Hanger assembly

Abstract

A hanger assembly for mounting on a door and similar structures to receive and support rods and hollow tubing. In this disclosure, a pair of hanger assemblies are shown supporting a shoe storage rack which is mounted on the side of a door. The hanger assembly includes a metal bracket which is supported on and is fastened into the top of a door or similar structure and a cup like member which receives one end of a rod or hollow tubing for supporting said rod or tubing.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with a hanger assembly for supporting an end of a rod or tube and especially for supporting light weight, hollow tubing. It is particularly concerned with such a hanger assembly that can be mounted on a door and similar structures having a vertical surface against which a portion of the hanger assembly may rest and a horizontal surface in which a prong portion of the hanger bracket can be driven.

An object of this invention is a support for rods and hollow tubing which can easily be connected and disconnected relative to the rods and hollow tubing.

Another object is a support for hollow tubing which can be mounted on a door and similar structures without visibly defacing these structures.

Another object is a hanger assembly which may be used to support hollow tubular rods forming part of articles such as shelves and shoe support racks.

Another object is a hanger assembly which simplifies the installation of storage racks on doors and similar structures.

Other objects may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of hanger assemblies of this invention supporting a shoe rack and mounted on a door;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the hanger assembly of this invention and a portion of a hollow tube; and

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the structure of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A pair of hanger assemblies 11 are shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing mounted on a door 13 with each hanger assembly supporting an elongated tubular rod 15 which forms a storage structure such as shoe storage rack 17. The tubular rods may conventionally be light weight aluminum but other materials may also be used. This shoe storage rack includes wire crossbars 19 which extend between the spaced vertically extending tubular rods. The wire crossbars have shoe supporting wire forms 21 welded thereto. These wire crossbars and shoe supporting forms may be installed between the vertical tubular rods with the shoe supporting forms extending upright, as shown in the drawings, or the shoe supporting forms may extend horizontally to function as shelves. This is accomplished by rotating the wire crossbars relative to the tubular rods 15 before fastening the crossbars to the tubular rods.

Each tubular rod 15 is formed with legs 23 and 25 at opposite ends thereof. The lower legs 25 are fitted with plastic caps 27 which function as shoes to engage the door 13. The upper leg 23 of each tubular rod 15 fits into and is supported by the hanger assembly 11 in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The hanger assembly 11, as shown in FIG. 2, includes a metallic strap-like bracket 31 having a planar portion 33 which engages the face 35 of the door 13, a bent portion 37 at one end thereof which projects at right angles to the planar portion 33. The bent portion is adapted to rest on the top surface 39 of the door 13. Formed integrally with the bent portion 37 of the bracket and located at the end thereof is a prong 41 which is driven into the top surface of the door 13 to anchor the hanger assembly to the door.

The bracket 31 also includes an integral offset portion 43 at the lower end thereof. The offset portion is connected to the main planar portion 33 by an inclined portion 45 which extends at an angle of approximately 45.degree. between the two portions. When the bracket is fastened to a door 13 the offset portion 43 will be positioned outwardly of the face 35 of the door.

A relatively thin-walled cup 51 is fastened through its base 53 by a rivet 55 to the offset portion 43 of the bracket 31. The cup 51 is preferably molded of a soft plastic and functions as a socket to receive and hold the end of leg 23 of the tubular rod 15.

The Use, Operation and Function of this Invention are as follows:

In the embodiment of the invention shown and described herein, a pair of hanger assemblies 11 are used to support a shoe storage rack 17 on the face 35 of a door 13. During installation, the hanger assemblies 11 are placed with their bent portions 37 resting on the top surface 39 of the door and the planar portions 33 of the brackets in contact with the face 35 of the door. The bent surfaces are hammered downwardly to force the prongs 41 into the top surface of the door. The cylindrical cup 51 of each hanger assembly will be positioned in front of the door with its open end facing away from the door. The shoe storage rack 17 is preassembled with tubular rods 15 connected by wire cross bars 19. The crossbars are installed with the shoe supporting forms extending either vertically or horizontally depending on whether or not the particular cross bar is to be used to support shoes or is to function as a shelf. With the tubular rods 15 assembled to the crossbars 19, the legs 23 of the tubular rods are inserted into and seated in the cups 51. The lower feet 25 of the tubular rods are allowed to hang so that their shoes 27 contact the door face 35. The shoe storage rack is now supported on and resting against the door 13. Removal of the storage rack 17 from the hanger assemblies 11 is accomplished simply by pulling the legs 23 of the tubular rods 15 out of the cups 51.

Whereas, the hanger assembly of this invention is shown in conjunction with a shoe storage rack it should be understood that the hanger assembly of this invention can be used to support tubular rods forming other types of structures. Of course, more or less than two hanger assemblies may be used with a particular storage structure. Further, the hanger assemblies may be used to support tubular rods in a horizontal position. Also, solid rather than tubular rods may be used with the hanger assemblies of this invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be limited only by a liberal interpretation of claims attached hereto.

Claims

I claim:

1. A hanger assembly mountable on a door and similar structures to receive and support rods and tubing, said assembly including:

a bracket member, and

a support member connected thereto,

said bracket member formed from an elongated strap having a planar central portion, an end portion bent to project at right angles to the central planar portion, said bent end portion adapted to rest on top of a door and similar structures,

a prong formed as part of said bent portion and extending at right angles thereto, said prong being formed integrally with said bent portion of said strap and being located at the outward end of said bent portion, and

an offset portion formed at the opposite end of said strap, said offset portion being positioned on the opposite side of said planar portion from said bent projecting portion and extending parallel to the face of said door,

said support member comprising a cylindrical cup positioned with its base contacting and riveted to said offset portion of said bracket member, said cup being formed of a thin walled soft plastic and having its open portion facing in a direction opposite to the direction of projection of said bent portion of said bracket.