U.S. patent application number 10/335430 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-17 for anchor device for weak substrates.
Invention is credited to Marks, Joel.
Application Number | 20050035264 10/335430 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34134946 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050035264 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marks, Joel |
February 17, 2005 |
Anchor device for weak substrates
Abstract
An anchoring device to support an object upon weak substrates
such as wallboard, plaster walls or paperboard. A frame supports
multiple long fasteners such as nails at an angle relative to the
substrate. The frame includes angled fastener channels formed in
segments by opposed mold core elements. The mold cores create slots
that are parallel to a mold pull direction, and further are angled
relative to the fastener channels. The slots expose sides of the
fastener channels, alternating channel sidewalls being exposed in
adjacent segments of each channel. Tabs are provided along a
perimeter of the frame to create full slots to hold a wire or other
thin part of an object to be supported. A recess creates a gap
under each fastener head to enable a thin prying tool to remove the
fastener.
Inventors: |
Marks, Joel; (Sherman Oaks,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Brad I Golstein
WorkTools, Inc.
20755 Plummer Street
Chatsworth
CA
91311
US
|
Family ID: |
34134946 |
Appl. No.: |
10/335430 |
Filed: |
January 3, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/547 ;
248/217.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 37/048 20130101;
A47G 1/22 20130101; F16B 15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/547 ;
248/217.2 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/00 |
Claims
1. A device for anchoring objects to a substrate wherein: a one
piece frame includes a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom
portion defining a substantially planar attaching face; a plurality
of elongated fastener channels extend from openings in the top
portion to openings in the bottom portion, a longitudinal
orientation of the fastener channels being angled with respect to
the attaching face, and at least some of the fastener channels
further being angled with respect to other of the fastener
channels; elongated slots extending into the frame in a vertical
direction substantially perpendicular to the attaching face, the
slots angled with respect to the longitudinal orientation of the
fastener channels, the slots extending into the fastener channels
to create openings in sidewalls of the fastener channels; the
fastener channels being divided into segments of fastener channel
length by the slots, adjacent segments of the fastener channels
alternately being exposed toward the bottom face and being exposed
away from the bottom face, the exposure being through the openings
in the sidewalls of the fastener channels created by the slots.
2. The anchoring device of claim 1 wherein the fastener channels
axially confine elongated fasteners, and a portion of each fastener
is exposed by each slot.
3. The anchoring device of claim 1 wherein the openings in the top
portion are through planar fastener landings of the frame, a plane
of each fastener landing facing parallel to the longitudinal
orientation of the fastener channels.
4. The anchoring device of claim 3 wherein elongated fasteners are
axially confined by the fastener channels, the fasteners include
enlarged heads with an underside of the heads contacting the
landings, a recess extends into each landing to create a gap under
part of each head.
5. The anchoring device of claim 1 wherein the frame includes an
external perimeter, at least one upper tab extends outward from the
perimeter to form a downward facing shelf, at least one lower tab
extends outward to form an upward facing shelf proximate along the
perimeter to the upper tab, the opposed shelves forming a slot that
extends along the perimeter of the frame, the upper and lower tabs
not overlapping in the vertical direction.
6. A method to manufacture a device for anchoring objects to a
substrate including the steps of: creating a mold cavity by means
of two opposed mold halves, the mold halves being separated at a
parting line, the mold halves further separating in a single pull
direction, a molded material being inserted into the mold cavity to
form an attaching device frame; molding a plurality of elongated
fastener channels of the frame that extend from openings in a top
portion of the frame to openings in a bottom portion of the frame,
a longitudinal orientation of the fastener channels being angled
with respect to the pull direction, and at least some of the
fastener channels further being angled with respect to other of the
fastener channels; forming elongated slots of the frame by means of
mold cores extending into the mold cavity in the pull direction,
further creating elongated slots of the frame by means of mold
cores extending into the mold cavity opposite to the pull
direction, the slots thereby angled with respect to the
longitudinal orientation of the fastener channels, the slots
extending into the fastener channels to create openings in
sidewalls of the fastener channels; dividing the fastener channels
into segments of fastener channel length by the slots, alternately
exposing adjacent segments of the fastener channels in the pull
direction and opposite to the pull direction, the exposure being
through the openings in the sidewalls of the fastener channels
created by the slots.
7. The anchoring device of claim 6 including the step of installing
elongated fasteners into the fastener channels of the frame.
8. A device for anchoring objects to a substrate wherein: a frame
includes a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion
defining a substantially planar attaching face; a plurality of
elongated fastener channels extend from openings in the top portion
to openings in the bottom portion, a longitudinal orientation of
the fastener channels being angled with respect to the attaching
face, and at least some of the fastener channels further being
angled with respect to other of the fastener channels; the frame
includes an external perimeter, at least one upper tab extends
outward from the perimeter to form a downward facing shelf, at
least one lower tab extends outward to form an upward facing shelf
proximate along the perimeter to the downward facing shelf of the
upper tab, the opposed shelves forming a slot that extends along
the perimeter of the frame, the upper and lower tabs not
overlapping in the vertical direction.
9. The anchoring device of claim 8 wherein the opposed shelves are
immediately adjacent to each other.
10. The anchoring device of claim 8 wherein a plurality of slots
are spaced along the perimeter of the frame.
11. A device for,anchoring objects to a substrate wherein: a frame
includes a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion
defining a substantially planar attaching face; a plurality of
elongated fastener channels extend from openings in the top portion
to openings in the bottom portion, a longitudinal orientation of
the fastener channels being angled with respect to the attaching
face, and at least some of the fastener channels further being
angled with respect to other of the fastener channels; the openings
in the top portion are through planar fastener landings of the
frame, a plane of each fastener landing facing parallel to the
longitudinal orientation of the fastener channels; a recess extends
into each landing to create lowered portion of the landing.
12. The anchoring device of claim 10 wherein elongated fasteners
are axially confined by the fastener channels, the fasteners
include enlarged heads with an underside of the heads contacting
the landings, the lowered portion provides a gap under part of each
head.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to supporting devices. More
precisely the present invention relates to an anchoring device for
mounting objects to weak substrates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An anchoring system for weak substrates is disclosed in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 4,911,396 and 5,346,169 to Polonsky. According to these
disclosures an anchoring method includes driving nails into a
substrate where the nails surround, and are guided by, a frame of
an anchoring device. The design of both these references includes a
cover fitted over the frame so that the nails are secured between
the frame and the cover. The nails are held at one or more angles
with respect to each other, and with respect to the substrate, so
that they will not pull out of the substrate when tied together by
the anchoring device. The fixed array of nails spreads out over a
wide area; generally well beyond a perimeter of the frame for the
nail portions that are embedded in the substrate. This nail array
serves to spread a load applied to the anchoring device over a wide
area of the weak substrate. An improvement of '169 over '396 is to
have the cover piece and frame piece permanently assembled together
during the manufacture of the device. However these elements are
clearly made separately as stated on col. 3, second paragraph, "The
base 12 and the cover 14 are molded as two separate pieces in order
to mold the slots in the angular base."
[0003] According to the preferred embodiment of '169 the nails are
held in a conical configuration by a round conical device. There is
no illustrated or described structure that would facilitate removal
of the nails. Further the concave face into which the nails are to
be seated will likely interfere with a hammerhead when trying to
fully seat the nails.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It would be a significant improvement over the prior art to
provide a structure wherein a base of an attaching device could be
molded as a single piece while including multiple angled enclosed
channels in the base. In the present invention a novel recessed
slot design allows a simply molded part to comprise a single piece
frame that includes a plurality of differently angled fastener
channels that are elongated in a longitudinal direction. The
fastener channels are formed by a series of alternating upward
facing recesses and downward facing recesses in the body of the
frame. Therefore parallel and opposed mold core elements may form
the fastener channels even as the fastener channels are
longitudinally oriented at an angle with respect to the mold
parting line. Angled in the present disclosure means generally
other than perpendicular or parallel.
[0005] Each nail seating area includes a recess on part of the seat
face to enable a prying tool to reach under the nail head to remove
the nail if desired. The seat face and surrounding area are flat to
better fit a hammerhead. Slots are positioned around the perimeter
of the frame to enable the frame to hold a wire or similar element
of an object to be supported. The slots comprise adjacent or
proximate shelves that are offset along the perimeter so that tabs
forming the shelves do not overlap when viewed in a vertical
direction. Therefore the slots can be molded without the use of
mold slides.
[0006] The present invention therefore provides a device
manufactured as one piece for mounting objects upon weak substrates
such as wallboard, plaster, paperboard and other not normally
structural materials. The present invention also provides a
structure to facilitate removing nails or similar fasteners
supported in the frame of the device. The present invention further
provides an integrated means to hang an object by a wire or similar
element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an anchoring device.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a top elevation of the anchoring device of FIG.
1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a bottom elevation of the anchoring device.
[0010] FIG. FIG. 4 is a view, partly in section, of the anchoring
device of FIG. 3.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the anchoring device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
[0012] In the illustrated embodiment the anchor includes a
substantially conical frame with a generally hexagonal shape. Other
shapes may be used including octagonal, round, etc. Frame 10
includes angled nail fastener channels 14. In the Figures there are
six fastener channels in the frame. More or fewer may be used as
desired, possibly with corresponding geometry for the frame, such
as eight fastener channels using an octagonal conical shape. The
illustrated embodiment is a polygonal external shape; a round or
other shape for the outer perimeter may be used as a design choice.
Bottom face 27 at a bottom portion of the frame is generally planar
to closely abut a substrate. Other particular surface shapes may be
desired to fit non-flat substrates.
[0013] Sectional FIG. 4 is helpful to view the structure of
fastener channels 14. An upper portion of fastener channel 14
includes a lower sidewall 14d. Bottom slots 36 extend to upper
sidewall 14c of fastener channel 14 to define a next segment of
fastener channel 14. Top slots 32 extend downward to lower sidewall
14b to define a further segment of fastener channel 14. Similarly
upper sidewall 14a lies in a final segment of fastener channel 14
and is visible in FIG. 3. Therefore in the illustrated embodiment
there are four segments to fastener channel 14. A minimum of three
is required to fully confine a fastener 100 axially in the fastener
channel. However fewer segments may be desired in some designs if
elements external to the frame are used to fix the fastener in some
respects. Importantly every portion of each fastener channel 14 can
be fully viewed from the combination of top view FIG. 2 and bottom
view FIG. 3. Fastener channel 14 is divided into sequential
segments that are alternately exposed either from the top or from
the bottom of the frame. It is therefore possible to fabricate the
differently angled fastener channels 14 of frame 10 by the use of
substantially parallel and opposed mold core elements. The mold can
include two halves that open in a single pull direction without the
use of angled sliding cores. Such a mold includes a mold separation
or pull direction that acts about a parting line. This direction is
perpendicular to face 27, or at least to an average general
orientation of a frame bottom face. The pull direction is also
parallel to the extended direction of slots 32 and 36. A "plane" of
face 27 shall be considered to be perpendicular to the mold pull
direction even if face 27 is not precisely planar. Recesses 23 may
be included to reduce thick material sections.
[0014] Frame 10 includes a recessed center area with fixture
mounting hole 20 in the center of a planar area. Hole 20 may
receive a threaded or other fastener that serves to attach an
object to frame 10. Planar landings 11 are at a top portion of the
frame and surround the area including hole 20 to provide a limit
for an enlarged head of fastener 100, FIG. 4. Recess 13 in landing
11 creates a lowered portion of landing 11. This lowered portion
provides a gap under the head so that a thin prying tool can access
the underside of the head to pull fastener 100 out from its landed
position.
[0015] A further method for frame 10 to support an object is by
hanging a wire, string, strip, edge, shaped edge or similar thin
element of the object to be supported by frame 10. A slot, notch,
shelf or other feature is needed to retain the thin element on the
frame. According to the illustrated embodiment there are six such
slots 16 formed by (upward facing) lower shelf 18 and adjacent
(downward facing) upper shelf 19. Slots 16 are positioned around
the external perimeter of frame 10. More or fewer slots may be
included. Shelves 18 and 19 are offset from each other around the
perimeter. In the particular design shown in the Figures lower
shelf 18 is visually a continuous element of an existing face of
frame 10, while upper shelf 19 is a distinct element of rib 17.
Since adjacent opposed shelves are offset along the perimeter, not
overlapping in the vertical direction, slot 16 can be molded by
means of simple adjacent mold cores with no need for mold slides.
Optionally the upper and lower shelves may not be adjacent but only
proximate. For example an extension of the bottom of the frame
could protrude near the position of the centerline in FIG. 3 in
addition to or in place of shelf 18. As long as the thin element
contacts both the upper and lower shelves, and the shelves do not
overlap as viewed vertically, for example as in FIGS. 2 and 3, the
shelves can be made in a simple mold and they will properly support
the thin element. By including opposed shelves 18 and 19, a wire
that is held in slot 16 will not slide behind frame 10, for example
between the frame and a wall to which frame 10 is attached. This
contrasts with notch 116 of FIG. 5 of reference '169, in which no
lower shelf is present to fully hold a wire in a notch.
* * * * *