U.S. patent application number 11/064749 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-24 for fastening assembly for wall mount applications.
Invention is credited to Michael Dale McGee.
Application Number | 20060186304 11/064749 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36911683 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060186304 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McGee; Michael Dale |
August 24, 2006 |
Fastening assembly for wall mount applications
Abstract
Inventive fastening assemblies are described. In accordance with
one embodiment, an inventive fastening assembly includes: (a) a
female unit having a supporting surface covering an interior
portion, the supporting surface having defined thereon a U-shaped
channel, the interior portion having defined therein a U-shaped
channel cavity, the channel being adjacent to the channel cavity,
the channel having a width and a thickness; (b) a male unit
including--(i) a shaft portion, a head portion; and wherein in an
engaged position of the male and female unit, the shaft portion is
immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped channel, the head
portion is immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped channel
cavity, the male engages with the female unit by force of gravity
and the supporting surface of the female unit immobilizes at least
a portion of the male unit within the female unit.
Inventors: |
McGee; Michael Dale; (San
Francisco, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael Dale McGee
Pier 54, Suite A
San Francisco
CA
94158
US
|
Family ID: |
36911683 |
Appl. No.: |
11/064749 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/476 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 5/065 20130101;
F16B 5/0657 20130101; A47G 1/1606 20130101; F16B 5/0642
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/476 |
International
Class: |
A47G 1/24 20060101
A47G001/24 |
Claims
1. A fastening assembly, comprising: (a) a female unit having a
supporting surface covering an interior portion, said supporting
surface having defined thereon a U-shaped channel, said interior
portion having define therein a U-shaped channel cavity, the
channel being adjacent to the channel cavity, the channel having a
width and a thickness; (b) a male unit including, (i) a shaft
portion having a length, and (ii) a head portion having at least
one dimension extending from one edge of the head portion to a
second edge of the head portion; and wherein the length of the
shaft portion being greater than the thickness of the channel such
that the shaft portion is capable of sliding into the channel, said
at least one dimension of the head portion is greater than the
width of the channel which prevents the head portion from escaping
through the channel, and in an engaged position of the male and
female unit, the shaft portion is immobilized at a closed end of
the U-shaped channel, the head portion is immobilized at a closed
end of the U-shaped channel cavity, the male engages with the
female unit by force of gravity and the supporting surface of the
female unit immobilizes at least a portion of the male unit within
the female unit.
2. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel cavity
having a width, the width of the channel cavity being greater than
the width of the channel and said at least one dimension of the
head portion is smaller than the width of the channel cavity, such
that the head portion is secured inside the second channel cavity
when the male unit engages with the female unit.
3. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the female unit is
capable of attaching to a structure, the male unit is capable of
attaching to an object, which is ultimately fastened to the
structure.
4. The fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein the structure is a
wall.
5. The fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein the object is a
plasma television or a piece of art work.
6. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the width of the
channel is between about 0.25 inches and about 1.5 inches.
7. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the width of the
channel cavity is between about 0.75 inches and about 6 inches.
8. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the length of the
shaft portion is between about 0.25 inches and about 3.1
inches.
9. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the
channel is between about 0.2 inches and about 3 inches.
10. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the shaft portion is
substantially cylindrical in shape.
11. The fastening assembly of claim 10, wherein a diameter of the
shaft portion is between about 0.25 inches and about 6 inches.
12. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the head portion is
circular and has a diameter that is between about 0.75 inches and
about 10 inches.
13. The fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel is
separated from the channel cavity by a distance that is
substantially equal to a thickness of the head portion of the male
unit.
14. A fastening assembly for fastening an object to a structure,
comprising: (a) a female unit having a supporting surface covering
an interior portion, said supporting surface having defined thereon
a U-shaped channel, which has a width and a thickness; (b) a male
unit including, (i) a shaft portion having a length, and (ii) a
head portion having at least one dimension extending from one edge
of the head portion to a second edge of the head portion; and
wherein the length of the shaft portion being greater than the
thickness of the channel such that the shaft portion is capable of
sliding into the channel, said at least one dimension of the head
portion is greater than the width of the channel which prevents the
head portion from escaping through the channel, and in an engaged
position of the male and female unit, the shaft portion is
immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped channel, the male
engages with the female unit by force of gravity and the supporting
surface of the female unit immobilizes at least a portion of the
male unit within the female unit.
15. The fastening assembly of claim 14, further comprising a
U-shaped channel cavity defined in the interior portion of the
female unit, the channel cavity is adjacent to the channel, the
channel cavity has a width which is larger than the width of the
channel, and wherein said at least one dimension of the head
portion is smaller than the width of the channel cavity, such that
the head portion is secured inside the channel cavity when the male
unit engages with the female unit.
16. A female unit capable of receiving a male unit, which has a
shaft portion and a head portion, said female unit comprising: (i)
a supporting surface capable of immobilizing at least a portion of
the male unit within the female unit when the female unit engages
with the male unit; (ii) an interior portion, the supporting
surface covering the interior portion, the supporting surface
having defined therein a U-shaped channel having a width and a
thickness, the thickness of the channel is configured to be less
than a length of the shaft portion and the width of the channel is
configured to be less than at least one dimension which extends
from one edge of the head portion to a second edge of the head
portion, such that female unit is capable of allowing the shaft
portion of the male unit to slide into the channel of the female
unit; and wherein in an engaged position with the male unit, the
female unit is capable of preventing the head portion of the male
unit from escaping through the channel, a closed end of the
U-shaped channel of the female unit is capable of immobilizing the
shaft portion of the male unit, and the female unit is capable of
engaging with the male unit by force of gravity.
17. The female unit of claim 16, further comprising a U-shaped
channel cavity defined in the interior portion of the female unit,
the channel cavity is adjacent to the channel, the channel cavity
has a width that is larger than the width of the channel, and
wherein said at least one dimension of the head portion is smaller
than the width of the channel cavity, such that the head portion is
secured inside the channel cavity.
18. The female unit of claim 17, wherein the channel is separated
from the channel cavity by a distance that is substantially equal
to a thickness of the head portion of the male unit.
19. The female unit of claim 16, wherein said female unit is
capable of attaching to a supporting structure and in its attached
position to the structure, the female unit forms a pocket on the
structure and the pocket includes a supporting surface that has
defined therein the channel and covers the interior portion. 20.
The female unit of clam 19, wherein said pocket can support a load
that is at least five hundred pounds.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a fastening assembly. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a fastening assembly
ideally suited for wall mount applications, which comprises of a
male and female unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] FIG. 1 shows a conventional wall mount assembly 10 that is
typically used for hanging artwork or an object (neither are shown
to simplify illustration) on a wall 16. To implement assembly 10, a
hole is first drilled inside wall 16 at a location where the
artwork or the object will be mounted to wall 16. An anchor 14,
which is typically made of plastic or metal, is then positioned
inside the hole. Next, a screw 12 is driven into wall 16 such that
it is received by anchor 14. The artwork or object is finally
secured using assembly 10 by any number of ways well known to those
skilled in the art. For example, the backside of the artwork or
object has a slotted bracket or tooth hardware, which engages with
screw 12. Alternatively, a wire hanging from one side to the other
side of the artwork or object rests upon screw 12, and thereby
hangs the artwork or object on assembly 10.
[0003] Unfortunately, the conventional wall mount assemblies suffer
from several drawbacks. By way of example, conventional assemblies
do not effectively support on a wall, artwork or objects that are
relatively heavy. In fact, to mount plasma televisions on a wall,
the above-described assembly design is abandoned in favor of a more
complex mounting assembly that is more reliable and sturdy. Such
complex mounting assemblies, however, are undesirable not only
because they offer a complex design, but are both expensive and
require labor-intensive installation.
[0004] As another example, the use of assembly 10 is limited to
mount an object to sheet rock, and not well suited to mount to wall
studs.
[0005] What is needed, therefore, is a novel fastening assembly,
which is well suited for wall mount applications, that does not
suffer from the above-described drawbacks encountered by
conventional wall mount assemblies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Inventive fastening assemblies, which are well suited for
wall mount applications, eliminate the drawbacks of conventional
wall mount assemblies. Inventive fastening assemblies described
herein can both support relatively heavy objects, including plasma
televisions, and are not limited to being used on walls made from
sheet rock like the conventional wall mount assembly. In one
aspect, the present invention offers a fastening assembly for
fastening an object to a structure. The fastening assembly
includes: (a) a female unit having a supporting surface covering an
interior portion, the supporting surface having defined thereon a
U-shaped channel, the interior portion having defined therein a
U-shaped channel cavity, the channel being adjacent to the channel
cavity, the channel having a width and a thickness; (b) a male unit
including--(i) a shaft portion having a length, and (ii) a head
portion having at least one dimension extending from one edge of
the head portion to a second edge of the head portion; and wherein
the length of the shaft portion being greater than the thickness of
the channel such that the shaft portion is capable of sliding into
the channel, at least one of the dimensions of the head portion is
greater than the width of the channel which prevents the head
portion from escaping through the channel, and in an engaged
position of the male and female unit, the shaft portion is
immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped channel, the head
portion is immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped channel
cavity, the male engages with the female unit by force of gravity
and the supporting surface of the female unit immobilizes at least
a portion of the male unit within the female unit.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the channel cavity has a width,
which is greater than the width of the channel and at least one
dimension of the head portion is smaller than the width of the
channel cavity, such that the head portion is secured inside the
second channel cavity when the male unit engages with the female
unit. Furthermore, preferred embodiments include a female unit that
is capable of attaching to a structure and include a male unit is
capable of attaching to an object, which is ultimately fastened to
the structure. The structure may be a wall and the object is a
plasma television or a piece of art work.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the width of the channel is
between about 0.25 inches and about 1.5 inches and the width of the
channel cavity is between about 0.75 and 6 inches. The length of
the shaft portion is preferably between about 0.25 inches and about
3.1 inches. The thickness of the channel is preferably between
about 0.2 inches and about 3 inches. The shaft portion is
preferably substantially cylindrical in shape and in such preferred
embodiments, a diameter of the shaft portion is between about 0.25
inches and about 6 inches. The head portion is preferably circular
and has a diameter that is preferably between about 0.75 inches and
about 10 inches. Furthermore, effective mounting for heavy objects
is realized when the channel is separated from the channel cavity
by a distance that is substantially equal to a thickness of the
head portion of the male unit.
[0009] In another aspect, the present invention provides another
fastening assembly for fastening an object to a structure. The
fastening assembly includes: (a) a female unit having a supporting
surface covering an interior portion, the supporting surface having
defined thereon a U-shaped channel, which has a width and a
thickness; (b) a male unit including, (i) a shaft portion having a
length, and (ii) a head portion having at least one dimension
extending from one edge of the head portion to a second edge of the
head portion; and wherein the length of the shaft portion being
greater than the thickness of the channel such that the shaft
portion is capable of sliding into the channel, said at least one
dimension of the head portion is greater than the width of the
channel which prevents the head portion from escaping through the
channel, and in an engaged position of the male and female unit,
the shaft portion is immobilized at a closed end of the U-shaped
channel, the male engages with the female unit by force of gravity
and the supporting surface of the female unit immobilizes at least
a portion of the male unit within the female unit.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the fastening assembly includes a
U-shaped channel cavity defined in the interior portion of the
female unit, the channel cavity is adjacent to the channel, the
channel cavity has a width which is larger than the width of the
channel, and wherein at least one dimension of the head portion is
smaller than the width of the channel cavity, such that the head
portion is secured inside the channel cavity when the male unit
engages with the female unit.
[0011] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides
another female unit capable of receiving a male unit, which has a
shaft portion and a head portion. The female unit includes: (i) a
supporting surface capable of immobilizing at least a portion of
the male unit within the female unit when the female unit engages
with the male unit; (ii) an interior portion, the supporting
surface covering the interior portion, the supporting surface
having defined therein a U-shaped channel having a width and a
thickness, the thickness of the channel is configured to be less
than a length of the shaft portion and the width of the channel is
configured to be less than at least one dimension which extends
from one edge of the head portion to a second edge of the head
portion, such that female unit is capable of allowing the shaft
portion of the male unit to slide into the channel of the female
unit; and wherein in an engaged position with the male unit, the
female unit is capable of preventing the head portion of the male
unit from escaping through the channel, a closed end of the
U-shaped channel of the female unit is capable of immobilizing the
shaft portion of the male unit, and the female unit is capable of
engaging with the male unit by force of gravity.
[0012] The female unit preferably includes a U-shaped channel
cavity defined in the interior portion of the female unit, the
channel cavity is adjacent to the channel, the channel cavity has a
width that is larger than the width of the channel, and wherein at
least one dimension of the head portion is smaller than the width
of the channel cavity, such that the head portion is secured inside
the channel cavity. The channel is preferably separated from the
channel cavity by a distance that is substantially equal to a
thickness of the head portion of the male unit. In preferred
embodiments, the female unit is capable of attaching to a
supporting structure and in its attached position to the structure,
the female unit forms a pocket on the structure and the pocket
includes a supporting surface that has defined therein the channel
and covers the interior portion. In this embodiment, the pocket can
support a load that is at least five hundred pounds.
[0013] The features and advantages of this invention may be further
appreciated with reference to the following detailed description
and associated drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several
embodiments of the invention and, together with the description
help to explain the principles of the inventions.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a conventional wall mount assembly for
supporting an object, such as a plasma television or artwork on a
wall.
[0016] FIG. 2A shows a female unit of a fastening assembly, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, mounted on
a supporting wall.
[0017] FIG. 2B is a side view of the female unit of FIG. 2A and
shows the formation of a pocket like cavity between the female unit
and the supporting wall.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows the backside of the female unit of FIG. 2A in
greater detail and exposes the interior portion of the female
unit.
[0019] FIG. 4 shows how a male unit engages and disengages with the
female unit of FIG. 2A.
[0020] FIG. 5 shows a shaft portion and a head portion of the male
unit of FIG. 4 in greater detail.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows how a plasma television is mounted on a
supporting wall using one embodiment of the fastening assemblies of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Presently, preferred fastening assemblies for wall mount
applications, in accordance with the present invention, will be
described below making reference to the accompanying drawings. It
should be understood that the invention is not limited to the
described embodiments, which are provided to present certain
aspects and examples of the invention. It should be understood that
while the methods and apparatus presented herein cover assemblies
for mounting a plasma television and artwork, such inventive
methods and apparatus could be used to fasten almost any object to
a structure.
[0023] The fastening assembly of the present invention uses a
female unit and a male unit to fasten or attach an object (e.g.,
plasma television or artwork) to a supporting structure (e.g.,
wall). In preferred embodiments, the female unit is designed such
that it attaches to the supporting structure, upon which the object
is ultimately supported. The male unit preferably attaches to the
object, which is to be supported. As explained below, the female
and the male unit engage under the force of gravity to form a
strong interlocking connection.
[0024] FIG. 2A shows a female unit 112 of an inventive fastening
assembly attached via screws 114 to a wall 116. As shown in FIG.
2A, in its attached position to wall 116, female unit 112 forms a
pocket-like structure (hereinafter referred to as "pocket") on the
wall. In other words, when female unit 112 attaches to wall 116, a
pocket-like cavity is formed between a supporting surface 113 of
female unit 112 and wall 116. The pocket-like cavity can be more
clearly seen in FIG. 2B, which is a side perspective view of female
unit 112 mounted on wall 116.
[0025] As will be explained in greater detail below, the male unit
is designed to engage specifically with this pocket. The pocket,
while engaged with the male unit, distributes the load of the
object throughout the pocket's surface area. Furthermore, the
pocket also distributes the load of the object as shear load
throughout the supporting wall. It is believed that the inventive
fastening assemblies can distribute at least, and in certain
embodiments, more than 500 lbs of shear load throughout the pocket
region and the supporting wall.
[0026] The female unit can be made from any rigid material. Given
that a significant amount of shear load is distributed through the
pocket, however, the female unit is preferably made from a hard
material, such as a metal.
[0027] FIG. 3 shows female unit 112 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2b) in
greater detail from its backside, which faces a supporting wall
when female unit 112 is mounted on the wall at screw holes 115.
Specifically, the backside of female unit 112 shown in this figure
forms the above-described pocket-like cavity when female unit 112
is mounted on the wall. Supporting surface 113 covers an interior
portion of female unit 112, which portion is exposed in FIG. 3, and
includes thereon a channel 120. Interior portion of female unit 112
includes therein a channel cavity 118, which is shown adjacent to
channel 120. The channel cavities are "U" shaped, and as will be
explained later, each of the channel and the channel cavity provide
a point of engagement with a portion of the male unit.
[0028] It is noteworthy that although FIG. 3 shows one channel
cavity, inventive fastening assemblies can have none or many such
channel cavities. It is believed that a channel cavity of a female
unit provides, among other things, an additional effective point of
contact for distributing the load of the object, which the channel
cavity ultimately supports in the assembly's fastened position. For
example, if the weight of the object is relatively small, the
female unit preferably has a channel, without having a channel
cavity. However, if the weight of the object is relatively large,
the female unit preferably has one or more channel cavities to
provide more points of load distribution.
[0029] For proper engagement with the male unit, the female unit
should be fabricated to have feature dimensions, which complement
the dimensions of the corresponding features of the male unit.
Referring to FIG. 3, channel 120 has a width (denoted by "w1"),
which is measured from edge to a second opposite edge of channel
120. Similarly, a channel cavity 118 has a width (denoted by "w2"),
which is measured from edge to a second opposite edge of channel
cavity 118. In the inventive fastening assemblies, the width ("w2")
of channel cavity 118 is greater than the width ("w1") of channel
120. In other words, the channel cavity is wider than the channel.
In those embodiments, where there is more than one channel cavity
in the female unit, it is preferable to have channel cavities with
progressively greater widths as the channel cavities approach the
wall (when the female unit is mounted on the wall).
[0030] Although channel cavity 118 and channel 120 are described as
being adjacent to each other, they are nevertheless separated by a
distance (denoted by "d"). The separating distance ("d") can also
be thought of as the thickness or depth of channel cavity 118.
Furthermore, channel 120 is separated from channel cavity 118 in a
lateral direction by a surface area of pocket wall 130. When a male
unit engages with female unit 112, a significant amount of load is
borne by pocket wall 130. As a result, pocket wall 130, which has a
large surface area and when made from a hard material, provides
significant load bearing capability. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the ability of the female unit to form such a
pocket, which can bear relatively heavy loads that are not
supported by conventional wall mount assemblies, is novel and
inventive.
[0031] Now turning to complementary features and dimension of the
male unit, FIG. 5 shows a male unit 132 having a shaft portion 134
and a head portion 136. According to this figure, shaft portion 134
has a length (denoted by "l") and a head portion having a diameter
(denoted by "D"). To allow effective engagement between male unit
132 and female unit 112, the length ("l") of shaft portion 134
should be greater than width ("w1") of channel 120 of FIG. 2A. Such
complementary dimensions allow shaft portion 134 of male unit 132
of FIG. 5 to slide into channel 120 of female unit 112 of FIG. 2A,
and thereby slidably connect the male and female units into a
single fastening assembly. The "U" shape of channel 120 at a closed
end provides a positive stop location for shaft portion 134, such
that shaft portion 134 immobilizes at this point during
engagement.
[0032] Furthermore, head portion 136 should have a diameter ("D"),
which extends from one edge to another opposite edge of head
portion 136, that is greater than width ("w1") of channel 120 of
FIG. 2A. In conjunction with channel 120, such complementary
dimensions allow head portion 136 to provide an interlocking
mechanism for the inventive fastening assemblies. Furthermore,
diameter ("D") of head portion 136 is smaller than width ("w2") of
channel cavity 118 of FIG. 2A. In preferred embodiments, diameter
("D") of head portion 136 is slightly smaller than width ("w2") of
channel cavity 118, so that head portion 136 is effectively secured
inside channel cavity 118 during engagement. The "U" shape of
channel cavity 118 at a closed end provides a positive stop
location for head portion 136, such that head portion 136
immobilizes at this point during engagement and enhances the
interlocking capability of the inventive fastening assemblies.
[0033] Although, FIG. 5 shows shaft portion 134 substantially
cylindrically shaped and head portion 136 circularly shaped, the
present invention is not so limited. Shaft portion 134 can be of
any shape so long as it allows male unit 132 of FIG. 5 to slide
into channel 120 of FIG. 2A. Similarly, head portion 136 can be of
any shape, including square or triangular shape, so long as head
portion 136 has at least one dimension extending from one edge to a
second opposite edge of head portion 136 that is greater than width
("w2") of channel cavity 118 to provide an effective interlocking
mechanism during engagement.
[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the width of the channel is
between about 0.25 inches and about 1.5 inches and the width of the
channel cavity is between about 0.75 and 6 inches. The length of
the shaft portion is preferably between about 0.25 inches and about
3.1 inches. The thickness of the channel is preferably between
about 0.2 inches and about 3 inches. The shaft portion is
preferably substantially cylindrical in shape and in such preferred
embodiments, a diameter of the shaft portion is between about 0.25
inches and about 6 inches. The head portion is preferably circular
and has a diameter that is preferably between about 0.75 inches and
about 10 inches. Furthermore, effective mounting for heavy objects
is realized when the channel is separated from the channel cavity
by a distance that is substantially equal to a thickness of the
head portion of the male unit.
[0035] FIG. 4 shows male unit 132 sliding into and engaging with
female unit 112, which would be mounted to a supporting wall at
screw locations 115. The vertical position of female unit 112
relative to a supporting structure (not shown to simplify
illustration) utilizes gravity to effectively engage with male unit
132 that slides into the pocket-like cavity. As a result, the
fastening assemblies of the present invention provide a female unit
and a male unit that easily engage and disengage in a manner that
is not realized when using conventional mounting assemblies.
[0036] FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of how an object 140,
such as a plasma television or a piece of artwork, is mounted on a
supporting structure 116, such as a wall, using fastening
assemblies of the present invention. Object 140 has attached to its
four corners male units 132A, 132B, 132C and 132 D. For effective
mounting, each male unit has corresponding female units attached to
the supporting structure 116. To facilitate discussion and
illustration, only one such female unit 112C (corresponding to male
unit 132C) is shown in FIG. 6. The male units attached to the
object simply slide into their corresponding female units attached
to the supporting structure and accomplish relatively easy mounting
of the object to the structure. Furthermore, in the engaged
position, the closed ends of U-shaped channels and channel cavities
of the female units immobilize the corresponding portions of the
male units, such as the corresponding shaft portions and the
corresponding head portions, respectively. Although the embodiment
of FIG. 6 shows four locations of engagement between the object and
the supporting structure, those skilled in the art will recognize
that there can be fewer or more than four locations of engagement
depending on the weight of the object.
[0037] Figures described herein illustrate in greater detail the
preferred embodiments of a single channel cavity. However, when
embodiments with no channel cavity are employed, those skilled in
the art will appreciate that a simpler design can be extracted from
the more complex single channel cavity disclosure provided
above.
[0038] Other embodiments and advantages will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and
practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the
specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a
true scope of the invention being indicated by the following
claims.
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