RELEASABLE LOCKING HOLE-ENGAGING MOUNT

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

This invention pertains generally to mounts that releasably secure to a surface having holes, such as item-holding mounts attachable to a pegboard through engagement with holes in the pegboard. More specifically, the invention is directed to technology that enables attachment of a mount to holes in a surface in a lockable yet releasable fashion. This technology includes a tine member with one or more tines to engage one or more holes in a surface and a locking member joined with the tine member via a prismatic joint (e.g., slide/slide guide). The locking member is slidable to a first a first position that allows the tine(s) to engage the hole(s) and to a second position that prevents the tine(s) from disengaging the hole(s) thereby securing the mount to the surface.

It is often desirable to mount items to surface using holes in the surface. There are many approaches to doing so, from anchors that permanently screw into the holes to hooks that are temporarily placed into the holes. One problem with permanent mounts is that they are permanently attached to the surface and are therefore not readily configurable for changing uses. One problem with temporary mounts is that they can inadvertently release from the surface. There is a need for a mount that removably-yet securely-attaches to a surface through holes in the surface (such a surface is referred to herein through exemplary embodiments such as a “perforated board” or a “pegboard”).

One such mount is described by Applicant in U.S. Pat. No. 11,963,626 (incorporated herein by reference). In contrast to the mount disclosed and claimed herein, which is characterized by a slidable joint between the tine member and locking plate, the mount of U.S. Pat. No. 11,963,626 is characterized by one or more rotatable joints.

In one aspect of the invention, a mount for selectively and securely engaging holes in a mounting surface such as a perforated board includes a locking member and a tine member. The locking member includes a surface (the front surface) configured to face the mounting surface in use. The tine member includes a mounting plate and a bent tine extending from the mounting plate substantially perpendicular to the mounting plate at the point it connects to the mounting plate (the proximal end of the tine) and substantially parallel to the mounting plate at the point of the tine away from the mounting plate (the distal end of the tine). The tine is configured to engage a hole in the mounting surface by fitting within the hole and, when oriented such that the distal end of the tine is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, contact the hole edges at a point on the tine that is substantially perpendicular to the mounting plate. The tine member is slidably mounted to the front surface of the locking member such that the tine member and locking member may slide relative to each other while distal portion of the tine remains substantially parallel to the front surface of the locking member. The tine member and locking member are dimensioned and relatively positioned such that in a first (unlocked) configuration of the tine member relative to the locking member, the distal end of the tine protrudes past an edge of the locking member such that it can be inserted into a hole and in a second (locked) configuration of the tine member relative to the locking member, the tine does not protrude past an edge of the locking member and the mount is thereby secured in place if mounted to a mounting surface. The tine member may include additional tines similar to the first.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention may be better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating an exemplary two-tine locking pegboard mount according to an aspect of the invention.

FIGS. 2A-2F are various views illustrating the engagement of an exemplary two-tine locking pegboard mount with a pegboard.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary two-tine locking pegboard mount according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating an exemplary tine member and slide guide according to an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the summary above, and in the description below, reference is made to particular features of the invention in the context of exemplary embodiments of the invention. The features are described in the context of the exemplary embodiments to facilitate understanding. But the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. And the features are not limited to the embodiments by which they are described. The invention provides a number of inventive features which can be combined in many ways, and the invention can be embodied in a wide variety of contexts. Unless expressly set forth as an essential feature of the invention, a feature of a particular embodiment should not be read into the claims unless expressly recited in a claim.

Except as explicitly defined otherwise, the words and phrases used herein, including terms used in the claims, carry the same meaning they carry to one of ordinary skill in the art as ordinarily used in the art.

Because one of ordinary skill in the art may best understand the structure of the invention by the function of various structural features of the invention, certain structural features may be explained or claimed with reference to the function of a feature. Unless used in the context of describing or claiming a particular inventive function (e.g., a process), reference to the function of a structural feature refers to the capability of the structural feature, not to an instance of use of the invention.

Except for claims that include language introducing a function with “means for” or “step for,” the claims are not recited in so-called means-plus-function or step-plus-function format governed by 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). Claims that include the “means for [function]” language but also recite the structure for performing the function are not means-plus-function claims governed by § 112(f). Claims that include the “step for [function]” language but also recite an act for performing the function are not step-plus-function claims governed by § 112(f).

Except as otherwise stated herein or as is otherwise clear from context, the inventive methods comprising or consisting of more than one step may be carried out without concern for the order of the steps.

The terms “comprising,” “comprises,” “including,” “includes,” “having,” “haves,” and their grammatical equivalents are used herein to mean that other components or steps are optionally present. For example, an article comprising A, B, and C includes an article having only A, B, and C as well as articles having A, B, C, and other components. And a method comprising the steps A, B, and C includes methods having only the steps A, B, and C as well as methods having the steps A, B, C, and other steps.

Terms of degree, such as “substantially,” “about,” and “roughly” are used herein to denote features that satisfy their technological purpose equivalently to a feature that is “exact.” For example, a component A is “substantially” perpendicular to a second component B if A and B are at an angle such as to equivalently satisfy the technological purpose of A being perpendicular to B.

Except as otherwise stated herein, or as is otherwise clear from context, the term “or” is used herein in its inclusive sense. For example, “A or B” means “A or B, or both A and B.”

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating an exemplary locking pegboard mount 100 in the locked (FIG. 1A) and unlocked (FIG. 1B) configurations. The locking mount 100 includes a locking plate 102 and a pegboard engagement module 104 (also referred to as a tine plate or tine member herein). The engagement module 104 includes one or more bent tines 104a, 104b extending out and from a mounting plate 104c. The tines 104a, 104b are configured to engage a mounting hole of a pegboard: they are bent such that the proximal portion of the tine 104a, 104b extends out from the front face 136 of the locking plate 102 providing a surface 104d, 104e to engage the inside surface of a hole. The distal portion of the tine 104a, 104b extends substantially parallel to the front face of the locking plate 102. The engagement module 104 is slidably attached to the front face 136 of the locking plate 102 through, e.g., a slide guide 106 that secures the mounting plate 104c to the locking plate 102. (Here, the “front face” 136 refers to the surface of the locking plate 102 to which the mounting plate 104c is attached via the guide 106, and the “back” to the opposite surface 138. In use, the front 136 will face the pegboard. The “proximal” and “distal” portions of the tines refer to, respectively, the portion of the tine at which the tine 104a, 104b is attached to the mounting plate 104c and the portion of the tine situated away from the proximal portion.)

In one example of a slidable connection between the engagement module 104 and the locking plate 102, the mounting plate 104c may be attached to a slide guide 106 configured with channels to receive the locking plate 102 such that the locking plate 102 and slide guide 106 may move linearly relative to each other, as indicated by the dashed arrow 110. Thus, the locking plate 102 is the “slide” of the slide/slide-guide prismatic joint formed when the locking plate 102 is placed within the channels of the slide guide 106. Slide stops 108a, 108b at the ends 134, 132 of the locking plate 102 are used to constrain the extent of relative linear motion by stopping the slide guide 106 from sliding off the locking plate 102.

Another potential prismatic-joint configuration includes one or more semi-closed channels (e.g., T-slots) on the front face of the locking plate 102 and one or more guide pins (e.g., T-bolts) extending from the tine member 104 and configured to engage the channels and thereby hold the tine member 104 relative to the face 136 of the locking plate 102 while allowing the tine member 104 to linearly move between the ends 132, 134 of the locking plate. (The channels are a “slide guide” and the guide pins are a “slide” of the prismatic joint.)

In the unlocked configuration shown in FIG. 1B, the tine plate 104 is positioned to the first end 132 of the locking plate 102 such that the tines 104a, 104b protrude past the first end 132 of the locking plate 102. (As is described below, this protrusion enables the bent tines 104a, 104b to engage holes of a pegboard.)

In the locked configuration shown in FIG. 1A, the engagement module 104 is positioned to the second end 134 of the locking plate 102 such that the tines 104a, 104b do not protrude past either end 132, 134 of the locking plate 102. (As described below, the lack of protrusion secures tines 104a, 104b in the holes of a pegboard when engaged with the pegboard in the locked configuration.)

FIGS. 2A through 2E are various views of the exemplary locking pegboard mount 100 engaging with a pegboard 200. FIG. 2F is a side view of the mount 100 illustrating dimensions of the mount in the locked configuration. The pegboard 200 includes a pattern of holes 202. The two tines 104a, 104b of the tine plate 104 are configured to fit within two of the holes 202a, 202b. To install the locking pegboard mount 100 on the pegboard 200, the mount 100 is placed into an unlocked configuration (as shown in FIG. 1B) and the tines 104a, 104b are inserted into holes 202a, 202b in the pegboard 200, as depicted in FIG. 2B. (This insertion is represented in FIG. 2A with the dashed lines 210a, 210b.)

The mount 100 is then rotated 210c relative to the pegboard 200 such that the front face 136 of the locking plate 102 is facing the pegboard 200, as depicted in FIG. 2C. (This rotation 210c is represented in FIG. 2B with an arced dashed line 210c.) The locking plate 102 is then slid 210d relative to the tine member 104 via the prismatic joint 102/106 so as to place the mount in the locked configuration (FIG. 1A), as depicted in FIG. 2D. (This linear movement 210d is represented in FIG. 2C with the dashed arrow 210d.) FIG. 2E is a view of a portion of section A-A from FIG. 2D, FIG. 2F is a side view of the mount 100 from section A-A of FIG. 2D. In FIGS. 2D and 2E, the mount 100 is in its locked configuration shown in FIG. 1A, but as engaged with the pegboard 200: the tines 104a, 104b placed through two holes 202a, 202b engage the back side 206 of the pegboard 200 while the locking plate 102 engages the front side 204 of the pegboard 200 to prevent disengagement of the tines 104a, 104b from the pegboard. (The “front” side of the pegboard is the surface of the pegboard that faces the mount 100. The “back” side of the pegboard faces away from the mount 100.)

In the example of FIGS. 2A-2F, the movement of the locking plate 102 in the slide guide 106 spans substantially the entire distance between the first 132 and second 134 ends of the locking plate 102. But the invention is not limited to such an extent of movement. A lesser movement may be sufficient for the locking plate 102 to lock the engaged tines in place, in which case slide stops 108a may be placed on the locking plate 102 at a position between the first 132 and second 134 ends. Preferably, the length of the distal portion of the tine 104a from the tine's hole-engagement surface 104d to the tine's endpoint (D1, the “distal-portion length”) 103 is substantially equal to or greater than the dimension of the hole 202 that is parallel to the tine (DH) 203 to prevent disengagement of the mount 100 from the pegboard 200 without rotation of the mount 100 relative to the pegboard 200. The position of the slide stops and the length of the locking plate depends on the distal-portion length (and the size of the hole). Preferably, the distance that the locking plate extends past the tine's hole-engagement surface 104d (D2) 105 is at least 1.5 times the distal-portion length (D1).

FIGS. 3A and 3B are front and back perspective views, respectively, illustrating an exemplary locking pegboard mount 300 comprising a locking member 302 and a tine member 304. The tine member 304 incorporates a slide guide for engaging the locking member 302. FIG. 4 is a top view of the exemplary tine member 304 of the mount 400 incorporating a slide guide for engaging a locking member 302. The tine member 304 includes a front plate 304c and two arms 304d, 304e configured to form channels 304f, 304g to receive the locking member 302. The locking member 302 is able to slide within the channels 304d, 304g such that the tine member 304 may move linearly between top 334 and bottom 332 ends of the locking plate 302. Slide stops 308a and 308b may be used to keep the tine member 304 from sliding off the locking plate 302 (or, equivalently, keep the locking plate 302 from sliding out of the channels 304f, 304g of the tine member 304). The slide stops 308a, 308b may include, e.g., by protuberances attached to the locking plate 302 (e.g., through welding, gluing, or bolting) or protuberances formed from the locking plate 302 (e.g., through dimpling for folding).

While the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the basic scope of the invention. And features described with reference to one embodiment may be combined with other embodiments, even if not explicitly stated above, without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims which follow.