Claims
- 1. A system for mounting an object to a support comprising:
an object having a substantially flat surface and one of a hole or a channel extending to the substantially flat surface, the hole or channel having upper and lower inner surfaces and a vertical distance between the upper and lower vertical surfaces; and at least one fastener, the fastener including,
a head having a resilient projection extending therefrom, the projection providing the head with a vertical width that is slightly greater than the vertical distance between the upper and lower vertical surfaces of the hole or channel extending into the substantially flat surface of the object, and a shaft rigidly affixed to and extending from the head, the shaft being adapted to extend into a support and securely attach the head to the support; whereby, the object is mounted to the support by extending the shaft of the fastener into the support, thereby securely attaching the head to the support, and by pressing the hole or channel extending into the substantially flat surface of the object against the head of the fastener so that the resilient projection deforms to allow the head to pass into the hole or channel and providing a friction fit between the head and the hole or channel.
- 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft is a pointed shaft.
- 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the shaft is a threaded shaft.
- 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the projection is an annular projection.
- 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the head includes a plurality of the annular projections distributed axially along the head.
- 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the head includes at least two projections, a first one of the projections extending vertically upwardly and a second one of the projections extending vertically downwardly.
- 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first and second projections are axially aligned to provide a projection pair.
- 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the head includes a plurality of the projection pairs distributed axially along the head.
- 9. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of the fasteners.
- 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the object includes a channel that is at least partially horizontal, extending into the substantially flat surface, wherein the plurality of fasteners are adapted to be distributed along the channel.
- 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the object is a shelf.
- 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the shelf includes at least one bracket extending downward from a lower surface thereof, adapted to abut against the support and to prevent the shelf from pivoting downward on the fasteners when the fasteners are secured to the support and the heads of the fasteners are received within the channel of the shelf.
- 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the head includes at least one indentation positioned axially between the projection and an end of the head from which the shaft extends, the indentation providing an ergonomic gripping element to facilitate a user gripping the fastener and manually inserting the shaft of the fastener into the support.
- 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the head is substantially cylindrical, the projection is an annular projection and the indentation is an annular indentation.
- 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the head includes a plurality of the annular projections distributed axially between the annular indentation and an end of the head opposite from which the shaft extends.
- 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the head is formed from a resilient material that is molded onto the shaft.
- 17. A fastener for mounting an object to a support comprising a head rigidly affixed to a longitudinal end of a shaft, the head including a resilient projection extending therefrom.
- 18. The fastener of claim 17, wherein the shaft is pointed.
- 19. The fastener of claim 18, wherein the projection is an annular projection.
- 20. The fastener of claim 19, wherein the head includes a plurality of the annular projections distributed axially along a portion of the head.
- 21. The fastener of claim 20, wherein the shaft is threaded.
- 22. The fastener of claim 17, wherein the head includes at least two projections, a first one of the projections extending vertically upwardly and a second one of the projections extending vertically downwardly.
- 23. The fastener of claim 22, wherein the first and second projections are axially aligned to provide a projection pair.
- 24. The fastener of claim 23, wherein the head includes a plurality of the projection pairs distributed axially along a portion of the head.
- 25. The fastener of claim 24, wherein the shaft is threaded.
- 26. The fastener of claim 17, wherein the head includes at least one indentation positioned axially between the projection and an end of the head approximate the longitudinal end of the shaft, the indentation providing an ergonomic gripping element to facilitate a user gripping the fastener and manually inserting the shaft of the fastener into a support.
- 27. The fastener of claim 26, wherein the head is substantially cylindrical, the projection is an annular projection and the indentation is an annular indentation.
- 28. The fastener of claim 27, wherein the head includes a plurality of the annular projections distributed axially between the annular indentation and the end of the head approximate the longitudinal end of the shaft.
- 29. The fastener of claim 28, wherein the head is formed from a resilient material that is molded onto the shaft.
- 30. A fastener for mounting an object to a support comprising:
a rigid shaft having a pointed leading end; and a substantially cylindrical head of resilient material molded onto a trailing end of the shaft, the head including an annular indentation approximate a leading end of the head and a plurality of projections extending generally circumferentially thereabout and distributed generally uniformly along a portion of the head extending axially between the annular indentation and a trailing end of the head.
- 31. A fastener for mounting an object to a support comprising:
a rigid shaft having a pointed leading end; and a head of resilient material molded onto a trailing end of the shaft, the head having an upper surface and a lower surface and including a pair of indentations extending respectively into the upper and lower surfaces, approximate a leading end of the head, and including a first plurality of projections extending from the upper surface of the head and distributed generally uniformly along a portion of the head extending longitudinally between the indentations and a trailing end of the head, and including a second plurality of projections extending from the lower surface of the head and distributed generally uniformly along a portion of the head extending longitudinally between the indentations and a trailing end of the head.
- 32. A method for mounting an object to a support comprising the steps of:
providing one of a hole and a channel in a substantially flat surface of the object, the hole or channel having upper and lower inner surfaces and a vertical distance between the upper and lower surfaces; providing at least one fastener including a head affixed onto a longitudinal end of a narrow shaft, the head having a resilient projection extending therefrom, the projection providing the head with a vertical width that is slightly greater than the vertical distance between the upper and lower vertical surfaces of the hole or channel extending into the substantially flat surface of the object; securely attaching the head to a support by penetrating the shaft into the support; pressing the hole or channel extending into the substantially flat surface of the object against the head of the fastener so that the resilient projection deforms to allow the head to pass into the hole or channel, providing a friction fit between the head and the hole or channel.
- 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the shaft is a threaded shaft and the penetrating step includes a step of turning the threaded shaft.
- 34. The method of claim 32, wherein the object is provided with a channel in the substantially flat surface, the channel being at least partially horizontal, and the method includes the steps of:
providing a plurality of the fasteners; securely attaching the heads of the fasteners to the support; and pressing the channel extending into the substantially flat surface of the object against the plurality of heads of the fasteners so that their resilient projections deform to allow the heads to pass into the channel, providing a friction fit between the plurality of heads and the channel.
- 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the object is a shelf.
- 36. The method of claim 32, wherein the head include a plurality of the projections distributed axially along a portion of the head.
- 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the projections are annular projections.
- 38. A system for mounting a planar shelf to a vertical wall comprising:
an planar shelf having a substantially flat edge surface and a substantially horizontal channel extending to the substantially flat edge surface, the channel having upper and lower inner surfaces and a vertical distance between the upper and lower vertical surfaces; and a plurality of fasteners, the fasteners including,
a head having a resilient projection extending therefrom, the projection providing the head with a vertical width that is slightly greater than the vertical distance between the upper and lower vertical surfaces of the channel extending into the substantially flat edge surface of the planar shelf, and a shaft rigidly affixed to and extending from the head, the shaft being adapted to extend into a vertical support and securely attach the head to the vertical wall; whereby, the planar shelf is mounted to the vertical wall by penetrating the shaft of each fastener into the vertical wall to securely attach the head to the vertical wall, distributing the fasteners substantially horizontally along the vertical wall, and by pressing the hole or channel extending into the substantially flat edge surface of the planar shelf against the head of each fastener so that the resilient projections deform to allow the heads to pass into the substantially horizontal channel and providing a friction fit between the heads and the channel.
- 39. The system of claim 38, wherein the shaft is a threaded and pointed shaft.
- 40. The system of claim 38, wherein the projection is an annular projection.
- 41. The system of claim 40, wherein each head includes a plurality of the annular projections distributed axially along a portion of the head.
- 42. The system of claim 38, wherein each head includes at least two projections, a first one of the projections extending vertically upwardly and a second one of the projections extending vertically downwardly.
- 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the first and second projections are axially aligned to provide a projection pair.
- 44. The system of claim 43, wherein the head includes a plurality of the projection pairs distributed axially along a portion of the head.
- 45. The system of claim 38, wherein the planar shelf includes at least one bracket extending downward from a lower surface thereof, adapted to abut against the vertical wall and to prevent the planar shelf from pivoting downward on the fasteners when the fasteners are secured to the vertical wall and the heads of the fasteners are received within the channel of the planar shelf.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/609,528, filed Jul. 3, 2000.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09609528 |
Jul 2000 |
US |
Child |
09769991 |
Jan 2001 |
US |