U.S. patent application number 11/260930 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for apparatus and method for hanging an item on a wall.
Invention is credited to Robert Case.
Application Number | 20070095997 11/260930 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37995012 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070095997 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Case; Robert |
May 3, 2007 |
Apparatus and method for hanging an item on a wall
Abstract
An appartus for hanging items on a wall comprises a backing
plate with a substantially square mounting plate portion and a
plurality of apertures formed in the backing plate. The backing
plate is anchored in a wall and then a supporting peg is inserted
into one of the plurality of apertures. An item can then be hung on
the supporting peg. By selectively adjusting the position of the
supporting peg, the exact hanging location for the item can be
quickly and easily adjusted, without altering the position of the
backing plate.
Inventors: |
Case; Robert; (Mesa,
AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WRIGHT LAW GROUP, PLLC
7201 WEST OAKLAND
SUITE 2
CHANDLER
AZ
85226
US
|
Family ID: |
37995012 |
Appl. No.: |
11/260930 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/309.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 1/164 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/309.1 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/00 20060101
A47F005/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a mounting plate for hanging an item on
a wall, the mounting plate comprising a plurality of supporting
apertures; a selectivley removable and repositionable supporting
peg removably inserted into one of the supporting apertures.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an object hanging
from the supporting peg.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selectivley removable and
repositionable supporting peg comprises: a first end; a second end;
and a collar positioned approximately midway between the first end
and the second end.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least two
mounting apertures formed in said mounting plate.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising at least two nails
inserted through the mounting apertures into a wall, thereby
affixing the mounting plate to the wall.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mounting plate comprises a
substantially square mounting plate.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said supporting peg comprises:
a first end; a second end; and a collar positioned approximately
midway between the first end and the second end.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supporting apertures form
approximately a 45.degree. angle with a surface of the mounting
plate.
9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the mounting apertures form
approximately a 45.degree. angle with a surface of the mounting
plate.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the supporting apertures form
approximately a 45.degree. angle with a surface of the mounting
plate and the mounting apertures form approximately a 45.degree.
angle with a surface of the mounting plate.
11. An apparatus for hanging items on a wall, the apparatus
comprising: a substantially square mounting plate, the
substantially square mounting plate comprising: a first mounting
aperture formed in the mounting plate; a second mounting aperture
formed in the mounting plate; and a plurality of supporting
apertures formed in the mounting plate; a first mounting nail, the
first mounting nail being inserted through the first mounting
aperture and into the wall; a second mounting nail, the second
mounting nail being inserted through the second mounting aperture
and into the wall; a selectivley removable and repositionable
supporting peg, the supporting peg comprising: a first end; a
second end; and a collar positioned approximately midway between
the first end and the second end the supporting peg being inserted
into one of the plurality of supporting apertures; and an item
hanging from and being supported by the supporting peg.
12. A method for hanging an item on a wall comprising the steps of:
affixing a mounting plate to the wall, the mounting plate
comprising a plurality of mounting apertures and a plurality of
supporting apertures by inserting at least two mounting nails
through at least two of the plurality of mounting apertures; and
inserting a selectivley removable and repositionable supporting peg
into one of the plurality of apertures;
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of affixing a backing
plate to the wall comprises the steps of: inserting a first
mounting nail through a first mounting aperture; and inserting a
second mounting nail through a second mounting aperture.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the supporting peg comprises: a
first end; a second end; and a collar positioned approximately
midway between the first end and the second end.
15. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of hanging
an item on the supporting peg.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein said backing plate is a
substantially square backing plate.
17. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:
removing the selectively removable supporting peg from one of the
apertures; selecting a different aperture; inserting the
selectivley removable supporting peg into the different aperture;
and hanging an item on the supporting peg.
18. The method of claim 13 where in the step inserting a first
mounting nail through a first mounting aperture comprises the step
of inserting the first mounting nail through the first mounting
aperture at approximately a 45.degree. angle with a surface of the
mounting plate and the step inserting the second mounting nail
through the second mounting aperture comprises the step of
inserting the second mounting nail through the second mounting
aperture at approximately a 45.degree. angle with a surface of the
mounting plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
decorating and more particularly to the field of hanging various
decorative items on a wall.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] One popular method of decorating a home or an office is to
hang pictures, posters, diplomas, etc. on a wall. For the most
part, this is a fairly straightforward proposition. However, it can
be a very difficult thing to do very well. For example, one of the
most common methods for hanging items on a wall is to simply pound
a nail or some other anchor point into the wall in the desired
location. While the act of pounding a nail into the wall is a very
simple task, getting the nail in the desired location can be
somewhat challenging. It often seems that the nail is just a little
too low, a little too high, too far to the left or two far to the
right. This problem can be exacerbated when hanging a large item
that requires two or more anchor points in the wall. In this
situation, any misalignment in the location of the anchor points
can make it very difficult to get the item to hang with the
appropriate horizontal alignment.
[0005] To alleviate the difficulties associated with the hanging of
items on a wall, various methods and devices have been adopted. For
example, the use of measuring tapes and other tools are commonly
employed to accurately located the desired anchor points for
hanging an item on the wall. Additionally, the use of lasers and
other light sources to ensure horizontal alignment has become quite
common.
[0006] While a number of tools and devices have been developed for
accurately locating an anchor point for hanging an item on the
wall, the overall process is still somewhat "hit and miss." The
main problem is that once an anchor point has been placed in the
wall, the movement and relocation of the anchor point inevitably
leaves an unsighly hole that must be covered or repaired. It is not
uncommon to see a series of holes made in a wall where numerous
attempts are required to find the most desirable postion for the
anchor point. This can be the result of hitting a stud in the wall,
inadvertent misalignment of the anchor points, etc.
[0007] As shown by the previous discussion, without additional
improvements in the methods for hanging objects on a wall, the
efficiency and effectiveness of the process will continue to be
suboptimal.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An appartus for hanging items on a wall comprises a backing
plate with a substantially square mounting plate portion and a
plurality of apertures formed in the backing plate. The backing
plate is anchored in a wall and then a supporting peg is inserted
into one of the plurality of apertures. An item can then be hung on
the supporting peg. By selectively adjusting the position of the
supporting peg, the exact hanging location for the item can be
quickly and easily adjusted, without altering the position of the
backing plate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings,
wherein like designations denote like elements and:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an appartrus for hanging an
item on a wall in accordance with a preferred exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of an apparatus for hanging an item on
a wall in accordance with a preferred exemplary embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flow chart for a method of hanging an item on a
wall in accordance with a preferred exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] An appartus for hanging items on a wall comprises a backing
plate with a substantially square mounting plate portion and a
plurality of apertures formed in the backing plate. The backing
plate is anchored in a wall and then a supporting peg is inserted
into one of the plurality of apertures. An item can then be hung on
the supporting peg. By selectively adjusting the position of the
supporting peg, the exact hanging location for the item can be
quickly and easily adjusted, without altering the position of the
backing plate.
[0014] Referring now to FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 for hanging an
item on a wall in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, apparatus 100 includes a
mounting plate 110 with two mounting apertures 140 and a plurality
of supporting apertures 150 formed in mounting plate 110. Mounting
fasteners 120 are inserted through mounting apertures 140 and then
into a wall, thereby affixing substantially square mounting plate
110 to the wall. Once mounting plate 110 has been affixed to the
wall, mounting peg 130 can be removably inserted into any of
supporting apertures 150 and a picture or other item may then be
hung from mounting peg 130. If the first selected location for
mounting peg 130 is not quite right, then it can be quickly and
easily removed from the first supporting apeture 150 and relocated
to a more suitable supporting apeture 150. In this fashion, a
single mounting plate 110 can be used for multiple locations of
mounting peg 130.
[0015] In order to maximize the probability of success for the
desired location of mounting peg 130, the size and shape of
mounting plate 110 and the number of supporting apertures 150
formed in mounting plate 110 can be varied as desired. In the most
preferred embodiments of the present invention, mounting plate 110
is substantially square with at least 25-50 supporting apertures
formed in a substantially square mounting plate 110. However, those
skilled in the art will recognize that the size and shape of
mounting plate 110 and the number of supporting apertures 150 are
highly variable and are not limited by any exemplary embodiments
set forth herein. Mounting fasteners 120 are preferrably nails that
are pounded into the wall until the heads of the nails are flush
with the surface of mounting plate 110. Additionally, while
mounting fasteners 120 are depicted in FIG. 1 and described herein
as nails, those skilled in the art will recognize that screws and
other suitable types of fasteners may also be used.
[0016] Mounting peg 130 is most preferably a slender device with a
retaining collar 135 positioned approximately halfway between the
endpoints of mounting peg 130. Retaining collar 135 serves to
prevent mounting peg from being over inserted into mounting plate
110 while ensuring that an appropriate amount of mounting peg 130
is available for hanging a picture or other item on the mounting
peg 130. The diameter of retaining collar 135 is manufactured so as
to be slightly larger than the diameter of supporting apertures
150. This prevents mounting peg 130 from being overinserted into
supporting apertures 150.
[0017] Referring now to FIG. 2, a side view of apparatus 100 from
FIG. 1 is depicted attached to a wall section 210. As shown in FIG.
2, mounting apertures 140 and supporting apertures 150 are formed
in mounting plate 110 at approximately a 45.degree. angle to the
surface of mounting plate 110 and the surface of wall section 210.
In this fashion, fasteners 120 and mounting peg 130 are inserted at
a 45.degree. angle to the surface of wall portion 210, thereby
allowing the force of gravity to assist in the supporting of
mounting plate 110 and, in turn, the object that is hung on
mounting peg 130. This is similar to the inserting of a nail at a
45.degree. angle when pounding a nail into wall 210 to support a
picture or other item on the nail. Those skilled in the art will
recognize that the angle for forming mounting apertures 140 and
supporting apertures 150 in mounting plate 110 may vary
substantially from 45.degree. without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention.
[0018] Referring now to FIG. 3, a method 300 for hanging an item on
a wall in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is depicted. As shown in FIG. 3, the first step is to
attach or affix a mounting plate to a wall in approximately the
desired location (step 310). Once the mounting plate is attached to
the wall, a mounting peg can be inserted into one of the supporting
apertures (step 320) and an object may be hung from the mounting
peg (step 330). If the object is not hanging in the desired
location on the wall, then the object can be removed from the
mounting peg (step 340), a new location for the mounting peg can be
selected (step 350) and then the mounting peg can be inserted into
the new location by inserting the mounting peg into the appropriate
supporting aperture (step 360). Then the object can be once again
hung on the mounting peg (step 330). As shown in FIG. 3, step
330-360 can be repeated as necessary until the object is positioned
in the desired location.
[0019] In summary, the present invention provides an apparatus and
method for hanging items on a wall without undue effort or
trial-and-error. By implementing one or more of the preferred
embodiments disclosed herein, varous items can be quickly and
easily hung on a wall in the desired location. Lastly, it should be
appreciated that the illustrated embodiments are preferred
exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the
scope, applicability, or configuration of the present invention in
any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description provides those
skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the
preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
Accordingly, it should be understood that various changes may be
made in the function and arrangement of elements described in the
various preferred exemplary embodiments without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the
appended claims.
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