AU2004200862C1

AU2004200862C1 - A toggle

Info

Publication number: AU2004200862C1
Application number: AU2004200862A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Ziegler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-03
Filing date: 2004-03-02
Publication date: 2010-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 2024-03-02
Also published as: AU2004200862A1; AU2004200862B2

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: PETER ZIEGLER Invention Title: A TOGGLE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to

US:

-2 A TOGGLE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toggle for 5 mounting objects such as hand rails to hollow walls. Background of the Invention There are a number of toggles presently available that are capable of mounting objects to a hollow wall. 10 For instance, a toggle known as the "winged toggle" has been widely used and comprises a bolt, a screw threaded nut for attaching to the bolt and a pair of spring loaded wings that are pivotally mounted on pins on opposite sides of the nut. 15 The winged toggle is installed on a wall by folding the wings rearwardly towards the head of the bolt and pushing the wings through a pre-made hole in the lining of the wall. Upon the wings moving clear of the lining, the wings open automatically by means of a spring 20 so as to extend transversely outwardly on opposite sides of the bolt. The bolt can then be tightened such that the wings pivotally mounted to the nut are drawn against the inside surface of the wall and thereby secures the toggle in position. 25 The winged toggle is capable of supporting a load of only 30-40 Newtons (N). The low load bearing capacity of the winged toggle is due to failure of the pins that connect the wings to the nut. US patent 4,047,462 describes another type of 30 toggle that comprises a tubular member for engaging the inside surface of a hollow wall, a bolt and a screw threaded nut for attaching to the bolt. The tubular member is pivotally attached to the nut by a pair of pins that project outwardly on opposite sides of the nut. The 35 unique aspect of this toggle is that the end of the tubular member has teeth that can be used for drilling a hole in the lining of the hollow wall. In particular, as N:\Melbourne\Casea\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.l\Specis\P48580.AU.1 .doc 2/04/09 -3 can be seen in Figure 2 of the US patent, when the bolt is positioned transversely of the tubular member, the bolt can be gripped by hand and rotated to thereby rotate the tubular member and cause the teeth to drill a hole in the 5 lining. The applicant is not aware of any commercial use of the toggle described in the US patent. However, the applicant suspects that the toggle would have a relatively low load bearing capacity due to failure of the pins that 10 connect the tubular member to the nut. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toggle. Summary of the Invention 15 The present invention is a toggle suitable for mounting an object to a hollow wall, the toggle including: a) a bolt; b) a female member in the form of a nut having a screw threaded opening for receiving and engaging the bolt 20 and a plurality of planar exterior surfaces; c) an elongated anchoring member having an outer wall that defines a chamber, the wall including two oppositely disposed openings, wherein the dimensions of the chamber and the nut are selected so that an assembly 25 of the nut and the bolt is able to be located in the chamber and the nut prevented from rotating about an axis defined by its screw threaded opening by the planar exterior surfaces of the nut engaging the inside surface of the walls of the chamber only; and 30 d) retaining means that includes projections that are spatially separated in an axial direction and extend inwardly from the walls of the chamber so as to define a region between the oppositely disposed openings in which the nut is retained or confined, 35 and wherein the bolt can move between a first position in which the bolt is located co-axially with the anchoring member to facilitate inserting the anchoring N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specia\P48580.AU.1.doc 2/04/09 -4 member through an opening in a wall and a second position in which the bolt is located transversely to the anchoring member and is aligned with the oppositely disposed openings in the walls of the chamber to facilitate 5 tightening the anchoring member against an inner surface of the wall to secure the toggle to the wall by rotating the bolt within the nut. It is preferred that one of the openings in the walls of the chamber be a slot that extends, at least in 10 part, along the chamber, and the other opening be located inwardly of the end of the anchoring member and be aligned with the slot so that the bolt when positioned transversely to the anchoring member can pass through the slot and the opening. 15 It is preferred that the anchoring member be weighted such that when the assembly of the bolt and female member is located in the chamber co-axially to the anchoring member and the assembly and the anchoring member are arranged horizontally, the anchoring member has a 20 tendency to pivot under gravity toward an upright position. To install the toggle, the female member is initially located in the chamber in a region where the slot and the other opening are aligned. It is possible 25 that this step may occur during manufacture of the toggle. The bolt is then attached to the female member and positioned so that its axis is co-axial with the anchoring member such that the anchoring member can be pushed through a hole pre-made in the lining of a wall. Prior to 30 pushing the anchoring member through the hole, the slot is positioned to face downwardly such that upon the anchoring member being pushed clear through the lining of the wall, the end of the anchoring member having the slot is able to pivot upwardly and the opposite end pivot downwardly. The 35 toggle can then be secured in position by rotating the bolt (relative to the female member) so as to move the anchoring member onto a surface inside the wall. N \Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.1.doc 2/04/09 -5 Although the anchoring member may have a variety of different shapes and cross-sections, it is preferred that the chamber have a transverse quadrangle cross section and that the slot and the other opening be located 5 in a first pair of opposite walls and that the exterior surfaces of the female member engage a second pair of opposite side walls so as to prevent the female member from rotating about an axis of its opening. An advantage provided by the anchoring member having an quadrangle 10 transverse cross-section over the prior art designs discussed above is that a load applied to the toggle can be distributed by the anchoring member over a large area of the wall lining and thereby reduce the likelihood of the lining failing. 15 It is preferred that the female member be a nut having a plurality of planar exterior surfaces. The nut may for example have 4, 6 or 8 planar surfaces. It is preferred that the nut be in the form of a 20 standard hexagonal or square nut. It is preferred that the anchoring member have means for retaining the female member in the anchoring member once located in the region where the slot and the other opening are aligned. 25 The retaining means may be in the form of one or more projections that extend inwardly from the walls of the chamber and prevent axial movement of the female member. For example, the retaining means may include a 30 resiliently deformable tongue formation that progressively projects inwardly from one of the walls of the chamber. It is preferred that the tongue be located between the end of the anchoring member from which the slot extends and the opening. 35 The retaining means may also include a wall formation located between the slot and the end of the anchoring means opposite to the end from which the slot N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.1.doc 2/04/09 -6 extends. The wall formation can serve at least 2 purposes, one of which is to retain the nut in the region between the slot and the opening, and the second being that it provides a reaction surface against which the nut 5 and/or bolt can bear against while pushing the anchoring member through a hole in the lining during installation. It is preferred that the anchoring member be a unitary moulded structure. It is preferred that the anchoring member be 10 injection moulded from a plastic material. It is preferred that the anchoring member be 6 to 10 cm in length. It is even more preferred that the anchoring member be 8 cm in length. 15 Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying 20 Figures, of which: Figure 1 is an perspective view of a toggle having a tubular sleeve and a bolt positioned transversely to the tubular sleeve; Figures 2 and 3 are left and right side views 25 respectively of the toggle shown in Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5 are top and bottom views respectively of the toggle shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in Figure 3; and 30 Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the toggle being installed on a wall with the tubular sleeve shown in cross-section along its longitudinal axis. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment 35 The toggle includes: a bolt 10; a female member in the form of a hexagonal nut 11 for screw threaded N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.l.doc 2/04/09 -7 engagement with the bolt 10; and an elongated anchoring member in the form of a tubular sleeve 12 having a rectangular transverse cross-section. The tubular sleeve 12 is a plastic unitary structure that is injection 5 moulded using known techniques. Although not shown in the Figures, the nut 11 may also be in the form of a standard rectangular or square nut. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate top and bottom views of the tubular sleeve 12 shown in Figure 1 and thus 10 illustrate a first pair of opposite side walls 12a of the tubular sleeve 12. The side wall shown in Figure 4 has a slot formation 13 that extends from an end of the tubular sleeve 12 toward the middle of the sleeve 12 and the opposite side wall shown in Figure 5 has an opening 14 15 that is aligned with the slot 13 so that the bolt 10 can pass transversely through the sleeve 12. A second pair of opposite side walls 12b is shown in plan view in Figure 6. The first and second pairs of side walls 12a and 12b form a chamber in which an assembly 20 of the nut and the bolt can be located. The nut is retained in the region in which the opening 14 and the slot 13 overlap by tongue and wall formations 15, 16 respectively that project inwardly from the second pair of opposite side walls 12b. As can best 25 be seen in Figure 6, the base of the tongue 15 is attached to one of the walls and extends progressively toward the axis of the tubular sleeve 12 while moving toward the opening 14. The spacing between the end of the tongue 15 and the opposite side wall is less than the diameter of 30 the nut 11. In order to locate the nut 11 in the sleeve 12, the nut 11 is slid along the tongue 15 which causes the tongue 15 to resiliently flex toward the wall to which it is attached. Upon the nut 15 being pushed passed the tongue 15, the tongue 15 recoils inwardly and prevents the 35 nut 11 from exiting the end of the sleeve 12 having the slot 13. The fixed wall formation 16 is formed on the wall opposite to the wall having the tongue 15 and N:\Melbourne\Caseo\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specie\P48580.AU.l.doc 2/04/09 - 8 prevents the nut 11 from exiting the other end of the tubular sleeve 12. In addition, the wall formation 16 also provides a reaction surface against which the nut 11 and bolt 10 can engage to assist in installation of the 5 toggle while holding the bolt 10. In addition as can be seen in Figure 6, the spacing between the wall 16 and tongue 15 allows nut 11 to move in axial direction of the anchoring member but only to the region defined between wall 16 and tongue 15. 10 Figure 6 also illustrates 2 of the 6 sides of the nut 11 aligning with, and engaging, the second pair of opposite walls 12b which prevent the nut 11 from rotating about an axis defined by the opening for receiving the bolt 10. However, the first pair of opposite walls 12a, 15 in which the slot and opening are formed, are spaced sufficiently apart such that the nut 11 and the bolt 10 engaged therewith can be pivoted about an axis transverse to the axis of the opening in the nut. This arrangement allows the nut 11 and bolt 10 to be pivoted from a 20 position in which the axis of the bolt lies co-axial to the axis of the sleeve 12, as shown in Figure 7, to a position in which the bolt 10 extends transversely of the sleeve 12, as shown in Figure 1. When the bolt 10 is positioned such that the axis 25 of the bolt 10 is located co-axial to the axis of the sleeve 12, the sleeve 12 can be pushed through a pre-made hole in the lining 17 of a wall 16 as shown by arrow B in Figure 7. Prior to pushing the tubular sleeve 12 through the hole, the slot 13 is positioned to face downwardly 30 such that upon the sleeve 12 being pushed clear through the lining 17 of the wall 16, the tubular sleeve 12 is able to pivot in the direction shown by arrows C in Figure 8. Although not apparent from the drawings, the end portion of the tubular sleeve 12 opposite to the end 35 portion having the slot 13, is weighted such that the sleeve 12 pivots under gravity. The toggle can then be secured in position by N:\Melbourne\Casea\Patent\48000-48999\P4858O.AU.l\Specis\P48580.AU.l.doc 2/04/09 - 9 tightening the bolt 10 which moves the tubular sleeve 12 onto the inside surface of the lining of the wall 16. The preferred embodiment is capable of supporting loads of approximately 640 Newtons (N). This is a 5 significantly higher load bearing capacity than the prior art toggles known to the applicant and is a significant advantage of the invention. Another advantage provided by the preferred embodiment that is not immediately apparent from the 10 drawings is that the tubular sleeve 12 having a rectangular cross-section distributes loads applied to the toggle over a larger area of the wall lining than the prior art toggles described above. Yet another advantage provided by the present 15 invention is that the nut 11 and bolt 10 may be provided by any suitable quarter inch nut and bolt. A person skilled in the art would appreciate that modifications can be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present 20 invention. For example, although it is preferred that the tubular sleeve be a unitary plastic injection moulded member, it is possible that the tubular sleeve be made of any suitable material and be formed by assembling together 25 a number of components. N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P4858O.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.1 .doc 2/04/09

Claims

1. A toggle suitable for mounting an object to a hollow wall, the toggle including: 5 a) a bolt; b) a female member in the form of a nut having a screw threaded opening for receiving and engaging the bolt and a plurality of planar exterior surfaces; c) an elongated anchoring member having an outer wall 10 that defines a chamber, the wall including two oppositely disposed openings, wherein the dimensions of the chamber and the nut are selected so that an assembly of the nut and the bolt is able to be located in the chamber and the nut prevented from rotating about an axis defined by its 15 screw threaded opening by the planar exterior surfaces of the nut engaging the inside surface of the walls of the chamber only; and d) retaining means that includes projections that are spatially separated in an axial direction and extend 20 inwardly from the walls of the chamber so as to define a region between the oppositely disposed openings in which the nut is retained or confined, and wherein the bolt can move between a first position in which the bolt is located co-axially with the anchoring 25 member to facilitate inserting the anchoring member through an opening in a wall and a second position in which the bolt is located transversely to the anchoring member and is aligned with the oppositely disposed openings in the walls of the chamber to facilitate 30 tightening the anchoring member against an inner surface of the wall to secure the toggle to the wall by rotating the bolt within the nut.

2. The toggle according to claim 1, wherein one of 35 the openings in the walls of the chamber is a slot that extends, at least in part, along the chamber, and the other opening located inwardly of the end of the anchoring N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Speci\P48580.AU. I.doc 2/04/09 - 11 member is aligned with the slot so that the bolt when positioned transversely to the anchoring member can pass through the slot and the opening. 5

3. The toggle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the anchoring member is weighted such that when the assembly of the bolt and nut is located in the chamber co-axially to the anchoring member and the assembly and the anchoring member are arranged horizontally, the anchoring member has 10 a tendency to pivot under gravity toward an upright position.

4. The toggle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the chamber has a transverse quadrangle cross 15 section and that the slot and the other opening is located in a first pair of opposite walls and that the exterior surfaces of the nut engage a second pair of opposite side walls so as to prevent the nut from rotating about an axis of its opening. 20

5. The toggle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the nut is in the form of a standard hexagonal or square nut. 25

6. The toggle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one of the projections of the retaining means includes a resiliently deformable tongue formation that is angled to progressively project inwardly from one of the walls of the chamber. 30

7. The toggle according to claim 6, wherein the tongue is located between the end of the anchoring member from which the slot extends and the opening. 35

8. The toggle according to any one of claim 6 or 7, wherein retaining means also includes a wall formation located between the slot and the end of the anchoring N;\Melbourne\Casee\Patent\48000-48999\P4858O.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.l.doc 2/04/09 - 12 means opposite to the end from which the slot extends, the wall formation serving 2 purposes, one of which is to retain the nut in the region between the slot and the opening, and the second being that it provides a reaction 5 surface against which the nut and/or bolt can bear against while pushing the anchoring member through a hole in the wall during installation.

9. The toggle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 10 wherein the anchoring member be a unitary moulded structure.

10. The toggle according to claims 1 to 9, wherein the anchoring member is injection moulded from a plastic 15 material.

11. The toggle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the anchoring member has a length ranging from 6 to 10 cm. 20

12. A toggle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures. N:\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\48000-48999\P48580.AU.1\Specis\P48580.AU.l.doc 2/04/09