Peg bar

Abstract

This invention deals with a spacer strip that provides for support and adequate clearance between perforated board (peg bar) and the mounting surface allowing for the complete insertion of a variety of peg board hooks in a variety of angles while maintaining the use of every peg hole. Typically, furring strips are used as a spacer when mounting peg board sheets to a surface. Furring strips prevent the complete and proper insertion of any peg board hook thereby diminishing the utility of the affected peg board sheet holes. Because of the slots peg board bars the openings over the instant invention are capable of being used for hangers unlike any prior art.

Description

This invention deals with a spacer strip that provides for support and adequate clearance between perforated board and a mounting surface. This allows for the complete insertion of a variety of peg board hooks while maintaining the use of every peg hole. Typically, furring strips are used as a spacer when mounting peg board sheets to a surface. Furring strips stop the complete and proper insertion of any peg board hooks thereby diminishing the utility of the affected peg board sheet holes.

This invention is a spacer strip designed with a series of vertical and horizontal slots. These slots are repeated throughout the entire length of the spacer strip. Each slot extends vertically the same distance as it does horizontally from the intersection that forms a 90° angle clearance slot. These strips can be mounted in a variety of heights, lengths and on either a horizontal or vertical plane.

The front surface contains a plurality of clearance slots through it and the clearance openings are spaced equidistantly at regular intervals. The back surface contains a plurality of clearance slots through it and the clearance openings are spaced equidistantly at regular intervals.

The ability to use the entire surface of a peg board sheet mounted with the instant invention creates greater flexibility, efficiency and utility over any prior method.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Wooden and plastic peg boards are very common sheets produced for utility purposes. These display units are deployed in retail shopping centers and consist of a multitude of hooks and hangers attached through the front surface of the peg board making merchandise available to the general consumer on demand. Other applications of this unique product are in the garage of the average homeowner where a variety of items can be organized and stored on hooks and hangers secured through the front surface of the peg board until the selected item is needed.

A peg board of the prior art can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,584, issued Nov. 19, 2002 to Cantley, that discloses a peg board which is a generally flat sheet of plastic material with multiple holes positioned at regular intervals, and the back of the sheet shows a ring projecting about each of the holes, as well as multiple ribs extending from hole to hole.

As shown, peg boards generally consist of a sheet of thin material with a plurality of regularly spaced holes designed to incorporate hooks and hangers that are designed specifically for peg boards. One of the major drawbacks to these existing peg boards is the need to create a dead space between the back surface of the peg board and the front surface of mounting surface so as to allow for the deployment of the hooks and hangers. With current peg board products, this can only be achieved by using furring strips or extended hangers for mounting the peg board. The instant device enables the plastic peg board bar to mount to a mounting surface through attachment openings and in one embodiment, the raised outer edges of the inventive peg board bar create adequate space between the back surface of the peg bar and the front of the mounting surface to enable one to deploy hooks or hangers without the need to fur the device. Primarily making the openings overlaying the strip available for hanger insertion.

THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the invention is a peg board bar comprising; a front surface and a back surface with at least two raised outside edges depending vertically from the back surface.

The front surface contains a plurality of hanger openings therethrough for accepting hangers'. The hanger openings are spaced equidistantly from one another. The hanger openings consist of the intersection of a vertical slot and a horizontal slot forming a right angle. The front surface contains a plurality of attachment openings therethrough. The outer edges are of sufficient height to prevent the back surface of the peg bar from touching any surface to which the peg board bar is attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full frontal view of the slotted peg bar with vertical risers

FIG. 2 is a full frontal view of the slotted peg bar with vertical risers

FIG. 3 is a full frontal view of the slotted peg bar of a unitary construction

FIG. 4 is a full frontal view of the slotted peg bar with two rows of slots

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Now with more detail turning to FIG. 1 which is a view in perspective of a section of the novel peg board bar 2 of this invention. There is shown the front surface 8, and near end 4. There are openings in the strip 2 shown at 18, which are hanger slot openings. Also shown are mounting or attachment openings 12. The attachment openings 12 are counter sunk or beveled to allow the attachment device, such as a screws or bolts, to remain flush or flat with the front surface 8. In this manner various hooks and hangers can be mounted through the front surface 8 of the peg board bar 2. The device of this invention allows for the use of small attachment screws or bolts, on the order of 5/32 (nine penny nail) in some cases. The heavier the load on the peg board bar, the larger should be the attachment devices. Also shown is the distal end 6 of the slotted peg bar 2 and the back surface 10. Present in this figure is the first side 14 and the second side 16 of the slotted peg bar 2. The slot of the slotted peg bar 2 features a vertical portion 20 and the horizontal portion 22 that intersect 24 forming the slotted opening in the slotted peg bar 2.

FIG. 2 which is a view in perspective of a section of the novel peg board bar 2 of this invention with slots arranged in the opposite direction. In this embodiment the peg bar 2, is shown with the back surface 10, the extended ridges 26 and 26′, depending from the back surface 10, and hanger openings 18. The extended ridges 26 and 26′ are the means by which the peg bar 2 are held away from the surface to which it is mounted, and is the means of creating the open space 18 that enables the hangers to be inserted through the front surface 8 without interference from surface on which the strip is mounted.

The extended ridges 26 and 26′ have a height from the back surface 10 of from three-sixteenths to about one-half inch in order to enable the insertion of the hangers.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the hanger openings 18 are equidistantly spaced on the strip 2, and this usually requires a distance of at least one-half inch in order for the hangers to hold objects without the objects interfering with each other. Preferred is a distance of one inch.

The peg board bars 2 of this invention have normal lengths of from one foot to about 12 feet, and generally, these strips have a length of from about six feet to about eight feet. It should be recognized that the peg board bar 2 can have any size that allows for the mounting of the strip 2 to a surface and having a peg board surmounted to the strip in question. The use of a plurality of strategically placed small strips is well within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the slotted peg bar 2 of this invention made for a solid length of material. This embodiment uses solid stock with a thickness of 1 centimeter (cm), but the thickness can range from 0.5 cm to 4.0 cm. Visible from this perspective is the front surface 8, near end 4 and the distal end 6 of the slotted peg bar 2. Not visible is the back surface 10. Penetrating the front surface 8 and the back surface 10 are the attachment openings therethrough 12. The orientation of the slots 18 is not relevant. What is relevant is that the hanger's pass through the openings in the peg board and align within the slots in the slotted peg bar 2 in a manner that allows the peg board to mount flush with the slotted strip. The hanger mounts behind the peg board within the slotted strip 2 eliminate any potential for wasted space. The slotted peg bar 2 has a first side 14 and a second side 16. Again each slot is a combination of a vertical portion 20 and a horizontal portion 22 that intersect 24 forming the slots 18 in the slotted peg bar 2.

Shown in FIG. 4, is another embodiment wherein there are multiple rows in the slotted peg bars 2. Present is the front surface 8, the near end 4 and the distal end 6. The attachment openings therethrough 12 penetrate the front surface 8 to the back surface 10. Also present is the first side 14 and the second side 16. The vertical portion 20 and the horizontal portion 22 intersect 24 forming the slot 18. Depending outwardly from the back surface 10 are the extended ridges 26.

These multiple rows in the slotted strips 2 range from a unit that contains a single row up to those that would use a plurality of rows in a peg bar 2. They range from 1 inch to 14 inches in width. They are manufactured with the extended ridges or from a solid stock without extending ridges.

The peg board bars 2 of this invention are very flexible in their method of manufacture and material of manufacture. The device can be molded, extruded or cast. It has the flexibility to be manufactured from a large variety of materials including metals, liquid metals, composite metals, Teflon, Nylon, graphite, graphite composite, composite plastics, polyethylene, polypropylene, cross-linked polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, acrylics, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, wood, wood composite and urethane.

It should be noted by those having ordinary skill in the art that if the peg board bar 2 is intended to hold very heavy objects, that is, objects weighing several pounds, and on the order of 40 to 100 pounds, then the mounting openings 12 are necessarily placed nearer to the first side 14 and second side 16 of the peg board bar 2 (see component 12, FIG. 1). Placing the mounting openings near the first side 14 and second side 16 of the peg board bar 2 allows the strip 2 to be more stable, that is it does not sag, and the middle of the peg board bar 2 does not sag towards the mounting structure that it is mounted on. Also heavy objects require the use of a plurality of mounting openings and sizes to accommodate larger fasteners.

A preferred size for the peg board bar 2 of this invention is a device that has an outside width of 2⅝ inches, and inside width of 2⅛ inches, leaving the thickness of the extended ridges 26 and 26′, and the top wall with about ¼ inch thickness. Using this arrangement, the center of the peg board bar 2 is 1 5/16 from either the first side 14 and second side 16 and this is the line on which the center hanger openings 12 should be laid. Typically, the hanger openings 12 are about 1 inch apart, but can be moved closer or further apart. The remainder of the hanger openings 12 in the peg board bar 2 should then be about 1 inch from each other in a preferred embodiment. Typically, for a peg board bar 2 of these dimensions, there are three lines of slotted opening 18, it being understood, that the wider the peg board bar 2, the more lines of slotted opening 18 that can be used. It should be noted, that this size of peg board bar 2 is very stable because of the fact that when a standard, commercial hanger is used in this peg board bar 2, the outside surface of the hanger touches the inside surface 28 of the slotted peg board bar 2, and fixes the hanger such that it will not wobble while in place. The slot allows the hanger to remain within the inner confines of the vertical portion 20 of the slot 18.

Claims

1. A peg board bar comprising: a back surface and at least two raised outside edges depending perpendicularly from the back surface;

hanger openings consisting of an intersecting vertical slot and a horizontal slot forming a right angle;

said peg board bar containing therethrough a plurality of hanger openings;

said hanger openings being spaced essentially equidistantly from one another; said outside edges being of sufficient height to prevent the back surface of the peg bar from touching any surface to which the peg board bar is attached.

2. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the peg bar has end caps.

3. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 2, wherein said end caps snap into the ends of the peg board bar.

4. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 2, wherein said end caps are glued into the ends of the peg board bar.

5. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said peg board bar is manufactured from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics and wood.

6. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is selected from fluorocarbon polymers.

7. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 6 wherein the fluorocarbon polymer is selected from the group consisting essentially of:

(i). solid tetrafluoroethylene and

(ii). Solid fluorinated ethylene propylene resin.

8. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is a composite.

9. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the peg board bar is manufactured from graphite.

10. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 9 wherein graphite is a composite.

11. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 6 where plastic is nylon.

12. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 6 where the plastic is Teflon.

13. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is acrylic.

14. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polypropylene.

15. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polyethylene.

16. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 15 wherein the polyethylene is crosslinked.

17. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polystyrene.

18. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polyethylene terephthalate.

19. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polycarbonate.

20. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polyurethane.

21. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is molded.

22. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is cast.

23. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is extruded.

24. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment openings therethrough are countersunk in the front surface.

25. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment openings are located along the outside edges of the peg board bar, and extend through the extended ridges.

26. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the peg board bar is from one-sixteenth inches to one quarter inches.

27. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness is one eighth inch.

28. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip is 1.5 inches to 12 inches wide.

29. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised outer edges have a height of at least three sixteenths inches from the back surface.

30. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised outer edges have a height not exceeding one-half inch from the back surface.

31. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hanger openings are at least one-half inch apart across the surface of the strip.

32. An end cap, said end cap providing a closure for the ends of a peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, said end cap comprising a U-shaped cap having distal ends, wherein each of the distal ends has mounted thereon, tabs, each tab having a top surface, the overall distance between the tabs being such that the tabs will insert into the end of the peg board bar and be held therein by the top surface.

33. The end cap as claimed in claim 32 wherein the top surfaces of each of the tabs have a ratchet surface.

34. The peg board bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interior surfaces of each of the extended ridges have a ratchet surface the entire length of the extended ridges.

35. A solid unitary peg board bar comprising: a front surface and a back surface;

said front surface containing therein a plurality of hanger openings therethrough;

said hanger openings being spaced equidistantly from one another;

said hanger openings consisting of an intersecting vertical slot and a horizontal slot forming a right angle;

said front surface containing a plurality of attachment openings therethrough,

36. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein said peg board bar is manufactured from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics and wood.

37. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 36 wherein the plastic is selected from fluorocarbon polymers.

38. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 37 wherein the fluorocarbon polymer is selected from the group consisting essentially of:

(i). solid tetrafluoroethylene and

(ii). Solid fluorinated ethylene propylene resin.

39. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 36 wherein the plastic is a composite.

40. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 36 wherein the peg board bar is manufactured from graphite.

41. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 40 wherein graphite is a composite.

42. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 36 where plastic is nylon.

43. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 36 where the plastic is Teflon.

44. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said peg board bar is manufactured from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics, solid tetrafluoroethylene fluorocarbon polymers, solid fluorinated ethylene-propylene resins, nylon, graphite, graphite composites, wood, wood composite and composite plastics.

45. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is acrylic.

46. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polypropylene.

47. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polyethylene.

48. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 47 wherein the polyethylene is crosslinked.

49. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polystyrene.

50. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polyethylene terephthalate.

51. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polycarbonate.

52. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35 wherein the plastic is polyurethane.

53. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein said device is molded.

54. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein said device is cast.

55. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein said device is extruded.

56. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein the attachment openings therethrough are countersunk in the front surface.

57. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein the attachment openings are located along the outside edges of the peg board bar, and extend through the back surface.

58. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein the thickness of the peg board bar is from one-sixteenth inches to one quarter inches.

59. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein the thickness is one eighth inch.

60. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 35, wherein the strip is 1.5 inches to 12 inches wide.

61. A peg board bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hanger openings are at least one-half inch apart across the surface of the strip.