US2539825A

US2539825A - Picture hanger with locking hook

Info

Publication number: US2539825A
Application number: US100019A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank A Genua
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-06-18
Filing date: 1949-06-18
Publication date: 1951-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1968-01-30

Description

Jan. 30, 1951 F. A. GENUA PICTURE HANGER WITH LOCKING HOOK Filed June 18, 1949 HTTDRA/FY Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE PICTURE HANGER WITH LOCKING HOOK Frank A. Genua, Waterbury, Conn.

Application June 18, 1949,Serial No. 100,019

This invention relates to picture hangers, and more particularly to a picture hanger of the type which has a hooked metal strip provided with an inclined nail adapted to be driven into a wall.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above nature which will releasably hold a picture wire or cord located therein against shifting, whereby the picture or other article supported will not become accidentally unbalanced as a result of dusting operations, vibration, or other causes.

Another object is to provide a device of. the above nature in which the upper portion of the strip is bent downwardly so as to form a resilient curved detent for gripping the picture wire against the upwardly bent bottom portion of said strip.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawings, a

Fig. l is a side view of the improved picture hanger, a supporting wall being shown by the broken line.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, a picture wire therein being shown by broken lines.

Fig. 3 is a side View similar to Fig. 1, but showing the hanger as it would appear in use when holding a picture wire or cord.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the improved picture hanger comprises an elongated metal strip ID, the central verticalportion of which is made flat so as to provide a wall-engaging base section H.

In order to provide a hook for supporting a picture wire or cord B, the strip I is bent forwardly and upwardly at the lower end of the base section I! so asto form a rounded bottom portion I2 and a curved upwardly-extending front portion I3, which terminates opposite the middle of the base section I I.

The strip I0 is bent forwardly at the upper end of the base section If, and at right angles thereto, and is then bent downwardly so as to provide a forwardly rounded upper loop M. The strip lllthen extends downwardly from the upper loop M to form a reentrant guide portion 15,

4 Claims. (Cl. 24832) which approaches the upper end of the bent hook portion [3 a short distance below its upper end. The strip 10 extends downwardly in the form of a curved detent portion it which conforms approximately to the curved inner surface of the front hook portion 53, and is adapted to lie in resilient engagement therewith.

It will be observed that. the lower end of the detent portion it is disposed within the rounded bottom portion 52, the latter being of ample size to permit a rearward deflection of said detent portion, 16.

In order to support the picture hanger, the base section I l and the upper front portion of the upper 100p it are provided with apertures I1, [8, respectively, which are aligned in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined direction. The apertures H, iii are adapted to receive a headed nail I9, whereby the hanger may be mounted securely upon a wall A. The wire B may, of course, be longitudinally adjusted whileit is loosely held in the guide portion it by the upper end of the front hook portion i3, and before said wire is pressed downwardly in the hanger. If this procedure is followed, no further adjustment of the wire B will be necessary after it is pressed downwardly between the hook portion l3 and the detent portion l6.

Operation In order to mount the hanger, the flat vertical base section II will first be placed in the desired location againstthe surface of the wall A, and the nail I9 will then be driven into said wall through the apertures H, l8 by the use of a hammer. I

A picture or other object having a supporting wire or cord B will then be hung upon the hanger by inserting a portion of said wire B into the concave guide portion [5, and then pressing said wire downwardly between the front hook portion 13 and the detent portion "5 until the wire B is disposed in the location shown for example in Fig. 3, whereby said wire will be firmly held by the resilient action of said detent portion 16 against the hook portion !3.

While in this position, the wire B may be longitudinally adjusted by sliding it forcibly in a direction laterally of the hanger.

Thereafter, the resilient detent portion IE- and the hook 13 will offer sufficient resistance to prevent any accidenta-l movement of said wire, either laterally or vertically with respect to said hangers.

Thus, when the picture wire B has been proper- 1y inserted and adjusted in the hanger, the pic- 3 ture will remain in a balanced condition as said wire cannot be accidentally shifted in the hanger by dusting operations or from other causes.

It will be understood also that if the picture should be accidentally moved upwardly, the wire B will remain in the hanger, and will not become accidentally disengaged therefrom so as to permit the picture to fall.

If desired, however, the picture may be removed at any time merely by manually forcing the wire B upwardly between the front hook portion i3 and the detent portion l6 and out of the hanger.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a picture hanger, a vertical base section having a forwardly-extending lower hook portion, means for securing said base section to a wall, and a depending detent portion attached to the upper portion of said hanger and disposed in resilient engagement with the inner front surface of said hook portion, said detent 4 portion terminating closely adjacent the inner bottom surface of said hook portion, whereby a picture wire may be inserted into said hanger so as to be firmly held between said hook portion and the detent portion.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises an upper loop integral with said base section, and said detent portion is integral with a forward portion of said loop.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said detent portion has an integral reentrant guide portion opposite the free end of said hook portion, whereby the insertion of a wire in said hanger will be facilitated.

4. In a picture hanger, an elongated metal strip having a vertical fiat base section, said strip being bent forwardly and upwardly at the lower end of said base section to form an upstanding hook portion, said strip being bent forwardly and downwardly at the upper end of said base section