AU725992B2

AU725992B2 - Ornamental wall fixture

Info

Publication number: AU725992B2
Application number: AU50338/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Sardar Kordy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-01-06
Filing date: 1998-01-05
Publication date: 2000-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-05
Also published as: AU5033898A

Description

P/00/0i 1 /g AUSTALIARegulation 3.2 Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION' STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: ORNAMENTALJ WALL FIXTUJRE :00* The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best 0 method of performing it known to me:- 000* 0 *0 7 I THIS INVENTION relates to an ornamental wall fixture and is more specifically concerned with a fixture which resembles a plaster moulding. Ornamental plastics fixtures are used extensively in restaurants to enhance the interior decor. They may take the form of traditional fire place shelves for instance, or other ornamental shapes such as simulated split columns and corner shelving.

The traditional way of making such fixtures is to mould them, in situ, in plaster. They may also be factory made and transported to the site of use where they are lifted into permanent ***oposition and held in place by plaster adhesive and substantial wall bolts set into the masonry of the wall and capable of supporting the heavy weight of the plaster fixture. In the case of a 10 fire place mantelpiece, this weight can be considerable.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved wall fixture.

In accordance with the present invention an ornamental wall fixture is constructed as a ***hollow casing providing the desired external shape and having one of its components providing an external smooth flat side face for placing against a wall, the casing being 15 provided internally with at least one load-supporting bracket attached rigidly to an inside surface of said one component which is formed with an opening extending through the side face to the bracket for enabling a member fixed to the wall to be passed through the opening and engaged with the bracket so that the weight of the fixture is transmitted via the bracket to the member and thus to the wall.

A fixture of the invention has the advantage that it is relatively light when compared with a solid plaster fixture of the same size, and it can be supported on a wall without having to use plaster adhesive, or/and strong bolts of extended length embedded in the wall masonry. It is also readily removable.

The casing is conveniently made from components in the form of appropriately-shaped pieces of plaster board attached to one another at their adjacent edges and having at least some of their exposed surfaces covered with a thin layer of plaster. The fixture thus appears to be a traditional plaster fixture when fixed to the wall and yet the attendant problems associated with the weight of a solid plaster fixture are avoided. Also, the fixture of the invention can be easily removed from the wall without causing extensive damage to its plaster surface or surface rendering on the wall.

In one arrangement the fixture provides a shelf. It is preferred in such a case to provide the bracket with a horizontally extending limb supporting the shelf from beneath and which transmits any load placed on the shelf to the vertical limb of the bracket and thus to the wall *member. The bracket is preferably reinforced by a strut or gusset extending between the two limbs to maintain their spacing.

A convenient form of bracket has an opening in the form of a key-hole slot which registers with an opening in the component part of the casing. Suitably the marginal portions of the 15 bracket adjacent the key-hole slot are provided with ramp surfaces. The member fixed to the wall may comprise a screw having a head which will pass through the larger portion of the key-hole slot. The fixture can then be lowered so that the shank of the screw enters the narrower portion of the slot and the ramp surfaces wedge the fixture firmly against the wall as it is lowered. The fixture is then held against the wall by its own weight but can be removed from the wall by first lifting it through a small distance.

In a modification of the fixture of the invention, the casing is provided in its interior with means for illuminating it. Translucent or transparent components of the casing allow the interior illumination to shine through it and thus enhance its decorative appearance.

A

closable opening may be provided in such a casing in an unobtrusive position, to enable the source of illumination to be changed from time to time. Alternatively, an opening can be formed in the top surface of the fixture to allow a source of illumination to be mounted on the fixture so that it illuminates its interior.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying largely diagrammatic drawings, in which:oo. a.

FIGURE 1 shows an ornamental wall fixture providing a shelf; .o FIGURE 2 is a view of the fixture as seen from its reverse flat vertical side and which is partially cut away to expose internal constructional details; ooooo FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on the line and in the direction indicated by the arrowsl in figure 2; FIGURE 4 shows a wall fixture constructed to provide an angular corner shelf; and, FIGURE 5 shows a wall fixture constructed as an internally illuminated plinth for a statue (not shown).

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a wall fixture formed from a hollow casing 1 made up of suitable shaped pieces or components 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 made of plaster board, fibrous material, wood or other suitable material. These are mitred together at their adjacent edges at the ends of the fixture, and cement fillets 7 are used to seal the joints between the linear edges of the board pieces.

The interior of the casing 1 is provided with a set of horizontally-spaced mild steel angle brackets 8 having their angles reinforced with struts 10. Gussets may be used in place of the struts 10 if preferred. Each bracket 8 has a vertical limb 12 lying against the inside surface of the back piece 5, and a horizontal limb 13 lying beneath and supporting the 10 weight of the horizontal piece 6 providing the mantle shelf. Fixing screws 14 are used to attach the board pieces to one another and to the bracket 8 as shown.

The upper corner edges of the shelf are strengthened to withstand shock loading, by incorporating metal reinforcement strips 15 in them. A thin layer of conventional plaster 16 is provided over the casing where required, so that it closely resembles a conventional plaster fixture.

Rectangular openings 20 are provided through the flat vertical plasterboard piece 5 at spaced intervals which coincide with the positions of the brackets 8. The vertical limbs 12 of the brackets 8 are provided with inverted key-hole slots 21 at the positions of the openings 20, as shown in figure 2. Each key-hole slot has a wide portion 23 at its lower end, and a narrow, parallel-sided slot 24 at its upper end.

The above described fixture is mounted in position by means of screws which are set into the wall at positions corresponding to the spacing between the key-hole slots 21. The extent to which the heads of the wall screws protrude from the wall's surface is such that they will pass through the wider portions 23 of the key-hole slots so that when the fixture is lowered, they enter the narrower portions 24 of the slot 21. If the bracket 8 is provided with upwardly sloping ramp surfaces on its marginal portions adjacent the slot portion 24, these will act to wedge the wall fixture firmly against the wall as it is lowered on to the wall screws.

The above described wall fixture, being light, is easily manhandled into its mounting position. It may also be readily removed from its mounting position by lifting it off the wall screws. These may then be removed from the wall and their holes closed with a small amount of plaster filler material. Thus an extensive repair of the wall after removal of the 10 fixture is not required.

Figure 4 shows a wall fixture 30 shaped to provide a shelf 31 around an internal corner of a wall. The internal constructional details of the fixture are not shown but are identical to those already described with reference to earlier figures. The fixture has a vertical rear S"surface 32 provided with spaced openings (not shown) extending to key-hole slots (not shown) provided in the vertical limbs of load-supporting brackets arranged as described with reference to the earlier figures.

The fixture of figure 4 as mounted in position on the wall corner in similar manner to that previously described.

Figure 5 shows a wall fixture in the form of a hollow casing 40 having a flat back surface 41 which is placed against a wall and supported by means of screws set in the wall and having protruding heads which pass through openings in the back surface 41 of the fixture in order to engage in inverted key-hole slots provided in the back of the casing of the fixture in a similar manner to that already described with reference to earlier figures.

The fixture 40 contains a mounting for an electric lamp (not shown) and has a removable top plate 42 providing access to the casing interior in order to enable the bulb to be replaced from time to time. The top plate 42 may be made of a transparent material so that light from the lamp provides upward illumination for an object placed on the top plate 42. In a variation of the fixture of figure 5, the top plate 42 is made opaque and a lower aperture 43 allows light from the lamp to illuminate the surface of the wall beneath the fixture 6 *o 000 go

Claims

1. An ornamental wall fixture constructed as a hollow casing providing the desired external shape and having one of its components providing an external smooth flat side face for placing against a wall, the casing being provided internally with at least one load- supporting bracket attached rigidly to an inside surface of said one component which is formed with an opening extending through the side face to the bracket for enabling a member fixed to the wall to be passed through the opening and engaged with the bracket so that the weight of the fixture is transmitted via the bracket to the member and thus to the wall. **gle

2. A fixture as claimed in claim 1, in which the casing is made from appropriately- shaped components attached to one another at their adjacent edges, the components which provide the visible surfaces of the fixture when fixed to a wall having these surfaces covered with a thin layer of plaster.

3. A fixture as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the components providing the external opaque surfaces of the casing are made from plaster board.

4. A fixture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a light- transmitting component forms part of the casing.

A fixture as claimed in claim 4, in the light-transmitting component provides a horizontal shelf when the fixture is fixed to a wall, and the interior of the casing incorporates a mount for a light source accessible through an opening in the casing which may be closed by a removable closure.

6. A fixture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the bracket has a horizontal limb extending beneath a horizontal component of the casing; a vertical limb extending down the inside surface of said one component which lies in the vertical plane when the fixture is wall mounted; and, a strut or gusset extending between the two limbs to maintain their rigidity with respect to one another.

7. A fixture as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the opening in the bracket is formed as an inverted key-hole to enable a headed member protruding from *the wall to have its head passed through the wider portion of the keyhole slot and then trapped in front of the narrower portion of the slot by slightly lowering the fixture with 10 respect to the wall, ramp surfaces being provided along the marginal edges of the narrower .9.9 portion of the slot.

8. A fixture as claimed in claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 7 when dependent thereon, in which upper corner regions of the casing are reinforced by metal reinforcement strips extending along the corner regions and covered by the thin plaster layer.

.9.9 15 9. A fixture as claimed in claim 1, constructed and adapted to be used substantially as described with reference to any one of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 6th. day of January

1998. SARDAR KORDY (Applicant's Patent torney)