U.S. patent number 3,891,172 [Application Number 05/435,193] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-24 for support member having a locking cam.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Coats & Clark, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ruediger Einhorn.
United States Patent |
3,891,172 |
Einhorn |
June 24, 1975 |
Support member having a locking cam
Abstract
A support member or fixture of the type adapted to be removably
affixed to a multi-apertured panel is formed with a generally
hook-shaped projection extending from a base member adapted to
engage the surface of the panel. The hook shaped projection is
shaped to engage the backside of the panel in the mounted position.
A rotatable shaft extends through the base member, spaced from the
hook shaped projection, and forms part of a second projection
adapted to be fit into another hole of the panel. The end of the
shaft adapted to extend into the panel is provided with a locking
cam, and the other end of the shaft, which extends from the base
member side opposite the panel, is provided with means permitting
the rotation of the shaft and hence the cam. When the support
member is mounted on a thin panel, the cam is adapted to engage the
backside of the panel and one angular position thereof. When the
support member is mounted on a relatively thick panel, the cam on
the shaft engages the side of the hole in the panel into which it
is fit. The support member may be cast or molded with a base member
and hook shaped projection forming one casting and the shaft, cam
and shaft turning means forming a second casting.
Inventors: |
Einhorn; Ruediger (Katonah,
NY) |
Assignee: |
Coats & Clark, Inc. (New
York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23727411 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/435,193 |
Filed: |
January 21, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/220.43;
248/222.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F
5/0823 (20130101); A47G 25/0607 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47F
5/08 (20060101); A47G 25/00 (20060101); A47G
25/06 (20060101); A47f 005/00 (); E06b
007/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/217,218,220.5,223,DIG.3,224,225,226R,227,216,219,220
;24/73RM,221R,221K,221L |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Frazier; Roy D.
Assistant Examiner: Staab; Lawrence J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wayne; Milton J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A support member adapted for mounting on a multi-apertured
panel, comprising a base member having a flat surface, article
holding means extending from said base member on a side thereof
away from said flat surface and spaced from one end of said base
member, a projection extending from said flat surface, an aperture
extending through said base member to said flat surface and spaced
from said projection in a direction away from said one end of said
base member, a shaft rotatably mounted in said aperture, whereby
one end of said shaft extends beyond said flat surface and the
other end extends beyond said other surface of the base member, cam
means on said one end of said shaft, said cam means having a
substantially round cross-section in a plane normal to the axis of
said shaft that is offset in one direction with respect to the axis
of the shaft, a sharp radially extending circumferential edge on
the portion thereof at the greatest distance from the shaft, and
manually operable handle means on the other end of said shaft, said
cam means having a surface toward said flat surface that is
inclined with respect to said flat surface for wedging a panel upon
which said support member is mounted between said flat surface and
the inclined surface of said cam means upon rotation of said
shaft.
2. In a support member adapted to be mounted on a multi-apertured
panel, the member being of the type having an article supporting
projection adapted to extend away from the panel in the mounted
position of the member, a first hook shaped projection adapted to
be fitted into a hole in the panel and engage the back side
thereof, and a second projection adapted to fit into another hole
of the panel; the improvement wherein said second projection
comprises a shaft rotatably mounted in said support member, a cam
on the end of said shaft adapted to extend into said other hole of
said panel, said cam being radially offset with respect to said
shaft in one direction and a manually operable handle on the other
end of said shaft and extending transversely thereof in the
direction parallel to the direction of offset between the cam and
shaft, said cam having a substantially round cross-section normal
to the axis of said shaft and a sharp radially extending edge in
the direction of the offset thereof, whereby said support member
can be locked in said mounted position by rotation of said handle
to cause said cam to engage said panel.
3. In a support member adapted to be mounted on a multi-apertured
panel, the member being of the type having a base member adapted to
engage a front surface of the panel, an article supporting
projection extending from said base member in a direction away from
the panel in the mounted position of the support member, a hook
shaped projection extending from the base member and adapted to be
fit into a hole in the panel and engage the back side thereof, and
a second projection extending from the base member and adapted to
be fit into another hole of the panel; the improvement wherein said
base member has a first surface positioned to engage the surface of
the panel in the mounted position thereof, said hook shaped
projection extending from said first surface, an aperture extending
through said base member at its first surface, and wherein said
second projection comprises a rotatable shaft extending through
said aperture, a cam on the end fo said shaft which extends from
said first surface, said cam being spaced from said first surface,
and shaft turning means on the other end of said shaft, said cam
being radially offset in one direction with respect to the axis of
said shaft and having a sharp radially extending edge in said one
direction and a surface toward said first surface that is inclined
with respect to said first surface.
4. The support member of claim 3 wherein said aperture is tapered,
and the portion of said shaft extending in said aperture has a
taper matching the taper of said aperture.
5. The support member of claim 3 wherein said shaft has a
cylindrical portion between said first surface and said cam.
6. The support member of claim 3 wherein said first surface is
flat.
7. The support member of claim 3 wherein said cam has a
substantially circular cross section, the axis of the cross section
of said cam being offset from the axis of said shaft.
8. The support member or claim 7 wherein said sharp edge is formed
on the circumferential surface of the circular cross-section of
said cam which lies at the greatest distance from the axis of said
shaft.
9. The support member of claim 3 wherein said shaft turning means
comprises a manually operable handle.
10. The support member of claim 3 wherein said base member, hook
shaped projection and article supporting projection comprise a
first unitary cast member, and said shaft, cam and shaft turning
means comprise a second unitary cast member.
11. The support member of claim 3 for use on panels of different
nominal thicknesses, wherein said hook shaped projection has a
first surface for engaging the back side of a panel of a first
nominal thickness, and a second surface positioned to engage a back
surface of a panel of greater nominal thickness.
12. The support member of claim 11 wherein the dimension between
the edge of said hook shaped projection toward said shaft and the
most remote edge of said shaft is less than the nominal center line
distances between adjacent apertures of said panels, and the
diameter of said cam is less than the diameter of a hole in the
panel of lesser nominal thickness.
13. The support member of claim 12 wherein the distance between
said inclined surface of said cam and said first surface of said
base member is substantially equal to the thickness of said panel
of lesser thickness.
14. The support member of claim 13 wherein said sharp edge is on
the circumference of said cam at a position most radially remote
from the axis of said shaft, said sharp edge being spaced from said
first surface a distance less than the thickness of said panel of
greater thickness.
15. A support member adapted to be mounted on the surface of a
panel of the type having a plurality of holes extending
therethrough, said support member comprising a base member having a
first surface conforming in shape to the surface of said panel and
a second surface opposite said first surface, article supporting
means extending from said second surface, a projection extending
from said surface and having a shape permitting its insertion into
a hole of said panel with said first surface abutting the surface
of the panel, a shaft rotatably mounted in said base member and
extending between said first and second surfaces, means for
rotating said shaft mounted on the end thereof at said second
surface, and a cam on the other end of said shaft and spaced from
said first surface, said shaft being spaced from said projection a
distance corresponding to the center line distance between holes in
said panel, said cam being radially offset in one direction with
respect to the axis of said shaft and having a substantially round
cross-section normal to the axis of the shaft with a
circumferentially extending sharp edge in the region of greatest
distance from the shaft, said cam being axially movable in one hole
of said panel at one angular displacement thereof with the
projection inserted in another hole of the panel, and being
inhibited from axial movement at another angular position.
16. The support member of claim 15 wherein said projection has a
length greater than the thickness of said panel, the end of said
projection away from said first surface extending in a direction
away from said shaft.
17. A cast support member adapted to be mounted on a panel of the
type having rows and columns of equally spaced apart holes, said
support member comprising: a first cast member having a body with a
flat surface, a hook shaped projection extending from said flat
surface, an article supporting projection extending from another
surface of said body, and a hole extending through the body normal
to the flat surface thereof and spaced from said hook shaped
projection; and a second cast member comprised of a shaft extending
through said hole, a shaft turning member on the end of said shaft
at the other surface of said body, and a cam on the other end of
the shaft and spaced from said flat surface, said cam having a
rounded end with a substantially round cross-section normal to the
axis of said shaft that is offset in one direction with respect to
the axis of the shaft, a sharp radially extending circumferential
edge on the portion thereof at the greatest distance from the
shaft, and a surface toward said flat surface that is inclined with
respect to said flat surface for wedging a panel between the flat
surface and inclined surface upon rotation of said shaft.
18. The support member of claim 17 wherein said hole is tapered,
the portion of said shaft in said hole being tapered to conform to
the tapered shape of said hole.
19. The support member of claim 18 wherein the smaller diameter end
of said hole is at said flat surface.
20. The support member of claim 3 wherein the edge of said cam in
the direction thereof opposite said one direction constitutes an
axial extension of said shaft.
21. The support member of claim 3 further comprising a third
projection extending from said first surface adjacent said aperture
and between said aperture and said hook shaped projection, said
third projection having an arcuate surface engaging said shaft only
on the side thereof toward said hook shaped projection, said third
projection extending a distance from said aperture and parallel to
said first surface that is no greater than the offset of said
cam.
22. The support member of claim 3 wherein said first surface is
substantially wider in the direction normal to the direction
between said aperture and said hook shaped projection than the
thickness of said hook shaped projection.
Description
This invention relates to support members of the type adapted to be
fit on multi-apertured panels, such as panels having rows and
columns of equally spaced holes. The invention is particularly
directed to a support member of the type in which means are
provided for securely locking the support member to a panel.
The concept of mounting various articles on a multi-apertured panel
is well known. Such panels are generally provided with rows and
columns of holes, with the spacings between the holes in the
columns and rows being substantially equal. The supporting members
have generally consisted of bent wire members having a first
portion adapted to lie against the surface of the panel, with one
end of the member being bent so that it fits through a hole in the
panel and engages the backside of the panel. Suitable projections
are provided on the member, extending away from the panel, to
permit the hanging, clamping, fastening, etc. thereon or insertion
therein of articles. This type of support member has found wide
acceptance in industrial, commercial and home applications.
In order to more firmly affix the support member to the panel, it
has also been common to provide either a plurality of hook shaped
projections for engagement with holes in a common row of the panel,
or to provide an additional straight projection for engagement with
a lower hole in the column of holes into which the single hook
shaped projection is fitted. By this means, for example, rotation
of the support member about the axis of a single hole in the board
is inhibited. In order to further stabilize the position of the
support member, it has been suggested that the dimensions of the
parts of the support member be closely controlled, for example the
spacing between hole engaging projections on the support member as
well as the diameters of the projections of the support member
which fit into the holes in the panel. This expedient has not been
found to be generally useful, however, since the wide tolerances in
the dimensions of available panels has prevented the design of a
support member with close tolerances that is useable to the best
advantage on any available panel. Thus, a support member which is
designed to be well held in one panel, by proper design of the
spacings between the projections and/or the diameters of the
projections, may not fit at all in some panels, and may be only
loosely fitted in other panels. In addition, the support members
are generally susceptible to accidental dislodgement due to forces
applied thereto in some directions, since they are insertable and
removable by a simple pivotable movement about their upper hook
shaped projections. The possibility of such accidental removal is
of course increased with usage of a panel, since the panels are
generally of a soft material subject to wear, and hence enlargement
of the holes upon repeated insertion and removal of the support
members.
The problem of providing a suitable support member is further
compounded by the fact that boards of several thicknesses are
generally available, the apertures in the boards having different
diameters. While some support members have been designed for use
with panels of different thickness, most support members can only
be used with a panel of one thickness.
A further disadvantage of prior support members resides in the fact
that, as above stated, they are generally formed as bent wire
members. Such design does not readily lend itself to a pleasing
appearance, and hence in the past the support members have
generally appeared as purely utilitarian objects. This has of
course limited the application of the support members and the
multi-apertured panels to locations where design and appearance is
only of minor importance.
Briefly stated, in accordance with the present invention, an
improved support member adaptable for use with a multi-apertured
panel is provided comprised of a base member having an upper hook
shaped projection adapted to be fitted into a hole of a
multi-apertured panel. One or more suitable article holding
projections are also provided extending from the base member. A
further projection is provided extending from the base member and
adapted to be fitted into another hole of the panel. This latter
projection is in the form of a shaft extending through the base
member and having shaft turning means, such as a handle, on the end
thereof extending away from the panel. The end of the shaft
extending into the panel is provided with a cam. The cam is spaced
from the surface of the base member, and is shaped so that it
either can engage the backside of the panel in one angular
displacement of the shaft, or can firmly engage the sides of the
hole of the panel at a particular angular displacement of the
shaft. For example, the cam and shaft may be designed so that when
the support member is employed with a panel of a given nominal
thickness the cam engages the backside of the panel, while when the
support member is mounted on a panel of greater nominal thickness
the cam firmly engages the side of a hole of the panel.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the
invention, both from the standpoint of appearance and economy of
fabrication, the support member may be formed by a die casting
technique, so that the base member, hook shaped projection and
article supporting projections are formed as one casting, and the
shaft, cam and shaft turning means are formed as a second casting
extending through an aperture formed in the base member.
In order that the invention will be more clearly understood, it
will now be disclosed in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a support member
in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the support member of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the support member of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the support member of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the support member of FIG. 2
taken along the lines 5--5;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged partially cross sectional view of a portion
of the support member of FIG. 2, illustrating the construction of
the lower projection thereof in greater detail;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the arrangement of FIG. 6 taken
along the lines 7--7;
FIG. 8 is a side view of a support member in accordance with the
invention illustrated in an initial stage of mounting on a panel of
one thickness;
FIG. 9 is an illustration corresponding to FIG. 8 with the support
member locked in position on the panel;
FIG. 10 is a view of a support member corresponding to FIG. 8, but
in combination with a panel of greater thickness;
FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10, with the support member
firmly locked to the panel of greater thickness;
FIG. 12 is an illustration of a modification of a cam which may be
employed in the support member of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the cam of FIG. 12 taken along
the lines 13--13;
FIG. 14 is a partially cross sectional view of a portion of a
modification of a support member in accordance with the invention
illustrating a support projection on the base member for the shaft;
and
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the support member of FIG. 14
taken along the lines 15--15.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-5,
therein is illustrated one embodiment of a support member 20 in
accordance with the invention. The support member is comprised of a
base 21. The base 21 has a surface adapted to conform to the shape
of the surface of a panel. Thus, in the usual case the surface 22
is flat. An article supporting projection 23 is provided extending
from the surface of the base 21 opposite the surface 22. In the
illustrations of FIGS. 1-5, the projection is shown as being
generally straight and inclined upwardly from the base. It will be
obvious of course, that the invention is not limited to this
feature, and article supporting projections may be employed of any
conventional form, for supporting, retaining or holding members in
any conventional manner. Thus, the projection may be hook shaped or
ring shaped, clamp shaped, threaded, etc., as well as having a
shape designed to conform to any given article to be suspended
therefrom, or supported thereby.
An upper projection 24 is provided extending from the surface 22 of
the base member in the upper portion thereof. This projection is
preferably generally hook shaped, the end thereof away from the
surface 22 thereby extending upwardly. The projection 24 has a
cross section which enables it to be inserted in a mounting hole of
a panel, preferably so that the upper surface of the projection
engages the back upper edge of the mounting hole or the back of the
panel above the mounting hole, and at least the bottom portion of
the projection adjacent the surface 22 can engage the lower side of
the mounting hole. The specific configuration of the projection and
the function thereof will be described in greater detail in the
following paragraphs. Since the holes in a mounting panel generally
extend transversely of the surface of the mounting panel, the
projection 24 preferably extends generally in a plane extending in
the lengthwise direction of the base 21 and normal to the surface
22.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 6, an aperture 30 is provided
extending through the lower portion of the base 21, spaced from the
projection 24 and extending through the surface 22 and the surface
31 opposite thereof. The axis of the aperture 30 is preferably
normal to the surface 22 since, as above stated, the holes in
mounting panels are usually normal to the surfaces of such
panels.
A shaft 32 is rotatably fitted in the aperture 30, for rotation
therein, the surface of the shaft thus conforming generally to the
shape of the aperture 30 so that the aperture 30 serves as a
bearing for the shaft to permit primarily only rotation movement of
the shaft, although as will be discussed in the following
paragraphs a slight axial freedom may be permitted. A suitable knob
or handle 33 is connected to the end of the shaft extending from
the surface 31, to permit manual rotation of the shaft. The end of
the shaft 32 which extends beyond the surface 22 preferably has a
generally cylindrical portion 34 extending a determined distance
from the surface 22, and a cam member 35 is provided on the end of
the cylindrical portion 34.
The cam 35, which appears more clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7, may have a
generally round cross section offset from the axis of the
cylindrical portion 34, with the outer end 36 of the cam being
generally round as illustrated in FIG. 6, if desired. The round
shape of the end 36 is not, however, necessary. As illustrated in
FIGS. 6 and 7, it is preferred that one edge of the cam be formed
as an extension, in the axial direction, of the cylindrical portion
34. In other words, the offset of the cam is preferably such that,
with the handle 33 extending in the downward direction, the upper
edge of the cam is at the same level as the upper edge of the
cylindrical portion 34.
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7,
the cam is provided with a sharp radially extending edge 37. This
sharp edge is most prominent at the circumferential edge of the cam
most remote from the axis of the cylindrical portion 34, and may,
as illustrated, be generally tapered into the surface of the cam so
that it does not appear at the circumferential surface of the cam
that lies closest to the axis of the cylindrical portion 34. As
further illustrated in FIG. 6, the inner surface 38 of the cam 35,
i.e., the surface toward the surface 22 of the base, preferably
extends generally away from the surface 22 at the edge 37. The
surface 38 is not necessarily flat, and may be generally inclined
to the surface 22 as illustrated.
The support member 20 in accordance with the invention is readily
adaptable to formation by a die casting technique, such as
described for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,494, Morin. Briefly,
in accordance with this casting process, an articulated member is
formed by casting a first element with a bearing surface formed
therein, and then casting a second element of the articulated
member with the bearing surface of the first element serving as
part of the mold for the second element. The support member of the
present invention can be readily and economically formed by this
process, for example by first casting a unitary element including
the base 21, article holding projection 23 and hook shaped
projection 24. This first casting also has the aperture 30 formed
therein. Then, using the aperture 30 as part of a mold for a second
casting operation, the shaft 32, cam 35 and handle 33 are cast as a
unitary element. Since the support member of the invention is
readily adaptable to such casting processes, it is apparent that it
may be readily formed in any desired shape, the shape enabling
consideration of both utilitarian and design features.
Alternatively, the cam, shaft and handle may be cast first, with
the shaft serving as a core for later casting of the base and fixed
projections.
When a die casting technique is employed for forming the support
member, it is preferred that the aperture 30 be tapered. For
example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the end of the aperture 30
toward the surface 22 has a smaller diameter than the other end of
the aperture. The shaft 32 is also tapered, the tapered portion
thereof extending a short distance beyond the surface 22, and the
cylindrical portion 34 having a diameter slightly greater than the
adjoining least diameter end of the tapered portion. When an
articulated member is cast, for example by the die casting
technique, there is a tendency for binding to occur at the joint.
This binding can be relieved, in accordance with the present
invention, when the aperture 30 is tapered as illustrated in FIG.
6, by lightly tapping or rotating the shaft to separate the tapered
portion of the shaft from the tapered aperture. This technique
enables free rotation of the shaft. The cylindrical portion 34 may
have a slightly larger diameter than the tapered portion in order
to inhibit axial movement of the shaft to an extent greater than
desired. While the aperture and shaft as illustrated in FIG. 6 are
tapered outwardly from the surface 22, it is apparent that a taper
in the opposite direction may alternately be employed for the same
purpose.
When a casting technique, such as a die casting process is employed
for formation of the support member in accordance with the
invention, a suitable die casting material, such as a zince die
casting material or a plastic molding material may be employed for
both of the cast elements of the support member. As discussed
above, multi-apertured mounting panels are available in a number of
thicknesses. Most commonly, the panels are available in thicknesses
of approximately 1/8 and 1/4 inch. The spacing between the holes in
the rows and columns of both boards of this type is generally about
1 inch. The hole diameters of the 1/8 inch thick panels is
generally about 3/16 inch, and the hole diameters of the 1/4 inch
thick panels are generally about 9/32 inch.
The adaptability of the support member of the invention for use on
panels of both such thicknesses will now be described.
FIG. 8 illustrates an initial shape of installation of the support
member 20 on the thinnest panel for which the support member is
designed, i.e., a panel 40 having a nominal thickness of about 1/8
inch. The panel has an upper hole 41 and a lower hole 42, the
nominal distance between the center lines of these holes being
about 1 inch. The support member 20 is installed by first inserting
the projection 24 in the hole 41, with a generally pivotal movement
about this hole, until the surface 22 of the support member engages
the front surface 43 of the panel. In order to enable such
mounting, the cam 35 must be rotated by means of the handle 33 so
that the cam is generally aligned with the lower hole 42, to permit
the cam to extend into and through the hole 42. It is thus apparent
that the diameter of the cam 35 must be no greater than the
diameter of the hole 42 of the smaller thickness panel, the
diameter of the cam 35 being preferably slightly less than the
diameter of the hole 42 to enable free insertion of the cam 35
through the hole 42.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
FIG. 8, the bottom edge 45 of the projection 24, which engages the
bottom of the hole 41, is spaced from the most remote surface of
the cylindrical portion 34 a distance slightly less than the
nominal distance between the holes 41 and 42, so that a small
spacing 46 is provided between the bottom of the hole 42 and the
bottom of the cylindrical portion 34. This enables free insertion
of the cam 35, and also provides tolerance for use of the support
members of the invention on panels in which the dimensions are not
closely controlled. The upper surface of the projection 24 has an
upwardly inclined portion 47 positioned to engage the back surface
of the panel 40 above the hole 41, or the upper rear edge of the
hole 41 as illustrated in FIG. 8, so that the upper projection
firmly holds the support member to the panel 40 against movement in
a direction normal to the surface of the panel.
In order to lock the support member in position on the panel 40, as
illustrated in FIG. 9, the handle 33 is rotated 180.degree. from
the position illustrated in FIG. 8, to that as shown in FIG. 9, the
surface 38 of the cam extends into engagement with the rear of the
panel 40 just below the hole 42. The generally inclined disposition
of the surface 38 facilitates this movement, and the cam may be
dimensioned so that the panel is snugly wedged between the surface
38 and the surface 22. It is thus apparent that the support member
20 is now firmly locked in position on the panel 40, and cannot be
accidentally dislodged by simple mechanical forces thereon.
It is of course apparent that, alternatively, the support member
may be arranted so that the locking action is effected with the cam
in a direction opposite to that illustrated in FIG. 9, so that the
surface 38 would engage the back surface of the panel 40 above the
hole 42. In this case, the support member is dimensioned so that
the distance between the bottom edge 45 of the projection 24 and
the upper surface of the cylindrical member 34 would permit slight
clearance between the top of the hole 42 and the cylindrical
portion 34. This arrangement is not preferred, however, since it
does not readily adapt the support member for use on panels of
other thickness, because the dimensions in this case are dependent
upon the distances between the closest edges of holes, which differ
in boards of different thicknesses, rather than upon the nominal
distances between the axes of the holes which are the same for
panels of different thicknesses, as in the arrangement illustrated
in FIGS. 8 and 9.
FIG. 10 illustrates the initial step of inserting the support
member 20 in a panel 50 of greater nominal thickness than that of
FIG. 8, i.e., approximately one-fourth inch in thickness. The panel
50 has an upper hole 51 and a lower hole 52 with the same center
line spacing as in the panel 40, but the diameters of the holes are
greater than in the panel 40. The initial step of insertion, as
illustrated in FIG. 10, is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 8.
It is to be noted that, since the distances between the lower sides
of the holes 51 and 52 are nominally the same as the distances
between the lower sides of the holes 41 and 42 in the thinner
panel, a spacing 56 occurs between the cylindrical portion 34 and
the bottom of the hole 52, to permit easy insertion of the cam in
the hole 52. Further, since the hole 52 has a larger diameter than
the hole 42, the diameter of the hole 52 is more than adequate to
readily receive the cam 35. It is to be noted also that the cam 35
does not extend through the back side of the panel 50, so that its
circumferential portion that is the greatest distance from the axis
of the cylindrical portion 34 is within the hole 52. In other
words, the pointed edge 37 is within the hole 52. The projection 24
is provided with a further inclined surface 57 positioned to engage
either the back side of the panel 50 above the hole 51, or the
upper rear side of the hole 51, to inhibit movement of the support
member away from the surface of the panel 50.
FIG. 11 illustrates the locking action of the cam 35 upon rotation
of the handle 33, when the support member 20 is employed on the
thicker panel. This figure illustrates that the sharp projection or
edge 37, upon turning of the handle 33, now bites into the material
at the bottom or side of the hole 52 to firmly wedge the material
of the panel 50 in this region between the surface 38 and the
surface 22 of the support member. The support member is thus firmly
locked in position on the panel, and cannot be dislodged by any
simple mechanical forces that would be normally expected.
It is thus apparent that the support member of the present
invention is readily insertable on multi-apertured panels of
different dimensions, is readily fabricated, and can be designed to
have a pleasing appearance. Further, the support member can be
firmly locked against dislodgement, the locking action being
effective regardless of the thickness of the panel. In addition,
the support member does not depend upon critical dimensioning of
the elements thereof, so that its advantageous features are
utilizable even though the dimensions of the mounting panels are
not closely held.
In a further embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS.
12 and 13, the cam 35 may if desired be generally hemispherical,
without the sharp edge provided in the cam of FIG. 6. When such a
cam is employed on the support member, the cam does not bite into
the sides of the holes of the thicker board, as illustrated in FIG.
11, but since the material of such boards is relatively soft, the
cam can still compress the material in the hole of the panel to
ensure a firm locking action. It will of course be apparent that
other shapes of cams may be employed.
In a further modification of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS.
14 and 15, a projection 53 is provided on the back side of the base
member, the projection engaging the top surface of the cylindrical
portion 34. When the support member in accordance with the
invention is fabricated from a die casting or plastic molding
material, the possibility arises that the forces exerted on the cam
may deform or cause the breakage of the shaft 32. The projection 53
is provided to ensure that such forces do not effect the breakage
of the shaft 32. As illustrated more clearly in FIG. 15, the lower
surface of the projection 53 may be arcuate to conform to the upper
surface of the cylindrical portion 34, for example to an arc of
about 120.degree.. The projection 53 thus provides a backup for the
cylindrical portion 34 in the positions of the cam when forces are
exerted thereon. The projection 34 53 of course be omitted if the
strength of the materials of the support member are sufficient to
withstand such forces without breakage.
As discussed above, the surface 38 of the cam 35 extends at an
angle to the surface 22. This angle, which is preferably about
15.degree., provides the additional advantage that the surface 38
forms the wedging action against the back of the panel when the
support member in accordance with the invention is employed in
combination with a 1/8 inch panel.
It will of course be apparent that the projection 24 may be of
other conventional shapes than that disclosed herein.
While the invention has been disclosed and described with reference
to a limited number of embodiments, it will be apparent that many
variations and modifications may be made therein, and it is
intended in the following claims to cover each such modification
and variation as falls within the true spirit and scope of the
disclosed invention.
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