U.S. patent application number 12/854573 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-16 for wall anchor cover.
This patent application is currently assigned to Foundation Supportworks, Inc.. Invention is credited to Mark William Domogala, Lawrence M. Janesky.
Application Number | 20120036793 12/854573 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45563748 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120036793 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Janesky; Lawrence M. ; et
al. |
February 16, 2012 |
WALL ANCHOR COVER
Abstract
A wall anchor cover assembly comprises a securing frame further
including a first side and a second side, the securing frame
further including an aperture for exposing an object about which
the securing frame is mounted and at least one raised channel
disposed peripherally about the centrally disposed aperture, the
securing frame further including a first continuously formed
peripheral edge, the continuously formed peripheral edge including
at least a first top groove and at least a first bottom groove, and
a cover plate including a first outer side further including a top
edge region including a top recess and a bottom edge region
including a bottom recess, the top recess and the bottom recess
mating with the first top groove and at least one of the first
bottom groove of the securing frame.
Inventors: |
Janesky; Lawrence M.;
(Middlebury, CT) ; Domogala; Mark William;
(Monroe, CT) |
Assignee: |
Foundation Supportworks,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
45563748 |
Appl. No.: |
12/854573 |
Filed: |
August 11, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/27 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 19/00 20130101;
E04G 23/0203 20130101; E04G 23/024 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/27 |
International
Class: |
E04F 19/00 20060101
E04F019/00 |
Claims
1. A wall anchor cover assembly comprising: a securing frame
further including: a first side having a substantially flat surface
for flush mounting against a wall and a second side opposite the
first side, the securing frame further including an aperture for
exposing an object about which the securing frame is mounted and a
raised channel disposed directly peripherally about the aperture,
the aperture having an area greater than an area surrounding the
aperture, the securing frame further including a first continuously
formed peripheral edge, and the first continuously formed
peripheral edge including a first top edge region further including
at least a first top groove and a first bottom edge region further
including at least a first bottom groove; and a cover plate
including: an outer side; an interior side opposite the outer side;
and a second continuously formed peripheral edge further including
a second top edge region, the second top edge region including a
top recess, and a second bottom edge region, the second bottom edge
region including a bottom recess, the top recess and the bottom
recess mating with the first top groove and the first bottom
groove, respectively, to provide tool-less coupling and tool-less
complete detachment of the cover plate and the securing frame,
wherein the cover plate is low profile to minimize protrusion and
is opaque to conceal the securing frame and covered wall
anchor.
2. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture
is centrally disposed within the securing frame.
3. (canceled)
4. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture
is great enough to provide access to an object about which the
securing frame is mounted.
5. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the raised
channel includes a continuously formed raised channel edge.
6. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the first
continuously formed peripheral edge is substantially perpendicular
to the first and second surfaces of the securing frame and is
formed as a lip or skirt edge that extends generally away from a
wall or surface onto which the securing frame is being mounted.
7. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the top edge
region of the continuously formed peripheral edge further includes
a second top groove.
8. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom
edge region of the first continuously formed peripheral edge
further includes a second bottom groove.
9. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the securing
frame further includes one or more slits disposed along the bottom
edge region of the first continuously formed peripheral edge.
10. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the securing
frame further includes one or more directional arrows formed with
an interior surface of the securing frame indicating proper
orientation of the securing frame.
11. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the top
recess and the bottom recess are disposed substantially centrally
within the top edge region and the bottom edge region respectively
of the cover plate.
12. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover
plate covers substantially the entirety of the securing frame and
an object about which the securing frame is mounted when the cover
plate is coupled with the securing frame.
13. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the second
continuously formed peripheral edge is substantially perpendicular
to first and second surfaces of the cover plate and is formed as a
lip or skirt edge that extends generally toward a wall or surface
onto which the securing frame is mounted.
14. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the second
continuously formed peripheral edge of the cover plate at least
partially contacts the first continuously formed peripheral edge of
the securing frame when the cover plate is coupled with the
securing frame.
15. The wall anchor cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover
plate is at least partially convex.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates, in general, to a wall
anchor cover assembly.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Foundation walls can sometimes become damaged over time. For
instance, when hydrostatic pressure builds up in soil, or if soil
expands with water saturation, over time it can push against
foundation walls (e.g., basement walls) and cause bowing, cracking
or other damage. Wall anchoring systems are often utilized to
repair and/or stabilize such walls. Such systems often include
components integrated with or installed within the damaged
walls.
SUMMARY
[0003] A wall anchor cover assembly includes a securing frame
further including a first side having a substantially flat surface
for flush mounting against a wall and a second side opposite the
first side, the securing frame further including an aperture for
exposing an object about which the securing frame is mounted and a
raised channel disposed peripherally about the aperture, the
securing frame further including a first continuously formed
peripheral edge, the first continuously formed peripheral edge
including a first top edge region further including at least a
first top groove and a first bottom edge region further including
at least a first bottom groove; and a cover plate including an
outer side; an interior side opposite the outer side; and a second
continuously formed peripheral edge substantially perpendicular to
the outer side and interior side, further including a second top
edge region, the second top edge region including a top recess, and
a second bottom edge region, the second bottom edge region
including a bottom recess, the top recess and the bottom recess
mating with the first top groove and the first bottom groove,
respectively, to provide tool-less removable coupling of the cover
plate and the securing frame.
[0004] The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,
simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail;
consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way
limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the devices
and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will
become apparent in the teachings set forth herein.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of an exemplary wall
anchor cover assembly.
[0006] FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of a cover plate of an
exemplary wall anchor cover assembly.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a side view illustration of an exemplary wall
anchor cover assembly.
[0008] FIG. 4 is an isometric illustration of a securing frame of
an exemplary wall anchor cover assembly.
[0009] FIG. 5 is an exploded side view illustration of an exemplary
wall anchor cover assembly.
[0010] The use of the same symbols in different drawings typically
indicates similar or identical items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] With reference to the figures, FIGS. 1-5 depict
implementations of an exemplary apparatus described herein. One
skilled in the art will recognize that the herein described
components, devices, and objects and the discussion accompanying
them are used as examples for the sake of conceptual clarity and
that various configuration modifications are within the skill of
those in the art. Consequently, as used herein, the specific
exemplars set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to
be representative of their more general classes. In general, use of
any specific exemplar herein is also intended to be representative
of its class, and the non-inclusion of such specific components,
devices, and objects herein should not be taken as indicating that
limitation is desired.
[0012] Referring generally to FIGS. 1-5, a wall anchor cover
assembly 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "cover assembly 100")
is shown. Cover assembly 100 may include a securing frame 108.
Securing frame 108 may be composed of a substantially rigid and/or
durable material (e.g., plastic, silicon, or other rigid polymer,
etc.). Securing frame 108 may include a first side having a
substantially flat surface for mounting (e.g., flush mounting)
against a wall and a second side 124 opposite the first side,
facing generally outward with respect to a mounting surface. The
securing frame 108 may be mounted onto a wall or surface via any
conventional mounting means including screws, adhesive, nails, or
other fasteners or fastening systems.
[0013] The securing frame 108 may further include an aperture 116
for exposing an object about which the securing frame 108 is
mounted. The aperture 116 may be substantially centrally disposed,
and may encompass an area greater than the area surrounding the
aperture 116. In other embodiments the area encompassed by the
aperture 116 may be equal to or less than the surrounding area,
while remaining at least great enough to provide access to an
object about which the securing frame 108 is mounted. In this
manner, all or most of a wall anchor assembly about which the
securing frame 108 is mounted may be exposed in any
configuration.
[0014] The securing frame 108 may also include at least one raised
channel 130 disposed peripherally about and along the outer edge of
the aperture 116. The at least one raised channel 130 including a
continuously formed raised channel edge 114 disposed peripherally
about the aperture 116 provides additional structural reinforcement
for the securing frame 108, potentially reducing warping, bowing,
cracking or other damage to the securing frame 108 during use and
when mounting the securing frame 108 to a wall or other
surface.
[0015] The securing frame 108 may further include a first
continuously formed peripheral edge 122. The first continuously
formed peripheral edge 122 may be substantially perpendicular to
the first and second surfaces of the securing frame 108 and may be
formed as a lip or skirt edge that extends generally away from a
wall or surface onto which the securing frame 108 is being mounted.
The first continuously formed peripheral edge 122 may include an
interior surface 110. The first continuously formed peripheral edge
122 may include a top edge region having at least a first top
groove 134 and a second top groove 142 and a bottom edge region
having at least a first bottom groove 138 and a second bottom
groove 140 (shown in FIG. 3 from the exterior as 132 and 144,
respectively). Bottom edge region may also include a third groove
136. The securing frame 108 may further include one or more slits
112, 118 disposed along the bottom edge region of the continuously
formed peripheral edge 122. Slits 112, 118 may provide an amount of
flexibility for the otherwise rigid material of the securing frame
108 bottom edge region, thereby increasing the ease of attachment
or detachment of the cover plate 102. The securing frame 108 may
also include one or more directional arrows formed with the second
surface 124 indicating proper orientation of the securing frame
108.
[0016] Wall anchor cover assembly 100 may further include a cover
plate 102. Cover plate 102 may include an outer side further
including a top edge region 104 and a bottom edge region 126. The
top edge region 104 may include a top recess 106 and the bottom
edge region 126 may include a bottom recess 128. The top recess 106
and the bottom recess 128 may be centrally disposed along the
second top edge region and second bottom edge region of the second
continuously formed peripheral edge 120. Centrally disposed top
recess and/or bottom recess may also serve as hand holds.
Alternatively, top recess 106 and the bottom recess 128 may run
substantially the entire length of the top edge region 104 and the
bottom edge region 126 respectively. The top recess 106 and the
bottom recess 128 may be visibly disposed such that the recesses
may be seen on the exterior surfaces of the second top edge region
and second bottom edge region of the second continuously formed
peripheral edge 120. In other embodiments, all or at least a
portion of the top recess 106 and the bottom recess 128 may be
disposed such that the recesses are formed on the interior surfaces
of the second top edge region and second bottom edge region of the
second continuously formed peripheral edge 120. Any disposition
that allows top recess 106 and the bottom recess 128 to align with
at least one of the first top groove 134 or a second top groove 142
and at least one of the first bottom groove 138 or a second bottom
groove 140, which may likewise be centrally disposed, disposed
along the outer portions (or any other sub-region), or run
substantially the entire length of the first top region and first
bottom region is contemplated. The top recess 106 and the bottom
recess 126 mate with at least one of the first top groove 134 or
the second top groove 142 and at least one of the first bottom
groove 138 or the second bottom groove 140 of the securing frame
108, respectively.
[0017] The cover plate 102 may cover substantially the entirety of
the securing frame 108 and an object about which the securing frame
108 is mounted when the cover plate 102 is coupled with the
securing frame 108. That is, the inner dimensions of the cover
plate 102 may correspond to the outer dimensions of the securing
frame 108. The cover plate 102 may further include a second
continuously formed peripheral edge 120. The second continuously
formed peripheral edge 120 may be substantially perpendicular to
the first and second surfaces of the cover plate 102 and may be
formed as a lip or skirt edge that extends generally toward a wall
or surface onto which the securing frame 108 is being mounted. The
second continuously formed peripheral edge 120 of the cover plate
may cover substantially the entirety of the first continuously
formed peripheral edge of the securing frame 108 when the cover
plate 102 is coupled with the securing frame 108. The second
continuously formed peripheral edge 120 of the cover plate may at
least partially contact the first continuously formed peripheral
edge of the securing frame 108 when the cover plate 102 is coupled
with the securing frame 108. The cover plate 102 may be a shell
like plate having at least one convex surface (e.g., the outer
surface). For instance, the cover plate 102 may be convex to
accommodate protrusions from wall anchor components.
[0018] The cover plate 106 is removably couplable with the securing
frame. Also, the cover plate 102 may affix to the securing frame
108 without the use of tools. In one embodiment, the cover plate
102 "snaps" or clasps onto (and substantially over) the securing
frame 108. For instance, the cover plate 102 and the securing frame
108 may be aligned or substantially aligned and an amount of
external pressure may be applied to the cover plate 102 sufficient
for the top recess 106 and the bottom recess 126 of the cover plate
102 to mate with at least one of the first top groove 134 or the
second top groove 142 and at least one of the first bottom groove
138 or the second bottom groove 140 of the securing frame 108,
respectively. As described previously, the securing plate 108 may
include a first top edge region having at least a first top groove
134 and a first bottom edge region having at least a first bottom
groove 138. Thus, the first top edge region and the first bottom
edge region may be formed such that the portions of the regions
closest to a wall would be lower than portions of the regions
further from a wall. In this manner, the cover plate top and bottom
regions would need to be pushed substantially over the "high"
regions and lock around the "low" regions (as depicted in FIGS. 3
and 5). The cover plate 102 may maintain its structural integrity
during an application of pressure and following mating of the cover
plate 102 with the securing frame 108, thus protecting the wall
anchor components or other object being covered. Removal of the
cover plate 102 may be accomplished by pulling the cover plate 102
away from the securing frame 108 with sufficient force to detach
the cover plate 102 from the securing frame.
[0019] The overall dimensions of the cover assembly 100 may be such
that the device can cover a wall anchor of any standard or custom
size. The wall anchor cover assembly 100 may be a low profile
device to minimize protrusion into the space in which it is
mounted. In one embodiment, the cover assembly 100 may have a depth
of about 5-8 inches. Alternatively, the cover assembly may have a
depth of less than five inches. The cover assembly 100 may be
substantially rectangular, having rounded or squared-off edges,
thereby conforming to the general shape of a wall anchor assembly
about which the device 100 may be mounted. In other embodiments,
the cover assembly 100 may be round, square, or any other shape as
desired or necessitated by the mounting surface or covered
object.
[0020] The cover assembly 100 may be substantially opaque to
conceal the wall anchor assembly or other object behind the cover
assembly 100. In other embodiments, the cover assembly 100 may be
partially, substantially, or completely translucent to reveal the
wall anchor assembly or other object behind the cover assembly 100.
The cover plate 102 and the securing frame 108 may be formed from
injected molded and/or vacuum molded plastic, or other like
suitable material having sufficient rigidity, or with another rigid
material via any other process for forming substantially rigid
components having continuously formed and/or integrated
sub-components.
[0021] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates
different components contained within, or connected with, different
other components. It is to be understood that such depicted
architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other
configurations may be implemented which achieve the same
functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components
to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such
that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two
components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality
can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired
functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or
intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated
can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably
coupled", to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and
any two components capable of being so associated can also be
viewed as being "operably couplable", to each other to achieve the
desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable
include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or
physically interacting components.
[0022] It is to be understood that the invention is defined by the
appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art
that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended
claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended
as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted
as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be
interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be
interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be
further understood by those within the art that if a specific
number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an
intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence
of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an
aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain
usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more"
to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases
should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim
recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any
particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same
claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least
one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or
"an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one
or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles
used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly
recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number.
[0023] While particular aspects of the present subject matter
described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein,
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and,
therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope
all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit
and scope of this subject matter described herein.
* * * * *