U.S. patent number 3,923,278 [Application Number 05/488,588] was granted by the patent office on 1975-12-02 for wall hook structure and method of forming same.
Invention is credited to Paul M. Marcil.
United States Patent |
3,923,278 |
Marcil |
December 2, 1975 |
Wall hook structure and method of forming same
Abstract
A one piece wall hook structure that may be formed from a single
sheet of a rigid deformable material, with the structure when
completed capable of being held in a non-pivoting position in
abutting contact with a wall by a single nail, with the structure
when so supported being capable of engaging a picture frame
supporting wire only when the latter is disposed in a pair of hooks
that form an integral part of the structure.
Inventors: |
Marcil; Paul M. (Lynwood,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
23940286 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/488,588 |
Filed: |
July 15, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/301;
24/698.1; 248/304 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
1/20 (20130101); Y10T 24/45969 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
1/16 (20060101); A47G 1/20 (20060101); A47F
005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/301,304,300,490,305,306,307,308,470,475R,488,489,497,67.7
;24/23.5R,23.5PH,23.5T,23.5TD,23.5FH,23.5CR |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
803,667 |
|
May 1951 |
|
DT |
|
302,565 |
|
Dec 1928 |
|
UK |
|
Primary Examiner: Frazier; Roy D.
Assistant Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Babcock; William C.
Claims
I claim:
1. A one-piece wall hook structure that may be mounted in a
non-pivoting position on a wall by a nail having a shank and head,
which when so mounted will support a picture having a transverse
wire affixed to the rear thereof, only when said wire is disposed
in recessed portions of said wall hook structure, said wall hook
structure comprising:
a. an initially flat sheet of a permanently deformable material of
such shape that after deformation said sheet defines an elongate,
rectangular rear wall having first and second ends and parallel,
laterally spaced side edges, a rectangular tab that extends
forwardly from said first end and slopes downwardly towards said
second end, and two laterally spaced side walls that are parallel
and extend outwardly from said side edges with said tab being
disposed therebetween, said side walls defining two transversely
aligned guide edges for said wire that are disposed outwardly from
said tab and angularly disposed relative to said rear wall, with
said guide edges in the portions thereof most adjacent said second
end of said back wall merging into edges of said side walls that
define recesses therein which are angularly disposed relative to
said rear wall, said recesses and the portions of said side walls
most adjacent said second end of said rear wall cooperatively
defining a pair of transversely aligned hooks that engage said wire
after the latter has been moved longitudinally over said guide
edges into said recesses, with said rear wall and tab having
angularly aligned openings formed therein through which said shank
of said nail may pass when said shank slopes downwardly and
inwardly relative to said wall, and when said nail is driven into
said wall said head of said nail pressure-contacts said tab by
frictional contact therewith to prevent said wall hook from
pivoting when said picture is being hung and said wire guided into
said recesses, with the exterior surface of said tab being disposed
inwardly from the portions of said guide edges most adjacent
thereto a distance greater than the thickness of said head to
prevent said wire from engaging said head when said wire is being
guided by said guide edges into said pair of hooks.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
A wall hook structure and method of forming the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, numerous picture frame supporting hooks have been
developed and marketed that are held in place on a wall by a nail,
with the hook when so disposed, engaging a transverse wire that is
secured to the picture frame. Unfortunately, when such devices are
employed, the hook is not visible to the user due to being
concealed rearwardly of the picture during the time the latter is
being hung, and the wire in many instances engages the hook
supporting nail rather than the hook. Such an engagement with the
nail results in the picture occupying an unstable supported
position, and frequently a slight upward movement of the picture
will permit the supporting wire to be disengaged from the nail, and
the picture will fall from the wall as a result thereof.
The major object of the present invention is to provide a simple
one-piece wall hook structure that can be mounted in a non-pivoting
position on a wall by a single nail, and when so mounted, a picture
frame wire can only be supported from the structure only when it is
actually in engagement with two laterally spaced hooks that form an
integral part of the structure.
A further object of the invention is to supply a method of making a
wall hook structure having the operational advantages above
enumerated from a single blank sheet of metal that is cut to an
appropriate form, and then subjected to a simple bending or forming
operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A one piece wall hook structure that is formed from a blank that is
roughly in the form of an arrowhead. The blank is formed from a
rigid sheet material such as lightweight steel or the like, that
while rigid may be permanently deformed. The wall hook structure
includes an elongate, rectangular rear wall that has two parallel
side walls extending forwardly from the longitudinal edges
thereof.
A first end portion of the rear wall by a slitting operation is
caused to define a rectangular tab, which tab is subsequently bent
to extend downwardly and forwardly relative to the rear wall. The
upper portions of the side walls define downwardly and forwardly
extending guide edges that are of substantially the same angle as
the tab, but outwardly disposed relative to the exterior surface of
the latter.
The guide edges merge into the upper portions of edges in the side
walls that define inwardly and downwardly extending recesses, with
the recesses cooperating with the lower portions of the side walls
to define integrally formed hooks therewith.
The tab and rear wall have angularly aligned openings formed
therein through which the shank of a nail may pass to be driven
into a wall. When the nail is so driven, the head thereof, is in
frictional contact with the tab, and this contact together with the
frictional contact of the rear wall with the wall on which the hook
structure is mounted, preventing the hook structure from
pivoting.
The exterior surface of the tab is positioned inwardly from the
guide edges to the extent that when the head of the nail is in
contact with the tab, the exterior surface of the head is flush
with the guide edges or disposed inwardly therefrom a slight
distance.
The wall hook structure above described is only capable of
supporting a transverse wire secured to a picture frame, when a
portion of the wire is disposed within the recess defined in the
side walls of the hook structure .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the one piece hook structure
supported in a nonpivotal position on a vertically extending wall
by a nail having a head;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the wall hook shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the wall hook structure;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the wall hook structure
illustrating the manner in which a transverse wire secured to a
picture frame is guided into the hook portion of the structure;
and
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a sheet metal blank that is utilized
in forming the wall hook structure shown in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A blank A as shown in FIG. 5 that is formed from a lightweight
metal sheet that may be of steel or like material, and may by a
series of bending operations be transformed into the wall hook
structure B illustrated in FIG. 1.
The blank A is roughly in the form of an arrowhead and has first
and second flat parallel ends 10 and 12. Two parallel laterally
spaced slits 14 extend into blank A from the first end 10 thereof,
and the slits defining a tab 16 therebetween. A pair of phantom
bending lines 18 extend longitudinally from slits 14 to second end
12 of the bland A.
The blank A on opposite sides of the folding lines 18 defines
identical oppositely disposed side walls 20. Each side wall 20 has
a downwardly and outwardly extending guide edge 22, which edge on
the lower end thereof merges into an edge 24 that defines a
downwardly and inwardly extending recess 26. The portion of each
side wall 20 below the recess 26 therein defines a hook 28. Tab 16
has a first opening 30 therein that may be angularly aligned with a
second opening 32 that is formed in a rectangular rear wall 34 that
is situated between the phantom bending lines 18.
After the blank A has been formed as above described, the tab 16 is
bent forwardly and downwardly to occupy the position shown in FIG.
3, and the blank is then subjected to a folding operation directed
along the phantom lines 18 to dispose the side walls 20 in parallel
relationship with one another and extending outwardly from the rear
wall 34.
The blank A now has the configuration of the wall hook structure B
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, with the exterior surface 16a of the tab 16
being disposed inwardly from the guide edges 22 substantially the
thickness of the head 36 of a nail 38 which nail has a shank 40
that may pass downwardly through the aligned first and second
openings 30 and 32 when the nail is driven into the wall C as shown
in FIG. 3.
When the nail 38 is so driven into the wall, the head 36
frictionally engages the exterior surface 16a of the tab 16, and
forces the rear wall surface of the rearwall 34 into frictional
pressure contact with the wall C to prevent the wall hook
inadvertently pivoting when a picture is being hung. When the wall
hook structure B is disposed as shown in FIG. 4, a transverse wire
42 that is secured to the frame of a picture (not shown) may be
moved downwardly over the wall hook structure B, and in so moving
engages the guide edges 22 and be directed into the recesses 26.
The wire 42 does not engage the head 36 when this operation is
carried out, as the head 36 is either flush with the guide edges 22
or situated inwardly therefrom.
The use and operation of the invention has been previously
explained in detail and need not be repeated.
* * * * *