US2730325A

US2730325A - Vacuum fixture

Info

Publication number: US2730325A
Application number: US174292A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Van Dusen; Laurence W Van Dusen
Original assignee: DUSEN ENGINEERING Co VAN
Current assignee: DUSEN ENGINEERING Co VAN; VAN DUSEN ENGINEERING Co
Priority date: 1950-07-17
Filing date: 1950-07-17
Publication date: 1956-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1973-01-10

Description

Jan. 10, 1956 c, VAN DUSEN ET AL 2,730,325

VACUUM FIXTURE Filed July 17. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l CHQELES 7. VQN DUSEN fil/QENCE (U. Vq/s 0055M INVENTORS BY a a Jan. 10, 1956 Q VAN DUSEN ET AL 2,730,325

VACUUM FIXTURE Filed July 17. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHQQES' 7. 14 7M DMS'EN LHUEENCE 6U. Vfifi/ OMS'EN INVENTORS HTTOQNEHS' VACUUM FIXTURE:

Charles A. Van Dusen. and Laurencev W. Van Dusen, Escondido, (faith, assignors to Van Dusen Engineering (Iompany, Escondido, Califl, a copartnershlp Application July 17, 1950, Serial No. 174,292

6 Claims. (Cl. 248-206) This invention relates to vacuumattachment devices and is directed particularly to improvements over the form of vacuum fixtures disclosed in the copending applications of Laurence W. Van Dusen, SerialNo; 103,970, now Patent No. 2,634,076, filed July 11, 1949, and Serial No. 129,845, now Patent No. 2,634,077, filed November 28, 1949.

One of the principal objects of our invention is to provide vacuum attachment devices having improved means for supporting articles and devices without the necessity of any special supporting elements and without requiring that any holes be drilled in metal;

Another object of our invention is to provide-a vacuum attachment device having an outer mounting plate formed of. a plastic material which is suitable for the reception of wood screws.

Another object of our invention is to provide a vacuum attachment device employing the principle of operation setforth in the above-mentioned copending applications but embodying an impervious shell and mounting plate construction of improved durability and enhanced appearance.

Another object of our invention is to provide a device of the character described above employing a rubber-like diaphragm or. suction member, the suction member being held in operative position by means of an-impervious' shell, the shell having an annular lip covering the outer periphery of the suction member;-

A further object of this invention is to provide improved plastic. structures having means permitting thickwallcd elements to be molded or cast without'excessive shrinkage and also permitting the entry of wood screws without splitting or fracturing the plastic;

Other objects and advantages of our-invention it is believed will be apparentfrom-the following detailed de-' scription of preferred embodiments thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a towel rack supported by a preferred embodiment of-our invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing oneof the vacuum attachment supports.

Figure 3 is a sectionalelevation taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation similar to that shown in Figure 3, butillustrating a modified embodiment of our invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation similar to that shown in Figure 3, but illustrating a further modified embodiment of our invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the vacuum attachment device generally designated leis-supported on-the'impervious surface 11 of a wall 12. The device includes a diaphragm. or suction cup. 13, preferably-of synthetic rubber, havinga peripheral contact .por'tioni14-provided with an annular groove 15; Overlyin'g;the.-outer surface 2,730,325 0 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 outer periphery 20 of the rigid metallic plate2'1 which is imbedded in the suction-cup 13 and bonded thereto. An internally threaded metallic element 22 is secured' centrally of the plate 21'by any convenient means such as; for example, by Welding, and a tension screw 23 is threaded intothis element 21. Mounted on'the' shell ld is-the mounting plate or disk 24having a central aperture' 25" through which the tensionscrew'23 extends. A'metallic washer 26 rests on the disk 24 and engages the head portion 27 of the screw 22; An annular seat 28'is provided on the disk 24'-f0r the reception of theinner rim 19 of the shell 16.

The vacuum attachment device 10 is'mounted'on the wall 12 in the same manner as described in the abovementioned copending applications. Briefly, the disk 24 and shell 16 are removed from the diaphragm 13 by disconnecting the screw 23. The inner surface 29 of the diaphragm- 13 is moistened'and the diaphragm is then pushed flat against the surface of the wall 12 so that'substantially all of the air isextractedbetween the surfaces ll'land 29; The annular shell lfi is installed with its rim 17 in thegroove 15 and the-disk'24' is then installed over the-shell 16 so that the inner rirn19'of the shell is engaged in the seat 28-onthe disk 24. The screw-ZS-is inserted through the washer 26 and a'screw driver (not shown) is used to turn the screw relativeto the metallic threaded element 22. Thisaction serves-to create a vaccum space 30 between the surfaces 11 and 29 and toapply sealing force against the peripheral contact lip l4 ofthel diaphragm 13. That portion of. the contact'lip which lies under the rim i7 'issubjected to relatively high compressive forces, thereby effectively preventing en trance of air into the vacuum space 30 Moreover, since the inner rim 19'of the shell 16 overlies the outer periphery 20 of the metallic plate 21, a portion 31 of the diaphragmlii is confined between the plate 2l-and shell 16 andis also subjected to highcompressive stresses with the result that air is preventedfrom leaking inwardly through this zone of compression. These'two compression zonesform in effect, concentric leakproof gaskets preventing, with the impervious'shell l-andplate-21, entrance of air into the vacuum space 3% The disk 24 is formed of molded or cast plastic material. It is to be understood thatvacuum' attachment devices made in accordance withour invention may housed in supporting variousobjects and devices suchas towel I racks, can openers,- pencil Sharpeners; etc. Therefore,

it is' desirableth'at a mounting plate be provided on the" vacuum attachment device-to which any one of several types of devices may be secured without requiring special attachment members or'matching drilled holes. In the copendingapplication of Laurence W Van Dusen, Serial No. 129,845, now Patent :No. 2,634,077, filed'Novernbe r 28, 1949, isdisclosed a plywood mounting plate or disk attached to a' kitchen wall or fixture. The plastic mate-'- rials are generally more durable 'and' resis tant to' moisture, heat, solvents, and cleaning preparations and are available'in a wide variety of attractive colors.

The structure" of molded or cast plastic materials is.v

such; that'it-is extremely difiicult to use ordinary"woo'd screws without chipping or fracturing the" plastic mate:

rial. In order to overcome this difliculty, the mounting disk 24 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal bores or holes 32. These holes are preferably about 4 of an inch in diameter and spaced uniformly so that there is a minimum wall thickness between holes of approximately & of an inch. The holes preferably extend to within about of an inch of the imperforate front mounting face 33. We have found that the holes 32 permit easy insertion of wood screws into the plastic and further that shrinkage and cavitation of such a thick section of plastic in the molding operation is prevented by use of cores to form the holes.

Wood screws 34 may thus be used to attach any desired device or article, and it is unnecessary to drill any matching holes or attach any special brackets for mounting such articles and devices on the vacuum attachment device. As shown in the drawings, a towel rack assembly including a bar 35 and brackets 36 is mounted on the device 10. Each of the brackets 36 may be provided with the usual mounting flange 37 and the wood screws 34 extend through openings provided in the flange. It is of course understood that other devices such as can openers, ice crushers, soap dispensers, towel dispensers etc., may be conveniently supported by attachment devices incorporating our invention.

In selecting plastic material for use as a mounting disk in such an attachment device it is necessary to consider that the material must not be so brittle as to crack or split when wood screws are inserted therein and yet it must be sufficiently hard to resist flow under the constant pressure applied at screw head 27. The cellulose acetate plastics are particularly well adapted for this use, but other plastics such as phenolics, acrylics, ureas, vinyls, etc., may be used, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention illustrated in Figure 3, the shell 16 is formed of a plastic material which may be somewhat harder than that used for the mounting disk 24. The outer lip 18 is an important feature of our invention since it acts as a hood or cover member for the periphery of the resilient diaphragm 13, keeping it substantially sealed to prevent the accumulation of dust and dirt. The shell 16 may be stamped or formed of steel, if desired.

The modified form of our invention illustrated in Figure is substantially similar to the device shown in Figure 3, with the exception that the shell 40 is formed integrally with the mounting disk 41. This unitary construction provides a structure of improved'appearance. The incorporation of the smoothly curved surface 42 also prevents the accumulation of foreign matter.

The further modification of our invention illustrated in Figure 6 is substantially similar to that shown in Figure 5, but here a metal inner shell 45 is interposed between the plastic outer shell 40 and the diaphragm 13 providing a more rugged assembly. This reinforcing shell 45 may be molded into the plastic shell; it may be a separate part secured to the plastic by friction set or other means; or it may be a separate part which remains so until the unit is mounted for use.

While we have shown and described our improved device in connection with a circular suction cup or diaphragm, it will be understood that the cup may be made in oval shape or even in a square or rectangular shape as desired, and that the cooperating parts of the device are shaped in similar manner.

Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but our invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of a resilient suction cup, an impervious shell having a continuous rim adapted to compress a continuous portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface, a

rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup, a first screw element fixed to the rigid plate and protruding from the back face of the suction cup, a central plastic mounting plate overlying an inner rim on the impervious shell and being provided with a central aperture, said mounting plate having a plurality of voids therein to facilitate the insertion of wood screws, and a second screw element extending through the central aperture and cooperating with the first screw element to move the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

2. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of: a circular resilient suction cup; an impervious annular shell having an annular rim adapted to compress an annular portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface; a rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup; a first screw element fixed to the rigid plate and protruding from the back face of the suction cup; a central plastic mounting disk overlying an inner rim on the impervious shell, said mounting disk having an imperforate front mounting face and a relatively thick wall provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced longitudinal bores extending from the back of said plate to a position adjacent said front mounting face, whereby the insertion of wood screws is facilitated; and a second screw element extending through a central aperture in said disk and cooperating with the first screw element to move the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

3. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of a resilient suction cup, an impervious shell having a continuous rim adapted to compress a continuous portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface, a rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup, a first screw element fixed to the rigid plate and protruding from the back face of the suction cup, a central plastic mounting plate integral with said impervious shell and being provided with a central aperture, said mounting plate having a plurality of voids therein to facilitate the insertion of wood screws, and a second screw element extending through the central aperture and cooperating with the first screw element to move the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

4. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of a resilient suction cup, an impervious shell having a continuous rim adapted to compress a continuous portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface and an integral outer lip closely conforming to and substantially completely covering the outer perimeter of said suction cup, a rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup, a first screw element fixed to the rigid plate and protruding from the back face of the suction cup, a central plastic mounting plate integral with said impervious shell and being provided with a central aperture, said mounting plate having a plurality of voids therein to facilitate the insertion of wood screws, and a second screw element extending through the central aperture and cooperating with the first screw element to move the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

5. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of a resilient suction cup, an impervious outer shell of plastic material having a continuous rim adapted to compress a continuous portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface, a reinforcing shell interposed between said outer shell and said suction cup, a rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup, at first screw element fixed to the rigid plate and protruding from the back face of the suction cup, a central plastic mounting plate overlying an inner rim on the impervious shell and being provided with a central aperture, said mounting plate having a plurality of voids therein to facilitate the insertion of wood screws, and a second screw element extending through the central aperture and cooperating with the first screw element to move the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

6. A suction type fastener comprising the combination of a resilient suction cup; a housing overlying the outer surface of said suction cup, said housing comprising an impervious shell having a continuous rim adapted to compress a continuous portion of the suction cup against a mounting surface, and a central plastic plate extending from the central portion of said shell, said plate having a central aperture and a plurality of voids therein to facilitate the insertion of wood screws; a rigid plate imbedded within the central portion of the suction cup; and mechanical means operatively connecting the rigid plate with said housing for moving the central portion of the suction cup in a direction away from the mounting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Krueger Dec. 18, Stratton et a1. Sept. 22, Barton May 12, Zaiger Jan. 21, Zaiger July 14, Muter Mar. 4, Price May 20, T oland et a1 Mar. 2, Schneider Mar. 20, Soday Dec. 24, Neher et a1 June 29, Spencer Jan. 2,