Method and hardware for hanging articles on walls
A method of hanging an article on a wall comprises attaching at least one hanger to an end face of the article, the hanger having a first end adapted to attach to the end face and a second end adapted to contact an inner surface of the wall. The hanger is curved in shape so that a portion of the second end is generally parallel to a plane of the wall after the article is attached to the wall. The second end of the hanger is passed through the wall for a sufficient distance and then the article is rotated so that the second end contacts the inner surface of the wall and the end face of the article rests against an outer surface of the wall. One or more hangers can be combined with the article for hanging purposes.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) based on provisional patent application No. 61/064,710 filed on Mar. 21, 2008.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is relates to a method and associated hardware for hanging articles such as shelves, towel racks, toilet paper holders and the like on walls to give the impression that no visible means of support are provided to accomplish the hanging function.
BACKGROUND ARTThere are numerous types of hardware to hang pictures and the like. One type is called a Hercules hook. This hanger is made from a wire, that is designed with one end to penetrate drywall. The other end has a hook configuration, which protrudes from the wall and permits an:item to be hung on the hook. While this hook takes the place of a conventional wire and nail hanging system, it does not easily work for hanging shelves.
Therefore, a need exists for improved hardware to hang shelves and other articles. The present invention provides this need via a method for hanging a shelf or other article without the need for fasteners, braces, and other conventional hanging hardware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the invention to provide an improved method of hanging shelves and other articles such as towel racks, toilet paper holders and the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide improved hardware to accomplish the inventive method.
Other objects and advantages will be come apparent as a description of the invention proceeds.
In one mode, the invention entails an improved method of hanging an article, particularly a shelf. The method comprises attaching at least one hanger to an end face of the article, the hanger having a first end adapted to attach to the end face and a second end adapted to contact an inner surface of the wall. The hanger is curved in shape so that a portion of the second end is generally parallel to a plane of the wall after the article is attached to the wall. The second end is passed through the wall for a sufficient distance and the article is rotated so that the second end contacts the inner surface of the wall and the end face of the article rests against an outer surface of the wall.
The method can also entail attaching a brace element along at least a top surface of the article and against the outer surface of the wall to act against upward forces applied to the article. The one or more hangers can be attached to one of a shelf, toilet paper holder, towel rack, and cabinet or other article suited for wall hanging. The attachment of the first end of the hanger to the end face of the article can be accomplished by a threaded connection. The second end can be circular, square, or rectangular in cross section. The brace element can be attached to the shelf using a dovetail connection or dowels. When the article is a towel rack, the brace element can be attached to legs of the towel rack.
The invention also relates to an article and hanger combination for attaching the article to a wall comprising an article having one or more end faces and at least one hanger. The hanger has a first end configured to attach to the end face of the article and a second end adapted to contact an inner surface of the wall. The hanger is curved in shape so that second end is generally parallel to a plane of the wall after the article is attached to the wall. Again, the article can be any one of a shelf, towel rack, toilet paper holder, and cabinet.
The present invention provides a unique way to hang a shelf or other article so as to give the impression that the shelf is floating on the wall. To accomplish this purpose, a pair of hangers 1 is provided, with one shown in
Referring to
In the
Once the wall entry ends 3 has sufficiently penetrated the wall, the shelf is rotated downwardly (arrow A) so that the wall entry ends 3 rotate in the opposite direction (arrow B), see
Another advantage to this embodiment is that the little or no hardware is needed and the whole process takes little time. Making the necessary holes in the wall takes no time at all and once the holes are made, the shelf is mounted in seconds.
The hangers themselves facilitate the location of the holes in the wall. Once the hangers are attached to the shelf, the shelf can be laid near the wall in an upright manner, see
Another advantage is that the degree of attachment of the hanger to the shelf can be adjusted to accommodate different thicknesses of wall. For example, for ¼ inch drywall, the hangers would penetrate the shelf a greater distance. This is illustrated in
While a shelf is shown, any article can be supported provided that it is shaped to allow for the rotation described above. For example, a cabinet 60 that would be twelve inches high and twelve inches in depth could be mounted as long as the hangers were attached near the top of the cabinet to allow for the rotation, see
In most instances, a shelf does not see upward forces so the mounting shown in
In an alternative embodiment, braces 37 could be one piece design and mounted on the legs 33 prior to mounting of the towel rack. Here, the braces 37 would have to be mounted on the legs 33 near the cross bar 31 at location 47, see
The brace can also be used in combination with the shelf 10 to provide resistance against upward movement of the shelf. In addition, the brace when used with the shelf provides the impression of a sturdier attachment to the wall, although in reality, the brace plays no role in this function.
The hanger could have various cross sections and the cross sections could vary along the hanger length. Different radii of curvature could be employed as well. As shown in
While a pair of hangers are shown to hang the shelf or towel rack, an article could be hung with just one hanger.
As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the present invention as set forth above and provides a new and improved method and hardware for hanging articles.
Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations from the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method of hanging an article on a wall comprising:
- attaching at least one hanger to an end face of the article, the hanger having a first end adapted to attach to the end face and a second end adapted to contact an inner surface of the wall, the hanger curved in shape so that a portion of the second end is generally parallel to a plane of the wall after the article is attached to the wall;
- passing the second end through the wall for a sufficient distance;
- rotating the article so that the second end contacts the inner surface of the wall and the end face of the article rests against an outer surface of the wall.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of attaching a brace element along at least a top surface of the article and against the outer surface of the wall to act against upward forces applied to the article.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more hangers are attached to one of a shelf, toilet paper holder, towel rack, and cabinet.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end of the hanger is attached to the end face of the article by a threaded connection, and/or the second end is circular, square, or rectangular in cross section.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the brace element is attached to the shelf using a dovetail connection or dowels.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein the brace element is attached to legs of the towel rack.
7. An article and hanger combination for attaching the article to a wall comprising:
- an article having one or more end faces; and
- at least one hanger, the hanger having a first end attached to the end face of the article and a second end adapted to contact an inner surface of the wall, the hanger curved in shape so that second end is generally parallel to a plane of the wall after the article is attached to the wall and at least one end face of the article rests against an outer surface of the wall.
8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the article is one of a shelf, towel rack, toilet paper holder, and cabinet.
9. The combination of claim 7, wherein the first end is threaded for attachment to the end face of the article, and/or the second end is circular, square, or rectangular in cross section.
10. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more hangers are attached to one of a shelf, toilet paper holder, towel rack, and cabinet.
11. The method of claim 2, wherein the first end of the hanger is attached to the end face of the article by a threaded connection, and/or the second end is circular, square, or rectangular in cross section.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 20, 2009
Publication Date: Sep 24, 2009
Inventor: Renny Barnes (Fairfax Station, VA)
Application Number: 12/382,640
International Classification: A47F 5/08 (20060101); A47F 5/00 (20060101);