EP4698018A1 - Anchor array - Google Patents

Abstract

An anchor array including at least two anchor segments that are integrally connected to each other by at least one reversibly bendable rail, wherein the at least one reversibly bendable rail is configured so that it is reversibly bendable about an axis of bending that is parallel to the transverse axis of the rail and wherein the anchor array, including the plurality of anchor segments and the at least one reversibly bendable rail, is a single-piece, integral entity.

Description

ANCHOR ARRAY

Background

Numerous products and devices exist for installing a hook or hanging device in a wall, such as for hanging a picture frame, a mirror, or the like.

Summary

In broad summary, herein is disclosed an anchor array including at least two anchor segments that are integrally connected to each other by at least one reversibly bendable rail. In various aspects, also disclosed are kits and assemblies including such anchor arrays, and methods of using such anchor arrays, kits, and assemblies. These and other aspects will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should this broad summary be construed to limit the claimable subject matter, whether such subject matter is presented in claims in the application as initially filed or in claims that are amended or otherwise presented in prosecution.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the outward side of an exemplary anchor array.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outward side of another exemplary anchor array.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the outward side of an upper portion of an exemplary anchor array.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the inward side of the upper portion of the anchor array of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view depicting installation of an exemplary anchor array onto a wall.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing the anchor array of Fig. 6 as installed into a wall.

Fig. 7 is an outward-side perspective view of an exemplary anchor array with a secondary accessory attached to the anchor array and with primary accessories attached to the secondary accessory.

Fig. 8 is an exploded partial view of the assembly of Fig. 8.

Like reference numbers in the various figures indicate like elements. Some elements may be present in identical or equivalent multiples; in such cases only one or more representative elements may be designated by a reference number but it will be understood that such reference numbers apply to all such identical elements. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures and drawings are not to scale and are chosen for the purpose of illustrating different embodiments of the invention. In particular the dimensions of the various components are depicted in illustrative terms only, and no relationship between the dimensions of the various components should be inferred from the drawings, unless so indicated.

Terms such as vertical, above and below, and upward and downward directions along a vertical axis; and, terms such as horizontal, and left and right directions along the horizontal axis, have their ordinary meaning with respect to generally vertical wall and to an item (e.g., an anchor) that is present on a generally vertically wall. Terms such as outward and inward are defined with respect to a wall on which an item is present. Inward refers to a direction generally toward the wall; outward refers to a direction generally away from the wall. The term “wall” generically denotes any entity with a generally vertically oriented major surface on which an anchor of the general type described herein can be mounted. The term “wall” is used for convenience; such an entity does not necessarily have to be a wall of a building or other immovable structure. Rather, the entity could be, for example, a movable partition or partial partition, a temporary partition or display panel, an interior panel of a vehicle, and so on.

Although terms such as “first” and “second” may be used in this disclosure, it should be understood that those terms are used in their relative sense only, unless otherwise noted. As used herein as a modifier to a property or attribute, the term “generally”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property or attribute would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring a high degree of approximation. The term “substantially”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means to a high degree of approximation. The term “configured to” and like terms is at least as restrictive as the term “adapted to”, and requires actual design intention to perform the specified function rather than mere capability of performing such a function. Terms such as “a” and “an”, particularly when used in combination with comprises, comprising, and like terms, will be understood to mean “at least one”; e.g. the phrase “comprising an accessory” means “comprising at least one accessory”.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure provides an anchor array 1 that can be mounted onto a wall and can be used to support at least one accessory that is attached to the anchor array. Exemplary anchor arrays 1 are depicted in outward perspective views in Figs. 1 and 2. An anchor array 1 will comprise a plurality of (meaning at least two) anchor segments 10. The exemplary anchor array 1 of Fig. 1 comprises ten anchor segments 10; the exemplary anchor array of Fig. 2 comprises four anchor segments 10. By definition, an anchor array 1 as supplied to an end-user will comprise at least two anchor segments 10. Any number (e.g. four, eight, ten, or up to twenty of more) of anchor segments may be present.

An anchor array 1 and anchor segments 10 thereof, will comprise a longitudinal axis that, when the array is installed on a wall, will be at least generally vertically oriented. The longitudinal axis of these items may thus be referred to occasionally referred to herein as a vertical axis; this is for convenience of description and it will be understood that prior to being installed on a wall, the anchor array may be in other orientations. To enable the descriptions and characterizations herein, the vertical axis V, and upward U and downward D directions along this axis, are indicated in various Figures. Anchor array 1 and components thereof will comprise an inward (wallward) direction I and an outward direction O, defining an inwardoutward axis, also as indicated in various Figures. Anchor array 1 and components thereof will comprise a transverse (lateral) axis T, also as indicated in various Figures. Typically, with the anchor array 1 mounted on a wall, the transverse axis T of the anchor array will be at least generally aligned with the horizontal direction of the wall.

As mentioned, anchor array 1 will comprise a plurality of anchor segments 10. One such anchor segment will be a lowermost segment 5 that is at a lower end 4 of the anchor array. One such anchor segment will be an uppermost segment 3 that is at an upper end 2 of the anchor array. In some embodiments the uppermost and/or lowermost anchor segments may be arranged slightly differently from other anchor segments (and from each other); the uppermost and lowermost anchor segments are identified in various Figures by specific reference numerals 3 and 5, for ease of identification. Other anchor segments, e.g. a nearest-neighbor anchor segment of a reference anchor segment, may be referred to herein e.g. with indicia (e.g. 10’), again for ease of identification. Any such individually -described segments (3, 5, 10’, etc.) will fall into the general category of an anchor segment, signified by reference number 10.

Each anchor segment 10 of anchor array 1 will comprise a main body 11 that, in many embodiments, may be in the form of a plate (noting however that this main body does not necessarily have to be strictly or uniformly planar throughout its extent). Each plate 11 (and the anchor segment 10 as a whole) will have an upper end 15 and an opposing (along the longitudinal/vertical axis) lower end 19, first and second opposing (along transverse axis T) transverse edges 14, and an inward side 27 and an opposing (along inward-outward axis I-O) outward side 28, all as illustrated in Fig. 3.

An anchor segment 10 will comprise at least first and second curved prongs 12 that integrally extend at least generally inward from plate 11 and that are respectively located proximate the first and second transverse edges 14 of the plate. Curved prongs 12 as depicted e.g. in Figs. 3 and 4 are located proximate upper end 15 of plate 11. For example, each curved prong 12 may integrally extend inward from upper end 15 of plate 11, and/or may integrally extend inward from the upper end of a transverse edge 14 of the plate (noting that the lower, unnumbered set of curved prongs in Figs. 3 and 4 belong to the lower, partially-viewed anchor segment 10’, not to the uppermost, fully-viewed anchor segment 3). The term “proximate” does not require that each prong 12 must necessarily extend from the uppermost edge of upper end 15, nor does it require that each prong 12 must necessarily extend from the outermost terminus of a transverse edges 14. Rather, the term “proximate” merely implies that the outward base of the prong originates from a location that is at, or close to (e.g., within 2 mm of), the end, edge, or location in question. Each curved prong 12 extends along an arc to a wall-penetrating inward end 13 in the general manner evident in Figs. 1 and 2. In many embodiments, the curved prongs 12 will be transversely spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance, as evident from Figs. 1-2.

Prongs 12 are configured (e.g., are shaped, and are constructed of a suitable material or materials) so that they can penetrate into a wall that is comprised of e.g. wallboard (also referred to as drywall, sheetrock, gypsum board, and so on). Such wall materials have been found to be soft enough to be penetrated with curved prongs in the general manner described herein, while being stiff enough to firmly hold the prongs (and thus the entire anchor) in place once installed. The lengths of the prongs can be varied to allow selection for a specific thickness of wallboard. Often, the prongs may comprise tapered wallpenetrating ends 13 and/or may exhibit gradual taper along a considerable portion of their length. The curved prongs can have a fixed radius of curvature, or have varying radii of curvature at various points, either discretely or continuous, along the prong. The curved prongs may have any suitable aspect ratio. The curved prongs 12 will be configured (shaped) so that the outward portions of the curved prongs will follow the wall-penetrating ends 13 of the prongs into the wall, each along a penetration path that is carved by the continued penetration of the wall-penetrating end 13, e.g. upon the application of wallward force to the anchor segment in the general manner depicted in Fig. 5.

In the arrangements disclosed herein, nearest-neighbor anchor segments of the plurality of anchor segments 10 are directly integrally connected to each other by way of at least one reversibly bendable rail 21 that integrally extends downward from an upper anchor segment of the two anchor segments and that integrally connects to an upper end of a lower anchor segment of the two anchor segments. The two, upper and lower anchor segments will be directly integrally connected to each other by way of the at least one reversibly bendable rail 21, e.g. as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4.

As mentioned above, in Figs. 3 and 4, one such anchor segment 10 is an uppermost anchor segment (individually numbered as 3), with a portion of a second, nearest neighbor anchor segment (individually numbered as 10’) also depicted. In the depicted embodiment, the at least one reversibly bendable rail 21 that integrally connects anchor segments 3 and 10’ is in the form of first and second edge-rails 21 that integrally extend downward from first and second transverse edges 14 of the upper anchor segment 3 and that integrally connect to first and second transverse edges of the nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’. In the depicted embodiment, the lower ends of edge-rails 21 integrally connect to the transverse edges of segment 10’ at the upper and of segment 10’, as evident in Figs. 3 and 4.

In many embodiments, an anchor array 1 will comprise a plurality of anchor segments 10 with one or more rails 21, e.g. a pair of transversely -opposed edge-rails, being provided that directly connect the anchor segments of each nearest-neighbor pair of anchor segments to each other so as to form an array of e.g. ten anchor segments as shown in Fig. 1, four anchor segments as shown in Fig. 2, or any suitable number of anchor segments. By an array is meant a set of anchor segments that are arranged in a linear fashion (so that each anchor segment is directly connected to no more than two nearest-neighbor anchor segments) and are arranged at a desired spacing (which may be uniform or non-uniform, as desired) along the longitudinal axis of the array.

In some embodiments, all such anchor segments 10, and their various components, will be integrally connected to each other so that the anchor array 1 is a single-piece, integral body. Such arrangements are readily apparent in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus in many embodiments the anchor array, including the plurality of anchor segments and the at least one reversibly bendable rail that connects the various neighboring anchor segments of the array to each other, will be a single-piece, integral entity. In such embodiments, the anchor array may take the form of a single, integral piece of material (e.g. made of a metal such as steel or aluminum, or of an organic polymeric material that is e.g. injection-molded, and so on). Various portions of the single, integral piece of material may be e.g. formed, cut, bent, molded, removed, etc., to form the anchor segments and the various features thereof. In various embodiments, an anchor array 1 and its various components may be made of metal, e.g. stainless steel, titanium, cobaltchromium alloy, or a shape-memory alloy such as an alloy of nickel and titanium (e.g., Nitinol). In particular embodiments, the anchor array may be made from a metal plate (e.g. of uniform thickness in what will become the inward-outward direction of the anchor array) which is cut and then formed, e.g. by bending, into the various components described herein. It will be appreciated from Figs. 1-4 that the exemplary arrays depicted therein can be formed in such a manner. As noted, in some embodiments an uppermost anchor segment 3 of an anchor array, and/or a lowermost anchor segment 5 of an anchor array, may have certain features or arrangements that differ from other anchor segments of the array, as discussed in detail later herein.

Each reversibly bendable rail 21 (e.g., first and second edge-rails 21) that integrally connects two neighboring anchor segments, is configured so that it is reversibly bendable about an axis of bending that is oriented at least generally or substantially parallel to the transverse axis of the anchor segments. This property will allow neighboring anchor segments to be sequentially installed into a wall until the entire anchor array is installed on the wall as described in detail below. Such arrangements are depicted in idealized, generic representation in Fig. 5.

With reference to Fig. 5, to mount anchor array 1 on a wall 60, the anchor array may be brought to a suitable location of a wall, and will typically be oriented so that the longitudinal axis of the anchor array is at least generally aligned with the vertical axis of the wall (although portions of the anchor array may be oriented at a slight offset angle relative to the wall at various times in the installation process, as discussed later herein). Wallward force is applied (e.g., manual force applied by the fingers of an end-user) to the lowermost anchor segment (individually numbered as 5) of the anchor array, so that this anchor segment 5 rotates about an axis of rotation that is proximate a lowermost edge 25 of this anchor segment 5. The axis of rotation will be at least generally aligned with the transverse axis of the anchor array and with the horizontal axis of the wall (this axis of rotation is in-and-out-of-plane in the side view of Fig. 5). The pressure will cause the curved prongs 12 of anchor segment 5 to penetrate into the outer surface 61 of wall 60 and to continue penetrating inward (wallward) into wall 60 until they are fully seated into wall 60, thus causing the lowermost anchor segment 5 to be installed into wall 60. (This process is shown as already having been completed, in the view of Fig. 5).

During this rotational mounting of lowermost anchor segment 5 into wall 60, the at least one rail 21 that integrally connects lowermost anchor segment 5 with its upward (and only) nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’ (as individually numbered in Fig. 5) will reversibly bend, about an axis of bending that is at least generally aligned with the transverse axis of the anchor array and the transverse axis of the individual anchor segments 5 and 10’. This axis of bending of rail 21 will thus be parallel to the above-described axis of rotation of the lowermost anchor segment 5. The approximate location of this axis of bending of rail 21 is indicated by reference numeral 29 in Fig. 5. The rail(s) 21, as temporarily bent in this manner, will thus temporarily exhibit a slight concave-out shape as evident in Fig. 5.

The bending of rail 21 in this manner will allow lowermost anchor segment 5 to be fully mounted on wall 60 while its upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’ is held at an offset angle relative to anchor segment 5 (and to wall 60), as evident from Fig. 5. After lowermost anchor segment 5 is fully mounted, force can now be applied to anchor segment 10’ (as indicated by block arrow 62) to cause anchor segment 10’ to rotate about an axis that is proximate a lowermost edge of anchor segment 10’, so as to cause the curved prongs 12’ of anchor segment 10’ to penetrate into wall 60 so that anchor segment 10’ becomes fully installed on wall 60 in the same manner as anchor segment 5.

In Fig. 5, this step is depicted as partially accomplished (with the prongs 12’ of anchor segment 10’ partially penetrated into wall 60). As this step is performed, the rail(s) 21’ that connects anchor segment 10’ to its upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment (individually numbered in Fig. 5 as 10”) will begin to reversibly bend in the same manner as did the rail(s) 21 that connect anchor segments 5 and 10’. Fig. 5 depicts this bending of rail(s) 21’ as having just started, with the location of the axis of bending being indicated by reference numeral 29’. As this occurs, rail(s) 21 that connect anchor segments 5 and 10’ will be in the process of unbending back toward their original, e.g. straight configuration. (In other words, at the point in time shown in Fig. 5, rail(s) 21 that connect anchor segments 5 and 10’ have already reached their maximum bending and have already begun to unbend from that maximum bending.) Here and elsewhere, by rails 21, and anchor array 1 as a whole, being “straight” means when viewed from the side, along the transverse axis of the anchor array.

The above-described process can be carried out in upward sequence for all of the anchor segments 10 of the anchor array. The result will be as depicted in Fig. 6 with all of the anchor segments 10 having been fully installed into the wall 60. As evident from Fig. 6, all of the rails 21 that integrally connect the various pairs of neighboring anchor segments, will have fully unbent back to their original, straight configuration, e.g. so that anchor array 1 exhibits an elongate axis that is straight and is at least generally or substantially parallel to the vertical axis of the wall on which the anchor array is installed.

As disclosed herein, rails 21 are sufficiently bendable to allow pairs of anchor segments 10 to be temporarily angled relative to each other to an extent sufficient to allow the herein-described sequential installation of the anchor segments. The rails thus serve to hold the anchor segments together in the form of a linear array at a predefined spacing, while being bendable enough to allow the temporary offset-angling to be achieved to facilitate sequential installation. It will be appreciated that the herein-described sequential installation of anchor segments, with each anchor segment being installed by being rotated, allows the anchor segments to be installed with far less application of force than, for example, if the anchor array were longitudinally rigid so that all of the anchor segments had to be installed at once while maintained in a planar, wall-parallel format.

With reference to Fig. 3, in the above-described rotational mounting of an anchor segment 10 (3) onto a wall, the axis of rotation will typically be at a location where the lowermost edge 25 of the anchor segment (as seen e.g. in Fig. 3) closely approaches, e.g. contacts, the outer surface of the wall. This axis of rotation is thus typically not at a location at which the lower ends of rails 21 join the upper end 26 of the downward nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’. Rather, the axis of rotation is typically vertically offset a slight distance above the junction of the rails 21 with the upper end 26 of the neighboring anchor segment 10’. Although this offset distance may be rather small (e.g. commensurate with the vertical “width” of gap 24, which is discussed in detail later herein), it can allow the rotational mounting to be achieved easily and with minimum force, and is facilitated by the provision that the rails 21 are able to temporarily bend in the manner described herein.

It is noted in passing that (as evident from Figs. 5 and 6) the longitudinal axis of an anchor array 1 will not necessarily be aligned parallel to a vertical axis of a wall along the entire longitudinal length of the anchor array until the anchor array is fully installed onto the wall as in the depiction of Fig. 6. Until such time (in particular, during installation of the anchor array onto the wall) at least some anchor segments of the anchor array may be positioned at an off-angle relative to the wall, as evident from Fig. 5. Nevertheless, the arrangements (in particular, various geometric relationships including the characterization of various items as e.g. upper, uppermost, lower, lowermost, and so on) described herein will be with reference to an anchor array that is considered to be in a vertical orientation.

The rail(s) 21 that connect the various pairs of neighboring anchor segments may be configured (e.g. shaped and sized) to ensure that they tend to bend rather gradually and uniformly (e.g. as shown in Fig. 5) rather than e.g. forming a very sharp bend or “kink” at any one specific location along the rail. This can help ensure that the bending is reversible rather than tending to impart a permanent set or shape to the as-bent rail. Thus in various embodiments, during the act of installing the anchor array on a wall, a reversibly bendable rail 21 may be bent, but only so as to exhibit a radius of curvature that is no less than 2, 4, 6 or 8 mm. Similarly, the rails 21, as well as the anchor segments themselves, may be configured so that when one anchor segment is fully mounted on a wall (e.g. as with anchor segment 5 of Fig. 5) with the upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment (anchor segment 10’ of Fig. 5) of the wall-mounted anchor segment 5 not yet being mounted on the wall, the upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment (anchor segment 10’ of Fig. 5) may temporarily exhibit an off-angle relative to the wall-mounted anchor, that is from at least 5, 10, or 15, to no more than 40, 30, or 20 degrees. The exemplary depiction of Fig. 5 shows anchor segment 10’ at an angle of approximately 15 degrees with regard to anchor segment 5; however, this is with anchor segment 10’ having already been partially installed. Any such characterization of offset angles may be obtained e.g. using a major plane of each anchor segment as a basis. Any such off-angle will of course drop to generally or substantially zero upon completing the mounting of the upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment on the wall. An off-angle will now exist between this newly-mounted anchor segment and its upward-nearest neighbor anchor segment, and so on, as the anchor segments are successively mounted to the wall in upward progression.

In various embodiments, a rail 21 may be configured to have an elongate length (generally along the longitudinal axis of the anchor segments), a width (generally along the transverse axis of the anchor segments) and/or a thickness (generally along the inward-outward axis of the anchor segments) that (along with the choice of material of which the anchor segments and rails, are made) promotes the above behavior. In some embodiments, the inward-outward thickness of the anchor segment may need to be chosen in a range that allows the above-described plates, prongs, and so on, to function as desired. With this accomplished, the rail length and the rail width, and in particular the aspect ratio of rail length to rail width, may then be chosen to promote the desired reversable bending of the rail(s). In some embodiments, a rail 21 (e.g. an edge-rail 21 as depicted e.g. in Figs. 3 and 4) may be elongate with a long axis that is at least generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the anchor array, with the length of the rail being from at least 20, 30 or 35 to 60, 50, or 45 % of the total length (again along the longitudinal axis of the anchor array) of the anchor segment from which the rail extends. (By way of a specific example, edge-rails 21 as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4 comprise a length that is estimated to be approximately 40 % of the length of anchor segment 3.)

In various embodiments, a rail 21 may exhibit an aspect ratio, defined as the ratio of the abovedescribed length of the rail to the width of the rail in a direction along the transverse axis of the anchor array, of from at least 6: 1, 8:1, 10: 1, or 12:1, to at most 20: 1, 18: 1, 16: 1, or 14: 1. (By way of a specific example, edge-rails 21 as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4 comprise an aspect ratio that is estimated to be approximately 10:1.)

As noted, in some embodiments the plates 11 of the various anchor segments of an anchor array 1, and the rails 21 (as well as e.g. the prongs 12) may all be made (e.g. by cutting and bending) from a single sheet of e.g. metal. Thus in some such embodiments, the thickness (along the inward-outward direction) of rails 21 may be at least generally, substantially, or exactly the same as the thickness of plates 11. Similarly, in some embodiments the plates 11 of an anchor array 1 and the rails 21 of the anchor array, may all be coplanar with each other e.g. until such time as the above-described temporary bending of a rail performed during the process of installing the anchor array on a wall.

In the depicted exemplary embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, at least some anchor segments 10 comprise a plate 11 comprises an upper portion 16 with a first transverse width and further comprises a lower portion 18 that is integrally connected to the upper portion by way of an intermediate portion 17. In some embodiments first and second edge-rails 21 may integrally extend downward from the first and second transverse edges of the intermediate portion 17 of plate 11. In some embodiments a lower portion 18 of plate 11 may exhibit a second transverse width that is smaller than the first transverse width exhibited by an upper portion 16 of plate 11. In some embodiments, first and second transversely -outward edges 23 of a lower portion 18 of the plate 11 may respectively define transversely -inward boundaries of first and second longitudinally -elongate gaps 22 that transversely flank the lower portion 18 of the plate and that transversely separate the lower portion 18 of plate 11 from first and second edge-rails 21. By “gap” is meant an opening that passes completely through the thickness of an entity (e.g. a plate) in the inward-outward direction. In some embodiments, first and second longitudinally -elongate gaps 22 may each be connected to a transversely -elongate gap 24 that separates the lower end 19 (e.g., a lowermost edge 25 of lower end 19) of an upper anchor segment (e.g. anchor segment 10/3 of Figs. 3 and 4) from the upper end 15’, and the uppermost edge 26’, of a downward nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’. In some such embodiments, the combination of longitudinally -elongate gaps 22 and transversely -elongate gap 24 may form an upwardly - open “U” shape as evident in Figs. 3 and 4. In some such embodiments, the two anchor segments (e.g. upper and lower anchor segments as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4) may be connected to each other only by the first and second edge-rails 21. In some such embodiments, a lower terminal edge 25 of the lower end 19 of an upper plate 11 may define an upper boundary of the transversely -elongate gap 24. This lower terminal edge 25 of the lower end 19 of the upper plate 11 may be configured to provide a wall-contact surface that contacts a wall onto which the anchor array is being installed. This location of contact may provide an axis of rotation about which the upper plate (and the upper anchor segment as a whole) is rotated during mounting of the upper anchor segment of the anchor array onto the wall. During this rotation of the upper anchor segment 3, the inward surface 27’ of the plate 11’ of the (already -wall-mounted) lower anchor segment 10’, may be in contact with, and remain in contact with, the surface of the wall.

In some embodiments, an uppermost anchor segment 3 and/or a lowermost anchor segment 5 of an anchor array may be configured slightly differently from other anchor segments, in view of their position at an end of the anchor array. For example, since lowermost anchor segment 5 has no downward nearest- neighbor anchor segment and thus will not need to be at an offset angle with respect to a downward nearest- neighbor anchor segment, there is no need for a lowermost anchor segment 5 to have any reversibly bendable rails 21 extending downward from anchor segment 5. Thus, as evident from Figs. 1 and 2, in some embodiments a lowermost anchor segment 5 may not have any of the above-described rails 21 or elongate gaps 22. With regard to uppermost anchor segment 3, in some embodiments the upper end 15 of such an uppermost anchor segment 3 may be configured slightly differently from the upper end of other anchor segments. For example, as visible in Figs. 3 and 4, the upper end 15 of uppermost anchor segment 3 does not extend upward e.g. part the point at which curved prongs 13 connect with anchor segment 3. This can be contrasted with the upper end 15’ of downward nearest-neighbor anchor segment 10’ as shown in Fig. 4, in which the upper end 15’ of anchor segment 10’ extends slightly upward past the point at which the curved prongs of anchor segment 10’ connect with the anchor segment. However, these are exemplary arrangements and any such relationship of these entities can be varied as desired.

As described in detail above, in the arrangements presented herein, anchor segments 10 e.g. of an integral, single-piece anchor array 1 are integrally connected to each other by at least one rail (e.g., by two edge-rails) 21 that is/are reversibly bendable to allow neighboring anchor segments to temporarily assume an offset angle relative to each other during installation of the anchor array onto a wall. By definition, such an arrangement this is distinguished from an arrangement in which prong-bearing items (whether in the form of plates, assemblies, etc.) are hingedly connected to each other in the manner of items that are made separately and are then connected to each other so that they can rotate relative to each other. That is, while reversibly bendable rail arrangement disclosed herein may, in some aspects, resemble a so-called “living hinge” as sometimes provided in injection-molded thermoplastics, such a rail arrangement will not be equated with a hinge obtained by connecting together two separate parts. A rail arrangement as disclosed herein will also be distinguished in that the rail(s) is/are configured to bend over a considerable portion of the total length of the rail(s), with the bending being quite gradual (with the as-bent rail(s) thus exhibiting a rather large radius of curvature rather than forming a sharp comer or V). In many embodiments, an anchor array as disclosed herein will be configured so that the previously -described offset angle that is temporarily formed between neighboring anchor segments during installation on a wall, will be limited to e.g. less than 50, 40, or 20 degrees. This can be contrasted to e.g. hinged arrangements in which items are free to rotate relative to each other to a very large extent, e.g. to 50 degrees or more.

In some embodiments, all anchor segments 10 of an anchor array 1 as disclosed herein are not hingedly connected to each other and have no other item or component that is hingedly connected to any of the anchor segments. In some such embodiments, the anchor array may consist essentially of the integral set of anchor segments, including their various plates, curved prongs, edge-rails, mounting features (as described below), and so on. (Such arrangements still allow one or more accessories to be attached to the anchor array without violating the consisting-essentially-of requirement.)

In some embodiments, an anchor array 1 as disclosed herein may be used for the direct support of one or more objects that is/are desired to be mounted, hung, or otherwise supported e.g. on a wall. Such an object may be e.g. a framed picture or some other decorative, ornamental or functional object. In some embodiments, at least one anchor segment 10 of the anchor array 1 may comprise at least one mounting feature that can enable such functioning. For example, certain anchor segment components are described below as being suitable for serving as an “accessory-mounting feature”; in some embodiments, such features may be used for the direct support of an object. By way of a specific example, an accessorymounting feature 31 in the form of an outwardly -protruding tab 32, as depicted e.g. in Fig. 3 and as described in detail below, may be used to support a hanging wire of a framed picture or similar object.

In some embodiments, an anchor array 1 may be configured to accept an accessory that is attached or otherwise mounted to the anchor array. An accessory is defined herein as an item that is configured to be attached to, e.g. installed onto, an anchor array (typically, after the anchor array has been mounted onto a wall), so that the assembly formed by the accessory and the anchor array can be used to support one or more objects. In many embodiments, the accessory may be removably attachable to the anchor, e.g. so that the accessory can be removed from the anchor at such time as it is desired to remove the anchor from the wall.

In some embodiments an anchor array and an accessory may be provided to an end user in a format in which the accessory is fitted onto the anchor array. This may be done e.g. for space-savings in packaging of the product and/or so that an end user can see how the assembly is to be constructed in actual use. In such cases, the accessory will typically be detached from the anchor array in order to mount the anchor array on a wall, after which the accessory can be installed on the wall-mounted anchor array. Of course, in a kit as provided to an end-user, an accessory need not be fitted onto an anchor array; rather, any number of anchor arrays and/or accessories may be provided separately within a packaged kit. Such a kit may also comprise instructions for use, and other ancillary materials.

In some embodiments, only a single accessory may be used, the accessory being attached to, and supported by, a wall-mounted anchor array, with the anchor array and accessory functioning to support the weight of whatever object or objects is/are desired to be mounted on the wall, hung from the wall, displayed, etc. The accessory may take the general form of e.g. a hook, a bracket, a post, a ring, a rod-holder, a container, etc., and may serve to directly support the weight of an object or objects (e.g. a frame picture, a decorative wall hanging, an article of clothing, a towel, a curtain rod, toiletries, etc.). In some embodiments, an accessory that is attached to an anchor array may not serve to directly support the weight of an object, but rather may serve to accept another accessory that is configured to accept an object to be supported. In such embodiments, the object-supporting accessory (which may be e.g. a hook, a bracket, a shelf, etc.) will be referred to as a primary accessory and the accessory that is attached to the anchor and that accepts the primary accessory, will be referred to as a secondary accessory. The secondary accessory will comprise features that allow the secondary accessory to be attached to the anchor array; and, it will further comprise features and allow the primary accessory to be coupled to the secondary accessory. In some embodiments, a secondary accessory may provide a universal-installation system that allows any of several types of primary accessories to be coupled to a secondary accessory and thus installed onto an anchor.

An anchor array 1 as disclosed herein can comprise at least one accessory -mounting feature that is configured to allow a complementary mounting feature of an accessory to mate therewith, so as to attach the accessory to the anchor array (again, this is typically done with the anchor array already mounted on the wall). One implementation of such arrangements involves equipping the anchor array 1 with at least one accessory -mounting feature 31 in the form of a generally outwardly -protruding tab 32 as visible e.g. in Figs. 2 and 3. The exemplary tabs 32 as visible in these Figures were formed by cutting (of e.g. a metal plate, along with cutting the plate to form the other components and arrangements disclosed herein) and then bending the tabs generally outward. Through-apertures 35 are thus left behind in plates 11 of the anchor segments 10. In the depicted exemplary embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2, every anchor segment 10 includes an accessory -mounting feature 31 (in the form of identical tabs 32). However, in some embodiments it may not be necessary for every anchor segment 10 to have an accessory-mounting feature; for example, only every other anchor segment may have such a feature. In some embodiments, not all such features need necessarily be identical.

An exemplary assembly 100 which can be formed by attaching at least one accessory to an anchor array 1 is shown in assembled perspective view in Fig. 7 and in exploded perspective partial view in Fig. 8. It is emphasized that the particular accessories depicted in these figures, and their arrangements for being attached to an anchor array, are exemplary and are included for purposes of generically illustrating the concepts disclosed herein. In the depicted embodiment, an accessory 40, in the form of a vertically -elongate plate, may be mounted onto an anchor array 1. In the depicted embodiment, the anchor array has 1 anchor segments 10, each of which has an accessory -mounting feature 31 in the form of a generally outwardly- protruding tab 32 of the general type described above. The accessory 40 likewise comprises ten complementary mounting features 41, in the form of through-apertures that are upwardly -tapered so as to exhibit a wide lower portion 46 and a narrow upper portion 43 that is bounded by an upper lintel 42. Such an accessory 40 may be positioned in front of a wall-mounted anchor array 1 so that tabs 32 are aligned with the wide lower portion 46 and moved inward/wallward so that the tabs 32 of the anchor segments pass through the wide lower portions 46 of the through-apertures 41. The accessory 40 may then be moved downward so that the narrow shaft portions 34 of tabs 32 move upward in the narrow upper portions 43 of apertures 41. The shaft portions 34 of tabs 32 will contact the upper lintels 42 of apertures 41 thus causing the weight of accessory 40 to be supported by tabs 32 and thus by anchor array 1 as a whole. The mushroomheads 33 of the tabs 32 will be positioned outward of the narrow upper portions 43 of apertures 41, so that accessory 40 is held so that it cannot be dislodged outward unless accessory 40 is moved upward so that mushroom-heads 33 are again aligned with the wide lower portions of apertures 41.

In the depicted embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, accessory 40 is a secondary accessory to which one or more primary accessories 50 can be coupled. In the depicted embodiment, primary accessory 50 is an outwardly -elongate arm that can e.g. serve as a holder for a shelf or the like. In the depicted embodiment, two such primary accessories 50 can be coupled to secondary accessory 40, in a horizontally-spaced-apart manner, to provide more robust support (only one of the two primary accessories 50 is shown in the exploded partial view of Fig. 8). To enable the mounting of primary accessory 50 to secondary accessory 40, the inward end of primary accessory 50 may comprise one or more vertically oriented J-tabs 51 as visible in Fig. 8. Secondary accessory 40 may in turn comprise one or more vertically oriented receiving slots 44 that each receives a J-tab 51 inwardly therethrough. Multiple J-tabs 51 may be provided, e.g. in a vertically-stacked manner as evident from Fig. 8), and secondary accessory 40 may comprise multiple vertically-stacked receiving slots 44, also as evident in Fig. 8. A primary accessory 50 may be held near the secondary accessory 40 and then moved wallward so that the J-tabs pass inward through receiving slots 44, after which the primary accessory 50 may be moved slightly downward to firmly seat the J-tabs 51 in slots 44. The primary accessory 50, coupled to the secondary accessory 40 in this manner, cannot be decoupled from the secondary accessory unless the primary accessory is moved upward so that the J-tabs 51 can be retracted outward through the receiving slots 44.

In the depicted embodiment, secondary accessory 40 may be arranged to have sufficient depth (in the inward-outward direction) so that the J-tabs can reside inwardly of the main body of secondary accessory 40. In the depicted embodiment, secondary accessory 40 has first and second transverse wings 45 that are angled inward, toward the wall, e.g. so that little or no portions of anchor array 1 is visible from the side. Again, it is emphasized that the above arrangements are exemplary and that many arrangements and configurations of complementary mounting features of an anchor array 1 , and secondary and/or primary accessories and complementary mating features thereof, may be used.

The arrangements disclosed herein thus provide an easy and convenient way in which multiple anchors, in the form of anchor segments 10 that are connected to each other so as to collectively form an anchor array 1, can be installed on a wall at a desired orientation and at a predetermined spacing. The arrangements disclosed herein also provide easy and convenient ways in which one or more accessories can be attached to a wall-mounted anchor array. Any of the anchor arrays and accessories disclosed herein, and assemblies of various such entities, may be straightforwardly removed from a wall at a desired time. For example, any objects that are supported by an accessory may be removed, after which the accessory can be detached from the anchor array. If primary and secondary accessories are present, the primary accessory can be detached from the secondary accessory if this is needed prior to the detaching of the secondary accessory from the anchor array. The anchor segments 10 of the anchor array can then be removed from the wall by sequentially rotating them outward, e.g. starting with the uppermost anchor segment 3 and proceeding downward. In some embodiments an upper end 15 of an uppermost anchor segment 3 may comprise an outwardly -angled flange to allow the removal to be easily initiated. The anchor array removal process will thus be generally the reverse of the previously-described anchor array installation process. During the removal process, pairs of nearest-neighbor anchor segments will again temporarily exhibit an offset angle relative to each other, as the reversibly bendable rail(s) that connect the two anchor segments of the pair, become temporarily bent.

It is again emphasized that many variations are possible within the overall boundaries of the abovedescribed arrangements. For example, in some embodiments an anchor array, rather than being provided to an end user in a straight (when viewed along its transverse axis) configuration as in Figs. 1-4, may be precurved, e.g. at the factory, into a desired arcuate shape (again when viewed along the transverse axis of the anchor array; in such a case the anchor array may resemble a simple open monotone polygonal chain). In other words, some or all of the reversibly bendable rails may already be bent to at least a certain extent, in the product as supplied. In such a case, the installation procedure may not necessarily involve any further bending of the rails; rather, the already -bent rails will sequentially be unbent in turn, as the arcuate anchor array becomes straightened as the installation proceeds. By way of further examples, a complementary mating feature of an accessory need not take any of the exact forms depicted herein, nor must an accessorymounting feature of an anchor necessarily take any of the exact forms depicted herein. For example, an accessory-mounting feature of an anchor array may be a generally outward-and-upward-extending tab, e.g. in the general manner of tabs 170 and 180 as depicted in Figs. 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 20220279945, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. It is noted that the ‘945 publication does not disclose an anchor array of the type disclosed herein; the ‘945 publication is incorporated purely for the purpose of broadening the disclosure of the types of complementary mounting features that may be used in anchor arrays and accessories disclosed herein. Further along these lines, U.S. Provisional Patent Applications 63/439648 and 63/439775 disclose various features and arrangements (e.g. involving coupling structures in the general form of flanges, wings, wedges, rails, beams and so on) by which an accessory may be attached to an anchor. The application ‘648 and ‘775 provisional applications are likewise incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

The assemblies and arrangements disclosed herein may be used to support, hang, etc., myriad items and objects from walls (whether painted, unpainted, etc.) such wallboard, drywall, plaster, and so on. Objects that can be supported by the arrangements described herein include, but are not limited to, wall hangings, heavy art, mirrors, organizers, holders, baskets, containers, bicycles, toys, lawn games, gardening tools, decorations (e.g., holiday decorations), dispensers, wire clips, guitars, floating shelves, plants, curtain rods, heavy-duty hooks, brackets, wall sconces, articles of clothing, towels and other toiletry items, and so on. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific exemplary embodiments, elements, structures, features, details, arrangements, configurations, etc., that are disclosed herein can be modified and/or combined in numerous ways. It is emphasized that any embodiment disclosed herein may be used in combination with any other compatible embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. While a limited number of exemplary combinations are presented herein, it is emphasized that all such combinations are envisioned and are only prohibited in the specific instance of a combination that is incompatible.

In summary, numerous variations and combinations are contemplated as being within the bounds of the conceived invention, not merely those representative designs that were chosen to serve as exemplary illustrations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrative stmctures described herein, but rather extends at least to the structures described by the language of the claims, and the equivalents of those structures. Any of the elements that are positively recited in this specification as alternatives may be explicitly included in the claims or excluded from the claims, in any combination as desired. Any of the elements or combinations of elements that are recited in this specification in open-ended language (e.g., comprise and derivatives thereof), are considered to additionally be recited in closed-ended language (e.g., consist and derivatives thereof) and in partially closed-ended language (e.g., consist essentially, and derivatives thereof). To the extent that there is any conflict or discrepancy between this specification as written and the disclosure in any document that is incorporated by reference herein, this specification as written will control.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A anchor array for mounting onto a wall to form a support assembly, the anchor array exhibiting a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, and an inward-outward axis, and the anchor array comprising a plurality of integrally -connected anchor segments, with each anchor segment comprising: a plate with upper and lower ends and first and second transverse edges; at least first and second curved prongs that integrally extend at least generally inward from the plate and that are respectively located proximate the first and second transverse edges of the plate, proximate the upper end of the plate, each curved prong extending along an arc to a wall-penetrating inward end; and, wherein at least two of the anchor segments of the plurality of anchor segments are directly integrally connected to each other by way of at least one reversibly bendable rail that integrally extends downward from an upper anchor segment of the two anchor segments and that integrally connects to an upper end of a lower anchor segment of the two anchor segments, and wherein the at least one reversibly bendable rail is configured so that it is reversibly bendable about an axis of bending that is parallel to the transverse axis of the rail and wherein the anchor array, including the plurality of anchor segments and the at least one reversibly bendable rail, is a single-piece, integral entity.

2. The anchor array of claim 1 wherein the plurality of integrally-connected anchor segments comprises at least four anchor segments.

3. The anchor array of claim 1 wherein the plurality of integrally -connected anchor segments comprises at least eight anchor segments.

4. The anchor array of claim 1 wherein the at least one reversibly bendable rail comprises first and second edge-rails that respectively extend downward from first and second transverse edges of the upper anchor segment of the two anchor segments and that respectively integrally connect to first and second transverse edges of the upper end of the lower anchor segment of the two anchor segments.

5. The anchor array of claim 4 wherein at least two of the anchor segments of the plurality of anchor segments are configured so that a plate of an upper anchor segment of the two anchor segments, and a plate of a lower anchor segment of the two anchor segments, are coplanar with each other, and wherein the two anchor segments are configured so that first and second edge-rails that integrally extend downward from first and second transverse edges of an upper anchor segment of the two anchor segments and that integrally connect to first and second transverse edges of an upper end of a lower anchor segment of the two anchor segments, are coplanar with a plate of the upper anchor segment and a plate of the lower anchor segment.

6. The anchor array of claim 5 wherein the at least two anchor segments are configured so that the plates of the upper and lower anchor segments, and the first and second edge-rails that integrally connect the upper anchor segment to the lower anchor segment, are of equal thickness.

7. The anchor array of claim 4 wherein for at least some of the anchor segments of the plurality of anchor segments, the plate of the anchor segment comprises an upper portion with a first transverse width and further comprises a lower portion that is integrally connected to the upper portion by way of an intermediate portion, with the lower portion comprising a second transverse width that is smaller than the first transverse width, with first and second transverse edges of the lower portion of the plate respectively defining transversely -inward boundaries of first and second longitudinally -elongate gaps that transversely flank the lower portion of the plate and that transversely separate the lower portion of the plate from the first and second edge-rails.

8. The anchor array of claim 7 wherein the plate of the anchor segment comprises an intermediate portion that is located between the upper and lower portions of the plate, and wherein the first and second edge-rails integrally extend downward from first and second transverse edges of the intermediate portion of the plate.

9. The anchor array of claim 7 wherein the first and second longitudinally -elongate gaps are each connected to a transversely -elongate gap that separates the lower end of the upper anchor segment from the upper end of the lower anchor segment, so that the upper and lower anchor segments are connected to each other only by the first and second edge-rails.

10. The anchor array of claim 9 wherein a lower terminal edge of the lower end of the upper plate defines an upper boundary of the transversely -elongate gap, and wherein the lower terminal edge of the lower end of the upper plate is configured to provide a wall-contact surface that contacts a wall onto which the anchor array is being installed, and about which the upper plate is rotated during mounting of the upper plate of the anchor array onto the wall.

11. The anchor array of claim 4 wherein the first and second edge-rails are each elongate with a long axis that is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the anchor array and wherein each edge-rail comprises a length, along its long axis, that is from 30 to 50 percent of a total length of the anchor segment from which the edge-rail integrally extends.

12. The anchor array of claim 1 wherein at least one of the anchor segments of the plurality of anchor segments comprises a plate that comprises an accessory -mounting feature.

13. The anchor array of claim 12 wherein the accessory-mounting feature is in the form of a generally - outwardly -protruding tab obtained by cutting a central section of the plate and rotating the cut section of the plate generally outward to leave behind a through-aperture in the central section of the plate.

14. A method of installing an anchor array onto a wall, the method comprising: holding the anchor array against a wall in a generally vertical orientation; pressing a lowermost anchor segment of the anchor array inward against the wall so that curved prongs of the lowermost anchor segment penetrate into the wall until fully seated, during which procedure at least one reversibly bendable rail that integrally connects the lowermost anchor segment to an upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment is in a reversibly bent configuration, so that the upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment remains outwardly tilted relative to the wall; then, pressing the nearest-neighbor anchor segment inward against the wall so that curved prongs of the nearest-neighbor anchor segment penetrate into the wall until fully seated, during which procedure the at least one reversibly bendable rail that integrally connects the lowermost anchor segment to its upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment, is unbent to an at least substantially straight configuration; and, repeating the above procedure for any additional anchor segments of the anchor array, in upward sequence, until the anchor array is installed onto the wall.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the pressing of the upward nearest-neighbor anchor segment inward against the wall so that the curved prongs of the nearest-neighbor anchor segment penetrate into the wall until fully seated, comprises rotating the nearest-neighbor anchor segment about a rotation axis defined by a wall-contact surface provided by a lower terminal edge of a lower end of a plate of the upward nearest- neighbor anchor segment.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising an additional step of removably attaching an accessory to the installed anchor array.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the removable attaching of the accessory to the installed anchor array comprises mating at least one complementary mounting feature of the accessory to at least one accessory-mounting feature of the anchor array.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the accessory that is removably attached to the installed anchor array is a secondary accessory and wherein the method further includes attaching a primary accessory to the secondary accessory.

19. A kit comprising the anchor array of claim 1 along with at least one accessory that is removably attachable to the anchor array.