Patent Application
20080093519
Generally described, the present invention provides a hanger apparatus for supporting items such as plants, birdhouses, wind chimes, wind catchers, flags, and even mailboxes. The hanger apparatus has a mounting assembly and an extension and support assembly. The mounting assembly is adapted for mounting to vertical members such as conventional rail pickets and posts commonly used in the construction of homes and other buildings, without making any holes in any of the vertical members. The mounting assembly includes frictional lock members that engage at least one of the vertical members with an interference fit to prevent the hanger apparatus from sliding or otherwise moving downwardly. The extension and support assembly extends away from the vertical members and provides a location for supporting one or more of the items with clearance from the vertical members. Preferably, the extension and support assembly includes a cantilevered arm or a cantilevered platform. The one or more items can be supported by hanging them in suspension or by resting them on top of the extension and support assembly.
Preferably, the support arm 20 is substantially perpendicular to the pickets 12 and 14. Also preferably, the support arm 20 is a rod or beam that is substantially parallel to the underlying surface (i.e., ground). Additionally, the support arm 20 can be oriented at any angle relative to the pickets 12 and 14. In alternative embodiments, the support arm 20 can take any form. For example, the support arm 20 can also be a curved arm, rather than a substantially straight (or linear) beam as shown. Thus, the arm 20 can include any of a variety of bends, curves, or kinks and still be within the scope of the present invention. For example, the arm 20 can be constructed in the shape of a leaf, bird, animal, geometric shape, alpha-numeric character, etc.
Preferably, a conventional holder or hanger 30 is located at the extended end of the support arm 20. The hanger 30 can be a separate piece that is attached to the support arm. Alternatively, the hanger 30 and the support arm 20 can be a single, unitary piece. For example, the hanger 30 can include a hook, an eyelet, a crook in the arm 20, a notch in the upper surface of the arm 20, etc.
The extension arms 16 and 18 insert into the space between the adjacent pickets 12 and 14, and two transverse frictional lock members 32 and 34 are attached to the extension arms during installation by fasteners 40-43 and 44-47. The frictional lock members 32 and 34 are positioned on opposing front and rear sides of the pickets 12 and 14 to contact and frictionally engage the pickets to hold the hanger apparatus in place without penetrating and degrading the pickets. Preferably, the frictional lock members 32 and 34 are positioned on vertically offset horizontal surfaces of the extension arms 16 and 18 to provide a very tight interference fit with little or no looseness or “play.” For example, in the depicted embodiment the front lock member 32 (at the front sides of the pickets 12 and 14, with “front” being from the viewpoint of the hung item) is positioned at bottom sides of the extension arms 16 and 18 and secured thereto with fasteners 40-43. On the other hand, the rear lock member 34 (at the rear sides of the pickets 12 and 14) is positioned at top sides of the extension arms 16 and 18 and secured thereto with fasteners 44-47. In this arrangement, the weight of the hung item tends to pivot downwardly the extended end of the support arm 20. This pivotal biasing of the hanger apparatus 10 causes compressive forces by the upper lock member 34 against the rear sides of the pickets 12 and 14 and by the lower lock member 32 against the front sides of the pickets. These compressive forces work to frictionally secure the hanger apparatus 10 in place.
As mentioned, the mounting ends of the extension arms 16 and 18 (and a portion of the support arm 20, depending on the particular railing) insert into the space between the adjacent pickets 12 and 14. Therefore, the widths of the extension arms 16 and 18 and the support arm 20, as well as the lengths of the lock members 32 and 34, are preferably selected based on typical picket spacing of several inches. And the lengths of the extension arms 16 and 18 and the support arm 20 are selected to provide the desired clearance from the railing. In a typical commercial embodiment, the support arm 20 and the extension arms 16 and 18 are provided by 1″×2″×10″ wood members, the frictional lock members 32 and 34 are provided by 1″×2″×8″ wood members, the transverse braces 26 and 28 and the fasteners 40 are provided by conventional nails or screws, and the hanger 30 is provided by a conventional screw-threaded hook. The hanger apparatus 10 so constructed is well-suited for use with a range of picket sizes, and works particularly well with 2″×2″ wood pickets. In another typical commercial embodiment, the support arm 20, the extension arms 16 and 18 and the frictional lock members 32 and 34 are provided by ½″ steel rods. Preferably, the steel rods are powder-coated to prevent corrosion. This hanger apparatus so constructed is also well-suited for use with a range of picket sizes, and works particularly well with metal pickets. In such an embodiment, preferably, there are prefabricated holes in the extension arms, support arms, and frictional lock members for receiving the fasteners 40-47.
To install and use the hanger apparatus 10, the assembled extension and support arms 20, 22, and 24 are inserted into the space between the pickets 12 and 14 and oriented at about ninety degrees to the longitudinal axis of the pickets. Then the assembled extension and support arms 20, 22, and 24 are held in place (e.g., by the installer or a helper) while the front and rear lock members 32 and 34 are installed in place with fasteners 40. At this point, the hanger apparatus 10 may well stay in place by itself, but to be safe it should still be held in place until after the item is hung from the hanger 30. The vertical position of the hanger apparatus 10 can be adjusted by lifting the extended end of the support arm 20 to substantially release the frictional “lock,” sliding the hanger apparatus up or down to the desired location, and lowering the support arm end to re-engage the frictional “lock.”
Similar to the first embodiment, the support arm 116 is a substantially straight rod that is perpendicular to the pickets 112 and 114 and substantially parallel to the underlying surface (i.e., ground). However, in alternative embodiments, the support arm 20 can take any form such that it includes any of a variety of bends, curves, or kinks and/or be oriented at any angle relative to the pickets 112 and 114 and still be within the scope of the present invention.
The frictional lock members 132 and 134 are positioned on opposite sides of pickets 112 and 114 to contact and frictionally engage the pickets to hold the hanger apparatus 110 in place without penetrating and degrading the pickets. Preferably, the frictional lock members 132 and 134 are constructed of aluminum or another durable, yet lightweight material. Alternatively, the frictional lock members 132 and 134 can be constructed of steel, other metals, plastics, fiberglass, and composite materials. The extension and support arm 116 extends through holes (or notches, slots, or other openings) 128 and 130 in the lock members 132 and 134. The extension and support arm 116 is held in place by conventional fasteners selected for use with the extension and support arm, for example, a nut 136 and a wing nut 138. Preferably, the end of the support arm 116 is threaded for receiving the nut 136 and wing nut 138. In a typical commercial embodiment, the threaded portion is approximately three inches in length. However, in alternative embodiments, the entire length of the rod 118 can be threaded or only certain portions thereof can be threaded. To attach the hanger apparatus 110, one simply positions the lock members 132 and 134 on the front and back sides of two pickets 112 and 114 and parallel to each other, and inserts the threaded rod 116 through the aligned holes 128 and 130. The nut 136 can be adjusted to provide enough threaded length of the rod 116, based on the size of the pickets 112 and 114, to tighten the wing nut 138. The wing nut 138 is then tightened until the hanger apparatus 110 is secure. Thus, an item can be suspended from the crook 120 by threading a rope, cord, chain or the like through the eye nut and suspending the item therefrom.
Notably, the first and second embodiments can be configured to mount to a conventional shadow box fence without making any holes or markings on the shadow box fence. Those skilled in the art will understand how to adjust the dimensions of the apparatuses 10 and 110 to fit within the gaps between the boards of a conventional shadowbox fence.
In the depicted embodiment, the hanger apparatus 210 is constructed for mounting on a 4″×4″ post, with the transverse braces 222 and 224 provided by ½″×6″ wood dowels and the lock members 232 and 234 provided by 1″×2″×4″ wood members. For use with other sizes of posts (e.g., 4″×6″, 6″×6″, or 6″×8″), the hanger apparatus 210 can be provided in specific sizes with parts sized for each post size. Alternatively, the hanger apparatus 210 can be provided with adjustably sizeable parts. For example, the transverse braces and lock members may have oversized lengths that can be cut down to size, discrete segments that can be broken away by shearing, inserts for extending their lengths, or telescopic segments that can be secured (e.g., a push-pin and series of receiving holes) in multiple positions with different lengths.
Similar to the first two embodiments, the support arm 220 is substantially straight, substantially perpendicular to the post 214, and substantially parallel to the underlying surface (i.e., ground). However, in alternative embodiments, the support arm 220 can take any form such that it includes any of a variety of bends, curves, or kinks and still be within the scope of the present invention and can be oriented at any angle relative to the post 214.
Thus, the extender assembly 500 provides a pair of generally upright and spaced apart structures to which the hanger apparatus 10 can mount. The user can mount the extenders 502 and 504 by engaging the upper edge of the fence with the U-shaped yokes 512 and spacing the extenders apart at an appropriate distance. The extension arms 16 and 18 insert into the space between the adjacent extenders 502 and 504. The frictional lock members 32 and 34 are positioned on opposing front and rear sides of the extenders 502 and 504 to contact and frictionally engage the extenders to hold the hanger apparatus in place without penetrating and degrading the fence. Preferably, the frictional lock members 32 and 34 are positioned on vertically offset horizontal surfaces of the extension arms 16 and 18 to provide a very tight interference fit with little or no looseness or “play.” For example, in the depicted embodiment the front lock member 32 (at the front sides of the extenders 502 and 504, with “front” being from the viewpoint of the hung item) is positioned at bottom sides of the extension arms 16 and 18 and secured thereto with fasteners. On the other hand, the rear lock member 34 (at the rear sides of the extenders 502 and 504) is positioned at top sides of the extension arms 16 and 18 and secured thereto with fasteners. In this arrangement, the weight of the hung item tends to pivot downwardly the extended end of the support arm 20. This pivotal biasing of the hanger apparatus 10 causes compressive forces by the upper lock member 34 against the rear sides of the extender posts 510 and by the lower lock member 32 against the extender legs 508. These compressive forces work to frictionally secure the hanger apparatus 10 in place and over the fence without making any holes in the fence.
In a typical commercial embodiment, the legs 506, 508 are provided by wood members that are approximately ¾″ wide, approximately 4″ long, and approximately 2″ thick. The post 519 is provided by a wood member that is approximately ¾″ wide, 2⅞″ long, and 2″ thick. Thus, when so constructed, each extender is approximately 4¾″ long and 2¼″ wide. Preferably, when constructed, the post 510 extends approximately ¾″ above the upper edges of the legs 506, 508. However, those skilled in the art will understand that such dimensions are exemplary and that other shapes and sizes of the members can be employed as well. Additionally, the extenders can be constructed of other suitable materials, including but not limited to, plastics, aluminum, steel, fiberglass, and composite materials.
In alternative embodiments, other materials, quantities, and sizes of parts can be used to construct any of the hanger apparatus described herein. For example, instead of wood or steel members, other materials such as plastic, fiberglass, or composites can be used. Also, some of the components described herein as separate pieces can be fabricated as unitary pieces, such as the extension and support arms with the transverse braces. In addition, the configuration of the fifth embodiment can be used for hanging two or another number of items in suspension, without the support panel if so desired. Furthermore, the configuration of the third and fourth embodiments can be modified with the support arm having a larger width for providing a tight fit against the extension members, and tapered narrower towards its extended end. Moreover, the upper-and-lower-lock-member configuration of the first embodiment can be incorporated into the post-collared configuration of the other embodiments.
It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “one” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.
While the invention has been shown and described in exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/829,933, filed Oct. 18, 2006, and incorporates the disclosure of the same herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60829933 | Oct 2006 | US |
