the piece of furniture. The openings may be arranged in a row (e.g., horizontally aligned), although they may be vertically offset from one another. In some embodiments, the mounting plate may not have any openings, but may instead be adhered to the furniture, or attached in any suitable manner.
In some embodiments, as shown in
The opening 118 may be located in any suitable portion of each connector attachment plate. For example, the opening may be located in a central region of each connector attachment plate. The opening also may be located equidistant between the left and right sides of each connector attachment plate.
In some embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In another example, as shown in
Although the connector is shown as extending substantially perpendicular to the piece of furniture and wall (and also to the respective connector attachment plate), the wall mount may be attached to the wall such that the connector is angled relative to the piece of furniture and wall (and also to the respective connector attachment plate). For example, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the wall mount also includes one or more openings 138 formed in a rear panel for receiving fasteners to mount the wall mount to the surface (e.g., wall). As with the furniture mount, the openings 138 may be cylindrical to accommodate a screw. In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the cord fastener may be permanently attached to the wall mount. In such embodiments, the cord fastener may be pivoted out of the way of the one or more openings 138 on the rear panel 140 such that a user may insert screws into the openings to mount the wall mount onto the wall. For example, the cord fastener may be pivoted in a first direction (e.g., toward the openings located on a top portion of the rear panel) to allow the user to access the openings on the bottom of the rear panel. In such embodiments, by pivoting the cord fastener out of the way of the openings, the user may be able to more easily position device tools such as a screwdriver or a hammer near the wall mount to drive the fasteners into the surface.
In other embodiments, the cord fastener may be removably attachable to the wall mount. In such embodiments, the user may mount the wall mount to the surface (e.g., by using device tools to drive the fasteners into the openings and into the surface), after which point the user may attach the cord fastener to the wall mount.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of attaching the furniture securing device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes mounting the furniture mount to the top, rear, and/or side of the piece of furniture. In such embodiments, the user may position the mounting plate such that the mounting plate is on the top, rear, and/or side of the piece of furniture. In such embodiments, the second connector attachment plate is located farthest away from the top, rear, and/or side of the piece of furniture, and substantially parallel to the top and/or side of the piece of furniture. The first connector attachment plate extends substantially perpendicular to the top, rear, and/or side of the piece of furniture. In some embodiments the user may insert one or more fasteners into one or more openings in the mounting plate, and drive the one or more fasteners into the piece of furniture.
In some embodiments, the method includes mounting a wall mount to the surface (e.g., wall). In such embodiments, the user may insert one or more fasteners into one or more openings in the wall mount, and drive the one or more fasteners into the surface. In embodiments in which an cord fastener is used to attach the connector to the wall mount, and the cord fastener is permanently attached to the wall mount, the user may move the cord fastener out of the way of the openings prior to inserting the one or more fasteners. As will be appreciated, the wall mount may be attached prior to mounting the furniture mount to the piece of furniture, although the wall mount also may be attached after mounting the furniture mount to the piece of furniture.
In some embodiments, the method includes connecting the furniture mount to the wall mount via a connector. In some embodiments, the connector may be attached to the furniture mount and wall mount before the furniture mount and/or wall mount are mounted to their respective surface. For example, the user may insert the connector into the opening in the respective connector attachment plate of the furniture mount, attach the connector to the wall mount (e.g., via the cord fastener), and then attach the furniture mount and wall mount to the respective surfaces. The connector also may be attached to the furniture mount after the furniture mount is mounted to the piece of furniture (e.g., by inserting the connector through the opening in the respective connector attachment plate). In such embodiments, the connector may be attached to the furniture mount (e.g., via the connector attachment plate) before the wall mount is attached to the wall or may be attached to the wall mount after the wall mount is attached to the wall.
As will be appreciated, in embodiments in which the furniture mount is mounted to the top of the piece of furniture, the connector may be inserted into the opening in the first connector attachment plate. In embodiments in which the furniture mount is mounted to the side or back of the piece of furniture, the connector may be inserted into the second connector attachment plate. In such embodiments, the connector may be inserted into the respective opening such that the connector extends away from the back of the piece of furniture and towards the surface to which the user is securing the piece of furniture.
In some embodiments, the furniture mount and wall mount may be attached to one another via an adjustable connector. In such embodiments, the furniture mount and wall mount may be mounted to the respective surfaces, with the connector being tightened after mounting. In other embodiments, the connector (e.g., strap) connecting the furniture mount and the wall mount may not be adjustable.
Although the furniture mount is shown as being attached to the piece of furniture and the wall mount is shown as being attached to the surface such as a wall, in other embodiments, the furniture mount may be attached to the wall and the wall mount may be attached to the piece of furniture. In that regard, the pivoting anti-tip device (e.g., the wall mount) may be mounted to a piece of furniture while the non-pivoting attachment element (e.g., the furniture mount) may be mounted to the wall.
As will be further appreciated, although a furniture mount is shown as being attached to the piece of furniture and the wall mount is shown as being attached to the wall, in some embodiments, the furniture mount may be attached to both the piece of furniture and the wall. In such embodiments, the connector may not pivot relative to either mount.
Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.
Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62858484 | Jun 2019 | US |