Patent Application
20240237838
The presently disclosed subject matter is generally directed to a wall mounting device comprising a rear-facing grid configured to cooperate with an anchoring member positioned on a support wall. The presently disclosed subject matter further includes methods of making and using the disclosed device.
Conventional pictures, mirrors, and other wall hangings are typically secured using one or more wall anchors (such as nails, screws, or special purpose hanging brackets) that catch or otherwise mechanically communicate with a wire horizontally attached to the rear or “wall side” of the object to be hung. In the case of mirrors, mounting is provided by fixed hardware on the back of the mirror that may or may not be properly aligned, thereby leading to poor hanging alignment. The first step in hanging a device on a wall is to determine the desired height and position of the device. For most people, this is a difficult task. Typically, a first person must hold the device against a wall while a second person determines the desired height and position from across the room. For the first person to be able to view the device against the wall, the second person must take the first person's place as picture holder. Once the proper height and position are determined, the user must determine the proper location to insert an anchor to hang the device, which presents a challenge. For example, it may be difficult to properly position a hook in a wall to catch a wire that is horizontally strung against a picture. It can further be challenging to properly align the hanging implement to ensure that the device is at the desired location and height, which can take multiple insertion and removals of the hanging implement. The trial and error results in damage to walls and the device itself can be damaged in the process. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a hanging device that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.
In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a hanging device comprising a front face and an opposed rear face. The device further includes a frame at least partially surrounding the front and rear faces. The rear face comprises a grid defined by a plurality of apertures that extend towards the front face. The plurality of apertures do not extend to the front face.
In some embodiments, the apertures are formed from a plurality of intersecting wires that are attached or connected to the rear face.
In some embodiments, the apertures are configured as individual openings on the rear face.
In some embodiments, at least one aperture differs from at least one other aperture with respect to size, shape, or depth.
In some embodiments, each aperture has a depth of about 0.01-1 inches.
In some embodiments, the depth of each aperture is about 1-20 percent of a thickness of the hanging device.
In some embodiments, the depth of each aperture is about 20-50 percent of a thickness of the hanging device.
In some embodiments, the hanging device comprises about 100-1000 apertures. In some embodiments, the apertures are positioned on about 100 percent of the rear face of the device.
In some embodiments, the apertures are positioned on about 20-50 percent of the rear face of the device.
In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a method of retaining a hanging device on a support surface. Particularly, the method comprises determining a proper position for retaining the hanging device on the support surface. The hanging device is defined by a front face and an opposed rear face and a frame at least partially surrounding the front and rear faces. The rear face comprises a grid defined by a plurality of apertures that extend towards the front face, and the plurality of apertures do not extend to the front face. The method includes positioning a first end of a hanging implement in the support surface at the proper position for retaining the hanging device. The method further includes inserting a second end of the hanging implement into an aperture of the hanging device, where the aperture is adjacent to the second end of the hanging device, whereby the hanging device is retained on the support surface.
In some embodiments, the hanging implement is a nail, hook, or bracket.
In some embodiments, the proper position for retaining the hanging device is adjustable without moving the location of the hanging implement in the support surface.
The presently disclosed subject matter is introduced with sufficient details to provide an understanding of one or more particular embodiments of broader inventive subject matters. The descriptions expound upon and exemplify features of those embodiments without limiting the inventive subject matters to the explicitly described embodiments and features. Considerations in view of these descriptions will likely give rise to additional and similar embodiments and features without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are now described.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a”, “an”, and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in the subject specification, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a device” can include a plurality of such devices, and so forth. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of components, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the instant specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter.
As used herein, the term “about”, when referring to a value or to an amount of mass, weight, time, volume, concentration, and/or percentage can encompass variations of, in some embodiments +/−20%, in some embodiments +/−10%, in some embodiments +/−5%, in some embodiments +/−1%, in some embodiments +/−0.5%, and in some embodiments +/−0.1%, from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate in the disclosed packages and methods.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the drawing figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawing figures.
The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a device (e.g., mirror, picture, artwork) that can be easily and efficiently hung on a wall or other support surface. Specifically, the device includes a grid positioned on a rear face of the device, closest to the support surface. The term “grid” refers to a pattern or series of apertures.
As set forth above, device 5 can be configured as any element that a user wishes to hang on a support surface. Thus, the device can include (but is not limited to) a mirror, painting, drawing, display board, poster, artwork, shadowbox, document, diploma, clock, light, cabinet, shelf, and the like. In some embodiments, the device can include any element comprising a frame. In other embodiments, the frame is optional.
Device 5 can be configured in any desired shape, such as (but not limited to) square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, hexagonal, octagonal, cloud-shaped, cross-shaped, crescent shaped, and abstract, as shown in
Device 5 includes frame 15 that extends about the circumference of device 5, as shown in
Frame 15 can be constructed from any suitable material and is not limiting. For example, the frame can be constructed from metal, plastic, carbon fiber, ceramic, wood, glass, leather, fabric, composite board, stone, cement, or combinations thereof.
As set forth above, device 5 includes front face 10 and opposed rear face 11. The term “front face” refers to the face positioned outwardly facing a room when the device is in use. The front face includes visual element 25 that is displayed for users to see and/or interact with. As noted above, the visual element can include a reflective surface, a picture, artwork, photo, print, poster, document, or similar display object of varying thickness or rigidity. Accordingly, the visual element includes any object having dimensions (i.e., length, width, and thickness) to be displayed, as shown in
Device rear face 11 is positioned to oppose the front face. The term “rear face” is the device face that is positioned adjacent to (and facing) a support surface when the device is hung (e.g., wall 35), as shown in
In some embodiments, grid 20 can be formed by a series of intercrossing wires, as shown in
The grid can be secured on rear face 11 using any suitable method, such as the use of adhesives, mechanical elements (staples, nails, fasteners), welding, or combinations thereof that interact with the frame.
In other embodiments, the grid can be formed by providing multiple apertures in rear face 11 as shown in
Apertures 40 can be configured in any desired size or combination of sizes. For example, each aperture can include diameter 50 of about 0.01-1 inch in some embodiments (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch). The term “diameter” refers to the longest straight line distance passing through the center of a cross-section of the aperture, as illustrated in
Apertures 40 can further be configured in any desired shape, such as (but not limited to) square, rectangular, circular, oval, triangular, and the like.
Each aperture can further include depth 51 of about 0.01-1 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch). The term “depth” refers to the distance of each aperture measured inward from the rear face, as shown in
In some embodiments, each aperture 40 on rear face 11 is configured in about the same size, depth, and shape. However, the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited and at least one aperture can differ from at least one other aperture with respect to shape, size, and/or depth (e.g., to accommodate a variety of different wall hanging implements).
Rear face 11 can include any number of apertures, such as about 10-1000 or more (e.g., at least/no more than about 10, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, or 1000). It should be appreciated that the number of apertures 40 depends on the size of a particular device. For example, a large mirror measuring 5 feet×7 feet will inherently include more apertures compared to a small 8 inch×11 inch painting.
In some embodiments, apertures 40 span the full rear face, as shown in the embodiments of
Device 5 can be configured in any suitable size for any suitable application. Thus, the device can include length 60 and/or width 61 of about 6 inches to about 10 feet or more (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, or 10 feet). The term “length” refers to the longest horizontal distance of the device, as shown in
To use device 5, a user can first position a nail or other hanging implement into the support surface (e.g., wall) at the desired location to hang the device, as depicted in the schematic of
If a user desires to move the device to the right/left/up/down, they simply remove the device from the wall by withdrawing the hanging implement(s) from a corresponding aperture 40. The location of device 5 can then be adjusted, such that a new aperture at a different location will accommodate the hanging implement. Similarly, the device can easily accommodate a change in orientation (e.g., a rotation of the device) using the same process. Particularly, the device can be removed from the support surface, rotated, and then repositioned on the wall using the same nail by inserting into a new aperture.
It should be appreciated that any suitable device can be hung in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter, such as a mirror, painting, drawing, display board, poster, artwork, shadowbox, document, diploma, clock, light, cabinet, shelf, and the like. One embodiment of device 5 configured as clock 70 and cabinet 75 are illustrated in
The disclosed device offers many advantages over prior art pictures, prints, mirrors, and the like. For example, the device allows a user to hang an object easily and efficiently with a single point (such as a single nail or screw). Alternatively, multiple hanging points can be used (e.g., two or more nails or screws) if desired.
Device 5 is simple to use, such that even children or the elderly can easily hang or adjust the device as needed.
Advantageously, the disclosed device can hang on a single nail, hook, and/or screw, but also has the added functionality of hanging on multiple nails, hooks, and/or screws to hang/orient the device without needing to find the weight balancing point.
The disclosed device enables a single person to hang a picture or mirror without assistance.
In addition, the need for a user to install a wall anchor (screw/nail/hook) in the exact position on the wall is less critical because device 5 can be easily adjusted.
Device 5 is easier to use compared to conventional pictures and mirrors. For example, the plurality of apertures on rear face 11 ensure that the wall anchor is more easily snagged by the apertures in the grid. In comparison, when conventional frames or mirrors are hung, there is often a trial and error period where multiple wall anchors are inserted and then removed to find the perfect hanging position.
Exemplary embodiments of the methods and components of the presently disclosed subject matter have been described herein. As noted elsewhere, these embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes only, and are not limiting. Other embodiments are possible and are covered by the presently disclosed subject matter. Such embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
