Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02487087 2004-11-05
MANTEL MOUNTING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fireplace mantels and shelves, and more
particularly to a system for mounting such mantels and shelves on a wall.
Fireplaces are commonly installed in a wide variety of structures including
homes
and commercial buildings. They are generally located behind a wall with a
fireplace opening
extending through the wall to the fireplace hearth.
It is customary to affix and/or otherwise provide a mantel on the wall over
the
fireplace opening. Mantels often include a shelf located over the fireplace
opening, and a pair of
side pieces extending down from the shelf on either side of the fireplace
opening. It is
sometimes also desirable to provide additional shelving and/or bookcases
around the fireplace
opening for supporting and displaying for example, photographs and books.
Unfortunately, affixing mantels and/or shelves to the wall can be difficult
and
time consuming. One known method includes attaching a number of individual
hooks to the
wall at the locations of the wall studs. The method also includes attaching a
number of hooks on
the back of the mantel that interfit with the hooks on the wall. Once each of
the hooks is
properly positioned and affixed to the wall, the hooks on the mantel are
aligned with the hooks
on the wall and the mantel is hung on the wall. This method suffers in that it
can be cumbersome
and time consuming to properly position the hooks on the wall and the mantel.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention comprising
a mantel and a mounting support for the mantel. Cooperating mounting hardware
is mounted on
both the mantel and the support at standard locations, so that the mantel can
be easily mounted
S on the support. The support includes means for permitting the support to be
mounted on a wall
at a plurality of lateral locations, facilitating the rapid mounting of the
support centered on the
fireplace opening.
In one embodiment, the support is an elongated board or plate defining one or
more elongated horizontal slots. The slots are adapted to receive conventional
fasteners for
attaching the support to a wall in a plurality of lateral locations.
In another embodiment, the mounting hardware includes a plurality of cleats
and
brackets that are aligned on the mantel shelf and on the support so that the
cleats can be inserted
into the brackets to support the shelf on the wall.
In another embodiment, the mantel includes a shelf and first and second side
pieces extending downwardly from opposite ends of the shelf. The support
includes a cross
member under the shelf, and first and second legs extending downwardly from
opposite ends of
the cross member. The support legs are under the mantel side pieces. The
mantel side pieces
and the support legs each include a set of mounting hardware for mounting the
side pieces on the
support legs when the mantel is mounted on the support.
The present invention also includes a method for installing a mantle on a
wall,
including the steps of (a) placing an elongated support on a wall, the support
having a plurality
of spaced apart brackets; (b) inserting a fastener through a horizontal slot
in the support so that
the fastener is aligned with a desired wall location; (c) attaching the
support to the wall with the
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fastener; and (d) hanging a mantel shelf having a plurality of spaced apart
cleats on the support
by inserting the cleats into the brackets.
The lateral adjustability of the support facilitates the rapid and proper
installation
of mantels and shelves.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be
more
fully understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of
the current
embodiments and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of the mantel system including the
mantel
and the support.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cleat on the mantel.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bracket on the support.
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the support cross member and
one leg.
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view along line 4 in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear of the mantel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT
A mantel mounting system according to one embodiment of the present invention
is shown in Fig. 1 and is generally designated 10. The mantle mounting system
10 includes a
mounting support 12 for attachment to a wall 14, and a mantel 16 that attaches
to the support 12.
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As shown in Fig. 1, the support 12 may be comprised of wood, plastic or
another
suitable material and includes a cross member 18, and first and second support
legs 20, 22
extending downwardly from the cross member 18. The cross member includes an
upper surface
24, a lower surface 26, a front surface 28, a rear surface 30 and first and
second ends 32 and 34.
Shown in Figs. 1 and 4, an elongated slot 50 or a plurality of slots 50 extend
along a substantial
portion of the longitudinal length of the cross member 18. The slots SO extend
through the front
28 and rear 30 surfaces of the cross member 18, and are sized so that a
conventional fastener 52
may be inserted through the slot 50 and be slidable within the slot 50. Also
shown in Figs. l and
4, the front surface 28 of the cross member 18 includes a plurality of spaced
apart brackets 54.
As shown, the cross member 18 includes two brackets 54 located near the
opposing ends 32, 34
of the cross member 18. Alternatively, any number of brackets 54 could be
spaced at a variety of
locations on the cross member 18. Shown in Fig. 3, the brackets 54 include a
metal plate 55 that
defines one or more slots or holes 56. As illustrated, each bracket 54
includes two slots 56
aligned vertically in the plate 55. Shown in Fig. 5, the front surface 28 of
the cross member 18
may include notches 58 behind the slots 56 for receiving prongs 60 (described
below). The
notches 58 generally extend below the lower edge 62 of the slots 56. The
brackets 54 are
secured to the cross member 18 by conventional fasteners 64, such as wood
screws.
The support 20, 22 include a front surface 36 and first and second ends 38 and
40.
The first end 38 of the legs 20, 22 is attached to the lower surface 26 of the
cross member 18 at
the ends 32, 34 of the cross member. In one embodiment, shown in Fig. 4, a
pair of dowels 42,
44 extend from the first end 38 of the legs 20, 22 and into corresponding
holes (not shown) in the
lower surface 26 of the cross member 18. An adhesive such as wood glue may be
disposed on
the dowels 42, 44 before they are inserted into the holes for creating a
secure attachment between
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the cross member 18 and the legs 20, 22. In one embodiment, the legs 20, 22
include slots 66
extending through the legs 20, 22 in a direction transverse to the
longitudinal length of the legs
20, 22. Similar to the slots 50 in the cross member, the slots 66 are sized to
receive a
conventional fastener 68. The legs 20, 22 may also include brackets 70. As
shown in Fig. l,
each leg 20, 22 includes one bracket near the second end 40 of the leg.
Alternatively, one or
more brackets 70 may be disposed at various locations on the legs 20, 22. The
brackets 70 are
generally the same as the brackets 54 on the cross member 18, and therefore
will not be
described again in detail.
As shown in Fig, 1, the mantel 16 includes a shelf 100, and first and second
mantel side pieces 103, 104. The shelf 100 includes a horizontal member 101
and a cross beam
102. The horizontal member includes an upper surface 106, and a lower surface
108, a front
surface 110, a rear surface 120 (shown in Fig. 6), and first and second ends
122, 124. The cross
beam 102 is generally a rectangular board that extends along substantially all
of the lower
surface 108 of the horizontal member 101 and is conventionally attached to the
horizontal
member 101 between the side pieces 103, 104. The cross beam 102 includes an
upper surface
107, a lower surface 109, a front surface 111, a rear surface 121, and first
and second ends 123,
125. As shown in Fig. 6, a portion 131 of the horizontal member 101 extends
past the rear
surface 121 of the cross beam 102 to form an overhang. As shown in Figs. 2 and
6, the rear
surface 121 of the cross beam 102 includes a plurality of cleats 126. The
cleats 126 are spaced
along the rear surface 121 so that they can be aligned with the brackets 54 on
the support 12. As
illustrated, the cleats 126 extend from a rectangular plate 128. The cleats
126 include a first
member 130 that extends normal to the plate 128, and a second member 132 that
extends
downwardly from the first member 130. The plate 128 is generally rectangular
and may be
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formed from steel, aluminum, plastic, or any other suitable material. The
plate 128 is attached to
the shelf 100 by conventional fasteners 134, such as wood screws.
The first and second mantel side pieces 103, 104 extend downwardly from the
lower surface 108 of the horizontal member 101 at the ends 122, 124 on
opposite sides of the
cross beam 102. The mantel side pieces 103, 104 generally include a first end
136, a second end
138, a rear surface 140, an outer edge 142, and an inner edge 144. The mantel
side pieces 103,
104 attach to the horizontal member 101 and the cross beam 102 in a
conventional manner, such
as a pair of blocks 146, 148 that extend over a portion of the rear surface
121 of the cross beam
102 and a portion of the rear surface 140 of the mantel side pieces 103, 104
and attach to both
the cross beam 102 and the side pieces 103, 104 with conventional fasteners
150, such as wood
screws. The side pieces 103, 104 may also include side panels 152, 154 that
extend along and
attach to the outer edge 142 of the side pieces 103, 104. A portion 156 of the
side panels 152,
154 extends past the rear surface 140 of the side pieces 103, 104 to form an
overhang. In
addition, the side pieces may each include a cleat 160 or a set of cleats. The
cleats 160 are
generally the same as the cleats 126 on the cross beam 102. The cleats 160 are
positioned such
that they can be aligned with the brackets 70 on the support legs 20, 22.
In operation, the mantel support 12 is positioned against the wall 14 with the
rear
surface 30 of the cross member adjacent to the wall 14. One or more
conventional fasteners 52
are inserted through the slot 50 at any location along the slot S0, such as
directly aligned with a
stud in the wall 14. The fasteners 52 are then inserted into the wall 14 and
attached to the wall
14. Before the fasteners 52 are tightened against the support 12, the support
12 may be re-
positioned on the wall by sliding the fasteners 52 along the slot 50. When the
support 12 is
positioned as desired, the fasteners are tightened to secure the support 12 to
the wall. If the legs
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20, 22 include slots 66, they are attached to the wall 14 in a similar manner
by inserting fasteners
68 through the slots 66. Once the support 12 is secured to the wall 14, the
mantel 16 can be hung
on the support 12. This requires holding the mantel 16 in front of the support
12 so that the
cleats 126 and 160 on the cross beam 102 and the mantel side pieces 103, 104
align with the
brackets 54 and 70 on the support 12 and the support legs 20, 22. The second
member 132 of
each cleat 126 and 160 is inserted through the slot 56 and into the notch 58
of the brackets 54
and 70 and lowered so that the cleats 126 and 160 are retained by the brackets
54 and 70,
securing the mantel 16 to the support 12 and the wall 14. Obviously, though
the brackets are
described in connection with the support 12 and the cleats are described in
connection with the
mantel 16 it would be equally effective to reverse some or all of the
attachment points to include
cleats on the support and brackets on the mantel. Similarly, any other set of
corresponding
mounting hardware could be used instead of cleats and brackets. When the
mantel 16 is secured
to the support 12, the overhanging portions 131 and 156 on the mantel 16 cover
the support 12
when the mantel 16 is hung to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish.
Alternative Embodiment
In an alternative embodiment, the support 12 and the mantel 16 do not include
support legs 20, 22 and mantel side pieces 103, 104. This provides for easy
mounting of a shelf
similar to the shelf 100 at any desired location on a wall 14. The support
cross member 18 is
essentially the same as described in the above embodiment, as is the rear of
the cross beam 102,
such that each includes corresponding spaced brackets or cleats. In another
embodiment, the
cross beam 102 may also be removed, and the brackets or cleats may be disposed
on the rear
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surface 120 of the horizontal member 101. In operation, the shelf 100 is
mounted to the cross
member 18 similar to the mounting of the entire mantel as described in the
first embodiment.
The above descriptions are those of current embodiments of the invention.
Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit
and broader
aspects of the invention, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the
principles of patent
law including the Doctrine of Equivalents.
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