U.S. patent application number 11/164587 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-31 for a modular wall mounting apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to RGB SYSTEMS, INC.. Invention is credited to William Waikuen Keung, David Pincek.
Application Number | 20070120029 11/164587 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38086531 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070120029 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Keung; William Waikuen ; et
al. |
May 31, 2007 |
A Modular Wall Mounting Apparatus
Abstract
The configurable wall mount presented herein has particular
applicability to supporting electronic devices mounted in walls and
ceilings. The configurability stems from modular components
configured to be coupled together. Thus, the wall mount is
configurable for mounting devices ranging from small communications
connectors to large electronic control panels.
Inventors: |
Keung; William Waikuen;
(Brea, CA) ; Pincek; David; (Huntington Beach,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE HECKER LAW GROUP
1925 CENTURY PARK EAST
SUITE 2300
LOS ANGELES
CA
90067
US
|
Assignee: |
RGB SYSTEMS, INC.
1230 South Lewis Street
Anaheim
CA
|
Family ID: |
38086531 |
Appl. No.: |
11/164587 |
Filed: |
November 29, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/220.22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02G 3/123 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/220.22 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/06 20060101
A47B096/06 |
Claims
1. A configurable mounting bracket comprising: a pair of end
plates, each of said end plate having a base, a first leg at one
end, and a second leg at an opposite end, wherein said first leg of
one of said end plates is couplable to a second leg of another of
said end plates, said end plate further having a top face and a
bottom face, and a flange running entirely along an inside
periphery of said end plate at said bottom face, said flange
extending outwardly perpendicular from said bottom face, said end
plate further having a plurality of apertures and a slide post; and
a plurality of locking flags, wherein each of said plurality of
locking flags is couplable to said end plate through said slide
post using a first screw in one of said plurality of apertures,
each of said plurality of locking flags including a foot for
providing grip when said first screw is tightened.
2. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1
wherein said end plate is u-shaped.
3. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1
wherein a first one of said pair of end plates is coupled to a
second one of said pair of end plates to form a mounting
bracket.
4. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1,
further comprising at least one extension plate, each of said
extension plate having a third end and a fourth end, wherein said
third end is couplable to said first end of said end plate, and
said fourth end is couplable to said second end of said end
plate.
5. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 1,
further comprising at least one element configured to cause said
foot of said flag and bottom of said end plate to move towards one
another to lock them to a mounting structure.
6. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 5
wherein said element configured to cause said foot of said flag and
bottom of said end plate to move towards one another comprises a
threaded fastener extending between said top end of said end plate
and said flag.
7. A configurable mounting bracket comprising: a pair of end
plates, each of said end plates configured to be couplable to a
second one of said pair of end plates to form a mud ring, said end
plate further having a plurality of apertures and a slide post; and
a plurality of locking flags configured to be couplable to said end
plate through said slide post using a first screw in one of said
plurality of apertures, each of said plurality of locking flags
including a foot for providing grip when said first screw is
tightened.
8. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 7
wherein said end plate further comprises: a base; a first leg at
one end of said base; a second leg at an opposite end of said base,
wherein said first leg of one of said end plates is couplable to a
second leg of another of said end plates; a top face and a bottom
face; a flange running entirely along an inside periphery of said
end plate at said bottom face, said flange extending outwardly
perpendicular from said bottom face.
9. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 7
wherein said end plate is u-shaped.
10. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 7
wherein a first one of said pair of end plates is coupled to a
second one of said pair of end plates to form a mounting
bracket.
11. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 8,
further comprising at least one extension member, each of said
extension member having a third end and a fourth end, wherein said
third end is couplable to said first end of said end plate, and
said fourth end is couplable to said second end of said end
plate.
12. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 8,
further comprising at least one element configured to cause said
foot of said flag and bottom of said end plate to move towards one
another to lock them to a mounting structure.
13. The configurable mounting bracket in accordance with claim 12
wherein said at least one element comprises a threaded fastener
extending between said top end of said end plate and said flag.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates configurable mounts for
electronic devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Mounting brackets or "Mud Rings" are used in a variety of
settings and locations to mount electronic equipments, e.g.,
cables, to walls. Prior art mud ring configurations were commonly
of a fixed size (usually measured by the number of "Gangs"). Thus,
a user must purchase a separate mud ring for each application.
[0003] Mounting brackets are indispensable because they facilitate
installation of electronic equipments without attachment to wall
studs. Thus, equipments can be placed practically anywhere on a
wall or ceiling as long as one can run the necessary cables to the
location. A user needing to mount one cable may cut an opening the
size of one-gang for the installation. Standard mounting brackets
will usually handle the one-gang opening. However, needing to mount
more cables may need to cut other openings in the wall to install
other mounting brackets. This becomes aesthetically not pleasing
when it is the same type of cable that is being installed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention is a configurable wall mount bracket. The
mount has particular applicability to supporting electronic devices
mounted in walls and ceilings. The configurability of the present
invention stems from three modular components configured to be
couplable together. Thus, the wall mount or mounting bracket is
configurable for mounting devices ranging from a small
communications connector to large electronic control panels.
[0005] Other embodiments of the wall mount may be configured to
suit virtually any mounting application. For instance, instead of
having modular pieces that increase the size by one-gang, the
extension pieces may be configured to increase the size by
half-gang. In addition, the height of the wall mount may be made
configurable by configuring the end plates to accept extension
members at the base wall.
[0006] Further objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention over the prior art will become apparent from the detailed
description of the drawings which follows, when considered with the
attached figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1A is a top view of a two-gang wall mount in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 1B is a side view of a wall mount in accordance with
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A; and
[0009] FIG. 1C is a front view of a wall mount in accordance with
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A; and
[0010] FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a wall mount in accordance
with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A; and
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an end plate member 30 of a
configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a flag member 40 of a
configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an extension member 50 of a
configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an extension member 101 of a
configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a one-gang
configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a three-gang
configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a four-gang
configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The invention comprises a configurable apparatus for
mounting devices, such as electronic equipment, to a support
structure. In the following description, numerous specific details
are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of
the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled
in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without
these specific details. In other instances, well-known features
have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the
invention.
[0019] In general, the invention is a configurable wall mount. The
width of the wall mount is configurable using modular components to
a size suitable for the mounting application. Thus, the mount is
configurable for mounting devices ranging from a small
communications connector to large electronic control panels. In one
or more configurations, the mount may be configured for mounting a
plurality of communications connectors and other electronic
equipments having a height similar to that of the configurable
mount.
[0020] The mount has particular applicability to supporting
electronic devices mounted in walls, and as such the mount is
sometimes referred to herein as a wall mount, though it will be
understood that the mount and method therein have other
applicability and thus the descriptor "wall" such as used in the
term "wall mount," is not intended to be limiting.
[0021] One embodiment of configurable wall mount 20 will be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5. As illustrated,
configurable wall mount 20 comprises a pair of end plates 30; a
plurality of locking flags 40 and screws 60; and zero or more
extension plates (e.g. plate 50 and 101) on each side. Each member
of configurable wall mount 20 may be made of plastic, metal, or any
other structurally capable material.
[0022] End plate 30 is a u-shape member comprising base 31, a first
leg 32 at one end, and a second leg 33 at the other end. End plate
30 further includes a top face 27 and a bottom face 28, and a
flange 34, which runs along the entirety of an inside periphery of
end plate 30 at said bottom face 28, and extends outwardly
perpendicular from said bottom face 28. The depth of flange 34
(i.e. extension from bottom surface 28 to the tip 35) is preferably
equivalent to or less than the thickness of the mounting surface to
which wall mount 20 is adapted to be used. For simplicity in
manufacturing, it should be noted that the dept of flange 34 may be
a standard fixed size.
[0023] Endplate 30 further comprises a plurality of optional
apertures 22 and 25. Optional aperture 22 is for mounting wall
mount 20 to a surface such as a podium or the side of a cabinet,
while optional aperture 25 may be used for mounting a face plate.
Optional apertures 22 and 25 may also be used to mount an
electrical switch or duplex outlet. Preferably, these apertures
should line up with holes found in standard electrical back
boxes.
[0024] The free end of first leg 32 is adapted to couple to a
structural member with similar configuration as the free end of
second leg 33. In addition, the width of first leg 32 is preferably
equivalent to the width of second leg 33. The first leg 32 further
comprises a plurality of apertures 23 and 24. Aperture 24 is
located closer to the free end of first leg 32 and provides means
for coupling with other members, e.g., second leg 33 of a second
end plate 30 or an extension plate. Aperture 23 is located between
base 31 and aperture 24 and provides means for securing flag 40 to
end plate 30. Aperture 23 is integral to slide post 36.
[0025] Slide post 36 is coupled to bottom face 28 and extends
parallel to flange 34 and ends at tip 29. Slide post 36 further
includes aperture 23 which runs the entirety of its length starting
from top face 27 and ends at its tip 29. Slide post 36 is
preferably half-cylindrical in shape and aperture 23 preferably
opens up (i.e. includes cutout 27) beyond bottom 35 of flange 34 to
allow flag 40, which is secured by screw 60, to swing away from the
mounting surface when screw 60 is turned in its unlocking
direction. Thus, aperture 23 provides means through which screw 60
may be used to adjustably lock flag 40 in place.
[0026] Cutout 27 in slide post 36 allows flag 40 to swing inwards,
i.e., towards the inside periphery of end plate 30 to facilitate
installation to a mounting surface. Operation of flag 40 during
installation is further discussed below.
[0027] The second leg 33 comprises a plurality of apertures 22, 23,
25 and 38. Aperture 38 is located closer to the free end of leg 33
and provides means for coupling with other members, e.g., first leg
32 of a second end plate 30 or one end of an extension plate which
is configured for coupling therein (e.g. configured as free end of
first leg 32). Aperture 23 is located between base 31 and aperture
38 and provides means for securing flag 40 to end plate 30.
[0028] Second leg 33 further comprises a second flange 26 and a
second slide post 36 which are coupled to bottom face 28 and extend
parallel to flange 34. Second flange 26 is preferably located
closer to the outside periphery of the top plate of second leg 33
such that second slide post 36 is located within the bounds created
by flange 34 and flange 26. Second slide post 36 is preferably
configured similar to first slide post 36 located on first leg
32.
[0029] Aperture 38 is preferably threaded to hold screw 70 in
cylinder 39. Cylinder 39 is coupled to bottom face 28 which is at
the free end of second leg 33 and extends outwardly and
perpendicular to bottom face 28. Cylinder 39 further includes a top
plate 89. Thus, aperture 38 runs perpendicular to bottom face 28
starting at top plate 89. In addition, it should be noted that the
free end of first leg 32 is preferably configured to couple to any
other structural member having a configuration equivalent to the
free end of second leg 33.
[0030] Flag 40 comprises a vertical plate section 45, a cylindrical
section 51 that is substantially equal in height to vertical plate
section 45 and coupled to one end of vertical plate section 45, and
a foot section 43 (e.g., a flange) coupled to the top of a second
end of vertical plate section 45. Foot section 43 may be serrated
at its top face to provide grip when in contact with an inside face
of the mounting surface. Cylindrical section 51 further comprises
threaded aperture 41 which is configured for holding screw 60. As
illustrated in FIG. 1C, flag 40 is movably coupled with cylinder 36
using screw 60 such that the top face of its foot section 43 (e.g.
serrated surface) faces bottom face 28 of end plate 30.
[0031] Flag 40 further comprises flange 46 to provide additional
strengthening for plate 45 and foot section 43 to prevent buckling
when wall mount 20 is mounted to a support structure.
[0032] Wall mount 20 further comprises one or more optional
extension plates 50 and 101 representing different incremental box
sizes. For instance, extension plate 50 may represent a one-gang
increase in size for the mounting bracket illustrated herein, while
extension plate 101 may represent a two-gang increase. It should be
apparent to those of skill in the art that these example sizes are
just for illustration purposes only. Also, it should be apparent
that the configuration and size of the end plate member and
extension plate member is not fixed to those illustrated herein.
For instance, the extension plate member may be configured in a
variety of sizes to provide the flexibility to further configure
the mounting bracket.
[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 4, extension plate 50 is a linear
member comprising a first end portion 61 and a second end portion
63. The thickness and width of extension plate 50 is equivalent to
that of first and second leg members 32 and 33. In addition, first
end portion 61 is preferably configured to have identical shape as
the free end of first leg 32. And, second end portion 63 is
preferably configured to have identical shape as the free end of
second leg portion 33.
[0034] Extension plate 50 further includes a top plate having a top
face 72 and a bottom face 73, and a flange 71, which runs along the
entirety of an inside periphery of extension plate 50 at said
bottom face 73, and extends outwardly perpendicular from said
bottom face 73. The depth and thickness of flange 71 (i.e.
extension from bottom surface 73 to the tip) is preferably
equivalent to the depth and thickness of flange 34 of end plate 30.
In addition, the width of extension plate 50 is preferably
equivalent to the width of the legs of end plate 30.
[0035] Extension plate 50 comprises a plurality of apertures 62,
64, and optionally 65. Optional aperture 65 may be used for
mounting a face plate to a wall mount configured with extension
plate 50 and should preferably line up with holes found in standard
electrical back boxes when extension plate 50 is installed as part
of wall mount 20.
[0036] Extension plate 50 further includes a second flange 69 which
runs along the entirety and towards the middle periphery of
extension plate 50 at said bottom face 73, and extends outwardly
perpendicular from said bottom face 73. The depth and thickness of
flange 69 (i.e. extension from bottom surface 73 to the tip) is
preferably equivalent to the depth and thickness of flange 71.
Flange 69 further runs parallel to flange 71 and is configured to
provide additional rigidity for extension member 50.
[0037] End portion 61 is adapted to couple to a structural member
configured as free end portion of second leg 33 of endplate 30. End
portion 63 is adapted to couple to a structural member configured
as free end portion of first leg 32 of endplate 30. In addition,
the width of the top plate of extension plate 50 is preferably
equivalent to the width of top plate of the legs of end plate
30.
[0038] Aperture 62 is located closer to the end 61 and provides
means for coupling with other members, e.g., second leg 33 of end
plate 30 or end 63 of a second extension plate. Aperture 64 is
located at end 63 and provides means for securing flag 40 to
extension plate 50 using screw 60. Aperture 64 is further
integrated into slide post 68.
[0039] Slide post 68 is coupled to bottom face 73 and extends
parallel to flanges 69, 71. Slide post 68 is preferably configured
as slide post 36 of endplate 30. Thus, slide post 68 includes
aperture 64 which runs the entirety of its length starting from top
face 72 and ends at the free tip of slide post 68.
[0040] Slide post 68 is preferably half-cylindrical in shape and
aperture 64 preferably opens up (i.e. includes cutout 72) beyond
bottom 35 of flange 69 to allow flag 40, which is secured by screw
60, to swing away from the mounting surface when screw 60 is turned
in its unlocking direction. Thus, aperture 64 provides means
through which screw 60 may be used to adjustably lock flag 40 in
place.
[0041] Aperture 66 is preferably threaded to hold screw 70 in
cylinder 67 for securing extension plate 50 to any end portion of
any member configured similar to first leg 32 of endplate 30.
Cylinder 67 is coupled to the free end of end portion 63 and
extends from the bottom face 73 of the top plate of extension
member 50. Preferably, the top of cylinder 67, which includes a top
plate 74, may not exceed the bottom face 73 of extension member 50.
Since end 61 is configured to mate with any member configured
similar to second leg 32 of endplate 30 (e.g. end 63), cylinder 67
and its top plate 74 are configured to fit into chamber 75 so that
apertures 62, 24 line up with aperture 66, 38 when extension member
50 is coupled to wall mount 20.
[0042] FIG. 5 is an illustration of extension plate member 101. As
illustrated, extension plate member 101 is similar in configuration
to extension plate member 50 with the exception that extension
plate member 101 is longer and represents a two-gang increase in
wall mount 20 when installed. Extension plate member 101 may
further include a second mounting hole 65 for faceplates.
[0043] One configuration of wall mount 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1D
using the building blocks described herein. As illustrated, two end
plates 30 (A,B) are coupled with two extension plates 50 (A,B) and
four flags 40 (A,B,C,D) to form wall mounting bracket 20. The first
leg 32A of the first end plate 30A is coupled to second end 63 of
extension plate 50B using a first screw 70A; and the second leg 33B
of the second end plate 30B is coupled to first end 61 of extension
plate 50B using a second screw 70B. The first leg 32B of the second
end plate 30B is coupled to second end 63 of a second extension
plate 50A using a third screw 70C; and the second leg 33A of the
first end plate 30A is coupled to first end 61 of the second
extension plate 50A using a fourth screw 70D. Finally, flags 40
(A,B,C,D) are coupled into guide posts 36 (A,B,C,D) using one screw
60 for each flag.
[0044] As illustrated in the assembled configuration of FIGS.
1A-1D, wall mount 20 is ring-shaped, i.e., with an open window 100,
and configured to fit around an opening in a mounting structure,
e.g., a wall, a podium, etc. Flange 34 extends into the opening in
the mounting surface. A plurality of flags 40 act in combination
with bottom face 28 of plate 30 to provide a vise grip thus
coupling the mounting bracket 20 to the mounting structure.
[0045] In operation, a user may cut a rectangular opening in the
mounting structure, e.g. a wall, suitable for the mounting task.
For instance, the task could be for mounting of a two-gang
electrical box. Thus, if the extension plate 50 is configured for
one gang increment, then wall mount 20 may be assembled using two
end plates 30, two extension plates 50, and four flags 40 to obtain
a configuration to fit the opening. Wall mount 20 is then placed in
the opening with the flags flipped inwards. Finally, tightening of
screws 60 rotates the flags outwards so that they are guided
through aperture 23 towards the back face 28 until the foot of the
flag and the bottom face of end plate 20 form a vise grip on the
lip of the mounting structure opening.
[0046] It will be apparent to those of skill in the arts that using
members 30, 40, and any combination of extension members 50 and
101, wall mount 20 is configurable to virtually any size. For
instance, FIG. 6 is an illustration wherein no extension plate is
used to configure wall mount 600. In such configuration, it may be
desirable to only use a pair of flag 40's for the mounting task.
Also, an embodiment illustrating a three-gang wall mount is shown
in FIG. 7. In this illustration, the two-gang increase is achieved
by using one extension plate 101 instead of two extension plates
50. Thus, the wall mount is relatively more rigid because it has
less members being coupled together than if tow extension plate
50's are used.
[0047] Further, an embodiment illustrating a four-gang
configuration is shown in FIG. 8. This configuration uses a
combination of extension plates 50 and 101. Thus, any size mounting
bracket may be configured using combinations of extension plates 50
and 101. Also, note that any number of flags 40 may be used for
mounting so long as there are available guide posts to handle
them.
[0048] It will be understood that the above described arrangements
of apparatus and the method therefrom are merely illustrative of
applications of the principles of this invention and many other
embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
* * * * *