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.

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.

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.