AU728864B3 - Hanging device - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name Of Applicants: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: MEXEM PTY LIMITED RAPHAEL KLAESI 1 Wirra Close St Ives NSW 2075 WALL HANGING DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: WALL HANGING DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a wall hanging device for use in hanging wall-supported objects, such as pictures, mirrors, paintings, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for hanging such objects quickly, efficiently, and in level or other desired orientation.

The invention will be described herein in relation to pictures in order to simplify the description thereof. It is to be understood, however, that the term "picture" is used generally to include any object required to be hung or mounted on a wall or other substantially vertical surface, such as a painting, photograph, clock, plate, mobile phone, calculator or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For many people, the task of hanging a picture at a desired height and distance from other pictures, or other objects, is anything but a simple task or chore. Whilst the act of driving a nail into a wall or affixing a picture hook to a wall, is in itself simple, a certain mystique seems to surround the proper placement of the nail on a wall to ensure that the picture will be disposed at the proper height and attitude to the wall when suspended from the hook.

All to often an individual will resort to the trial and error method, that while eventually producing the desired result, invariably also results in numerous holes being punched into the wall surface. This procedure obviously is not the most desirable, either from an aesthetic or practical viewpoint, and many solutions have been proposed to overcome the inherent deficiencies of this practice.

See for example US Patent Nos. 4, 645,165; 4, 455, 756; 5, 520 318; 5, 437, 429 and 3, 945, 599 to mention a few.

US Patent 2, 530, 892 (Mayo) discloses a picture hanger which consists of two components one securable to a wall, the other to a picture frame including coplanar members having interfitting arcuate contact faces in one plane only and with limited rotational ability and limited frictional engagement between the two components.

German Patent Publication DE 3632819A (Biener) discloses a two component picture hanger comprising a tapered lug on one component which fits into a corresponding receiving frame on the other component. Whilst the lug and the receiving frame are interfitting, there is no rotational ability to allow adjustment of one of the components relative to the other.

French Patent Publication FR 2422369A (Profiver) discloses a tapered interfitting two component picture hanger, which again has no rotational ability to allow adjustment of one of the two components relative to the other to facilitate subsequent ease of levelling the picture after it has been mounted on the wall. Likewise, US Patent 4, 340, 195 (Brock) discloses a picture hanger having two pieces engageable and slidable with respect to each other, but with no rotational adjustment possible.

Australian Petty Patent AU 718053 (Klaesi) discloses a two-part picture hanging device, one part for attachment to a wall, and a second part for attachment to a picture or other object to be mounted on the wall, the first and second parts including co-planar members having interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of two axially spaced apart parallel planes, allowing limited rotational adjustment left or right of one of said parts (and of the attached picture) relative to the other part, and relative to the wall. However, the degree or extent of rotation is limited to no more than about 900 (and in practical terms no more than about 700) left or right.

The hanging of a picture generally involves a person using his hands to support a picture on a wall to check the desired picture position, and placing a pencil mark or the like on a wall to indicate the desired position. Then a hook position is estimated at which a hook can be mounted which will support the picture wire loosely strung across the back of the picture, so that the picture will lie at, or close to, the desired picture position. Next a nail or screw, or a hook device comprising a hook and fastener such as a nail or staple, is mounted on the wall as by hammering the fastener to the wall. Finally the picture is placed near the wall and manipulated so that the picture wire moves down and engages the hook device. These several steps can be time consuming for amateurs and professionals alike, especially when a large number of pictures are to be hung. Thus picture hanging can be a very labour intensive and expensive exercise.

A further problem is that the pictures do not always lie at the desired position due to the difficulty in estimating the effect of the picture wire bending, and the cantilevering of the picture as it stands out form the wall at the top edge.

Pictures are commonly hung to the wall by means of a cord, wire or the like strung from across the back of the picture between fastener eyes on opposites sides of the picture frame, the cord or wire being suspended on one or more picture hooks embedded in a wall. Difficulty may be experienced in attaching a cord or wire to the back of the picture, particularly in a neat, unobtrusive and secure manner, and difficulty may also be encountered by moving the cord or wire along the hook.

A picture hanging device which requires only a single positioning of the picture to hang it, would be useful, especially where a large number of pictures are to be hung and where the picture hanging expertise or skills of the user are limited. For hanging other objects, a greater capability for rotation of the hanging device relative to the wall would be highly desirable.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a picture hanging device which goes at least some way towards overcoming or at least minimizing the problems or limitations outlined above, or at least for providing a clear alternative choice for consumers.

It is another object of this invention to provide a picture hanging device which facilitates the securement and subsequent levelling of a picture with little or no need for taking detailed or complex measurements, wherein the initial securement of the picture to the wall is facilitated due to the possibility of subsequent ease of levelling the picture, and wherein no levelling or measuring devices need be used in the securement of the device upon the wall or other vertical surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a picture hanging device which will greatly simplify the chore or task of positioning a picture hook at the proper/required location to support a picture or the like.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a two-part picture hanging device which allows attachment of either component to the picture or to the wall in substantially the exact location they will assume when the picture is attached to the wall.

It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a two-part picture hanging device which is designed such that when used, a picture will hang parallel to a wall and will not touch or rest against the wall at any point. This greatly reduces discolouration of the wall that usually results from the use of conventional type hanging devices.

It is yet again a further object of this invention to provide a two-part picture hanging device which includes a full 3600 rotational capability of one part relative to the other, to increase the flexibility or versatility of the device in attachment of objects to the wall or other surface in a variety of spatial configurations or positions.

It is yet a again another object of this invention to provide a two-part picture hanging device which is relatively simple in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

With the above objects in view, the present invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of elements or integers as will be hereinafter described in detail in the specification, particularly defined in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided a two-part or two component picture hanging device comprising a first part adapted for attachment to a wall, and a second part adapted for attachment to a picture to be mounted on the wall, said first and seconds parts including coplanar members having interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of the two axially spaced apart parallel planes allowing adjustment of one of said parts relative to the other of said parts about a common horizontal axis of the interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of the two planes, characterised in that the coplanar member of the second part is a circular disk which comprises one of the arcuate contact faces of the second part which co-operates with one of the interfitting contact faces of the first part, allowing for a full 3600 rotation of the disk of the second part (and of the attached picture or object) relative to its interfitting arcuate contact face on the first part, which is affixed to the wall.

Preferably, the first part adapted for attachment to the wall includes a front cover plate forward of the coplanar member of the first part, and most preferably includes both front and rear cover plates for the coplanar member, wherein the rear cover plate is adapted for attachment to the wall. In those embodiments having only a front cover plate, the underlying wall surface to which the first part is attached may serve the same function as the rear cover plate. In effect, a receiving space or pocket is formed between the front and rear cover plates of the first part, having an opening to said receiving space or pocket along at least the nominal upper edge of the first part.

The second part adapted for attachment to the picture also includes a rear plate spaced axially from the disc, wherein the rear plate is adapted for attachment to the rear surface of the picture or other object to be mounted on the wall, whereby when said first part and said seconds part are mated or conjoined together, an arcuate portion of the disc of the second part is received and housed for rotation within the pocket of the first part, to thereby secure the picture to the wall.

As indicated above, the first and second parts include coplanar members having interfitting arcuate faces in each of two axially spaced apart parallel planes, allowing adjustment of one of the said parts relative to the other of said parts about a common horizontal axis of the interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of the two planes. The horizontal axes are concentric for the contact faces in both planes which provides for smooth rotational adjustment to either side of the nominal vertical axis, and through a full 3600 rotation if required.

To assist with understanding the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which shows a non-limiting example of the invention.

IN THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the second part of a preferred embodiment of a twopart picture hanging device adapted for attachment to a painting or other object to be mounted on a wall; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the first part of the two-part picture hanging device adapted for attachment to a wall; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the first or wall-mounted part of the picture hanging device of Fig 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the second or picture-mounted part of the picture hanging device of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the conjoined first and second parts of the picture hanging device comprising the components of Figs, 1 to 4; and Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the conjoined or interfitting parts of the picture hanging device depicting the full 3600 left and right rotational capability of the second part of the picture hook assembly relative to the first part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND BEST METHOD OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the drawings, similar reference numerals designate similar or identical elements and portions referred to in the following description.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the first and second parts 1 and 2 of a two component picture hanging device are adapted for attachment to a wall surface (Fig 2) and to the back surface of a picture or other object to be mounted on the wall (Fig. The wall surface and the back surface of the picture are not shown, for purposes of clarity of the drawings.

The front face or front cover plate 3 of the wall-mounted part 2 is spaced from the back cover plate or wall plate 4 thereof, which is attachable to the wall (not shown) by means of adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape (not shown). Alternatively, the wall component 2 may be affixed to the wall or to the picture or other object with the aid of screws or other fasteners, e.g. through the countersunk screw holes 5, 8 provided.

Similarly, the second part of the picture hanging device 1 can be attached to the back surface of a picture or other object to be hung on a wall by means of adhesive or doublesided adhesive tape on the back face of the base plate 6 thereof. Alternatively, the second part 1 may be affixed to the back surface of the picture by one or more counter-sunk screws or rivets passing through a countersunk screw hole 8 in the front face of the base plate 8.

In Fig. 6 the top and bottom arrows depict the left and right cooperating rotational configurations of the conjoined first and second parts 1 and 2 with full 3600 rotational capability if required. The peripheral rim of the circular disc 7 comprises a contact face adapted to coact with an arcuate coplanar contact face 11 in the receiving pocket 9 of the wall component 2. Similarly, the annular hub 12 of the disc 7 of the first part 1 is coaxial with the arcuate rim 13 of the front cover plate 3 of the second part 2. In this embodiment the contact faces 12 and 13 are coaxial about the same axis. Thus all interfitting four contact faces 10, 11, 12 and 13 are concentrically disposed about a common axis.

The side-elevational and phantom view of the separated and conjoined first and second parts in Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate the interfitting and coacting arcuate contact faces in two separate planes. With reference to Figs. 5 and 6 it will be clear that the two component parts of the picture hanging device are kept in secure but infinitely adjustable coplanar relationship by frictional engagement in five separate horizontal and vertical planes throughout the full 3600 of rotational engagement.

Note that in Figs 5 and 6, gaps or spaces between the interfitting conjoined first and second parts are shown for the sake of clarity only. In practice, the closely juxtaposed surfaces are in frictional but rotational engagement. In some embodiments the frictional contact between the front face of the disc 7 and the cover plate or wall plate 4 can be achieved by moulding an annular bead or rib onto the front face of the disc 7 (not shown).

The invention allows for simplified placement and mounting of pictures and other objects to a wall surface, at the required height and attitude or orientation, without the need for time-consuming measurements and without the aid of levelling or measuring devices. As such, the hanging device of the present invention is useful in a variety of applications in the home, office, commercial premises, galleries, to mention but a few applications.

The fact that the hanging device of the present invention allows pictures or other objects to be mounted on a wall surface without the picture or object actually touching the wall surface, greatly reduces discolouration of the wall by virtue of the increased air and light circulation which results from the use of hanging devices according to the invention.

Use of the hanging devices according to the invention allows for convenient rearrangement of pictures or other objects from one wall mounted position to another.

This facility is very beneficial to galleries where pictures need to be moved from storage to display positions for exhibitions or the like. This facility is also a convenience factor in decorating homes or offices, or for simple rearrangement of pictures when and as may be required.

The back surface of the two component parts are backed with double-sided adhesive tape or the like, wherein one side of the tape is affixed to the back surface of the first or second component, respectively, with the outer surface of the double-sided tape being covered by a release sheet until such time as the user wishes to attach the first or second component to the wall or to the picture, respectively.

In some embodiments, either component may also have one or more holes for nails or screw to provide extra strength in the attachment of either component to the wall or to the picture.

Ideally, the double-sided tape is of a type such as that provided by '3M' or the like, which facilitates attachment to or removal from the wall/picture when required without leaving holes or blemishes. In a preferred form of the invention, the double sided adhesive tape includes finger-grip releases tabs such as those supplied by '3M' under the trade mark 'COMMAND' adhesive.

The first and second parts of the picture hanging device can be fabricated from any suitable material, but are ideally made from plastics material, such as from sheet plastic in multi-layered laminated or sandwich construction using suitable adhesives, or by injection moulding. The product can be conveniently packaged as a single unit, two component device or in multiple unit packs. The individual components may also be packaged/supplied separately.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from a consideration of the above description, especially with reference to the accompanying drawings, taken in connection with the above described objects of the invention.

It will be appreciated that although primarily designed as a two-component picture hanging device, it is possible for either of the two components, if mounted on a vertical wall, to function similar to a conventional hook with a picture frame fitted with picture wire or string in the usual manner on the back or reverse side of the picture or object. In this regard the picture wire is supported broadly along a portion of its length by the picture hook component which is affixed to the wall, and the picture or other object so mounted can be easily adjusted to a level position on the wall by manual manipulation.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skills in the art that a number of changes, modifications or alterations to the invention described may be made, one of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications and alterations should therefor be seen as being within the scope of the present invention.

It should be appreciated that the present invention provides a substantial advance in wall hanging devices, providing all of the herein- described advantages without incurring any relative disadvantages.

Claims (3)

1. A picture hanging device comprising a first part adapted for attachment to a wall, and a second part adapted for attachment to a picture to be mounted on the wall, said first and second parts including coplanar members have interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of the two axially spaced apart parallel planes allowing adjustment of one of said parts relative to the other of said parts about a common horizontal axis of the interfitting arcuate contact faces in each of the two planes, characterised in that the coplanar member of the second part is a circular disc which comprises of one of the arcuate contact faces of the second part which co-operates with one of the interfitting contact faces of the first part, allowing for a full 360° rotation of the disc of the second part and of the attached picture or object relative to its interfitting arcuate contact face on the first part, which is affixed to the wall.

2. A picture hanging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part includes front and rear cover plates for the coplanar member wherein the rear cover plate is adapted for attachment to the wall, forming a receiving space or pocket between the front and rear cover plates, having an opening to said receiving space or pocket along at least a nominal upper edge of the first part, and wherein the second part includes front and rear cover plates for the coplanar member, wherein the rear cover plate is adapted for attachment to the rear surface of the picture, and wherein the front cover plate forms a depending tang member whereby when said first and second parts are conjoined together, the tang member of the second part is received and housed in the pocket of the first part to thereby secure the picture to the wall.

3. A picture hanging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part includes a front cover plate for the coplanar members, forming a receiving space or pocket between the front cover plate and an underlying wall surface when said first part is affixed to a wall, said receiving space or pocket having an opening along at least a nominal upper edge of the first part, and wherein the second part includes at least a front cover plate for the coplanar members and wherein said circular disc comprises the front cover plate, whereby when said first and second parts are conjoined together an arcuate portion of the circular disc is received and housed in the pocket of the first part to thereby secure the picture to the wall. Dated this 6th day of November, 2000 MEXEM PTY LIMITED -14-