Patent Application
20070183866
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a fastener for hanging an object on a structure, and more particularly, to a fastener having a collar to regulate an insertion distance of the fastener into the structure.
Picture hanging devices come in many different types, sizes and shapes. Typically, the picture hanging device is a two part system. The first part may be a hook which is attached to a wall. The second part may be a frame fastener such as a sawtooth frame fastener which is attached to a frame. To hang the picture frame on a wall, the frame fastener is engaged to the hook.
Unfortunately, due to the construction of the hook, typically, the hook is inserted too deep into the wall such that the frame fastener cannot engage the hook. For example, a dry wall screw may be used as the hook. However, the dry wall screw may be inserted too deep into the wall such that a head of the dry wall screw is too close to the wall's exterior surface. In this instance, there is no space between the screw head and the exterior surface of the wall for the frame fastener to engage the hook. Conversely, due to the construction of the hook, the same may not be sufficiently inserted into the dry wall such that hanging an object from the hook may pull the hook out of the wall due to the weight of the object.
In another example, the hook may be a nail. Unfortunately, the nail is frequently hammered too far into the dry wall such that the head is flush with the exterior surface of the dry wall. In this instance, the frame fastener is incapable of being hung on the nail. The nail must be slightly retracted from the dry wall to provide a gap between the nail head and the wall's exterior surface. Unfortunately, retracting the nail from the dry wall has a detrimental effect of loosening the frictional engagement between the nail and the dry wall.
Alternatively, the nail head may be sufficiently gapped away from the dry wall exterior surface but may not be sufficiently inserted into the dry wall. In this instance, the pull out force—minimum force required to pull the nail out of the wall—may be less than the weight of the picture frame to be hung on the dry wall. As such, the picture frame will fall to the ground when hung on the nail.
Improvements have been made to conventional picture hanging devices. For example, an all girth-light drywall screw may be engaged to the drywall, as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,436 issued to Gaudron, the entire content of which is incorporated herein. The drywall screw has a helical thread with a pitch diameter of at least about twice the largest minimum diameter of a shank of the screw. Such configuration provides a stronger pull out force to prevent a weight of the object being hung from the wall from pulling out the screw. However, the screw may still be inserted into the dry wall too deep such that the head is flush with the dry wall exterior surface. Also, the screw may not be sufficiently inserted into the dry wall to prevent the screw from being pulled out of the dry wall when the picture frame is hung on the screw.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved picture hanging device.
The self locating wall fastener discussed herein addresses the needs discussed above as well as the needs discussed below and those that are known in the art.
A system for hanging an object may be provided which may comprise a wall fastener and an object fastener. The wall fastener may have a shank defining a proximal portion and a distal portion. The shank may have threads formed thereon so as to engage a wall. The threads are formed between a collar attached to the shank proximal portion and an end of the shank. Also, a hook may be attached to a proximal side of the collar. The hook may include a head which is sized and configured to receive a tool for driving the threads into the wall. The hook may define a gap and a throat distance.
In use, the wall fastener is positioned on a wall. The tool drives the shank into the wall until the collar contacts the wall. In this manner, the insertion distance of the wall fastener is regulated by the collar. The collar prevents the wall fastener from being inserted into the wall too deep or too shallow. On one hand, if the wall fastener was inserted into the wall too deep, then there would be no “hook” to catch the frame fastener. On the other hand, if the wall fastener was insufficiently inserted into the wall, then the holding force of the wall fastener may not be sufficient to support the frame or object to be hung. Fortunately, the wall fastener includes a collar which stops insertion of the wall fastener into the wall before it is inserted into the wall too deeply. Also, once the collar contacts the wall, the installer may be sure that the wall fastener is sufficiently inserted into the wall such that the weight of the object to be hung does not pull out the wall fastener once the object is hung on the wall. Accordingly, the collar ensures that the hook is sufficiently exposed for engagement between the hook of the wall fastener and the frame fastener. Also, the collar ensures that a sufficient amount of threads are engaged to the wall such that a weight of the frame does not pull the wall fastener out of the wall once the frame is hung on the wall. Such a configuration permits do-it-yourselfers to install the wall fastener without damaging the wall or inserting the wall fastener too deep or too shallow into the wall.
The frame fastener may be attached to the frame to be hung on the wall. The frame fastener may be a wire, sawtooth, d-ring, or a key hole. The frame fastener, after being attached to the frame, may be hung on the wall fastener, and more particularly, seated on a seat of the hook.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
An object hanging system 10 may be provided wherein an object 12 may be hung on a structure 14. The object hanging system 10 may comprise a structure fastener 16 which will hereinafter be referred to as a wall fastener and an object fastener which will hereinafter be referred to as a picture frame fastener 18. Although the object hanging system 10 will be discussed in relation to a picture frame 12 to be hung on a wall 14, the object hanging system 10 is not to be limited to such embodiment. Rather, the object hanging system 10 may be employed and embodied in other areas such as hanging objects from various structures such as ceilings, exterior and interior walls, other objects, and the like. Moreover, the object hanging system 10 may be employed and embodied to hang objects such as picture frames, diplomas, plants, artwork, etc. Accordingly, the embodiments and illustrations and descriptions provided herein for the object hanging system 10 are not meant to limit the object hanging system 10 to those embodiments and illustrations and descriptions expressed herein but are meant only for the purposes of illustration.
In use, the frame fastener 18 is fastened to a picture frame to be hung on a wall. The wall fastener 16 is then attached to the wall 14. The position of the wall fastener 16 on the wall 14 is selected by the installer to uniquely place the picture frame with respect to the various other decorations existing within the room or area. The frame fastener 18 is then engaged to the wall fastener 16 to hang the picture frame on the wall 14, as shown in
To assist the installer installing the wall fastener 16, the wall fastener 16 may be fabricated with a collar 20 (see
As discussed above, the wall fastener 16 may have a collar 20. Additionally, the wall fastener 16 may also have a shank portion 30 with threads 22 formed about its exterior surface 32 extending about at least a portion of the length of the shank 30. The wall fastener 16 may also include a hook 34. More particularly, the wall fastener 16 may have a shank portion 30 with threads 22 formed about its exterior surface 32. The shank portion 30 may define a distal tip 36 and a proximal portion 38. The collar 20 may define a proximal side 38 and a distal side 26. The distal side 26 of the collar 20 may be fixedly or rotationally attached to the proximal portion 42 of the shank 30. Also, the hook 34 may be attached to the proximal side 38 of the collar 20. These three elements may be co-axially aligned with respect to each other and provide 360° symmetry about a rotating axis 40 of the wall fastener 16.
The distal side 26 of the collar 20 may be sized and configured to match the exterior surface 24 of the wall 14. For example, as shown in
As shown in
The shank 30 may also be co-axially aligned to the rotating axis 40 of the wall fastener 16. The shank 30 may have an elongate cylindrical configuration having a constant diameter. Such portion may be referred to as the proximal portion 42 of the shank 30. The shank 30 may also have a reducing or tapered diameter which terminates at a tip. Such tapered portion is located on the shank 30 on the opposite side with respect to the collar 20. The tapered portion may hereinafter be referred to as the distal tip 36. The pointed distal tip 36 permits the installer to position the wall fastener 16 on the wall 14 and thread the wall fastener 16 into the wall 14 with or without drilling or pre-drilling a starter hole. Optionally, a pilot hole may be drilled into the wall 14 to lead the wall fastener 16 in the correct direction as the wall fastener 16 is threadingly engaged to the wall 14. The shank diameter may be approximately 0.124 inches. The shank length may be one and one quarter inches to about two and one quarter inches. The distal tip 36 may be approximately one quarter inch long and terminate in a pointed tip which is aligned to the rotational axis 40 of the wall fastener 16.
The shank 30 may have a high thread 44 and a low thread 46 formed on the exterior surface 32 of the shank 30. The high thread 44 may have an auger configuration. More particularly, the high and low threads 44, 46 may extend about the length of the shank 30 for about one and one quarter inches measured from the point of the shank distal tip 36 toward the collar 20. The entire exterior surface 32 of the shank 30 is not necessarily formed with threads 22. Rather, there may be a gap between the threads 22 and the distal surface 26 of the collar 20 where no threads are formed. For a matter of convenience, the threads 22 located adjacent to the collar 20 may be defined as the start, whereas the thread 22 located on the side of the distal tip 36 of the shank 30 may be defined as the terminal portion. The major diameter of the high thread 44 may be tapered at the start. In particular, the first one quarter revolution of the high thread 44 may be tapered by forming a thread 22 having a major diameter starting at about 0.124 inches and expanding to about 0.256 inches. The high thread 44 may then have a constant major diameter until the last 1½ revolution of the thread 22 at the terminal portion of the high thread 44. At the last 1½ revolution of the high thread 44, the major diameter of the high thread 44 may be tapered from about 0.256 inches to about 0.040 inches. This tapered thread allows the threads 22 to be easily started into the wall 14, effectively providing a tap. The low thread 46 may begin at the start and complete one revolution about the exterior surface 32 of the shank 30. The first one fourth revolution may be tapered with a major diameter starting at about 0.124 inches and expand to about 0.165 inches. The low thread 46 may continue with a constant major diameter of about 0.165 inches until the last quarter revolution. The last quarter revolution of the low thread 46 may be tapered with a major diameter of about 0.165 inches to about 0.124 inches.
The high and low threads 44, 46 may have a thread pitch of about 0.25 inches. The side profile of the thread 22 may have a triangular configuration with an angle 48 of about 40°, as shown in
This wall fastener 16 slices into the wall 14 and has a relatively small shank diameter compared with the major diameter. Thus, less of the dry wall is destroyed when the wall fastener 16 is threadingly engaged to the wall 14. So when the wall fastener 16 is removed from the wall 14, a much smaller hole to repair is left compared to conventional screws which permits easy cosmetic repair of the wall 14. The ratio of the major to minor diameters, and independently thereof, the ratio of the major diameter to the pitch, is preferably at least about 1.5:1, more preferably at least;about 1.75:1, and most preferably about 2:1 or more.
The hook 34 may be attached to the proximal side 38 of the collar 20, as shown in
As shown in
The proximal surface 58 of the head 28 may be formed with a cavity 62 sized and configured to receive a Phillips-type screwdriver. More particularly, the cavity 62 may have a cross-shaped configuration for receiving a #2 driver type 1 Phillips screwdriver. Although a Phillips-type recess is shown in the drawings, the wall fastener 16 is not to be limited to such configuration. It is contemplated that other types of cavities and protuberances may be formed on the distal side 60 of the head 28 so as to receive a driver tool. In use, the driver tool may be engaged to the head 28 of the wall fastener 16 to provide a rotational force to the wall fastener 16. The installer may align the distal tip 36 of the shank 30 to a point on the wall 14 at which the installer desires to engage the wall fastener 16 to the wall 14. The installer then rotates the wall fastener 16 with the driver tool. The threads 22 engage the wall 14. As the wall fastener 16 is rotated, the threads 22 advance into the wall 14. The installer stops rotating the wall fastener 16 into the wall 14 until the distal side surface 26 of the collar 20 contacts the exterior surface 24 of the wall 14.
The relative sizes and proportions of the wall fastener 16 discussed above are for the purposes of illustration only. Other sizes and proportions are also contemplated and are dependent upon the various sizes and applications of the frame and wall. Also, the type of wall (e.g., drywall concrete, etc.) would dictate the various sizes and proportions of the wall fastener 16. Similarly, the frame fastener 18 to be discussed may also be sized in accordance with the specific application in mind.
The wall fastener 16 may be fabricated from carbon steel but other materials are also contemplated such as plastics and the like.
As shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In another embodiment, a method of hanging a picture frame 12 to the wall 14 is disclosed. In the method, a wall fastener 16 may be engaged to a wall 14, a picture frame fastener 18 may be engaged to a picture frame 12, and the picture frame fastener 18 may be engaged to the wall fastener 16 to hang the picture frame 12 to the wall 14. More particularly, in the attaching step, the wall fastener 16 may be inserted or threadingly engaged to the wall 14 until a distal surface 25 of a collar 20 of the wall fastener 16 contacts the exterior surface 24 of the wall 14 to regulate the insertion distance of the wall fastener 16 into the wall 14.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise various variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinations described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
