Patent Application
20080290231
The invention relates to the field of hangers, hooks and the like for hanging and fixing objects on a wall.
There exist various types of wall hangers or hooks that can be used to hang an object, in particular a picture on a wall.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,713 discloses a locking wall hanger having a pointed end, which is designed to create a hole in the wall as the hanger is inserted therethrough. The end point penetrating the wall is terminating at an angle of 30° to provide a (self-boring) tip that, after penetrating of the wall, embeds itself in the rear wall surface being invisible to the user. A mid-parabolic portion of the hanger is adjusted to substantially increase the tension at a tensioned point of the parabola and thus produces a “self-locking” mechanism that provides a secure, stable environment preventing unintended rotation.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,302 discloses various wall hangers, all which have in common a pointed end, a curved semi-circular portion which is very similar to a right-angle bend, a vertical leg connected to the semi-circular portion by a bend that is more gradual than a right-angle bend, a horizontal portion connected to the vertical portion in a right-angle bend, and an exterior vertical leg-portion connected to the horizontal portion by a right-angle bend.
In inserting this hanger into a wall, the pointed end is pushed perpendicularly with a reciprocal twisting motion into the wall at the desired location. The pointed end forms a hole through the wall and when the pointed portion reaches the interior side of the wall, the semi-circular portion is eased through the hole. However, the near right-angle shape of semi-circular portion causes enlargement of the hole made through the wall by the pin point and, in addition, the right-angle between the vertical portion and the horizontal portion further enlarges the hole in the wall.
Furthermore, the semi-circular portion is free to slide up and down or sideways with the interior surface of the wall. It does not dig into the interior surface of the wall to result in tensioning those parts of the hanger extending between those points where it contacts the inner surface of the wall. While this patent speaks of a snap-in action, the undue enlargement of the hole formed by the point when the semi-circular portion and the right-angle bend between horizontal and vertical portions are forced through the hole contribute very little resistance to keeping the hanger in a stable position. When an upward force is applied to the hook portion of the hanger it may become unstable.
Any spring bias that is provided by the interior portions of this hanger tends to enable the pivoting of the horizontal portion in the wall such that a vertical portion and semi-circular portion are urged away from the wall surface. This contributes to an unstable characteristic of this hanger such that upward forces accidentally applied to the exterior portions of the hanger with the cause pivoting of the hanger of the hole and over a period of time will result in such ultimate enlargement of the hole as to allow the hanger to fail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,030 discloses a picture hanger that can be used with pre-existing holes having diameters up to about a quarter inch. This wall hanger further has a substantially “S”-shaped configuration and comprises three sections, namely a hook section, a linear portion and a “S”-shaped curved section. Here, an axis passing through the centre of the hook portion is positioned at an acute angle from the front surface. This angle is about 15° to about 45°.
Also, after exciting the hook section, the wire member bends back towards the direction of the wall creating another acute angle ranging between 15° to about 45°. Due to the “S”-shaped geometry of the wire member, there exist various pressure points defining positions, where the wire member abuts against the backside and front side of the wall and where the wire member punctually gets in contact with the inner surface of the pre-existing hole of the wall.
Since the wire member is only punctually in contact with the wall and its pre-existing hole, the hanger, in its final assembly position, provides only a rather limited resistance against rotational and tilting movements. Consequently, this type of hanger may only provide a limited fastening reliability.
Moreover, U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0218284 A1 discloses a monkey-hook having a (self-boring) tip for penetrating a drywall, a parabolic curve mid section producing a stable (self-locking) mechanism to prevent unintended rotation and an extended (tilt-back) tip at the opposite end of this single-wire design tilting back and away from the backing of a picture or other object.
The aforementioned hangers only provide a relatively limited holding force of up to 50 pounds. Further, since the hanger shall provide a self-boring function in such a way that it can intersect a drywall without making use of additional tools either the drywall has to be of a fragile and thin consistence or the diameter of the portion of the hanger being suitable for wall penetration has to be sufficiently small. In either configuration being suitable for a manual assembly, i.e. without making use of additional tools, the maximum load limit is fairly small.
In a combination with a rather large wire diameter and a fairly thick and/or robust wall, a force being necessary in order to insert the hanger into the wall typically exceeds a maximum force that can be provided manually without making use of tools.
Another combination being suitable for manual assembly comprises a thin or a medium sized but fragile or soft wall and a hanger being relatively large in diameter. When the hanger in this combination is in its final assembly position in the wall, due to the softness of the wall, the hanger will carve or engrave into the wall in the direction of gravity hence in the direction opposite to the holding force provided by the hanger.
Such an indentation also leads to a punctual abutment of particulate sections of the hanger against corresponding sections or points of the wall. The surface of abutment between the hanger and wall section becomes rather small, such that the hanger in its final assembly position becomes easily subject to an unintended tilting leading to an unstable fastening of the objects that are to be fixed at the wall. In extreme situations, the object to be fastened may even release from the hanger.
Moreover, an S-shaped hook portion is disadvantageous for a fastening of an object, because it provides only a limited abutment surface.
The present invention therefore aims to provide a self-locking hanger for mounting in a wall that can be manually inserted into the wall and that provides a secure, long lasting and reliable fastening for fixing objects on a wall.
The hanger shall be further adapted to compensate for an enlargement of the passageway formed upon insertion of the hanger into the wall and shall feature a larger resistance against a rotating and pivoting movements if once assembled into the wall. Further, the hanger aims to provide an improved and tight fitting or fastening of an object's mounting part with respect to the hanger and with respect to the wall. Additionally, the self-locking hanger aims to provide an increased maximum load capacity.
The present invention provides a wall hanger of the type used with plaster, gypsum, drywall, paneling, wood and the like walls, wherein the hanger is easy to use and includes means for substantially locking it in place at its mounting location against rotation relative to the wall, and against pivoting out of or removal from the mounting hole. The hanger of the present invention comprises a single-pieced wire element having a tail portion that is adapted to penetrate a wall and therefore being provided with a pointed and sharp free end.
This pointed tail portion is intended to bore or to drill a passage into the wall through which the metal wire with its tail portion ahead can be inserted into the wall. The pointed free end of the tail portion allows for a manual assembly or fastening. Typically, the free end of the tail portion is pushed in a twisting motion in the direction perpendicular to the wall's surface through an intended fixation point.
Adjacent to the tail portion from a free end of the metal wire there is provided a resilient C-shaped intermediate portion. Preferably, the geometry of the intermediate portion is chosen in such a way, that it does not substantially enlarge the diameter or the size of the passageway formed by the pointed tip of the wall-penetrating tail portion.
Further, the C-shaped intermediate portion provides a spring force when the hanger reaches its final assembly position in the wall, thus preventing unintended movement, in particular preventing an unintended pivoting and rotating of the wall hanger.
Adjacent to the intermediate portion there is provided a substantially straight shank portion, being is adapted to penetrate the wall, when the hanger reaches the final assembly position, i.e. when the hanger is locked in the wall. In the final assembly position, the shank portion is substantially the portion of the metal wire that intersects the wall, whereas the adjacent intermediate portion and tail portion are entirely located behind the wall's rear side.
Further, the metal wire comprises a hook portion that is adjacent to the shank portion. The hook portion has a hook-like geometry and is adapted to receive objects for hanging thereon. It is intended, that the hook portion is not inserted into the wall. It is rather intended that the hook portion may abut against the wall with an abutment piece.
The overall geometry of the first metal wire is adapted to provide a locking upon reaching a final assembly position in the wall. Hence, before reaching the final assembly position, in an intermediate assembly position by inserting the first metal wire into the wall from the wall's front side, the pointed tail portion, due to the C-shaped geometry of the intermediate portion is contacting a rear side of the wall and in response to further insertion of the metal wire, the C-shaped intermediate portion, which is adapted to be resiliently deformed applies a spring force to the tail portion and thus provides a locking of the entire metal wire in the wall, when the final assembly position is reached, i.e. when the straight shank portion is nearly entirely inserted into the passageway formed by pointed tail portion.
Even though the radius of curvature of the intermediate portion is designed with respect to a minimal enlargement of the passageway upon penetration of the metal wire through the wall, the passageway may further enlarge due to the spring force applied by means of the tail and intermediate portion. The magnitude of this enlargement further depends on the rigidity of the wall and the diameter of the metal wire forming the hanger.
Further, the hook portion comprises an abutment piece being adapted to abut against the wall's front side when the wall hanger reaches its final assembly position at the wall. The abutment piece preferably extends at an angle of less than 90° with respect to the direction of elongation of the adjacent shank portion, which gets at least partially in contact with the inner surface of the passageway created in the wall.
The angle between the abutment piece and the shank portion is particularly chosen in such a way, that the rectilinear abutment piece abuts against the wall's front side almost along a straight section. By selecting an angle between the abutment piece and the adjacent shank portion of for instance 75°, a deviation of the orientation of the shank portion of 15° with respect to its initial drilling or penetration direction can be effectively compensated, such that the abutment piece of the hook portion not only punctually abuts against the wall's front side but gets in contact with the front side of the wall almost along its entire straight and rectilinear section.
In this way, the pressure of the abutment piece exerted against the wall's front side can be effectively reduced due to an abutment surface enlargement between the abutment piece and the wall's front surface. On the one hand side, this is beneficial for providing a firm and tight abutment and fitting of the hanger with respect to the wall. On the other hand side, a punctual abutment pressure can be effectively reduced, with the beneficial effect that such a hanger and its abutment piece do not leave any imprints or marks in front surface of the wall.
The angle between the abutment piece and the direction of elongation of the adjacent shank portion is chosen in order to entirely compensate for a tilt or deviation of the shank portion's orientation and elongation in its final assembly position compared to the drilling or boring direction, hence the elongation of the passageway being initially created by inserting or penetrating the rather rectilinear and straight tail portion through the wall.
Since an unintended but inevitable enlargement of the passageway may be due to the radius of curvature of the C-shaped intermediate portion and due to a spring force exerted by the intermediate portion, the passageway itself may become somewhat conical in shape after insertion and locking of the hanger at the wall.
In typical embodiments, the width or cross-section of the passageway may typically enlarge from the front face towards the back face of the wall. Due to such an enlargement, the shank portion of the one-piece metal wire may tilt in such a way, that it remains in firm and tight contact with a conical or tilted inner surface of the passageway. Due to the undue enlargement of the passageway, the shank portion and its adjacent hook may tilt with respect to the initial penetration or boring direction. By adapting and adjusting the angle between the abutment piece and the shank portion with respect to this tilting angle, an almost complete abutment of the abutment piece against the front side of the wall may be assured. The abutment piece is further adapted to get entirely in contact with the front side of the wall, when the hanger reaches its final assembly position in the wall. This way, the abutment piece may prop against the wall's front side and may thus define the final assembly position of the hanger in the wall.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the angle between the elongation of the abutment piece and the elongation of the shank portion is adjusted with respect to the following parameters: thickness and rigidity of the metal wire, rigidity and thickness of the wall, radius of curvature of the intermediate portion and the magnitude of the spring force exerted by the intermediate portion and the tail portion when the hanger reaches its final assembly position. In typical embodiments, the angle between the elongation of the abutment piece and the elongation of the shank portion is between 60° and 85°, preferably between 65° and 75°. Preferably, the angle is chosen around 70°.
According to another aspect, the hook portion of the metal wire, that is that portion that does not penetrate the wall but serves as a fastening means for attaching and mounting the object thereto, has a “U”-shaped geometry and comprises the abutment piece, an end portion and an arc portion connecting the abutment piece and the end portion. Hence, the abutment piece being adjacent the shank portion, extends into the arc portion, which in turn extends into the end portion forming a free end of the metal wire and the wall hanger.
The abutment piece and the end portion both are substantially straight or rectilinear in shape and they extend substantially parallel with respect to each other in the plane defined by the metal wire. Between the abutment piece and the end portion there exists a gap forming a receptacle for a mounting part of the object. The side walls of the receptacle formed by the abutment piece and the end portion preferably extend parallel to the surface of the wall, when the hanger is in its final assembly position. This parallel orientation provides a firm and tight fitting of an object's mounting part in the receptacle of the hook portion of the wall hanger.
Preferably, the mounting part of the object to be fastened at the wall gets in contact with the inward facing surface of the abutment piece and the end portion over a relatively large surface or area. In this way, a firm and tight fitting of the mounting part with respect to the hook portion can be provided. Consequently, the hook portion and the wall hanger provide an effective means in order to prevent an unintentional tilt of the object, if the object is once affixed to the wall. In this context, the almost complete abutment of the abutment piece against the wall's front side may effectively prevent any further tilting motion of the wall hanger with respect to a rotation axis extending perpendicular to the plane defined by the geometry of the metal wire.
According to a preferred embodiment, the elongations of the abutment piece and the end portion may be almost equal. In other embodiment, these elongations of the abutment piece and the end portion may also differ. However, the difference in length may not exceed 50% of the elongation of the longer piece or portion.
According to another preferred embodiment, the hook portion comprises reinforcement means comprising a doubling of the wire material at least in the area of the hook portion. The material doubling preferably extends adjacent the metal wire forming the hook portion. By this reinforcement a maximum load limit or a maximum holding force provided by the wall hanger can be increased in a very efficient and easy way. Alternatively, a sufficient reinforcement may already be attained in providing a metal wire with a larger diameter in the region of the hook portion, whereas the diameter of those portions intersecting or being intended to be inserted into the wall remains at a constant and lower diameter range.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing wire piece and the metal wire forming the hanger almost completely abut to one another.
In a final assembly position, the shank portion of the metal wire may almost completely conceal in the wall.
According to another aspect, the invention provides an adapter piece that is suitable for hanging on the hanger according to the present invention and that comprises at its rear side a mounting part and a receptacle having a geometry that corresponds to the shape of the hanger's hook portion.
The adapter piece further comprises a rear side, facing and contacting the wall when the adapter piece is mechanically connected or coupled to the hanger being already disposed in the wall.
The receptacle for inserting the hangers hook portion is opened towards the rear side of the adapter piece allowing for an easy and intuitive insertion of the adapter piece's mounting part into the u-shaped hook portion of the hanger.
The receptacle of the adapter piece being disposed at the adapter piece's rear side corresponds to the shape and geometry of the hanger's hook portion, thus providing a firm fitting and tight mechanical contact between hanger and adapter piece.
Further, the adapter piece comprises a downward pointing rod-like appendix, which is adapted to be tightly squeezed between the end portion and the abutment piece of the hanger's hook portion. Preferably, the width of this rod-like appendix equals the size of the gap formed by the end portion and the abutment piece of the hanger. The width of the rod-like appendix may even be slightly larger than the mentioned gap. In this way the hanger's hook portion may be resiliently modified upon insertion of the rod-like appendix, leading to a firm and tight fitting of the adapter piece at the hanger.
The downward pointing rod-like appendix is disposed at a distance from the adapter piece's rear side that corresponds to the thickness of the hanger in the region of the abutment piece. In this way, it can be ensured, that the adapter piece's rear side is almost entirely in contact with the surface of the wall, when the rod-like appendix is squeezed between the end portion and the abutment piece of the hanger's hook portion.
According to a further embodiment, the adapter piece further comprises at least one shaft being adapted to guide a pin-like fastening element to be forced or to be driven into the wall. Hence, the shaft provides a kind of trough whole in the adapter piece allowing to insert the pin-like fasting or fixing element from the adapter piece's front side into the wall. The shaft is preferably tilted with respect to the surface normal of the wall. Preferably, it points downward at an angle of between 20 degrees and 40 degrees for providing a maximum resistance against shearing forces that may arise when an object is fastened or fixed to the wall by means of the hanger and the adapter piece.
Additionally or alternatively, the shaft may further be tilted sideward with respect to the surface normal of the wall or with respect to a surface normal of a portion of the adapter piece being adapted to abut against the wall.
Preferably, the adapter piece comprises two shafts for a pin-like fastening element. In such an embodiment, the two shafts are pointing towards each other as seen from the adapter pieces front side.
The angle of inclination of the shaft in either direction, downward or sideward, is typically between 20 degrees and 40 degrees with respect to the surface normal of the adapter piece's flat rear side. In a further embodiment, the adapter piece comprises a support portion extending substantially perpendicular with respect to an abutment portion or with respect to the wall. The support portion of the adapter piece is adapted to support at least one object to be mounted or fixed to the wall.
The shape and geometry as well as an eventual inclination of the support portion may be adapted according to the object to be supported by the adapter piece. If the object to be mounted or fixed to the wall has a rectangular and flat geometry, the support portion may have a flat and elongated structure in order to support e.g. a shelf board.
According to another embodiment, the adapter piece further comprises a clamp portion being disposed at a distance from the support portion in order to form a gap being adapted to receive and to fix the object to be supported by the support portion. Typically, the size of the gap formed between the support portion and a clamp portion is slightly less than the width or thickness of the object to be supported by the support portion. In this way, by inserting the object into the gap, the clamp portion may resiliently deform and may thus exert a clamping force to the object being disposed between the clamp portion and the support portion.
According to another embodiment, the invention provides an adapter piece having a slit-like aperture, being adapted to receive the hook portion of the hanger protruding from the wall.
The slit preferably extends in vertical direction. In an upper end region, the slit comprises a downward pointing appendix, being adapted to be inserted into the hook portion in order to provide a firm and tight fitting of the adapter piece and the hook or the hanger, respectively.
The slit-like aperture has a width which allows it to receive the substantially vertically aligned hook portion of the hanger. Hence, the width of the slit-like aperture of the adapter piece substantially corresponds to the width of the wire piece forming the hanger.
By means of the slit-like aperture, the adapter piece can be arranged at a wall in such a way, that the hook portion of the hanger at least particularly intersects the slit-like aperture. In such a pre-assembly position, the adapter piece can be shifted downwards until the downward pointing appendix of the adapter piece tightly abuts against the inner sections of the u-shaped hook portion.
In order to facilitate an assembly of the adapter piece and the hanger, the adapter piece may comprise a guiding section, hence a slanted surface, that opens out into the slit-like aperture. This slanted surface is preferably disposed at the adapter piece's rear side facing the front side of the wall.
By making use of such a guiding section, an easy and intuitive assembly of the adapter piece to the hook portion of the hanger can be achieved.
Moreover, the adapter piece is preferably made of moulded plastic, whereas the hanger is provided in tempered steel, brass or comparable metal material.
In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail by making reference to the drawings in which:
The various portions or sections of the metal wire are denoted as tail portion 20 forming a free end of the hanger, which is adapted to be inserted into the wall 30. The pointed tip 22 of the tail portion 20 is inclined at an angle of approx. 30° with respect to the direction of elongation of the substantially straight tail portion 20. Adjacent to the tail portion 20 there is arranged an intermediate, C-shaped portion 18 featuring an overall curvature being larger than 90°. Adjacent to the resilient C-shaped intermediate portion 18 there is provided a substantially straight shank portion 16.
In the illustration according to
The hanger provides a self-locking fastening mechanism, when drilled and forced though the wall 30. As soon as the C-shaped intermediate portion is pushed or forced through the wall 30, the tail portion 20 approaches the rear side of the wall. The radius of curvature of the intermediate portion 18 and the length of the rather straight and elongated tail portion 20 are designed such, that the pointed tip 22 of the tail portion 20 gets in contact with the wall's 30 rear side before the hanger 10 reaches its final assembly position as depicted in
Even though the radius of curvature of the intermediate portion 18 is at last twice or even three to four times lager than the thickness of the wall 30, the penetration of the intermediate portion through the passageway 32 formed by the sharpened tail portion 20 may be widened and enlarged. However, such a widened passageway 34 may lead to a tilt of the entire hanger 10 with respect to a tilt axis lying parallel to the plane of the wall 30. Furthermore, a widening of the passageway 32 may also be due to the spring force and the locking mechanism provided by the intermediate portion 18 and the tail portion 20.
In order to compensate a tilting or twisting motion of the hanger 10 due to a widening and enlargement of the passageway 32, the angle between the abutment piece 14 and the shank portion 16 is smaller than 90°. Preferably, this angle ranges between 60° and 85°, preferably between 65° and 75°. In typical embodiments it may be around 70°. In this way, it can be provided, that the abutment piece 14 gets in contact with the front side of the wall 30 almost along its entire elongation, even if the hanger 10 and the shank portion 16 become subject to a tilting motion, which is due to an inevitable enlargement of the passageway 32.
Consequently, in the final assembly position as shown in
The hook portion 11 comprises three sections, namely an end portion 12, an arc portion 26 and the abutment piece 14. The end portion 12 and the abutment piece 14 substantially extend parallel with respect to each other in the plane defined by the residual portions of the hanger 10, namely the shank portion 16, the intermediate portion 18 and the tail portion 20. The U-shaped hook portion 11 forms a kind of receptacle, which is defined by the inner boundaries of the end portion 12 and the abutment piece 14. The profile of the hook portion 11 is adapted to receive and to hold a mounting part of an object to be fixed to the wall 30.
Typically, the shape and geometry of the object's mounting part and the shape and geometry of the hook portion 11 correspond to each other in order to provide a tight and firm fitting of the mounting part to the hook portion 11.
In the illustrated embodiments, the end portion 12 and the abutment piece 14 are almost equal in length. In alternative embodiments, the elongation of the end portion 12 and the abutment piece 14 may vary with respect to each other. Hence, the end portion 12 may be longer than the abutment piece and vice versa.
Adjacent to the shank portion 16 the hook portion 11 protrudes from the front side of the wall 30 when the hanger is in its final assembly position as depicted in
The lower curvature section 26 of the hook portion is shaped in an arch-like way. Typically, it bends over about 180°, such that the abutment piece 14 and the free end 12, hence the end portion of the hanger 11 are aligned parallel with respect to each other. Consequently, the end portion 12 will point upwards if the hanger is in its final assembly position.
When the hanger is mounted in the wall, in a first step the far end of the tail portion 22 has to penetrate the wall at an intended position, thus forming a passageway 32 in the wall 30. Then, in a twisting motion, the entire tail portion 20 as well as the entire intermediate portion 18 have to be urged and pushed through the passageway 32. In this way, a hanger can be inserted into a wall without the necessity of making use of additional tools.
As can be seen in
The shafts 54 are further adapted to guide pin-like fastening means, for example, a pair of pins 52, that may penetrate the shafts and that may be inserted from the front side of the adapter piece 40 in order to penetrate or to impinge the wall.
Furthermore, the adapter piece 40 has a support portion 48, which extends substantially perpendicular to the base part forming the rear side 42 of the adapter piece 40. At a distance to the support portion 48, there is provided a clamping portion 50 which may be resiliently deformed upon insertion of an object into the gap formed between the clamping portion 50 and the support portion 48.
In this way, a secure and reliable fastening of an object with respect to the adapter piece 40 and with respect to the wall 30 can be provided.
The embodiment according to
The slide-like aperture 64 is adapted to be penetrated by the hook portion 11 of the hanger 10. At its rear side, as can be seen in
The lower abutment portion 68 at its upper section comprises a slanted or curved guiding section 66, which at its upper end opens out into the upper slit-like aperture 64.
In this way, the curved or slanted portion 66 at the adapter piece's rear side provides a kind of inlet guide means for mounting the adapter piece 60 at the wall.
As can be further seen from
In an alternative embodiment, adapter piece may comprise a slit only at its rear side, such that the front face of the adapter piece comprises a closed or cohesive shape, which provides an aesthetic look. Further, in such an embodiment, the protruding hook portion 11 of the hanger is entirely concealed by the adapter piece. Nevertheless, the adapter piece may still comprise a slit-like portion and a downward pointing appendix at its rear side in order to provide an easy and firm fastening of the adapter piece to the wall.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/790,534, filed Apr. 26, 2007.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11790534 | Apr 2007 | US |
| Child | 12216871 | US |
