U.S. patent application number 10/779964 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-19 for space-saving display hook back for pegboard.
This patent application is currently assigned to Southern Imperial, Inc.. Invention is credited to Valiulis, Stanley C., Zadak, Craig.
Application Number | 20040159755 10/779964 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32852864 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040159755 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Valiulis, Stanley C. ; et
al. |
August 19, 2004 |
Space-saving display hook back for pegboard
Abstract
A mounting bracket generally comprises a plate and a pair of
laterally spaced prongs connected to the plate. Each prong has a
first portion extending rearwardly and a second portion extending
downwardly. The second portion of each prong has a vertical height
less than or equal to a diameter of the mounting apertures, whereby
the bracket may be attached to the vertical support without
rotating the bracket, thereby saving retail space. An interior
chamber is defined by the rear surface of the plate and the inner
surfaces of the prongs. The interior chamber has a horizontal width
less than or equal to the thickness of the vertical support such
that the rear and inner surfaces firmly engage the vertical support
and attach the mounting bracket thereto. Preferably, the bracket
further includes a second pair of laterally spaced prongs
structured similarly to the first pair of prongs but vertically
spaced therefrom.
Inventors: |
Valiulis, Stanley C.;
(Rockford, IL) ; Zadak, Craig; (Roscoe,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEYDIG VOIT & MAYER, LTD
6815 WEAVER ROAD
ROCKFORD
IL
61114-8018
US
|
Assignee: |
Southern Imperial, Inc.
Rockford
IL
|
Family ID: |
32852864 |
Appl. No.: |
10/779964 |
Filed: |
February 17, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10779964 |
Feb 17, 2004 |
|
|
|
10025254 |
Dec 18, 2001 |
|
|
|
6722619 |
|
|
|
|
10025254 |
Dec 18, 2001 |
|
|
|
29153126 |
Oct 29, 2001 |
|
|
|
D471431 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/220.43 ;
248/220.41 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 5/0823
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/220.43 ;
248/220.41 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mounting bracket for mounting a display hook to a vertical
support having regularly spaced apertures, the mounting bracket
comprising: a plate having a front surface constructed to attach
the display hook thereto; a pair of laterally spaced prongs
connected to the plate for attaching the plate to the vertical
support via the apertures, each of the prongs having a first
portion extending rearwardly from the plate and a second portion
extending downwardly from the first portion, the second portion
having a vertical height less than or equal to a diameter of the
apertures; an interior chamber defined by the rear surface of the
plate and the inner surfaces of the first and second portions of
the prongs, the interior chamber having a horizontal width less
than or substantially equal to the thickness of the vertical
support such that the rear and inner surfaces firmly engage the
vertical support and attach the mounting bracket thereto; and
wherein the mounting bracket is made of and comprises a single
unitary component part.
2. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the horizontal width of
the chamber is between about 0.230 to about 0.235 inches.
3. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the horizontal width is
less than the thickness of the vertical support.
4. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the prongs compress the
vertical support when attached thereto.
5. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the
plate extends above the inner surface of the first portion of the
prongs to provide rotational stability.
6. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the prongs are
integrally formed with the plate.
7. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the bracket is stamp
formed from sheet metal, wherein a generally uniform cross
sectional thickness is provided throughout the mounting
bracket.
8. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the prongs are
positioned adjacent a top edge of the plate.
9. The mounting bracket of claim 1, further comprising a second
pair of laterally spaced prongs structured similarly to the first
pair of prongs but vertically spaced therefrom, the inner surfaces
of the first and second portions of the second pair of prongs
defining a second chamber for receiving the vertical support
therein.
10. The mounting bracket of claim 9, wherein a lower portion of the
plate extends below the inner surfaces of the first portions of the
second pair of prongs to provide rotational stability.
11. The mounting bracket of claim 10, wherein the lower portion of
the plate extends below the second portions of the second pair of
prongs.
12. A mounting bracket for mounting a display hook to a vertical
support having regularly spaced apertures, the mounting bracket
comprising: a plate having a front surface constructed to attach
the display hook thereto; a first and second pair of laterally
spaced prongs connected to the plate for attaching the plate to the
vertical support via the apertures, the first pair of prongs being
vertically spaced above the second pair of prongs, each prong
having a first portion extending rearwardly from the plate and a
second portion extending downwardly from the first portion; the
first portion of each prong extending rearwardly a distance less
than or substantially equal to the thickness of the vertical
support, the second portion of each prong having a vertical height
less than or equal to a diameter of the apertures; and wherein the
mounting back is stamped from shet metal such that the plate and
prongs have opposed generally flat sides with a generally uniform
cross sectional thickness therebetween.
13. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein a rear surface of
plate lies generally flush with vertical support.
14. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein each prong includes
an inner surface that firmly engages the vertical support.
15. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein the first portion of
each prong extends a horizontal distance less than the thickness of
the vertical support.
16. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein the prongs compress
the vertical support when attached thereto.
17. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein an upper portion of
the plate extends upwardly to a point equal to or above the first
portion of the first pair of prongs to provide rotational
stability.
18. The mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein a lower portion of
the plate extends below the inner surfaces of the first portions of
the second pair of prongs to provide rotational stability.
19. A hanger assembly for attachment to a vertical support having
regularly spaced apertures, the hanger assembly comprising: a
display hook having at least one horizontally extending arm; a
mounting bracket for mounting the display hook to the vertical
support via the apertures, the mounting bracket including a plate
having a front surface constructed to attach the display hook
thereto and a first and second pair of laterally spaced prongs
connected to the plate, the first pair of prongs being vertically
spaced above the second pair of prongs, each prong having a first
portion extending rearwardly from the plate and a second portion
extending downwardly from the first portion; the first portion of
each prong extending rearwardly a distance less than or
substantially equal to the thickness of the vertical support for
secure attachment of the hanger assembly; the second portion of
each prong having a vertical height less than or equal to a
diameter of the apertures for attaching the hanger assembly to the
vertical support without rotating the hanger assembly and
disturbing the area above the hanger assembly; and wherein the
mounting back is stamped from shet metal such that the plate and
prongs have opposed generally flat sides with a generally uniform
cross sectional thickness therebetween.
20. The hanger assembly of claim 19, wherein an upper portion of
the plate extends upwardly to a point equal to or above the first
portion of the first pair of prongs to provide rotational
stability.
21. The hanger assembly of claim 19, wherein a lower portion of the
plate extends below the inner surfaces of the first portions of the
second pair of prongs to provide rotational stability.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation of copending U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/025,254, filed Dec. 18, 2001,
pending, which is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 29/153,126, filed Oct. 29, 2001, issued as
U.S. Patent No. D471431 on Mar. 11, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to hanger assemblies
for perforated vertical supports, and more particularly relates to
mounting backs for such hanger assemblies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates to a hanger assembly for supporting
articles on a vertical support such as a perforated panel of the
type commonly referred to as a "Pegboard." Such an assembly
includes a hanger or hook adapted to project outwardly from the
vertical support and adapted to hold merchandise. In most hanger
assemblies, the hook is adapted to be releasably attached to the
panel by a mounting bracket having a pair of horizontally spaced
fingers or pegs which extend through holes in the pegboard. The
pegs are typically L-shaped, and extend inwardly and upwardly such
that the hanger assembly must be tilted upwardly to insert the pegs
into the holes. Once the upturned portion of the pegs are inserted
into the holes, the assembly may be rotated downwardly so that the
hook projects outwardly from the vertical support.
[0004] Unfortunately, while such hanger assemblies have achieved
much commercial success, they are not without their limitations. It
can often be difficult to install the hanger assemblies immediately
below other product display devices such as shelves, crossbars,
wire bins and baskets, or even other hanger assemblies which can
obstruct vision and make mounting the hanger difficult. Since the
mounting backs must be tipped upwardly and since hooks are
relatively long, significant space is required above the assembly
to mount the assembly to a vertical support.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] One embodiment of the invention provides a mounting bracket
for mounting a display hook to a vertical support having regularly
spaced apertures. The mounting bracket generally comprises a plate
having a front surface constructed to attach the display hook
thereto, and a pair of laterally spaced prongs connected to the
plate for attaching the plate to the vertical support via the
apertures. Each of the prongs has a first portion extending
rearwardly from the plate and a second portion extending downwardly
from the first portion. The second portion of each prong has a
vertical height less than or equal to a diameter of the apertures,
so that the bracket may be attached to the vertical support without
any rotation or tilting of the bracket and display hook. Further,
an interior chamber is defined by the rear surface of the plate and
the inner surfaces of the first and second portions of the prongs.
The interior chamber has a horizontal width less than or equal to
the thickness of the vertical support such that the rear and inner
surfaces firmly engage the vertical support and attach the mounting
bracket thereto.
[0006] According to more detailed aspects of this embodiment of the
invention, the horizontal width of the chamber is between about
0.230 to about 0.235 inches. The horizontal width is less than the
thickness of the vertical support, and the prongs compress the
vertical support when attached thereto. According to another
aspect, an upper portion of the plate extends above the inner
surface of the first portion of the prongs to provide rotational
stability. Preferably, the prongs are integrally formed with the
plate and positioned adjacent a top edge of the plate. The bracket
is preferably stamp formed from sheet metal.
[0007] In a related embodiment, the mounting bracket further
comprises a second pair of laterally spaced prongs structured
similarly to the first pair of prongs but vertically spaced
therefrom. Like the first pair of prongs, the inner surfaces of the
first and second portions of the second pair of prongs define a
second chamber for receiving the vertical support therein.
Preferably, a lower portion of the plate extends below the inner
surfaces of the first portions of the second pair of prongs to
provide rotational stability. More preferably, the lower portion of
the plate extends below the second portions of the second pair of
prongs.
[0008] In another embodiment of the invention, a mounting bracket
is provided for mounting a display hook to a vertical support
having regularly spaced apertures. The mounting bracket generally
comprises a plate having a front surface constructed to attach the
display hook thereto, and a first and second pair of laterally
spaced prongs connected to the plate for attaching the plate to the
vertical support via the apertures. The first pair of prongs is
vertically spaced above the second pair of prongs. Each prong has a
first portion extending rearwardly from the plate and a second
portion extending downwardly from the first portion. The first
portion of each prong extends rearwardly a distance less than or
equal to the thickness of the vertical support for secure
attachment. The second portion of each prong has a vertical height
less than or equal to a diameter of the apertures so that the
bracket may be attached to the vertical support without any
rotation or tilting of the bracket and display hook.
[0009] According to more detailed aspects of this embodiment, a
rear surface of plate lies generally flush with vertical support.
Each prong includes an inner surface that firmly engages the
vertical support. Preferably, the first portion of each prong
extends a horizontal distance less than the thickness of the
vertical support, and the prongs compress the vertical support when
attached thereto.
[0010] Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become
more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part
of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present
invention, and together with the description serve to explain the
principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0012] FIGS. 1-5 are front isometric, rear isometric, top, front
and side view of a mounting back in accordance with a first
embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIGS. 6-11 are similar views to those shown in FIGS. 1-5 but
of a mounting back in accordance with a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0014] FIGS. 12 and 13 are illustrations showing the mounting back
of the second embodiment being mounted to a perforated peg hook
board.
[0015] While the invention will be described in connection with
certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to
those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all
alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Turning now to the drawings, a first embodiment of the
present invention is depicted in FIGS. 1-5. This embodiment of the
invention takes the form of a mounting bracket 20 generally
comprising a plate 40 and a pair of mounting fingers or prongs 60.
It can be seen that the pair of prongs 60 are connected to the
plate and are laterally spaced apart. Preferably, the pair of
laterally spaced prongs 60 are connected to the plate adjacent an
upper edge thereof. Also preferable, the prongs are integrally
formed with the plate. Generally, the bracket is stamped formed
from sheet metal.
[0017] The plate 40 is generally rectangular, and is about 1-2
inches wide, by 1-11/2 inches tall. The laterally spaced prong 60
on lateral sides of the bracket 20, and the relatively large
dimension in the width, allows two or more display hooks to be
mounted to the single mounting bracket. As will be recognized by
those skilled in the art, a bracket having two vertically spaced
prongs is also envisioned, and could be used to mount a single
display hook thereto. The plate 40 generally includes a front
surface 41 (FIG. 1) and a rear surface 42 (FIG. 2). The plate 40,
and particularly the front surface 41 is constructed to attach a
display hook (not shown) thereto. In the embodiment depicted in
FIGS. 1-5, a pair of vertically spaced and laterally extending
bosses 48 are formed into the plate 40 for attaching a display hook
thereto, typically by welding.
[0018] Each prong 60 generally comprises a first portion 61 and a
second portion 62. The first portion 61 is connected to the plate
40 and extends rearwardly therefrom, while the second portion 62
extends downwardly from the first portion 61. The inner surfaces of
the first portion 61 and the second portion 62, as well as the rear
surface 42 of the plate 40, generally define an interior chamber 63
(FIG. 5) that is sized to receive a vertical support. More
particularly, and as will be described in more detail herein, the
second portion 62 of each prong 60 is sized to be less than or
equal to the diameter of a hole in the vertical support. With this
construction, the pegs 60 may be directly inserted horizontally
through the apertures found in the vertical support (not shown).
Furthermore, the first portion 61 is sized to be less than or equal
to a thickness of the vertical support, such that the prongs 60
firmly engage the vertical support and attach the mounting bracket
20 thereto.
[0019] Another embodiment of the present inventions is depicted in
FIGS. 6-11. This embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of
FIGS. 1-5, although a second pair of laterally spaced prongs 70 are
provided. The second pair of prongs 70 are vertically spaced from
the first pair of prongs 60. More particularly, the second pair of
prongs 70 are positioned adjacent the lower portion 46 of the plate
40. In fact, the lower portion 46 has a smaller width than the
lower portion 46 of the first embodiment. This is because in the
depicted embodiment, the second pair of prongs 70 are struck from
the lower portion 46 of the plate leaving lesser plate
material.
[0020] Nonetheless, it can also be seen that on each of the side
edges of the mounting bracket 20, the plate 40 extends laterally
beyond the outer edges of the vertically spaced prongs 60, 70, as
they do in the prior embodiment. Thus the plate defines side
portions 45 extending laterally beyond the vertically spaced prongs
60, 70 which provides support against lateral rotation. It will
also be noticed that the upper portion 44 extends to a point above
the inner surface of the first portion 61 of the first pair of
prongs 60, and in fact extends to a point equal to or above the
prongs 60. Similarly, the lower portion 46 of the plate 40 extends
downwardly below the inner (i.e. lower) surface of the first
portion 71 of the lower pair of prongs 70, and preferably extends
downwardly to a point equal to or below the entire prongs 70,
including the downturned second portion 72.
[0021] The embodiment of the invention depicted in FIGS. 6-11 has
been illustrated as being mounted to a vertical support 10 having
regularly spaced apertures 12 in FIGS. 12 and 13. Here, the
invention takes the form of a hanger assembly 22 having a display
hanger 24 affixed to the mounting bracket 20 via the bosses 48. In
FIG. 12, the hanger assembly 22 is being shown as moving laterally
by arrow 100, and it can be seen that the downturned second
portions 62, 72 of the prongs 60, 70 are sized in the vertical
dimension to be received within the apertures 12. As shown in FIG.
13, once the hanger assembly 22 has been moved inwardly, the
assembly and its bracket 20 may be moved downwardly as indicated by
arrow 101. It can be seen that the first portions 61, 71 of the
prongs 60, 70 are sized to be equal to or less than the thickness
of the vertical support 10, such that the inner surfaces of the
prongs 60, 70 firmly engage the vertical support 10. Stated another
way, the chambers 63, 73 (FIG. 12) formed by the prongs 60, 70 and
the plate 40, are sized in the horizontal dimension to be
approximately less than or equal to the thickness of the vertical
support for firm engagement. It can also be seen that the rear
surface 42 of the plate 40 lies generally flush with the outer
surface of the vertical support 10.
[0022] Accordingly, the hanger assembly 22, and more particularly
the bracket 20, need not be rotated or otherwise tilted relative to
the vertical support 10, and can be inserted directly through the
holes 12 and moved downwardly for firm engagement. The elimination
of the rotation of the assembly 22 allows the hanger assembly 22 to
be mounted more closely to other display apparatus also mounted to
the pegboard 10, and allows the hanger assembly 22 to be mounted
directly beneath such other display apparatus. Likewise, additional
locking mechanisms are unnecessary to firmly mount the bracket 20
to the vertical support 10.
[0023] It will be recognized that the close tolerancing of the
prongs 60, 70 and particularly the horizontal dimension of the
chamber 63, 73, allows the mounting bracket 20 to be firmly engaged
to the vertical support 10 by virtue of its dimensioning. In fact,
the vertical support 10 may be compressed slightly when the
mounting brackets 20 are attached thereto.
[0024] Pegboard is typically made of a wood or paper-based
particleboard which will vary with manufacturer. Typically however,
pegboard has a thickness of about 0.230-0.235 inches or above.
Accordingly the horizontal dimension of the interior chambers 63,
73 has been closely toleranced to between approximately 0.230 and
0.235 inches to closely conform to such pegboard.
[0025] All of the references cited herein, including patents,
patent applications, and publications, are hereby incorporated in
their entireties by reference.
[0026] The foregoing description of various embodiments of the
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Numerous
modifications or variations are possible in light of the above
teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to
provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention
and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary
skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments
and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the
scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when
interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are
fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
* * * * *