Secure peg hook

Abstract

A support hook for use with a mounting surface, such as pegboard or slatboard, including a housing having a first side adapted to support a rod, at least one mounting lug extending outward from a second housing side, and a stabilizing member extending outward from a third housing side to a normal extended operating position wherein the stabilizing member slidably extends from the housing at an angle.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure is generally related to support hooks for use with pegboard and/or slatboard wall systems, and more specifically to support hooks having a releasable securement feature.

2. Background of the Related Art

Support hooks are widely used to display and store items and are especially well adapted to display and store items when disposed on a supporting wall, for example, pegboard, or a horizontally slotted board, such as slatboard. Typically, support hooks include one or more rods or wires having a series of bends. One end of the rod or wire is bent in a generally “L” or hook shape and is adapted to be disposed through one of the perforations in the perforated board or into the slotted grooves of a slatboard, thereby generally supporting the rod or wire extending outward, away from the supporting wall. Various items may then be hung from the rod or wire for display or storage. The outwardly extending rod or wire can take any of several shapes, e.g. short or long generally straight upward slope, hook shape, L-angled, multi-hook or any of the other shapes commonly found with so-called peg hooks as used, for example, with pegboard.

A significant drawback to typical support hooks is that they are easily dislodged from the supporting wall when the item hung from them is removed, or when they are bumped or otherwise upset. Such accidental dislodging can result in spilled display items, and time wasted re-installing the support hooks and items carried thereby. Additionally, because the perforated board or slatboard is usually formed as a paper, plastic or wood product, the result of use over time is that, the perforations or slotted grooves become worn out and uneven due to loads being placed on the support hooks which cause deformation of the material surrounding the perforations. This, in turn, causes the support hooks to become even more unstable when mounted and thus, even more easily inadvertently dislodged. Further, the perforations or grooves may become so worn or deformed that the rod or wire end of the support hook may sag or angle downward, thereby preventing stored or displayed items from staying on the rod or wire.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure teaches a secure support hook for use with a support wall board, such as pegboard and/or slatboard, including a support housing having a first side adapted to support a rod extending therefrom, a mounting lug extending outward from a second housing side, and a stabilizing member extending outward from a third housing side, with the stabilizing member being slidably extending from the housing. The resulting secure support hook, once mounted to a support wall, cannot be accidentally dislodged, such as by casual or inadvertent bumping, but an only be removed when the stabilizing member is purposely axially moved to its retracted position.

Additionally disclosed is a method of mounting a support hook, including providing a mounting surface that has a plurality of openings, and providing a support hook. The support hook includes a support housing, a support rod extending outward from a first housing side, a mounting lug extending outward from a second housing side, and a stabilizing member extending outward from a third housing side. The stabilizing member is slidably mounted to the housing and extends outwardly from the third housing side. Preferably, the stabilizing member is biased outwardly to a normally fully-extended securement position. The method includes forcibly depressing the stabilizing member, through a one-handed operation, by placing one end of the stabilizing member adjacent the mounting surface and applying a force to the housing in the general direction of the mounting surface, inserting the mounting lug into one of the plurality of openings, rotating the housing in a manner that brings the second surface of the housing into a generally parallel orientation adjacent the mounting surface, and thereby releasing and allowing extension of the stabilizing member until the stabilizing member contacts the mounting surface to thereby assist in securing the support hook to the support wall board. Preferably, the stabilizing member extends outwardly at a slight angle from the housing to best assist the stabilizing member in contacting the mounting surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a support hook constructed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the support hook of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are side elevation views of the support hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the support hook of FIG. 1, viewed along line 4-4 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the support hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the support hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the support hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the support hook of FIG. 1 as mounted on a perforated pegboard;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the support hook, similar to FIG. 8, but as mounted on a slotted slatboard;

FIGS. 10A-C are side views of the support hook of FIG. 1 being mounted on a pegboard;

FIGS. 11A-C are side views of the support hook of FIG. 1 being mounted on a slatboard;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the support hook of FIG. 1 mounted on an alternate slatboard configuration;

FIG. 13 is a side view of an alternate form of the support hook constructed in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the support hook of FIG. 1 including an alternate rod; and

FIGS. 15A-15D are rear views of the support hook of FIG. 1 including alternate biasing members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed secure support hook generally includes a housing, at least one mounting lug, and a stabilizing device, each of which will be discussed hereinafter. The secure support hook is mounted on a support surface and is used to hang or otherwise support objects or merchandise, for example, for sale in a store, and further, prevents accidental or inadvertent removal until properly manipulated to permit release from the support wall. The support hook may be configured to be mounted on any type of support surface. For example, the support hook may be mounted to holes or grooves formed in pegboard, slatboard, and regular plasterboard. Additionally, the support hook may include one or more rods or hooks extending from the housing. The rods may support the retail merchandise, label plates, so called “shelf-talkers”, or bar code scan plates, for example.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a support hook 10. The support hook 10 includes a housing 12, one or more mounting lugs 14 extending outward from a back surface 16 of the housing 12, one or more rods 18 extending generally outward from a front surface 20 of the housing 12, and a stabilizing device 22 extending generally upward from a top surface 24 of the housing 12. It is to be understood that terms such as up, down, front, back, and sides are used herein to describe the support hook 10 as oriented in the figures, and do not limit the disclosure in any way. In this example, the rod 18 is generally long and straight with an upturned portion at a distal end 26, terminating in a ball stop 28. The rod 18 need not be essentially straight, but can take almost any desired commonly known shape, such as curved, curvilinear, angled, rounded arc shape, “V” shaped, and ring or other closed shapes (see FIG. 13 hereinafter). Moreover, the rod 18 may terminate in a generally flat portion (not shown in FIG. 1) for use in carrying labels, bar codes, scan areas, etc. The rod 18 may be removably attached to the housing 12 and interchangeable with other shaped rods 18.

The stabilizing device 22 is a plunger type device and preferably is supported within the housing 12 and slidably extends outwardly, to a normal full extension position, through the top housing surface 24. The stabilizing device 22 in this example includes two pillars 30 and an anvil 32 spanning between and joining distal ends 34 of the pillars 30. The pillars 30 may be any cross-sectional shape, such as, circular, square, rectangular, oval, octagonal, hexagonal, or any other polygonal shape. The top of the anvil 32 is preferably rough textured or contains finger grooves, so as to permit easy finger grabbing for manipulation, i.e. depression or extension, of the stabilizing member 22 when needed to permit desired removal of the support hook 10 from a support wall. The anvil 32 extends slightly rearward, towards the back housing surface 16 thereby providing a ledge 36. In its fully extended and normal operational position, as shown in FIG. 1, the stabilizing device 22 extends to an elevation sufficiently above the horizontal portion 40 of the curved mounting lugs 14. It will be understood also that, the stabilizing member 22 need not be mounted within the housing 12, i.e. to then extend outward from the housing 12, but instead can be mounted to the top surface 24, a side surface, or the front surface 20 of the housing 12, in any case to extend upwardly therefrom (not shown).

The mounting lugs 14 are generally “L” shaped, and include a substantially horizontal portion 40 and a substantially vertical portion 42, although they may be virtually any shape that includes a portion that extends outward, away from the back surface 16 of the housing 12 and an angled portion extending generally upward, toward the top surface 24 of the housing 12. Additionally, the distance between the back surface 16 of the housing 12 and a bend in the mounting lugs 14 is approximately the thickness of the mounting surface 44 (not shown in FIG. 1) to which the support hook 10 is attached. For example, and not by way of limitation, that thickness can be in the range from approximately ⅛ inch to approximately ¼ inch (within a tolerance of approximately ±0.03 inches) for use with common pegboard or for use with common slatboard.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the support hook 10. The mounting lugs 14 extend generally outward and upward from the back surface 16 of the housing 12. Additionally, the mounting lugs 14 extend above the top surface 24 of the housing, but below the anvil 32 when the stabilizing device 22 is in the extended operating position. The back housing surface 16 includes a lip or rim 17 disposed about the bottom portion of the back housing surface 16. The lip or rim 17 partially surrounds two recessed portions separated by a center column 19. The column 19 is formed when the housing 12 is molded around a proximal end 27 of the rod 18. The proximal end 27 of the rod 18 turns generally downward as shown in FIG. 3A, and once molded into housing 12, helps prevent unwanted rotation of rod 18 relative to housing 12.

FIG. 3A is a side view of the support hook 10 with the stabilizing device 22 in the extended operational position. The stabilizing device 22 extends longitudinally upwardly and somewhat rearwardly, away from the top surface 24 of the housing 12, thus forming an angle “A” with a plane of the back surface 16 of the housing 12. In this example, the angle A is preferably approximately 10 degrees. However, angle A is at least formed to be in the range of between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 55 degrees, and preferably between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 20 degrees. A back anvil surface 46 extends rearward, beyond the plane of the back housing surface 16, in a mounted condition, and contacts the front surface 62 of the support wall (See FIG. 8). This feature enables the support hook 10 to adapt to a variety of mounting surfaces, and also, overall, the presence of the angle A allows the support hook 10 to advantageously accommodate various thicknesses of mounting surfaces 44. Additionally, the proximal end 27 of the rod 18, shown in phantom in this figure, produces a generally horizontal force when weight is placed on the rod 18. This generally horizontal force assists in forcing the lip or rim 17 rearwardly into contact with the front surface 62 of the support wall (not shown in FIG. 3A).

FIG. 3B is a side view of the support hook 10 with the stabilizing member 22 in a depressed, retracted condition. In this position, the back anvil surface 46 does not extend beyond the back surface 16 of the housing 12. In the retracted condition, the mounting lugs 14 may be inserted into openings 48 (not shown in FIG. 3B) in the mounting surface 44 without interference from the stabilizing member 22.

FIG. 4 is a side cross section view of the support hook 10. The housing 12 includes one or more apertures 50 therein as sized and shaped to accept the one or more pillars 30 of the stabilizing member 22. The apertures 50 may be any cross-sectional shape that is complimentary to the cross-sectional shape of the pillars 30, such as, circular, oval, square, rectangular, octagonal, hexagonal, or any other polygonal shape. Additionally, the apertures 50 include biasing members 52, for example, compression springs, that bias the stabilizing member 22 outwardly to the extended operational position. The bias may be provided by any acceptable means, such as, for example, a compression spring, a living hinge, or a resilient seat. When a force is applied to the top 54 of the anvil 32 in a direction opposite the bias, and that is adequate to overcome the bias, the stabilizing member 22 moves to the retracted position and remains in the retracted position until the force is removed. The force may be applied by a user, in a one-handed operation, by pushing the top 54 of the anvil 32 against a front surface 62 (not shown in FIG. 4) during mounting (mounting will be explained later herein with respect to FIGS. 10A-C and 11A-C). The rod 18 is supported by a receptacle 56 formed in the front housing surface 20. The rod 18 may be removably or permanently affixed to the housing 12 through the receptacle 56. Additionally, the receptacle 56 may be formed with any cross-sectional shape and/or size complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the rod 18. Further, the receptacle 56 may be adapted to have an insert (not shown) disposed therein to allow mounting of smaller rods 18.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the support hook 10 with the stabilizing member 22 in the extended position. The rod 18 extends outward from the front housing surface 20. Of course, the support hook 10 may include more than one rod 18 or the rod 18 may extend from another housing surface and subsequently bend and turn outward, away from the back surface 16 of the housing 12. The anvil 32 of the stabilizing member 22 is essentially parallel to the top surface 24 of the housing 12 in this example. However, the anvil 32 need not be parallel to the top surface 24 of the housing 12 and may include bumps, curves or other features.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the support hook 10 with the stabilizing member 22 in the extended position. The two mounting lugs 14 extend outward from the back surface 16 of the housing and generally upward, away from the bottom surface 24 of the housing. The two mounting lugs 14 are attached to the back surface 16 of the housing 12 near the top edge 58 of the back housing surface 16. One skilled in the art will realize that the support hook 10 may include more or less than the two mounting lugs 14 depicted in FIG. 6, and that the mounting lugs 14 may be formed of virtually any size and cross-sectional shape. Generally, the mounting lugs 14 are sized and shaped to be received through perforations 48 in the mounting surface 44 (not shown in FIG. 6) and extend upward to a height that is slightly below the anvil 32 of the stabilizing member 22 when the stabilizing member 22 is in the extended position.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the support hook 10 with the stabilizing member 22 in the extended position. The back anvil surface 46 extends horizontally slightly beyond the back surface 16 of the housing. When attached to a mounting surface 44, the back anvil surface 46 contacts the front surface 62, thereby securing and stabilizing the support hook 10. In this extended condition, the stabilizing member advantageously helps prevent premature, unwanted, or accidental dislodgement of the support hook from the mounting surface 44.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the support hook 10 mounted on a mounting surface 44, in this case, pegboard. The mounting lugs 14 extend through openings 48 in the pegboard and turn upward beyond a back surface 60 of the pegboard. As used herein relative to the mounting surface, openings can mean through-holes, grooves, or any other opening, fully or partially through the mounting surface 44, that are sufficiently deep to accept the mounting lugs 14. The vertical portions 42 of the mounting lugs 14 contact the back surface 60 of the pegboard preventing the mounting lugs 14 from sliding forward out of the openings 48. At the same time, the back surface 46 of the anvil 32 contacts a front surface 62 of the pegboard, thereby essentially pinching the pegboard between the stabilizing member 22 and the mounting lugs 14. Additionally, the housing lip or rim 17 is forced into contact with the front surface 62 by the angled extension of the stabilizing member 22 and by the downward turn of the proximal end 27 of the rod 18, thus forming generally three contact points between the front surface 62 and the support hook 10. This in turn achieves the securement of the support hook 10 to the wall structure, and prevents unwanted accidental dislodgement of the support hook. Because the stabilizing member 22 extends longitudinally from the housing at approximately a 10 degree rearward angle relative to the back housing surface 16, the stabilizing member 22 normally moves to a height to register with and contact the front surface 62 of the pegboard prior to full extension, and thus acts to draw the vertical portions 42 of the mounting lugs 14 forward, towards the back surface 60 of the pegboard, as the stabilizing member 22 moves towards the fully extended position. This feature maintains register with, and thus positive pressure on, the pegboard from both sides thereof, thereby stabilizing the support hook and preventing accidental dislodgement thereof from the pegboard.

FIG. 9 shows the support hook 10 mounted in a manner similar to FIG. 8. However, the mounting surface 44 in FIG. 9 is slatboard having horizontally-aligned cavities 64 formed behind the front surface 62 of the slatboard.

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate how the support hook 10 is easily mounted , with a one-handed manipulation, to the mounting surface 44, and in this example the mounting surface 44 is pegboard. A user places the support hook 10 with the rod 18 in a generally vertical orientation and aligns the distal ends 38 of the mounting lugs 14 with openings 48 in the pegboard. By applying pressure in the general direction of the pegboard, the stabilizing member 22 is moved to the retracted position. Rotating the support hook 10, as shown in FIG. 10B, and moving the rod 18 towards a generally horizontal orientation, moves the mounting lugs 14 through the openings 48 in the pegboard. As the support hook 10 approaches a generally horizontal and mounted position, the pressure is removed from the stabilizing member 22 and the anvil 32 begins to extend along the front surface 62 of the pegboard until reaching a substantially extended position as shown in FIG. 10C.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate how the support hook 10 is securely mounted to an alternate mounting surface 44, in this example the mounting surface 44 is slatboard. The slatboard has cavities 64 disposed behind openings 48 in the front surface 62 of the slatboard. Additionally, the openings 44 may be generally horizontally oriented grooves, slots or slats instead of circular openings. The user places the support hook 10 with the rod 18 in a generally vertical orientation and aligns the distal ends 38 of the mounting lugs 14 with openings 48 in the slatboard. By applying pressure in the general direction of the slatboard, the stabilizing member 22 is moved to the retracted position. Rotating the support hook 10, as shown in FIG. 11B, and moving the rod 18 towards a generally horizontal orientation, moves the mounting lugs 14 through the openings 48 in the slatboard and into the cavities 64. As the support hook 10 approaches a generally horizontal and mounted position, the pressure on the stabilizing member is removed, and the anvil 32 begins to extend along the front surface 62 of the slatboard until reaching a substantially extended position as shown in FIG. 11C.

FIG. 12 illustrates the support hook 10 mounted on an alternate slatboard configuration.

FIG. 13 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a support hook 110 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure. The stabilizing member 122 of this embodiment includes pillars 130 that are curved in a longitudinal direction. Likewise, the appertures 150 (shown in phantom) in the housing 112 are curved to accept the curved pillars 130. The curvature of the pillars 130 facilitates rearward movement of the anvil 132 as the stabilizing member extends.

FIG. 14 depicts the support hook 10 including an alternate rod 18.

FIGS. 15A-15D show alternate biasing members. In FIGS. 15A and B, the biasing member 52 is a shelf extending from an inner wall of the aperture 50. This shelf forms a living hinge and is flexible and deformable when a force is exerted on the anvil 32. FIG. 15A illustrates the stabilizing member 22 in the extended position and FIG. 15B illustrates the stabilizing member 22 in the retracted position.

Likewise, FIGS. 15C and D illustrate yet another biasing member 52. In this case, the biasing member 52 is an integral spring formed in the bottom of the aperture 50. FIG. 15C illustrates the stabilizing member 22 in the extended position and FIG. 15D illustrates the stabilizing member 22 in the retracted position. Additionally, the biasing member 52 may be formed from a resilient insert (not shown) disposed in the bore 50 that compresses when a force is applied to the anvil 32 and returns to its original shape when the force is removed from the anvil 52, thus extending the stabilizing member 22.

It will be understood that, regardless of which form of the secure support hook of the present disclosure, as exemplified in the above-described drawings, is utilized, the principal benefit, i.e. securement of a support hook to a wall surface without fear of and chance for accidental dislodgement, is achieved. That is, the upwardly-biased stabilizing member, the length of which preferably resides along and is confined to travel at a slight angle towards the mounting wall, normally extends to its full operational length, and cannot, for example, be moved say at 90° from its normal direction of axial travel. Thus, this prevents the support hook from prematurely coming out of the pegboard if it is accidentally bumped, or any attempt is made to rotate the support hook up into a removal position. However, by depressing the stabilizing member, against its biasing force, into its retracted position adjacent the housing, the support hook can then be easily removed from the support wall, when so desired. Thus, the present disclosure overcomes a significant drawback of prior art support hooks, namely inadvertent premature dislodgement of the hook from the support wall.

While certain embodiments have been described herein, it will be understood that variations may be made that are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A support hook comprising:

a housing adapted to support at least one rod extending from a first side thereof;

at least one mounting lug extending outward from the housing on a second side of the housing; and

a stabilizing member extending outward from the housing;

wherein the stabilizing member is slidably mounted to the housing.

2. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing member extends outwardly from a third side of the housing.

3. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing member is resiliently biased to an extended normally operational position through a third housing side.

4. The support hook of claim 3, wherein the stabilizing member is displaced to a retracted condition when a force is applied to the stabilizing member in a direction opposite the bias.

5. The support hook of claim 3, wherein the bias is provided by one of a spring, a living hinge or a resilient seat.

6. The support hook of claim 5, wherein the spring is a coil spring mounted within the housing.

7. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the mounting lug is sized and shaped to be received by an opening in a mounting surface of an associated support wall.

8. The support hook of claim 7, wherein the support wall is pegboard.

9. The support hook of claim 7, wherein the support wall is slatboard.

10. The support hook of claim 7, wherein the opening is an elongated groove formed in the support wall.

11. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing member includes one or more pillars slidably received through apertures formed in a third housing side.

12. The support hook of claim 11, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the one or more pillars and one or more apertures is substantially circular.

13. The support hook of claim 11, wherein the one or more pillars are substantially straight along their lengths.

14. The support hook of claim 11, wherein the one or more pillars are curved along their lengths.

15. The support hook of claim 11, wherein receiving pockets extend inwardly of the housing from the apertures, for slidably receiving and supporting the one or more pillars.

16. The support hook of claim 11, wherein the stabilizing member further includes an anvil portion spanning the one or more pillars at distal ends thereof.

17. The support hook of claim 16, wherein the anvil portion has a substantially flat surface for contacting the mounting surface when the support hook is mounted to the mounting surface and the stabilizing member is in the extended position.

18. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing member extends from the housing at an acute angle relative to the second housing side.

19. The support hook of claim 18, wherein the acute angle is in the range of approximately 5 degrees to approximately 55 degrees.

20. The support hook of claim 18, wherein the acute angle is in the range of approximately 5 degrees to approximately 20 degrees.

21. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the at least one mounting lug is adapted to be accepted through an opening in slatboard.

22. The support hook of claim 21, wherein the opening in the slatboard is a groove.

23. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed from a plastic material.

24. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the rod extending from the housing is formed to be of a shape of one of elongated generally straight, curved hook, a series of curves, a curvilinear shape, and a “V” shape.

25. The support hook of claim 1, wherein the at least one rod extending from the housing includes two or more rods.

26. A method of mounting a hook in a releasably secured condition to a mounting surface, the method comprising:

providing a mounting surface including a plurality of openings;

providing a support hook comprising: a housing; at least one rod extending outward from a first housing side; a mounting lug extending outward from a second housing side; and a stabilizing member extending outward from the housing; wherein the stabilizing member is slidably mounted to the housing;

retracting the stabilizing member;

inserting the mounting lug into one of the plurality of openings;

positioning the housing, by bringing the second surface of the housing into a generally closely adjacent orientation relative to the mounting surface; and

extending the stabilizing member until the stabilizing member contacts the mounting surface to thereby secure the support hook against the mounting surface.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of retracting includes placing one end of the stabilizing member adjacent the mounting surface and applying a force to the housing in a direction generally towards the mounting surface;

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the stabilizing member extends from the housing at an acute angle relative to the second housing side.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the stabilizing member is formed to be substantially straight along its extension length.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the support hook is adapted to accommodate different thicknesses of the associated mounting surface by permitting the stabilizing member to extend to a lesser or greater extent of its full extension length.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the stabilizing member is outwardly biased to a normally extended condition.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the stabilizing member is outwardly biased by one of a spring, a living hinge or a resilient seat.

33. A support hook device for releasable securement to a support wall having apertures formed therein, comprising:

a housing having a rear side, a front side and an upward direction relative thereto;

at least one hook member supported by the housing, and extending forwardly of the housing;

at least one lug member supported by the housing, and extending rearwardly of the housing for engagement with an aperture in the support wall; and

a stabilizing member slidably carried by the housing and extending therefrom to an outwardly biased normally extended operating position, the stabilizing member adapted to be slidably retracted relative to the housing during installation and removal from the support wall.

34. The support hook of claim 33, wherein the outward biasing of the stabilizing member is provided by a biasing member

35. The support hook of claim 34, wherein the biasing member is carried by the housing.

36. The support hook of claim 35, wherein the biasing member is carried within the housing.

37. The support hook of claim 34, wherein the biasing member is one of a compression spring, a living hinge member, and a resilient seat member.

38. The support hook of claim 33, wherein the stabilizing member extends in the upward direction.

39. The support hook of claim 38, wherein the stabilizing member further extends at an angle rearwardly of the housing.