WO2004062430A1

WO2004062430A1 - A mount and a mount-and-bracket assembly, for connection of shelves, hooks or the like

Info

Publication number: WO2004062430A1
Application number: PCT/IT2003/000853
Authority: WO
Inventors: Novello Giovanelli
Original assignee: Cean Company S.P.A.
Priority date: 2003-01-08
Filing date: 2003-12-23
Publication date: 2004-07-29
Also published as: ITRM20030003A1; ITRM20030003A0; EP1585408A1; AU2003295221A1

Abstract

A mount (1), generally used by exhibitors, or for inside decoration, and a respective assembly including a bracket (2) as well, wherein the mount (1) has very small dimensions, for instance a thickness of only 6mm and sides of about 25mm, and is mounted by drilling small diameter holes in the panel (5). On its back side, the mount (1) has a projection (10) of complementary form with respect to the form of a fork (13) of the bracket (2). After fixing of the mount to the panel (5), the fork (13) may be mounted by hooking it to the mount (1), by making a simple downward movement. The mount and the respective assembly are extremely easy to mount, they have a very limited cost, and finally, they are of value under the aesthetic point of view.

Description

A mount, and a mount-and-bracket assembly, for connection of shelves, hooks, or the like

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to interior decoration and displaying of products, for instance inside shops or stores. This invention provides a very practical technology for fixing mounts on panels (of wood, glass, etc.), or on a wall (of bricks, plasterboard, etc). In this specific technical field, these mounts are called "buttohs», and brackets may be connected to them, which in turn are used to hold shelves, or alternatively, it is also possible to connect these mounts to brackets having one or more hooks used directly to append any kind of object, like clothes etc. In one possible application, several "buttons" are attached according to a certain arrangement, onto one or more adjacent panels, e.g. panels of wood subjected to a special treatment, and the user may use at will some of these mounts or "buttons", in order to mount thereon shelves or the like, while leaving the other buttons free. Obviously, it is preferable that these mounts occupy a minimum area on the panel surface, above all for aesthetic purposes, and also it is preferable that their fastening operation can be easily and rapidly performed.

Background Art

The known art includes a huge number of mounts or "buttons", which are used for the above mentioned purposes. However, they have the disadvantage that their thickness and transversal size are considerable. These buttons, usually of metal, present a kind of square metal frame, with a central recess for the insertion of the bracket support. This kind of "hooking system", according to which the support is inserted inside the mount or button, requires certain minimum dimensions of the button, and if the body of the panel itself, or the interior of the wall used to fixed the mount, are not to be affected, then the mount will jut out by a noticeable distance from its fixing plane; this fact is disadvantageous in case of a wall formed by several juxtaposed panels (used for displaying goods), on which several buttons are fixed, some of which may remain unused (see above). Furthermore, a greater thickness of the button implies greater expenses in relation to utilised materials. Also, often it has been noted that traditional buttons (mounts) are not practical when they are to be fixed to a panel or the like, or in other words, they render the fixing operation more complicate, and consequently, they increase time and labour costs. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a particular technology for these mounts, or buttons, that can be applied to all kinds of supporting surfaces, and which is extremely easy to use besides having a very reasonable cost. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention allows to fix the mount from the front side of the supporting surface, if it is impossible to carry out the fixing operation from its back side (e.g. if the support surface is formed by a wall or by a thick partition wall).

On the other hand, another embodiment allows to perform the fixing operation from the back side, for instance in case of panels. A further object is to realise a mount or button having a minimal size, to improve the appearance of the attachment with respect to the already known art.

Still another object of the present invention consists in providing two opposite mounts, in the same location and on opposite sides of a panel (or glass sheet etc.) having an appropriate thickness, by employing the same technology as used in the case of the fixing of a single mount at one spot and on only one side of the panel; this means that even in case of two opposite mounts (buttons), it will be possible to use the same components already employed in other situations; this is obviously advantageous, since it gives the possibility to utilise a variety (range) of "standard" pieces that are applicable in different situations. Finally, still a further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly including a bracket and a button, which can be mutually coupled to each other in a stable manner, and preferably in such a way as to completely hide (cover) the button when the bracket has been mounted thereon. For what concerns the present invention, only the form of the (back) part of the bracket, that is coupled to the button, is important, whereas the shape of its front part may be of any kind and can be adapted to individual requirements (mounting of a shelf or direct hanging of goods).

Disclosure of Invention

The objects of the invention are attained by means of a mount for inside decoration or the display of goods, suited to rapidly mount brackets, arms, hooks, or the like, to any kind of vertical supporting surface, this mount having a front side and a rear side, characterised in that it has a portion with a greater thickness, forming a jut with a substantially planar surface on said rear side, and said jut is suited to abut the supporting surface, and a portion having a reduced thickness; said jut acting as a spacer to create a gap between the portion with reduced thickness and the supporting surface, in order to allow the introduction of a portion of a bracket, a portion of a hook, or the like, and the shape of the bracket portion, hook portion, or the like, being complementary to that of an upper part of the jut, thereby insuring stability in the transversal, that is horizontal direction, and said portion with greater thickness presenting at least one hole for the introduction of fixing means that pass through the support surface. Moreover, the invention concerns an assembly formed by a mount and a bracket, according to claims 14 to 19.

Brief Description of Drawings

The present invention will now be described in more detail, only for illustrative and non-limitative or binding purposes, with reference to the drawings, which show:

FIG. 1 an axonometric view of the assembly of the present invention, according to a first embodiment, showing in particular the front part of this assembly and the way it is mounted on a panel;

FIG. 2 a view analogous to Fig. 1, but showing specifically the rear part of the button-bracket assembly;

FIG. 3 a view similar to those of Figs.1 and 2, but in cross-section and after the fixing of the button-bracket assembly to a panel;

FIG. 4 an exploded view corresponding to Fig. 3;

FIG. 5a a front view of the mount or button, according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 5b a sectional view corresponding to line A-A in Fig. 5a;

FIG. 5c a ian view analogous to Fig. 5a;

FIG. 5d a view of the back side of the mount or button shown in Fig. 5a, according to the direction of arrow B in Fig. 5c, but in the upside down condition;

FIG. 5e an axonometric view showing the front and rear sides of the mount or button according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6a a front view of a second embodiment of the button, without the covering element; . FIG. 6b a sectional view (line A' -A', Fig. 6a) of the button, according to the second embodiment of the invention, without the covering element;

FIG. 6c a plan view of the second embodiment of the button according to the present invention, omitting the covering element;

FIG. 6d a view of the back side of the button shown in Fig. 6a, corresponding to the arrow direction B' in Fig. 6c, and in the upturned condition;

FIG. 6e an axonometric view showing the front and rear sides of a mount or button according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7a to 7e, views similar to the views of Figs. 5a-5e, and 6a and 6e, but corresponding to a third embodiment of the button of the present invention;

FIG. 8 an enlarged view of the central covering element of a button of the second or third embodiment, according to a front view;

FIG. 9 a side view of the covering element;

FIG. 10 a plan view of the covering element;

FIG. 11 the use of the covering element (solid line) in case of a button of the third embodiment (dashed line);

FIG. 12 a front view of the rear side of the bracket; FIG. 13 a sectional view along the line A-A of Fig. 12;

FIG. 14 an axonometric view of the bracket, corresponding to the front side (left part) and rear side (right part in the figure);

FIG. 15 a view similar to that of Fig. 14, but relating to a modified version of the bracket represented in Fig. 14.

Preferred Embodiments In the first place, we will describe the first embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs. 1 to 4, and Figs. 5a to 5e. Figs. 1 to 4 show the whole assembly formed by the mount and the bracket (or button and bracket), according to this first embodiment, whereas Figs. 5a to 5e show the button of the first embodiment, taken individually. This assembly includes a button 1 apt to be fixed to a front side 6a of- e.g. - a panel 5, a bracket 2 that in the present realisation has an integrally formed horizontal arm 3, a rear counterplate 4 to be fixed to the rear side 6b of the panel 5 by means of four screws 7 arranged at its four corners, and two screws 8 traversing two holes 9 located on the vertical symmetry axis of said counterplate 4. Unlike the four screws 7, the two screws 8 entirely pass through the panel 5 (see Fig. 1); their threaded ends, protruding from the front side 6a of the panel 5, serve to fix the button 1 in the following manner: the button 1, which has a substantially square shape, includes a portion with a greater thickness, 10, and a portion with a reduced thickness, 11. The portion with a greater thickness forms a jut 10 on the rear side of the button 1, and presents two threaded blind holes 12 apt to receive the threaded ends of the two screws 8 that project from the front side 6a of the panel 5.

It should be noted, that once the button 1 has been fixed to the panel 5 in the manner described, the greater thickness portion forming the jut 10 acts like a spacer, so that the reduced thickness portion 11 will not abut on the front surface 6a of the panel 5. This feature is important, since it allows to hook the bracket 2 on the button or mount 1 (after the fastening of the button 1), in a manner hereinafter described. As shown in Fig. 2, the base of the bracket 2 has a fork 13 on its back side, this fork having a complementary form to that of the jut 10 and being suited to be inserted - as shown in Fig. 3 - in the space between the reduced thickness portion 11 of the button and the front side 6a of the panel, thereby hooking the substantially semicircular upper portion of the jut 10. In contrast with the known art, the space occupied by the button 1 is very small; for instance, it may have dimensions as small as 20x20 mm to 40x40 mm, and a maximum depth (corresponding to the thickness of the greater thickness portion 10) comprised in the interval from 5 to 15 mm. However, preferably, the maximum thickness (maximum depth) will be about 6 mm, and the transversal dimensions of the button will preferably be 25 mm x 25 mm. In any case, however, the dimensions will depend on the load applied on the button, and on the materials employed. The same holds also for the depth (thickness) of the reduced thickness portion 11, which also depends on the loads and on the materials, and which may - for instance - be equal to 3 mm, in case the maximum thickness of the button is 6 mm. In this case, the fork 13 can be inserted in a gap of about 3 mm, between the rear side of the button 1 and the front side 6a of the panel 5. The button may be made of metal, in particular of a metal alloy, or of other materials: particularly "zamak", aluminium, titanium, or carbon. According to the employed materials, several fabrication methods can be used, e.g. injection moulding or automatic milling (in order to obtain the particular form of the jut 10). The mounting is particularly simple, since it will suffice to use holes (6 in number) that have been previously realised in the panel 5, two of which must be through holes for the passage of the screws 8. The ends of the latter are inserted into the blind holes 12 of button 1. The mount or button 1 according to the first embodiment is shown in enlarged scale in Figs. 5a to 5e. It should be noted that this system is extremely practical and has a very favourable cost. The mounting operation is facilitated considerably and the body (thickness) of the panel is not affected by the mounting, except for the six holes of very small diameter. Therefore, any craftsman will be able to easily fix the button to the panel. Moreover, an array of buttons 1 according to the present invention, arranged on a panel like those used by exhibitors, allows to safeguard the aesthetics of the panel even in those cases where many buttons remain free (that is, are visible, because no bracket has been inserted vertically downwards on these buttons 1). Furthermore, after its insertion on the button 1, the bracket 2 remains perfectly stable, and preferably it hides (covers) the button 1 completely.

Instead, Figs. 6a to 6e show the second embodiment of the button of the invention, denoted by 1 '.This embodiment applies to the situation in which, during the mounting step, one must inevitably intervene from the front side of the supporting surface, for instance in case of a block of wood or of another material, or in case of a column, a wall, etc. Unlike the first embodiment, the button 1' of this second embodiment presents a countersunk through hole 14, with a countersink on the front side thereof, for allowing the insertion of a screw - possibly combined with a dowel - into a previously realised hole formed in a wall, in a block of wood, etc. In this case too, the rear side of the button 1' is provided with a jut 10 co-operating with a fork 13 of the above described bracket 2.

To prevent the rotation of the button 1 ' around the screw (not shown), the button 1 ' has two bosses, or small pointed projections 15, on the rear side thereof, which frictionally impede the rotation of the button 1', by abutting on the surface of a wall or the like. In order to improve the aesthetic appearance, in view of the fact that the head of the screw inserted in the countersunk hole 14 would remain visible, there is provided a slidable covering element 16, which is inserted vertically downwards in a swallow- tailed guide 18 of the button V. The cross-section of the covering element 16 resembles that of a "squeezed" trapezium, which is complementary to the shape of the guide 18, in such a way that the covering element is prevented from accidentally coming out of the guide 18 in an orthogonal direction with respect to the plane of the button 1'. A stop 17 hinders the accidental escape of the covering element 16 from its seat 18, in a longitudinal direction.

Figs. 7a to 7e illustrate the third embodiment of the button, which is denoted by 1". The difference with respect to the second embodiment shown in Figs. 6a to 6e lies in the fact that in the third embodiment no bosses or pointed projections are provided for, instead, there are two countersunk holes 14 (rather than only one) on the front part of the button 1", and specifically these are provided inside the swallow-tailed seat or guide 18. The second hole 14 obviously prevents the button 1" from rotating. In all other respects the two embodiments are identical. The covering element 16 is used - also in this case - to cover the screw heads of the screws inserted in the holes 14. The covering element 16 to be inserted inside the guide 18, is illustrated according to different views in Figs. 8 to 11. Figs. 12, 13, 14 show a bracket 2, or, better still, the base of the bracket 2 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It comprises a bent portion which forms the fork 13. The latter has substantially a semicircular shape, 19, which is complementary to the shape of the jut 10 provided on the back side of the buttons 1, 1 ' and 1", which correspond to the three above described illustrative embodiments of the button or mount. Moreover, the bracket has a planar portion 21 lying against the supporting surface 6a (see Fig. 3) of a panel, wall, column, glass sheet, etc. An upper portion 22 of said bracket 2 is planar as well, but is shifted with respect to the lower planar portion 21. The upper planar portion 22 has a rectangular slot 20 that facilitates the connection by welding of an arm, a hook, or the like 3 (see Fig. 1). Thus, the bracket 2 will generally assume an innumerable number of shapes, depending on its final use. Note that preferably the transversal dimensions of the planar portion 22 are at least equal to the transversal dimensions of the button or mount 1, 1', 1", to improve the aesthetic effect of the mount-bracket assembly.

Between the arm 3 and a projection 23 of the bracket, it is possible to mount a shelf or the like. Fig. 15 shows a modified version of the bracket, which is denoted in this case by 2'. In this version, the bracket 2' has a camber 30 having two functions: a) to stiffen the bracket; b) to create a recess (on the opposite side of the cambered surface), for the introduction of welding material (utilised for the welding connection with the arm 3), thereby avoiding the filing step (which would otherwise be necessary since the upper planar portion 22 abuts the mount).

Another possible application of the invention will now be described, that immediately follows from the first and third embodiments of the button. In this application, two buttons, 1 and 1", are applied to a panel or glass sheet, from opposite sides, in a mirror-like manner and at the same place on the panel or sheet. The screws inserted in the countersunk holes 14 of the button 1" (lying on one side of the panel) traverse two through holes that were previously realised in the panel (as in Fig. 3), and their threaded ends - projecting from the opposite side of the panel - are screwed inside the threaded blind holes 12 (Fig. 5b) of the button 1 (lying on the other side). The heads of the screws introduced in the countersunk holes 14, may then be covered (if desired) by means of the slidable covering element 16 (Figs. 7e and 11), and two brackets 2 can subsequently be mounted on opposite sides of the panel. This kind of application is for instance advantageous when dealing with glass, since the bosses or pointed projections 15 of a button 1 ' could damage its surface. In case of glass or similar materials, it is preferable to use gaskets associated with the buttons on the side which abuts the supporting surface. Thus, it may be seen that even in this application the same components - as described above - can be utilised, and this evidently is advantageous since it lowers the production costs. The present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, but obviously the same is not limited to specific forms of the components, to particular materials, or to particular production processes used to obtain these components, provided these components are suited for the intended purposes (e.g. suited, for instance, to bear the required loads and to comply with the corresponding limit safety values). For what concerns the size of the button or mount, it will be selected so as to reduce as much as possible the costs of the employed materials and so as to improve the aesthetic effect with respect to the known art, especially where a plurality of mounts are fixed on the supporting surface and part of them could remain uncovered. Preferably, the dimensions of the bracket are such as to completely cover the button.

Claims

1. A mount (1; 1'; 1") for inside decoration, or for the display of goods, suited to rapidly mount brackets, arms, hooks, or the like, to any kind of vertical supporting surface (6a), this mount having- a front side and a rear side, characterised in that it has a portion with a greater thickness, forming a jut (10) with a substantially planar surface on said rear side, and said jut (10) is suited to abut the supporting surface (6a), and a portion having a reduced thickness (11); said jut (10) acting as a spacer to create a gap between the portion with reduced thickness (11) and the supporting surface (6a), in order to allow the introduction of a portion of a bracket, a portion of a hook, or the like, and the shape of the bracket portion, hook portion, or the like, being complementary to that of an upper part of the jut (10), thereby insuring stability in the transversal, that is horizontal direction, and said portion with greater thickness presenting at least one hole (12; 14) for the introduction of fixing means that pass through the supporting surface (6a).

2. A mount (1; 1 '; 1") according to claim 1, wherein a cenfral portion of the upper part of the jut (10) has a semicircular shape.

3. A mount (1) according to claim 1, suited to be used on a panel or sheet (5) having a support surface (6a) and a rear surface (6b), said rear side of the mount (1) having at least a blind hole (12) for the introduction of at least one corresponding fixing means (8) which crosses the body of the panel or sheet (5).

4. A mount (1) according to claim 3, wherein said blind holes (12) are threaded, and are two in number, in order to prevent accidental rotations of the mount (1).

5. A mount (1') according to claim 1, having a through hole (14) for the introduction of a fixing means, and having bosses (15) on the rear side, apt to prevent the rotation and abutting on the supporting surface (6a).

6. A mount (1') according to claim 5, wherein the through hole (14) is countersunk on the front side of the mount (1'), in order to receive the head of a screw acting as fixing means, and covering means (16) of this screw being also provided.

7. A mount (1 ') according to claim 6, wherein this mount has a seat (18) for the covering means (16), on its.front side, so that the front surface of the mount (1') is substantially planar after insertion of said covering means (16) inside their seat (18).

8. A mount (1") according to claim 1, having at least two through holes (14) for the introduction of said fixing means.

9. A mount (1") according to claim 8, wherein the through holes (14) are countersunk on the front side of the mount (1") and possibly they are covered by covering means (16).

10. A mount (1") according to claim 9, wherein there is provided a seat (18) for said covering means (16), so that after the insertion of the latter inside the seat (18), the front side of the mount (1") has a substantially planar surface.

11. A mount according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transversal dimensions of the mount are comprised in the interval from 20 to 40 mm, and the maximum thickness thereof is between 5 and 15 mm.

12. A mount according to claim 11, wherein this mount forms a square body of about 25x25 mm and about 6 mm of maximum thickness.

13. A mount according to claims 11 or 12, realised by injection moulding or by milling a planar plate.

14. An assembly (1; 1'; 1"; 2; 2') mounted on a panel or sheet (5; 6a, 6b), or on a vertical supporting surface (6a), characterised in that it comprises: a mount (1; 1'; 1") according to any of the preceding claims 1 - 13; a bracket (2; 2'), whose base has a hooking portion (13) apt to be inserted in said gap formed between the portion with reduced thickness (11) and the supporting surface (6a); mounting means (4; 7; 8) for the mount (1; 1'; 1").

15. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein said hooking portion (13) forms a fork, for instance of substantially semicircular shape (19).

16. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein said mounting means include a counterplate (4) fixed to the rear side (6b) of said panel or sheet (5) by means of screws (7) or the like, and having through holes (9) for the insertion of the fixing means (8) for the mount (1).

17. An assembly mounted on a panel or sheet (5), including two mounts (1; 1") disposed in a mirror-like manner on each side (6a, 6b) of the panel or sheet (5), wherein fixing means terminate in blind holes (12) of one of the mounts (1) and pass through the whole body or thickness of the panel (5), and are introduced in the through holes (14) of the other mount (1") located on the opposite side; said mounts being those of the claims 3 and 8 respectively, and each of them being suited to be used for the application of a bracket (2; 2').

18. An assembly according to claims 14 to 17, wherein the transversal dimensions of the bracket (2; 2') are selected to cover completely the mount (1; 1'; 1").

19. An assembly according to claim 18, wherein the bracket (2; 2') has a lower planar portion (21) that lies against the vertical supporting surface (6a).

20. An assembly according to any of the claims 14 to 19, wherein the base of the bracket (2')^"has a stiffening camber (30), which facilitates the welding operation for connecting an arm (3) to the base of the bracket (2').