BRACKET AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING HANGING COMPONENTS ON A MOVABLE WALL HAVING HORIZONTAL MOUNTING CHANNELS

Abstract

A bracket, system and method for supporting modular hanging components such as furniture, storage components and other objects on a movable wall having horizontal mounting channels is provided. The bracket has an upper latch portion and a lower portion with bracket openings that align with the mounting openings in a vertical wall strip to fasten the vertical wall strip to the bracket. The hanging components can be removably attached to the vertical wall strip by standard attachment hardware such as side and cantilever brackets. This arrangement permits modular hanging components using a vertical wall strip system to be supported by a horizontal mounting channel of a movable wall in a horizontal wall system without having to modify the movable wall, the modular hanging component and/or the attachment hardware and may reduce the number of horizontal mounting channels.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to supporting hanging components on movable walls. More specifically, this invention relates to a bracket and method for supporting hanging components on a movable wall having horizontal mounting channels in a movable wall system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today's modular/movable wall systems (also called demountable walls) are available in a range of heights and configurations and in every kind of material including traditional drywall, glass, wood, wood composites, steel, etc. Movable wall systems are an environmentally friendly replacement for dry wall or sheet rock, which are most commonly used to create offices and rooms within an office building. Movable walls virtually eliminate construction waste and future renovation waste. Movable walls provide flexibility from the moment the space is built and throughout moves and changes. By industrial definition, a movable wall is a floor-to ceiling wall just like traditional stud and drywall walls except that it is movable. The walls are built modularly in a factory and installed on-site. Modular wall panels are connected to form the movable wall. Movable walls may be taken down and relocated.

Movable walls may support hanging components such as shelves, cabinets and other furniture, artwork, desktops and other work surfaces, accessories, etc. Conventional vertical wall strips attach with wall fasteners to the movable walls to support the hanging components in a “vertical wall strip system.” A vertical wall strip is typically a 3-sided metal strip having vertically spaced mounting openings to receive the wall fasteners, usually spaced 6 to 8 inches apart and a plurality of parallel vertical slots that receive attachment hardware to support the hanging component. Two vertical wall strips are typically required to support a hanging component. Conventional vertical wall strips measure 60″, 72″, or 84″ inches in height, with the longer wall strips requiring more wall fasteners for attachment to the wall than the shorter wall strips.

Unfortunately, a vertical wall strip system limits the placement of such hanging components at pre-existing vertical points along the movable wall where a vertical wall strip has been attached to the movable wall. The placement of the vertical wall strips is determined during initial design of the interior space limiting the furniture and component shelf-life because their size becomes an issue. In order to address this problem, integrated horizontal mounting channels have now been designed into movable walls allowing for storage and furniture component bearing. The horizontal mounting channels or “antlers” typically run the width of the modular wall panels that form the movable wall and can be placed at any height. A horizontal mounting channel may be positioned at the level of the hanging component to be supported on the movable wall. A plurality of vertically spaced horizontal mounting channels may be disposed in the movable wall or modular panels. Horizontal mounting channels may be formed during fabrication of the panel and/or added or removed on the job site. Until this development, movable walls did not have the horizontal support available to support hanging components. With this development, furniture and storage components have a longer life-cycle because their size is no longer an issue during reconfiguration. Horizontal mounting channels allow the end-user to support hanging components along the horizontal mounting channels i.e. the end-user can go “off-modular.” This means that the modular wall panels can be standardized without worrying about the size of the furniture to be attached to the movable wall. The furniture and storage components as well as other hanging components can now hang anywhere along the movable walls, on the vertical and horizontal axes, and not just in pre-existing vertical points determined during initial design of the interior space. A movable wall that incorporates such horizontal mounting channels is referred to herein as a “horizontal wall system.”

For example, U.S. Patent Published Application 2006/0059806 filed Aug. 17, 2005 by Gosling et al. incorporated by reference herein describes a reconfigurable movable wall system having at least one wall module having vertical end frames disposed at its side edges, each of the vertical end frames having vertically extending flanges with one extending toward a front surface of the module and the other extending toward a rear surface of the module, a plurality of horizontal stringers (i.e. horizontal mounting channels) affixed between the pair of vertical end frames, an aesthetic surface affixed to the stringers and a removable connecting strip adapted to affix about one of the two flanges to join it to a corresponding flange on a second wall module, a wall bracket, a finishing trim or a connection post. The plurality of horizontal stringers is horizontally spaced at intervals along the height of the module for strength and rigidity. To support hanging components, cantilever channel stringers including a central horizontally extending cantilever channel portion are used. The channel portion has a generally L-shaped slot formed along its length. Stringers that do not include the channel portion can be used anywhere structure is required but the channel portion is not required for supporting hanging components. A conventional movable wall system typically needs five antlers or horizontal stringers for each furniture bearing wall. A related panel furniture system is also described whereby a work surface or desktop with a substantially L-shaped hook can be received and engage the L-shaped slot of the channel portion to connect the furniture to the module of the movable wall.

While a movable horizontal wall system such as described in Gosling et al. offers distinct advantages for movable wall systems, its use has generally been limited to furniture or other hanging components with the L-shaped hook that can engage with the horizontal stringers. For those hanging components conventionally supported on movable walls by a vertical wall strip system, their support on horizontal wall systems has disadvantageously necessitated modifications to the movable walls and/hanging components and/or attachment hardware. Such modifications have been costly, and may compromise the structural integrity of the modified item. For example, modular furniture offered by such manufacturers as Herman Miller are typically incompatible with horizontal wall systems without substantial modification of the walls and/or hanging components and/or attachment hardware because such furniture uses a vertical wall strip system for mounting to a movable wall.

Accordingly, there has been a need for a bracket and method for supporting a vertical wall strip mountable hanging component to a movable wall having at least one horizontal mounting channel. There has also been a need for such bracket and method that supports the hanging component on a movable wall in a manner allowing for storage and furniture component bearing in both the vertical and horizontal axes. There is a still further need for such a bracket and method that are relatively inexpensive and use thereof does not necessitate substantial modification of the movable wall, hanging component, or the attachment hardware used to removably attach the hanging component to the vertical wall strip. There is a further need for a bracket and method that reduce the number of horizontal mounting channels per furniture bearing wall thus providing both a cost savings and an increase in visual continuity of the modular wall panels. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resides in a bracket for supporting at least one hanging component on a movable wall comprising an upper latch portion adapted to be received in and engage a horizontal mounting channel of at least one wall module of the movable wall and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough, at least two vertically aligned bracket openings adapted to align with at least two mounting openings in at least one vertical wall strip to receive at least one fastener for fastening the at least one vertical wall strip to the bracket to removably attach the at least one hanging component thereto for supporting the at least one hanging component on the movable wall.

The present invention further resides in a horizontal wall system for supporting at least one hanging component comprising at least one wall module having at least one horizontal mounting channel; at least one bracket comprising an upper latch portion adapted to be received in and engage the at least one horizontal mounting channel of the least one wall module and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough; at least one vertical wall strip adapted to be fastened to the at least one bracket; and means for removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the at least one vertical wall strip.

The present invention also resides in a method of supporting at least one hanging component on a movable wall having at least one horizontal mounting channel comprising the steps of providing at least one bracket having an upper latch portion and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough; engaging the upper latch portion of the at least one bracket in the at least one horizontal mounting channel; fastening at least one vertical wall strip to each of the at least one bracket; and removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the at least one vertical wall strip.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of a bracket embodying the invention used in supporting modular hanging components to horizontal wall systems, illustrating an upper latch portion and a plurality of threaded openings in a lower substantially planar portion;

FIG. 1B is a rear view of the bracket of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a side elevational view of the bracket of FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 1D is an opposing side elevational view of the bracket of FIGS. 1A-1C;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective assembly view of a prior art exemplary modular wall panel cladded with wall tile, illustrating the orientation of a plurality of horizontal mounting channels with integrated cantilever channel;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a portion of one of the horizontal mounting channels of FIG. 2, illustrating prior art cantilever bracket details and tile clip connection details thereof;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view similar to FIG. 3A, illustrating the bracket of FIGS. 1A and 1B engaged with the prior art horizontal mounting channel of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a perspective assembly view of a portion of a movable wall with a horizontal mounting channel, illustrating the manner in which a rearwardly and upwardly extending L-shaped flange of the upper latch portion of the bracket is adapted to slide behind and engage a top edge of the horizontal mounting channel of the movable wall;

FIG. 5 is further perspective assembly view similar to FIG. 4, further illustrating the manner in which the engaged bracket swings down into position over one of the wall tiles;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the exemplary modular wall panel of FIG. 2, illustrating vertically aligned brackets engaged in each of three spaced horizontal mounting channels;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front elevational view of the upper portion of the exemplary modular wall panel of FIG. 6, illustrating the top one of the vertically aligned brackets engaged in the top horizontal mounting channel and a vertical wall strip fastened to the bracket;

FIG. 8 is another front elevational view of the exemplary modular wall panel of FIG. 6, illustrating the vertical wall strip fastened to each of the vertically aligned brackets engaged in the three spaced horizontal mounting channels;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the a portion of the exemplary modular wall panel of FIGS. 7 and 8, illustrating an exemplary modular tabletop supported at one end to the modular wall panel by a conventional cantilever bracket engaged in a vertical slot of the vertical wall strip of FIGS. 7 and 8, the opposing supported end not shown;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the exemplary modular tabletop of FIG. 9 supported on the modular wall panel by the vertical wall strip with a portion of the bracket of FIGS. 1A and 1B interposed between the modular wall panel and the vertical wall strip, a pair of wall fasteners adapted to fasten the vertical wall strip to the bracket;

FIG. 11 is a perspective environmental view of an exemplary modular wall panel, illustrating the bracket of FIGS. 1A and 1B engaged in a horizontal mounting channel, a vertical wall strip fastened thereto and a pair of shelves supported on one end to the modular wall panel by a pair of side supports engaged in vertical slots of the vertical wall strip;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an exemplary modular office layout, illustrating a pair of modular wall panels with spaced horizontal mounting channels with a plurality of brackets horizontally and vertically aligned to fasten vertical wall strips thereto, particularly showing the exemplary removable attachment of modular hanging components including a pair of modular tabletops, tackboards, and flipper doors thereto by attachment hardware (not shown), the portion of the brackets hidden behind the modular hanging components shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of an exemplary tabletop supported at each end to a movable wall formed by a pair of modular wall panels by a vertical wall strip fastened to a bracket as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; and

FIG. 14 is a plan view of another exemplary modular office layout, illustrating hanging components supported by the same bracket and brackets spanning two modular wall panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is concerned with a mounting bracket, the bracket generally designated in the accompanying drawings by the reference number 10. The bracket 10 comprises, generally, an upper latch portion 12 adapted to be received in and engage a horizontal mounting channel 14 of at least one wall module 16 of a movable wall 30 and a lower substantially planar portion 18 having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings 20 therethrough, at least two vertically aligned bracket openings adapted to align with mounting openings 22 in at least one vertical wall strip 24 to receive at least one fastener 26 for fastening the at least one vertical wall strip to the bracket to removably attach the at least one hanging component 28a-28g thereto for supporting the at least one hanging component on the movable wall.

In accordance with the present invention, and as illustrated with respect to a preferred embodiment in FIGS. 1 through 14, the bracket 10 permits vertical wall strip mountable hanging components to be supported on movable walls 30 having at least one horizontal mounting channel 14. As known in the prior art, the movable walls may be comprised of the least one wall module or panel 16 such as shown in FIG. 2 herein. Each module 16 generally comprises a pair of vertical end frames 32 that will be spaced apart by the desired width of each module. The modules 16 may be clad with wall tile 34 using a tile clip assembly (FIGS. 3A and 3B) 36 and can be one or two sided with a finished wall surface on both sides or on one side only. Tiles 34 can be made of wood, plastic, metal fabric glass or other material, and the end frames 32 may be interconnected by a plurality of horizontal mounting channels 14. A component bearing wall 30 or modular wall panel 16 may have four horizontal mounting channels as shown in FIG. 2 although more or less horizontal mounting channels may be used. The placement of the vertically spaced horizontal mounting channels 14 depends on the furniture configuration. While a particular configuration of a movable wall/modular wall panel has been described and shown, it is to be appreciated that the bracket 10 may be used with movable walls 30 and modular wall panels 16 having other configurations.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-1D, the bracket 10 may be composed of a generally rectangular piece of metal plate material, such as steel plate with a preferred thickness of greater than ⅛″, and a height of about 10″ and a width of about 6″ to provide suitable load bearing. The upper latch portion 12 of the bracket comprises a substantially L-shaped flange 38 with rearwardly and upwardly extending portions 40 and 42. The lower substantially planar portion 18 may be substantially rectangular. The bracket 10 has a front surface (1A) 44, a rear surface (FIG. 1B) 46, side edges (FIGS. 1C and 1D) 48 and 50, a top edge (1A and 1B) 52, and a bottom edge (not shown). While a bracket having these size, shape and weight characteristics is described, it is to be appreciated that the characteristics of the bracket may be varied.

The plurality of bracket openings 20 may be punched, drilled or otherwise formed in the bracket 10 through the lower substantially planar portion 18. In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a pair of bracket openings 20 may be disposed near each longitudinal side edge of the bracket 10. The vertical spacing of the bracket openings 20 corresponds with the vertical spacing or pitch between the mounting openings 22 in the vertical wall strip 24 as hereinafter described. The horizontal spacing and number of bracket openings 20 may vary depending on component configuration.

In a preferred embodiment, pre-threaded PEM® nuts 54 may be pressure or snap fitted into the bracket openings 20 and the bracket openings with PEM® nuts are collectively referred to herein as “pre-threaded PEM® nut openings.” The pre-threaded PEM® nut openings may appear in a rear view with a hexagon shape as shown in FIG. 1B.

In the method of the invention, the upper latch portion 12 of the bracket may be received in and engage the horizontal mounting channel 14 as shown in FIG. 4. The substantially L-shaped flange 38 may be inserted into the horizontal mounting channel 14 with the upwardly extending portion 42 of the substantially L-shaped flange 38 behind the top front edge 56 of the horizontal mounting channel (FIG. 3B) 14. The bracket 10 is then swung downwardly toward the wall tile 34 (FIG. 5) until the rearwardly extending portion 40 of the substantially L-shaped flange 38 is seated over the lower bottom edge 60 of the horizontal mounting channel (See FIG. 3B). At this point, the bracket 10 is now engaged with the horizontal mounting channel 14 and may be slid horizontally anywhere along the length of the channel to any position. The engaged bracket 10 hangs from the horizontal mounting channel substantially flat against the wall tiles 34 of one or more modular wall panels/movable wall whereby the lower substantially planar portion 18 of the bracket may be disposed substantially perpendicular to the floor (not shown).

Two horizontally aligned brackets 10 are typically used to support one hanging component 28a-28g such as furniture, etc. as hereinafter described and as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Such a hanging component may be supported at each end thereof. A plurality of brackets 10 may be used anywhere along a horizontal mounting channel 14 to support one or more adjacent hanging components. A bracket 10 may span two modular wall panels 16 permitting the bracket 10 to act as a tying member between two hanging components 28a-28g on separate modular wall panels, as shown in FIG. 14 and hereinafter described. Brackets 10 may also be vertically aligned in vertically spaced horizontal mounting channels (See FIG. 6) to support one or more hanging components at different heights as shown in FIGS. 12-14. For hanging components such as accessories or the like, a single bracket may be used.

The vertical wall strip 24 that is fastened to the bracket 10 may be a conventional 3-sided metal strip having the vertically spaced mounting openings 22 to receive the fasteners 26, usually spaced 6 to 8 inches apart and a plurality of single or parallel vertical slots 62 that receive attachment hardware such as side brackets 64a and cantilever brackets 64b to support the hanging component as hereinafter described. The mounting openings 22 in the vertical wall strip 24 and the vertically aligned bracket openings in the bracket are aligned to receive the threaded fasteners 26 such as machine screws or the like as shown in FIG. 7. The same vertical wall strip may be fastened to each vertically aligned bracket in the same manner such that the mounting openings 22 in the vertical wall strip 24 and the bracket openings 20 on one side of the vertically aligned brackets may be aligned to receive the threaded fasteners 26 as shown in FIG. 8. Where a bracket spans two modular wall panels 16 permitting the bracket to act as a tying member between two hanging components on separate modular wall panels, a pair of vertical wall strips 24 may be fastened to the same bracket using the bracket openings near both longitudinal side edges of the bracket as shown in FIG. 14. For a typical 60″ wall strip, three vertically aligned brackets 10 may be engaged in three vertically spaced horizontal mounting channels. For wall strips of greater or lesser length, fewer or more brackets may be needed to provide the necessary support. Four vertically aligned brackets may be installed along one 72″ or 84″ wall strip. Each bracket 10 is interposed between a portion of the vertical wall strip and the movable wall or modular wall panel. While a conventional wall strip having a particular configuration has been described, it is to be appreciated that other wall strip configurations may be used, for example, in a vertical wall strip closet system.

The thickness of the bracket 10 and thus the depth of the bracket opening permits enough screw turns to anchor the fasteners 26 through the mounting openings 22 in the vertical wall strip and through the bracket openings 20 in the bracket but preferably stops short of the movable wall 30 so as to substantially prevent damage thereto. In a preferred embodiment, the PEM® nut openings have a 10-32 thread size and the length of the preferred machine screws may be ⅜″. While the use of PEM® nut openings and machine screws are described, it is to be appreciated that other types of threaded openings and fasteners may be used within the confines of the invention.

The hanging component 28a-28g may be removably attached to the vertical wall strip 24 in the conventional manner with standard attachment hardware including L-shaped shelf supports, side brackets 64a, cantilever brackets 64b or the like. As shown for example in FIG. 9, the attachment hardware may be received in one or more of the vertical slots 62 of the vertical wall strip at a selected level to position the hanging component 28a-28g at the desired height. A pair of parallel vertical slots 62 may receive attachment hardware for adjacent hanging components supported at the same level on the modular wall panel(s)/movable wall. It is to be appreciated that the attachment hardware for the hanging component may be received in any of the vertical slots of the respective vertical wall strip. No substantial modification of the movable wall, hanging component or attachment hardware is required. Attachment hardware 64a and 64b are representative only.

The hanging component 28a-28g may be a shelf, cabinet and other furniture, artwork, a desktop, tabletop and other work surface, accessory, etc. The hanging component itself may be any object to be removably attached to the movable wall. Hanging components 28a-28g are representative only. FIG. 9 shows one end of an exemplary modular tabletop 28a removably attached to the vertical wall strip 24 by a conventional cantilever bracket 64b engaged in one of the vertical slots. FIG. 10 is a side view of the same modular tabletop 28a. FIG. 11 shows a pair of side brackets 64a engaged in vertical slots of the same vertical wall strip to support a pair of shelves 28b. FIG. 12 shows an exemplary modular office layout showing a plurality of brackets supporting different hanging components on a movable wall comprised of two wall modules and having three vertically spaced horizontal mounting channels, identified in FIG. 12 as 14a, 14b, and 14c and three vertical wall strips, identified as 24a, 24b, and 24c. A total of nine brackets are shown, identified as 10A-10i, with three brackets engaged in each of the horizontal mounting channels 14a, 14b, and 14c. Vertical wall strip 24a is shown fastened to brackets 10a, 10b, and 10c, vertical wall strip 24b is shown fastened to brackets 10d, 10e, and 10f and vertical wall strip 24c is shown fastened to brackets 10g, 10h, and 10i. Two of the four PEM® nut openings in each bracket are shown as receiving fasteners. Brackets 10a and 10d support a first flipper door 28c for a storage cabinet. Brackets 10d and 10g support a second flipper door 28d. Brackets 10b and 10e (shown in dotted lines) support a first tack board 28e and brackets 10e and 10h (shown in dotted lines) support a second tack board 28f. Thus, the same bracket 10d supports one end of both the first and second flipper doors and the same bracket 10e supports one end of both the first and second tack boards. Each of brackets 10b, 10e, and 10h are shown in dotted lines as they are hidden behind the first and second tack boards. When two hanging components are each adjacently supported at one end by the same bracket and vertical strip, as in the case of the first and second flipper doors and tack boards shown in FIG. 12, attachment hardware for one of the hanging components is received in one of the vertical slots in the shared vertical strip with the parallel vertical slot receiving attachment hardware of the adjacent hanging component when the adjacent hanging components are hung at the same level. It is to be understood that a hanging component may be supported anywhere along the length of the vertical wall strip, but positioning over a bracket is preferred in order to maintain substantial visual continuity. Brackets 10c, 10f and 10i support a desktop 28g. FIG. 13 shows a tabletop 28a spanning two modular wall panels 16 of the moveable wall 30. A pair of brackets is engaged in the horizontal mounting channel that spans the two wall modules. A vertical wall strip is fastened to each of the brackets. Opposing side brackets for the tabletop are received in one or more of the vertical slots of the respective vertical wall strip. FIG. 14 shows a similar office layout to FIG. 12. The same element numbers have been used with the addition of a fourth vertical wall strip, identified in FIG. 14 as 24d. FIG. 14 shows the pair of modular wall panels 16 forming the movable wall 30 with the three horizontal mounting channels 14a, 14b and 14c and the three brackets engaged in each of the three horizontal mounting channels with the middle brackets 10d, 10e, and 10f spanning the pair of modular wall panels and having a pair of vertical wall strips fastened thereto with the same brackets supporting one end of adjacent hanging components. The brackets 10 permit a reduced number of horizontal mounting channels than in a conventional movable wall.

For reconfiguring the wall or the hanging components, the hanging components and attachment hardware may be removed from vertical wall strip in the conventional manner. The fastener(s) may be removed from the aligned bracket and mounting openings to unfasten the vertical wall strip from the respective bracket(s). To remove the bracket from the horizontal mounting channel, the bracket may be tilted upwardly and rotated so that the substantially L-shaped flange may be withdrawn from the horizontal mounting channel.

From the foregoing, it is to be appreciated that the bracket and method permit support of hanging components on movable walls having horizontal mounting channels without having to dispense with the conventional vertical strip system for supporting modular furniture on movable walls thereby substantially eliminating the need for modification of the movable wall, hanging component, or attachment hardware.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bracket for supporting at least one hanging component on a movable wall comprising:

an upper latch portion adapted to be received in and engage a horizontal mounting channel of at least one wall module of the movable wall and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough, wherein the upper latch portion has a width equal to a width of the lower substantially planar portion, at least two vertically aligned bracket openings adapted to align with at least two mounting openings in at least one vertical wall strip to receive at least one fastener for fastening the at least one vertical wall strip to the bracket to removably attach the at least one hanging component thereto for supporting the at least one hanging component on the movable wall.

2. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said upper latch portion comprises a substantially P-shaped flange for receipt and engagement of the horizontal mounting channel.

3. The bracket of claim 2 wherein said substantially L-shaped flange comprises rearwardly and upwardly extending portions.

4. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings comprises pre-threaded openings.

5. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the lower substantially planar portion is substantially rectangular.

6. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings are disposed near one or both longitudinal edges of the bracket.

7. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the at least two vertically aligned bracket openings that are adapted to align with the at least two mounting openings in the at least one vertical wall strip are vertically spaced according to the vertical spacing between the plurality of mounting openings of the at least one vertical wall strip.

8. A horizontal wall system for supporting at least one hanging component comprising:

at least one wall module having at least one horizontal mounting channel;

at least one bracket comprising an upper latch portion adapted to be received in and engage the at least one horizontal mounting channel of the least one wall module and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough, wherein the upper latch portion has a width equal to a width of the lower substantially planar portion;

at least one vertical wall strip adapted to be fastened to the at least one bracket; and

means for removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the at least one vertical wall strip.

9. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein the vertical wall strip has a plurality of mounting openings and a plurality of vertical slots, at least two vertically aligned bracket openings adapted to align with at least two mounting openings to receive at least one fastener.

10. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein the means for removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the vertical strip comprises attachment hardware received in at least one of the plurality of vertical slots.

11. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein a plurality of brackets is arranged in substantial vertical alignment in two or more of the at least one horizontal mounting channel.

12. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein a plurality of brackets is horizontally spaced along at least one horizontal mounting channel.

13. The horizontal wall system of claim 12 wherein a pair of vertical wall strips is fastened to the same bracket for supporting adjacent hanging components.

14. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein one bracket spans two wall modules.

15. The horizontal wall system of claim 8 wherein the at least one hanging component is removably attached at any level along the height of the at least one vertical wall strip and at any position along the at least one mounting channel.

16. A method of supporting at least one hanging component on a movable wall having at least one horizontal mounting channel comprising the steps of:

providing at least one bracket having an upper latch portion and a lower substantially planar portion having a plurality of vertically aligned bracket openings therethrough, wherein the upper latch portion has a width equal to a width of the lower substantially planar portion;

engaging the upper latch portion of the at least one bracket in the at least one horizontal mounting channel,

fastening at least one vertical wall strip to each of the at least one bracket; and

removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the at least one vertical wall strip.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the upper latch portion comprises a substantially L-shaped flange having upwardly and rearwardly extending portions, the upwardly extending portion engaging behind a top front edge of the horizontal mounting channel before rotating the bracket downwardly toward the movable wall.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one vertical wall strip has a plurality of mounting openings and fastening the at least one vertical wall strip to each of the at least one bracket comprises aligning at least one bracket opening with at least one mounting opening in the at least one vertical wall strip to define at least one aligned opening and inserting a fastener through the at least one aligned opening.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one vertical wall strip further has a plurality of vertical slots and removably attaching the at least one hanging component to the at least one vertical wall strip comprises receiving attachment hardware for the at least one hanging component in at least one vertical slot of the at least one vertical wall strip.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one hanging component is removably attached at any level along the height of the at least one vertical wall strip and at any position along the at least one horizontal mounting channel.