Wall Hangar Device

This invention relates generally to wall hangar devices and more particularly to wall hangar devices of unitary construction, yet capable of assuming a plurality of angular positions with respect to the wall or surface on which they are mounted.

It is known in the art to have a wall mounted hangar device which is of unitary construction, but all such known devices are capable of assuming only a single, fixed angular position with respect to the surface on which they are mounted. Also known in the art are wall mounted hangar devices capable of assuming a plurality, or in some cases an infinite number of angular positions with respect to the surface on which they are mounted, but such devices are constructed of two or more pieces, and thus are relatively more expensive to produce and complicated to mount than a device of unitary construction.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved wall hangar device of unitary construction, yet capable of assuming a plurality of angular positions with respect to the surface on which it is mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved wall hangar device of unitary construction which is relatively economical to produce and which can be installed with relative ease.

According to one aspect of the invention, a wall hangar device is constructed of a moldable plastic material. The hangar has a down-turned or shank portion, the top of which extends outwardly into an arm portion. The arm portion is suitably formed to suspend a desired article. The shank portion of the hangar in cross-section is polygonal, having an even number of sides, but not less than six. Between each pair of opposed sides there is formed one or more openings through which the body of a screw, nail or other suitable fastening device may be passed. Thus, for example, a wall hangar device having a shank portion which is a regular six sided polygon, is capable of being mounted on its arm extending either perpendicular to the mounting surface or with its arm at either of two 30.degree. angular positions with respect to the mounting surface.

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevation view of one embodiment of a wall hangar device according to the present invention;

FIg. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shank portion of the wall hangar device taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate configuration of the shank portion of a wall-hangar device according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a wall-hangar device according to the present invention.

For a better understanding of the present invention together with other and further objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the above-described drawings.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a wall-hangar device according to the present invention includes a shank portion 11, the top part 13 of which bends outwardly to form an arm 15. The end 17 of the arm portion 15 curves upwardly to form a stop and support position for an article to be suspended by the wall-hangar device. Two faces, 37, 39' of the shank portion 11 each have a pair of openings 23, 25, respectively, formed through the shank and adapted to receive suitable fastening means (not shown) such as nails or screws. The device, as illustrated, is secured to a wall 29 by means of fasteners 18 going through a third pair of openings in the shank 11. As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferred that the arm portion 15 of the device have at least a slight downward slope as it extends out to the end 17, or as an alternative, the end 17 could be "hook-shaped." Either configuration will prevent the article being suspended from sliding down the arm 15.

Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown a cross-section view of the shank portion, it being a regular even sided polygon, in this case having six sides. One side 27 is shown mounted against the face of a wall 29, for example. If the arm portion (not shown) extends along the line 31 intersecting the face 27 of the shank, then the arm will extend outward and be substantially perpendicular to the wall 29. If the arm portion extends along the lines 33 or 35, then the arm will be at an angle of approximately 30.degree., left or right, respectively, with respect to the wall. As illustrated in FIG. 1, it is understood that there wil be one or more slots or openings passing through the opposite faces of the shank portion of the hangar device. For example, there could be a first pair of spaced apart holes between the faces 27, 27', a second pair of spaced apart holes between the faces 37, 37' and a third pair of spaced apart holes between the faces 39, 39'. Thus, assuming that the arm portion of the device extended along the line 31, the device could be mounted with the arm perpendicular to the wall, with the arm at an angle of 30.degree. to the left with respect to the wall, or with the arm at an angle of 30.degree. to the right with respect to the wall.

FIG. 3 shows an alternate, eight sided configuration for the shank portion 11 of the device capable of being mounted with the arm at 45.degree. angles right or left with respect to the wall 29 depending on whether the arm extends along the lines 41 or 43, respectively. Of course, if the arm extends along the line 47, it would be mounted perpendicular to the wall. In this configuration the arm could also be parallel to the wall or mounting surface if the arm extended along the line 49. This might be a desirable alternative if corner mounting is desired, but one of the corner surfaces, e.g., surface 51, is not suitable or available for mounting. Again the proper selection of openings through the shank between respective parallel faces will give the desired angular orientation of the arm portion of the device with respect to the wall 29 or other mounting surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, while according to the invention the cross-section of the shank portion 11 of the wall-hangar device is preferably a regular polygon having an even number of sides, this restriction need not apply to the arm 55 and end portion 57. As shown here, while the cross-section of the shank 11 is a regular, even sided polygon, the arm 55 and the end portion 57 have a generally circular cross-section along their lengths, or in the alternative could have an oval shaped cross section.

As presently understood the wall-hangar device of the present invention is preferably made of a moldable plastic material such as, for example, plexiglas, acrylic, stryene, polyvinyl chloride, etc., which may be either clear or tinted depending on design requirements or preferences. Recognizing that only one of the groups of openings through the shank portion will be utilized at any time, it may be desirable to provide decorative plugs to insert in the unused openings in the shank portion of the device.

While the invention has been shown and described as having either a six or eight-sided shank portion, it is to be understood that the shank portion may have any even number of sides greater than or equal to six. Also, while only one arm portion has been illustrated, it is readily apparent that the wall-hangar device according to the present invention may have a plurality of arms connected to a singular shank portion. Other modifications and changes within the spirit and scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the specifics of the foregoing detailed description, but rather is to embrace the full scope of the claims.