Patent Application
20100108837
This invention relates generally to the field of wall mounting systems and more specifically a system utilizing a uniquely contoured common universal rail plate component.
As used herein, the term “wall” means any plane on which an object can be mounted in a perpendicular plane. As used herein, a wall may be any vertical or horizontal plane, such as with a traditional wall in a building, a wall within a structure such as a cabinet, a base of structure, and a mountable interface such as a display.
As used herein the term “universal rail plate” means any structure configured to operate as a rail upon which multiple types of components can be selectively mounted, and which includes one or more triangular or semi-hexoginal grooves.
As used herein, the term “hexoginal groove” means a groove having a substantially horizonal lower surface adjointing one or more angled or vertical surfaces. A horizontal groove may be adapted to securely rest on another component.
As used herein the term “mounted object” means panels, cabinetry, ornamentation, instruments, fixtures or any other object capable of being mounted securely to a universal rail plate using the system described herein.
As used herein the term “ratchet and pawl system” means a mechanical device that permits motion in one direction only. The ratchet may be a wheel with slanting teeth or frictional engagement component. The pawl is a lever tangential to the wheel with one end resting on the teeth. When the wheel rotates one way, the pawl slides over the teeth; when the wheel rotates the other way, the pawl catches in the teeth.
As used herein the term “mortised panel” means a panel which includes a hole, groove, cavity or dado which may be of any shape or elongated. As used herein, the term “ferrous flipper” means a pivotal magnetic component.
A used herein, the term “eccentric disk” means a rotational plate which is either mounted to another component at a point other than its center or which is of a shape other than a perfect circle.
As used herein, the term “engaging contour” means a contour of a size and shape sufficient to balance the bottom surface of an object on a ridge, clip, frame, protuberance, or other object.
Walls and panels which accommodate cabinet structures and display fixtures are common in residential and commercial settings, and generally are regarded as permanent or semi-permanent fixtures due to the difficulty of installing and un-installing them. For example, cabinet structures are generally square, rectangular and/or contoured structures which are professionally installed taking into account that some floors and walls have uneven (high or low) spots, which will affect the installation. It is necessary to locate these uneven areas and shim or scribe cabinets in order to make the installation plumb, level, stable and/or square. Use the following procedures to identify your uneven areas.
Cabinet structures are installed in a variety of ways, but a common installation technique generally involves designing a cabinet layout, with minimal versatility. Once installed, cabinets cannot be easily repositioned without damage to walls and/or floor and repositioning of support structures a possibly surrounding cabinetry.
Leveling is an important process in the installation of cabinetry. Leveling is the act of finding a line or surface to which, at every point, a vertical or “plumb line” is perpendicular. A plumb line is a vertical line or plane; that is, a straight line or plane which is perpendicular to a true level at a given point and hence perpendicular to the horizon at that point. It is generally very important to install cabinetry along a plumb line so that cabinetry units are installed evenly relative to each other in both the vertical and horizontal axes.
Generally the process of leveling cabinetry is accomplished by tapping on the walls to find the studs. All the studs must be marked because the studs are needed to support the screws, bolts, nails or other components which hold cabinetry and cabinetry support structures in place. All of the doors and drawers must be removed from the cabinetry and installation is usually commenced at a corner and/or line that has been previously marked. Fillers may be needed to take up odd dimensions, and valences and trimming may also be required.
The process of leveling often requires two laborers, one to hold the cabinetry in place, and the other to determine if the cabinets are level using a leveling tool. Additionally, during the installation process, special tools such as jacks, supports constructed from scrap wood and ledger boards may be used to support and level cabinets.
Floors and walls are rarely plumb and level, so “shims” constructed of the same material as the cabinets or from visually hidden components are often constructed and inserted under the frame of the units to level floor cabinets.
If an error is made during installation and cabinets are not level, cabinets must often be removed and reinstalled, damaging walls and setting back the timeline for completion of a project. Multiple adjustments and installations necessary to bring doors and cabinetry into multiple alignment can also damage the cabinetry. It is often necessary to touch up nicks and scratches caused during installation and reinstallation of cabinetry units.
An additional problem in the installation of cabinetry and other wall and floor structural units is that, in the U.S., cabinets, once installed in rented buildings or structures inhabited by a lessee, may legally become real estate “fixtures” owned by the landlord. Landlord/tenant laws and leases often reflect this concern.
A final problem in the prior art is that it is often desirable to suspend structures other than cabinets from walls, such as storage units, displays, mounting boards, ornamentation and other components. These components must be securely attached, and since hanging or suspending them may also damage walls, it is a problem to selectively attach and vary them. For example, it is advantageous for residents, industrial facilities, stores, schools, retail establishments, marketing venues, cultural and recreational facilities and other businesses to securely attach and have the flexibility to reposition wall components and structures with minimal labor and damage to walls and floors.
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the present invention, references are made in the text hereof to embodiments of a universal mounting system. It should nevertheless be understood that no limitations on the scope of the invention are thereby intended. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that modifications such as the dimensions, size, and shape of the components, alternate but functionally similar materials from which an universal mounting system is made, and the inclusion of additional elements are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the written description do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Some of these possible modifications are mentioned in the following description. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed apparatus or manner.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In addition, in the embodiments depicted herein, like reference numerals in the various drawings refer to identical or near identical structural elements.
Moreover, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related.
Referring now to the drawings,
Upper surface 57 further includes triangular groove 27 with inner triangular groove surfaces 27a, 27b and 27c. In the embodiment shown, triangular groove 27 is adapted to receive ferrous flipper (not shown) which is a pivotal magnetic component which secures rail mounting system accessory clip (not shown) to universal rail plate 20 into place when positioned at an angle.
In the embodiment shown, surface 27a and surface 27b are positioned at an angle of 90 to 100 degrees of each other.
Lower surface further includes lower triangular groove 61.
In the embodiment shown, universal rail plate 20 further includes securing lips 23 and 25 which are protrusions to secure universal rail plate 20 to various mounting components mounted by a universal rail structure discussed herein. The embodiment shown further includes apertures 21 and 22 for mounting universal rail 20 on a wall. Other embodiments may include more or fewer mounting apertures, or omit mounting apertures.
In various embodiments, universal mounting rail may be an Eschutchen plate, a plate with one or more protuberances for mounting, a contoured plate, with a recessed plate, or a plate with singular or multiple apertures, a plate with elongated apertures. The universal mounting rail plate 20 may also be a structural component of a door, cabinet or wall.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61111631 | Nov 2008 | US |
