Patent Application
20230309695
This invention relates generally to wall-mounted storage rack systems, and more particularly to a locking mechanism that secures a bracket to a wall-mounted rail or panel.
Wall-mounted rack systems are known for storing various implements such as tools, clothing, cosmetics, musical equipment, hardware and other such items. A support structure, such as a slat wall panel or a slotted rail, is fastened to a wall to provide an upwardly facing support surface, e.g. the top surface of a wall panel or the bottom surface of a slot formed in a rail. The support surface serves to receive and to vertically support a downwardly opening hook of a bracket when the bracket is removably mounted to the support structure. The bracket, in turn, is used to hang an implement, either directly on the bracket or on a tool support such as a rod, hook, bin, basket, etc. attached to the bracket.
Typically, a wall-mounted rack system relies solely on the weight of the bracket to retain the bracket in its installed position on the support structure. This is sub-par for two reasons: (1) if there is no implement supported by the bracket, it is easy to accidently bump the bracket off of the support structure because the bracket is light and is easily dislodged; and (2) when there is a somewhat heavier implement being supported by the bracket, the bracket remains free to move vertically and horizontally relative to the support structure, making it less secure and inconvenient for the user, especially when the implement is fragile or is an item of great value and/or when the rack system is being used in a high vibration environment such as a factory.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,118B1 attempts to address this problem by describing a wall-mount bracket for use with a slotwall support structure that includes a lever lock rotatably mounted to the bracket at a location just above the hook structure. After the bracket is hooked over the upwardly facing surface of a slot, the lever lock is rotated to a locked position where it protrudes into the slot to substantially fill the region of the slot above the hook, thereby limiting the vertical movement of the hook structure within the slot and preventing the bracket from being lifted out of the slot.
The present inventor has recognized a need for further improvement in wall-mounted rack systems. In particular, no known design provides adequate locking of a bracket into its installed position on a support structure. For example, while the device of U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,118B1 described above does substantially limit the vertical movement of a bracket when mounted on the support structure and prevents the hook from being lifted out of the slot, it does not completely eliminate vertical movement, since at least some gap must necessarily remain above and below the lever lock to facilitate rotation of the locking member into and out of the slot. While this reduced amount of vertical freedom is beneficial in preventing the bracket from being accidently dislodged from the slot, it remains undesirable in some applications such as high vibration environments because it does not completely eliminate vertical movement of the bracket relative to the support structure. Moreover, the lever lock of the ‘118 patent does not limit horizontal movement of the bracket within the slot, which will result in the bracket “walking” along the slot when installed in a vibratory environment.
To overcome these limitations, the present invention provides a locking mechanism which applies a horizontal force to urge the hook structure of a wall-mount bracket against the back wall surface of the support structure, thereby generating frictional engagement between the bracket and the support structure effective to resist both vertical and horizontal movement of the bracket from its installed position.
Embodiments of the invention are described in the detailed description below and the accompanying drawings.
An implement such as a tool may be hung from the bracket 10 directly or may be hung from a forward supporting end of a tool support 30 which is supported by the bracket 10. In the embodiment of
Bracket 10 also includes a securing member in the form of a securing bar 36 that is rotatably connected to the main body 12 along an axis of rotation 38 that is substantially parallel to the rear surface 16 of the main body 12. The securing bar 36 is used to exert a horizontal force to secure the bracket 10 in position on a support member, as described more fully below. The securing bar 36 is located proximate the first (top) end 22 of the main body 12, although in other embodiments other locations may be used to apply the horizontal force to any desired portion of the main body 12. Securing bar 36 may be rotatably connected to the main body 12 with a hinge pin 40 that extends through a first opening in the first lateral side 18, through a hole in the securing bar 36, into a second opening in the second lateral side 20 (holes and opening are hidden in the drawings but are easily understood by one skilled in mechanical arts). Alternatively, hinge pin 40 may be formed as a stub protruding from a longitudinal end of the securing bar 36 and through an opening formed in the body 12.
Bracket 10 may be fabricated from known materials such as aluminum, steel, plastic, fiberglass, etc. The securing member may be formed as an elongated securing bar 36, as illustrated, or may have any other shape useful for a particular application and bracket design. The securing member may be made of any appropriate material, such as metal, wood, nylon, plastic, fiberglass, etc., with or without a coating material to achieve desired wear and friction characteristics, with consideration given to the amount of hook/ support member frictional force desired for a particular design/application and the amount of rotational force required of the user in order to develop the desired friction. The design of the handle portion 42 of the securing member is likewise determined with due consideration for the convenience of the user to facilitate both locking and unlocking the device. A gradual tapering of the extending dimension (e.g. D1, D2) of the securing member 36 between the unlocking portion 44 and the locking portion 46 will provide a gradual increase in the required rotational force and the developed horizontal forces and friction as the securing member is rotated from the unlocked position to the locked position, thereby providing the user with a degree of control over the strength of the locking function.
The present invention is universally useful on both original equipment brackets that are manufactured to include such a securing member, and for back fit applications where such a securing member is separately manufactured and is later installed onto an existing bracket. Such back fit securing members may be sold as part of a kit including the securing member and associated hardware and instructions necessary to install the securing member onto an existing bracket. The particular mechanical configuration of such back fit applications will depend upon the design of the bracket which is being upgraded, but any such differences from the embodiments described herein are well within the skill of a person familiar with the mechanical arts.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein.
