Modular assembly of wall-mounted accessories

Abstract

A wall-mountable modular assembly is provided for mounting bathroom accessories on a wall or other supporting surface. The assembly includes a plurality of substantially identical supports and a plurality of accessories that are releasably mountable on the supports. Each support includes a suction cup and a cam lever that is pivotally movable from a release position to an actuating position for actuating a griping engagement of the suction cup with the wall or other supporting surface. The accessory is releasably engaged with the support when the cam lever is in the actuating position.

Description

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. No. 60/564,165, filed Apr. 21, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a modular system of bathroom and kitchen accessories that can be mounted by one or more suction cups to a planar surface for supporting soap dishes, toothbrush holders, hooks, towel rings, towel bars, shelves and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

Most bathrooms and many kitchens include wall-mounted accessories for supporting and at least temporarily storing items. For example, most bathrooms include toothbrush holders, soap dishes, hooks, rings, bars and/or shelves. Some such wall-mounted accessories are cemented into tile walls in a bathroom. Accessories of this type can only be installed in new construction or as part of a major reconstruction. Other accessories include brackets that are screwed directly into a wall. Screw-mounted accessories are relatively difficult to install and difficult to reposition. Additionally, screws will at least temporarily damage a plaster or gypsum board wall and can permanently damage a tile wall.

Some bathroom accessories are mounted to the bathroom wall by a double-sided adhesive. However, moisture in the typical bathroom often causes the adhesive to yield. Additionally, adhesive can damage a wall and typically leaves a residue on the wall when the accessory is removed or repositioned.

Suction cups have been used in association with bathroom hooks and shelves. The simplest suction cup includes a flexible elastomeric member with opposite concave and convex faces. At least the concave face is very smooth to achieve close sealing engagement with the wall in the bathroom. A hub projects from a central position on the convex face and is configured to receive a hook, a portion of a shelf or a support for some other bathroom accessory. The concave face of the suction cup is positioned against the wall and the suction cup then is urged toward the wall. The force on the suction cup will expel air from the space defined by the concave surface of the suction cup. Upon release of the external force, the resiliency of the suction cup will urge the suction cup back towards its initial position. This return of the suction cup towards the initial position will increase the volume between the concave face of the suction cup and the wall. As a result, a low-pressure area is maintained between the suction cup and the wall. The low-pressure holds the suction cup on the wall and hence supports the hook, shelf or other accessory that is mounted to the hub of the suction cup. Several such suction cups often are used simultaneously to support a single bathroom accessory, such as a shelf or towel bar.

Some suction cup mounted bathroom accessories include a suction cup and a rigid cup mounted over the convex face of the suction cup. A pivot support extends from the suction cup and passes slidably through an aperture in the rigid cup. A cam lever is mounted to a portion of the pivot support externally of the rigid cup. The cam lever includes a cam end and an accessory end, the cam end is mounted to the pivot support and can be rotated from a first position where the cam end is spaced from the rigid cup to a second position where the cam end engages the rigid cup. The accessory end of the cam lever is configured to perform a specific bathroom or kitchen function, and may take the form of a hook, a brush or the like. The periphery of the rigid cup is configured to engage the periphery of the suction cup and to hold the periphery of the suction cup on the wall or other supporting surface. The assembly is positioned while the cam lever is in the first position to avoid contact with the rigid cup. The cam lever then is pivoted to the second position so that the cam end moves into contact with the rigid cup. This contact causes the pivot support to slide farther through the aperture in the rigid cup and causes a central portion of the suction cup to move deeper into the rigid cup. In this manner, the volume between the suction cup and the wall increases to create a low-pressure area that holds the assembly in place. Hence, this type of suction cup mounted accessory does not rely upon the inherent resiliency of the elastomer in the suction cup to maintain a low-pressure area. Rather, this type of accessory relies upon the cam effect to maintain the desired shape of the suction cup and hence to maintain the low pressure area that keeps the accessory in position on the wall or other supporting surface. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,531, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,285, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,751, U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,950, U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,689 and Japanese Patent No. 07-265190.

All of the above described cam-activated suction cup accessories provide very good holding power. However, these known suction cup mounted accessories have a dedicated structure and function. Thus, one accessory is designed specifically to function as a hook, another accessory is designed specifically to function as a towel ring, while another is designed specifically to function as a soap dish.

The known suction cup mounted accessories do not provide a modular system with mounts that can be use with many different types of accessories.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a modular system of bathroom or kitchen accessories. The modular system includes at least one support and at least one accessory that is securely but releasably mountable to the support. The modular system preferably includes a plurality of substantially identical supports, and may also include a plurality of accessories. However, the accessories of the modular system preferably are not all identical and are designed specifically for performing dedicated functions. Thus, the accessories of the modular system may include hooks, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, toilet tissue holders, towel bars, towel rings, shelves and the like. Each accessory includes at least one mounting bracket that is releasably engageable with a support. Some accessories in the modular system may include a plurality of mounting brackets for engaging a corresponding plurality of supports.

The supports preferably are support assemblies. Each support assembly preferably comprises a suction cup with opposite concave and convex faces. The support assembly may also include a rigid cup with a concave face, a convex face and an aperture extending through the rigid cup between the concave and convex faces. The concave face of the rigid cup is nested over the convex face of the suction cup. The support assembly may further include a pivot support that extends from the suction cup through the aperture in the rigid cup. A cam lever is mounted pivotally to the pivot support by a pivot pin and can rotate from a first position where the cam lever is spaced from the rigid cup to a second position where at least a portion of the cam lever engages regions of the rigid cup on opposite sides of the pivot support. Movement of the cam lever from the first position to the second position causes the pivot support to project further beyond the convex face of the rigid cup, and hence causes the suction cup to nest deeper into the rigid cup. Accordingly, as in the above-described prior art, the volume beneath the concave face of the suction cup increases with a corresponding decrease in air pressure and an associated increase in holding force. The cam lever may include a decorative cover for covering at least part of the suction cup, the rigid cup and the pivot support. Preferably, the cover is configured to cover the lower portion of the suction cup, the rigid cup and the pivot support.

The support may further include a locking projection that extends up from the convex face of the rigid support.

The mounting bracket of the accessory preferably includes shell for covering at least portions of the support assembly that are not covered by the cover on the cam lever. The mounting bracket of the accessory may further include structure for secure but releasable engagement with the support assembly. In this regard, the mounting bracket may include at least one resilient arm for engaging the pivot pin and at least one engagement wall for engaging the locking projection on the rigid cup. The resilient arm and the detent are configured to snap into engagement with corresponding parts of the support assembly to provide a clear audible and tactile indication of proper engagement between the mounting bracket and the support assembly. The mounting bracket does not directly contribute to the cam function of the lever that holds the suction cup in its griping disposition. However, the mounting bracket preferably is configured to prevent the pivoting movement of the cam lever into a position that would release the suction cup. Hence, usage of the accessory and inadvertent contact with the accessory will have no effect at all on the griping function of the support assembly.

Some walls are not well suited for secure anchoring of a suction cup. For example, some fabric or felt wallpapers do not provide a smooth surface for attaching a suction cup. Similarly, some wood panels have pronounced grains or grooves and will not securely anchor a suction cup. Many bathrooms and kitchens include a plurality of different types of wall surfaces. For example, a bathroom might include at least one completely tiled wall and at least one wallpapered wall. Other bathrooms include tiles that extend to a selected height (e.g. 4 feet) and a wallpapered plasterboard above the tile. Bathroom and kitchens also might include wainscoting on a lower portion of a wall and wallpaper above the wall. These different wall surfaces can result in portions of a room being well suited for secure anchoring of a suction cup while other portions are not able to retain a suction cup. However, a homeowner will want a consistent decorating theme throughout a room. Accordingly, the system of wall mounted accessories may include supports that are visually similar to the above-described suction cup supports but that can be mounted with screws or bolts. Thus, a support can be screwed into a wall and can be used with any of the accessories described herein. There will be no external visual difference between the accessories that are mounted with the suction cup and the accessories that are mounted by screws.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a support in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the support in a first orientation.

FIG. 3 is top plan view of the assembled support.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the assembled support.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the support mounted to a wall and showing an accessory in proximity to the support.

FIG. 7 is rear elevational view of the accessory.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the accessory shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the accessory mounted on the support.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the accessory mounted on the support.

FIG. 11 is cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of an alternative accessory mounted to the support.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the accessory shown in FIG. 12 mounted on the support.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a different accessory mounted to the support.

FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of an alternate support in accordance with the subject invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 16-16 in FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A modular accessory system in accordance with the invention includes a plurality of support assemblies and a plurality of accessories. The support assemblies are shown most clearly in FIGS. 1-6 and are identified generally by the numeral 10. Three of the many optional accessories of the modular system are shown most clearly in FIGS. 6-14 and are identified generally by the numerals 12, 14 and 16.

The support assembly 10 includes a suction cup 20, a pivot support 22, a rigid cup 24 and a cam lever 26. The suction cup 20 is formed from a resilient elastomeric material and includes a smooth concave face 28 and a convex face 30. Peripheral regions of the suction cup 20 on the concave face 28 are substantially planar for positioning against a planar surface, such as a wall. The suction cup 20 is resiliently deflectable into varying degrees of concavity based on forces exerted on central portions of the suction cup 20.

The pivot support 22 includes a base 32 insert molded in central regions of the suction cup 20. The pivot support 22 further includes a mounting aperture 34 spaced outwardly beyond the convex face of the suction cup 20. Thus, forces exerted on the pivot support 22 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 will urge the concave face of the suction cup 20 into a greater degree of concavity, and hence will define a larger volume adjacent the concave face 28.

The rigid cup 24 is frustoconically generated and includes a concave face 36, a convex face 38 and a circular peripheral edge 40 between then faces 36 and 38. The concave face 36 of the rigid cup 24 is configured to nest over the suction cup 20 so that the circular peripheral edge 40 of the rigid cup 24 abuts the periphery of a suction cup 20 on the convex face 30 of the suction cup 20. Thus, the circular peripheral edge 40 of the rigid cup 24 can hold the periphery of the suction cup 20 against a supporting surface, such as a wall in a bathroom. A planar wall 42 is defined at a central portion of the rigid cup 24 and is aligned substantially parallel to the circular peripheral edge 40 of the rigid cup 24. A slot 44 extends through the planar wall 42 of the rigid cup 24 and is dimensioned to receive portions of the pivot support 22 in proximity to the pivot aperture 24. Thus, the pivot support 22 can slide through the slot 44 in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1. The rigid cup 24 further includes a generally planar locking projection 46 that extends parallel to the circular peripheral edge 40 and parallel to the planar wall 42. The locking projection 46 extends normal to the sliding direction A of the pivot support 22 and is substantially normal to a plane passing symmetrically through the slot 44.

The cam lever 26 includes two cam plates 48 that extend parallel to one another. The cam plates 48 are spaced apart sufficiently to engage opposite sides of the pivot support 22. The cam plates 48 include pivot apertures 50 that align with one another and that are alignable with the mounting aperture 34 in the pivot support 22. Portions of the cam plates 48 in proximity to the pivot apertures 50 define cam surfaces 52. The cam surfaces 52 are configured not to engage the planar wall 42 of the rigid cup 24 when the cam lever 26 is in the orientation shown in FIGS. 1-5. However, the cam surfaces 52 are configured to engage the planar wall 42 of the rigid cup 24 when the cam lever 26 is pivoted towards and into the position shown in FIG. 6. The cam lever 26 further includes a lower cover 54 supported on ends of the cam plates 48 opposite the cams surfaces 52. The lower cover 54 has a generally clam-shell shape and is configured to cover lower portions of the suction cup 20, the pivot support 22 and the rigid cup 24.

The support assembly 10 is assembled by nesting the subassembly of the suction cup 20 and the pivot support 22 into the concave face of the rigid cup 24. For this purpose, the pivot support 22 is aligned with and passed through the slot 44 in the planar wall 42. Thus, the pivot aperture 34 projects beyond the convex face 38 of the rigid cup 24. The cam lever 26 then is mounted to the pivot support 22 by passing the cam plates 48 on opposite respective sides of the pivot support 22. The pivot apertures 50 in the cam plates 48 are registered with the pivot aperture 34 in the lever support 22 and a pivot pin 56 is passed through the aligned apertures 34 and 50, as shown most clearly in FIG. 3.

The support assembly 10 initially is in the disposition shown in FIGS. 2-4. The support assembly 10 then is mounted against a wall or other supporting surface as shown in FIG. 5. This mounting is carried out so that the locking projection 46 is in a vertically upward position as shown in FIG. 5. The cam lever 26 then is rotated from the FIG. 5 orientation to the FIG. 6 orientation. This rotation achieves two objectives. First, lower portions of the suction cup 20, the pivot support 22 and the rigid cup 24 are partly concealed by the lower cover 54. Second, and more importantly, the cam surfaces 52 on the cam plates 48 engage the planar surface 42 of the rigid cup 24 and pull the pivot support 22 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. This movement of the pivot support 22 in the direction of arrow A urges the concave face 28 of the suction cup 20 into a more concave configuration, thereby increasing the volume between the suction 20 and the wall W, reducing the air pressure in the space between the suction cup 20 and the wall W and increasing the holding power of the support assembly 10.

The accessories 12, 14 and 16 shown in FIGS. 6-14 all have substantially identical mounting brackets 60. Each mounting bracket 60 includes a generally clam-shell upper cover 62 that is larger than the lower cover 54 of the cam lever 26. Thus, the upper cover 62 of the mounting bracket 60 can nest over the upper part of the support 10. This nesting covers upper parts of the suction cup 20, pivot support 22 and rigid cup 24 as well as the upper portion of the lower cover 54. In the preferred and illustrated embodiments, the upper cover 62 of the mounting bracket 60 has a smooth arcuate shape that may be somewhat consistent with the smooth arcuate shape of the lower cover 54. Other shapes, however, may be employed.

The upper cover 62 includes a concave interior 64 and a substantially planar peripheral edge 66. Two support arms 68 extend from the concave interior 64 of the upper cover 62 on the mounting bracket 60 substantially parallel to one another and substantially parallel to the peripheral edge 66. The support arms 68 are spaced apart sufficiently to slide closely on opposite sides of the cam plates 48 at locations between the cam pin 56 and the planar wall 42 of the rigid cup 24. Each arm 68 includes a front edge 70 that faces oppositely from the peripheral edge 66 of the cover 62. The front edges 70 are slanted to taper the arms 68 at locations closer to the free lower ends 72 of the arms 68. Locking notches 74 are formed in the front edges 70 of the arms 68 at locations spaced from the bottom ends 72 of the arms 68. The notches 74 are disposed and dimensioned to snap into engagement with the pivot pin 56 when the mounting bracket 60 is mounted onto the support assembly 10. An engagement wall 76 projects from the concave face 64 of the cover 62 at locations between the peripheral edge 66 and the arms 68. The engagement wall 76 extends substantially parallel to the peripheral edge 66 and the arms 68. Additionally, the engagement wall 76 is disposed to slide into engagement with the surface of the locking projection 46 facing towards the wall W.

The mounting bracket 60 of any of the accessories 12-16 can be mounted on any of the support assemblies 10 by positioning the mounting bracket 60 with the concave face 64 facing down and the peripheral edge 66 aligned parallel to the wall W. The mounting bracket 60 then is slid down so that the arms 68 move between the pivots pins 56 and the planar wall 42 of the rigid cup 24. The slanted portions of the front edges 70 in proximity to the bottom ends 72 of the arms 58 will engage the pivot pin 56 and cause the arms 68 to deflect slightly towards the wall W. Sufficient downward movement of the bracket 60 will cause the engagement wall 76 to slide against the locking projection 46 on the rigid cup 24. This sliding engagement of the projection 46 and the engagement wall 76 prevents top portions of the bracket 60 from pivoting away from the wall W. Sufficient downward movement of the bracket 60 over the support assembly 10 will cause the notch 74 to align with the pivot pin 56. Hence, the arms 68 will resiliently return from the deflected condition so that the notches 70 snap into engagement with the pivot pins 56. This snapped engagement will cause a clear audible and tactile indication of complete mounting. The positioning of the bracket 60 of the accessory 12, as shown in FIG. 11, prevents the cam lever 26 from moving into the release position that could cause the suction relative to the wall W to be reduced. The cover 62 of the mounting bracket 60 also performs a function of concealing virtually all operable parts of the support assembly 10.

The accessory 12 is configured to define a hook 80 that can be used to support a towel, robe or the like. However, the hook 80 is only one of many possible configurations for the accessory. For example, FIGS. 12 and 13 shown an accessory 14 with a towel ring 82 pivotally mounted to the mounting bracket 60. FIG. 14 shows the accessory 16 with a shelf 84. The shelf 84 may be configured as a soap dish, cup holder, toothbrush holder or the like. Alternatively, the shelf 84 may be mounted to a plurality of brackets 60 that can be mounted to a plurality of support assemblies 10. The shelf 84 then will extend between the pluralities of brackets 60 and can support a substantial number of toiletry items. Such an accessory 16 might, for example be mounted over a toilet or sink. All of the accessories 12-16 have substantially identical mounting brackets 60. All of the mounting brackets 60 cooperate with the cover 54 of the support assembly 10 to conceal all operating parts of the support assembly 10. Additionally, all of the mounting brackets 60 are independent of the cam levers 26 that ensure secure retention of the supports 10 on the wall W. Hence, any reasonable usage of the accessories 12-16 will have no effect on the holding ability of the support assembly 10 and there is virtually no chance of inadvertently disengaging the support assembly 10.

The above described supports 10 are well suited for mounting on walls that have a smooth surface. Some wall surfaces, however, are not smooth. These surfaces include plaster or plaster board walls that have a flocked or fabric paper applied thereto. Other surfaces include wood panels with a well defined grain pattern or with well define grooves between adjacent wood strips. FIGS. 15 and 16 show a support 110 that is visually similar to the support 10. However, the support 110 can be mounted directly to the wall by screws, bolts or similar fastening means. The support 110 includes a curved wall 112 with a shape very similar to the lower cover 54 of the support 10. The curved wall 112 includes a generally semicircular rear edge 114 that can be supported against a wall. An upper support wall 116 extends up from the semicircular rear edge 114 and lies in the same plain as the semicircular rear edge 114. The upper support wall 116 includes screw apertures 118 that extend there through for receiving screws that can mount the support 110 to a wall. A horizontal wall 120 extends from the front of the curved wall 112 towards the support wall 116. An opening 122 extends through the horizontal wall 120. The front edge of the opening includes a bead 124 that can snap into engagement with the notches 74 of the front edges 70 of the arms 68 on one of the accessories 12, 14 or 16. Thus, the bead 124 performs a locking function similar to the opposed ends of the pivot pin 56 on the support 10 described above. The support 110 further includes a locking wall 126 disposed to engage the engagement wall 76 of one of the accessories. Thus, the locking wall 126 is structurally and functionally very similar to the locking projection 46 on the support 10 described above. Additionally, the sizes and space arrangements of the bead 24 and the locking wall 126 are virtually identical to the arrangement of the pivot pin 56 and the locking projection 46 on the supports 10. As a result, supports 10 and supports 110 can be use interchangeably with any of the accessories, 12, 14 and 16 in accordance with the characteristics of the wall. A single room can include several supports 10 and several supports 110 depending on the wall characteristics at various locations in the room. The supports 10 and 110 are visually indistinguishable after mounting the accessories thereon.

Claims

1. A modular wall-mountable assembly comprising a plurality of supports and a plurality of accessories selectively mountable on any of said supports, each of said supports comprising a suction cup and a cam lever, said cam lever being rotatable from a release position for positioning said suction cup on a support surface and an actuating position for actuating said suction cup relative to said support surface, each said accessory comprising a mounting bracket with a cover configured for covering at least a portion of said support when said cam lever is in said actuating position.

2. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said support assemblies comprises a suction cup having a concave surface for engaging the supporting surface and an opposite convex surface, a pivot support projecting from said convex face of said suction cup, a rigid cup having a concave face nested over said convex face of said suction cup and having a slot for slidably receiving said pivot support, a cam lever pivotally mounted to said pivot support of said support assembly, said cam lever being rotatable for defining the release position and the actuating position for the support assembly.

3. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 2, wherein the cam lever is mounted to the pivot support by a pivot pin, the mounting bracket of each said accessory being configured for snapped engagement with the pivot pin.

4. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 2, wherein the cam lever includes a lower cover for covering at least lower portions of the suction cup, the rigid cup and the cam lever when the cam lever is rotated into the actuating position.

5. The modular wall mountable assembly of claim 4, wherein the cover on the mounting bracket of each said accessory covers upper portions of the suction cup, the rigid cup and the pivot lever and upper portions of the lower cover formed on the cam lever.

6. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 2, wherein the mounting bracket is configured for preventing rotation of the cam lever from the actuating position to the release position when the bracket is snapped into engagement with the pivot pin.

7. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 2, wherein the rigid cup includes a locking projection, and wherein the mounting bracket includes an engagement wall configured for sliding engagement with the locking projection of the rigid cup, the bracket of each said accessory further including a plurality of locking arms slidably engageable on opposite respective side of the cam lever, each said arm having a notch disposed for snapped engagement with the pivot pin.

8. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 1, wherein the accessories comprise a hook.

9. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 1, wherein the accessories comprise a towel ring.

10. The modular wall-mountable assembly of claim 1, wherein the accessories comprise a shelf.