Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOUNTING ASSEMBLY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1.FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[1000] This invention is directed toward a mounting
assembly constructed to be mounted on two spaced-apart
supports with the assembly between the supports. The
mounting assembly is adjustable in width so it can be
mounted to supports which can be different distances
apart.
[1001] The invention is particularly directed toward a
mounting assembly having a container, the mounting
assembly constructed to be mounted on two spaced-apart,
parallel supports with the container in the space between
the supports. The mounting assembly is adjustable in width
so it can be mounted to supports which can be different
distances apart.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[1002] It often desirable to mount an article retainer,
such as a shelf or container, on the back of a cupboard
door. The door often is thick enough so that the shelf or
container can be easily fastened to the back of the door
with fasteners. Often however, the door consists of a thin
panel mounted on a peripheral frame. It is difficult to
mount anything on the back of the panel using fasteners
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since the fasteners would penetrate the panel and mar the
outer appearance of the door. The article retainer could
be mounted on one side or the other of the peripheral
frame of the door but then the retainer could be less
accessible through the opening normally closed by the
door, or alternatively, more intrusive into the opening,
depending on which side of the frame it is mounted on.
[1003] There are also occasions where it is desirable to
mount a mounting assembly within the space between two
vertical supports of a window frame, a doorway, or a
similar construction. The mounting assembly can carry
information that is visible to a person passing by the
mounting assembly. Such a mounting assembly is however
normally custom built to fit the spacing of the two
vertical supports and thus is relatively expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[1004] It is the purpose of the present invention to
provide a mounting assembly having a mounting wall and at
least two mounting members on the mounting wall that
permit the mounting assembly to be fastened to two spaced-
apart supports to locate the mounting wall within the
space between the supports. The mounting members extend
laterally from the mounting wall of the mounting assembly,
in opposite directions, toward the supports. At least one
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of the members is slidable to be able to adjust the
distance between the front ends of the mounting members.
[1005] It is another purpose of the present invention to
provide a mounting assembly having a mounting wall, a
container on wall, and at least two spaced-apart mounting
members on the wall. The mounting members permit the
mounting assembly to be mounted between two spaced apart
supports with the container located in the space between
the supports. The mounting members extend laterally from
the mounting wall of the mounting assembly in opposite
directions. At least one of the mounting members is
slidable to be able to adjust the distance between the
front ends of the mounting members. In one embodiment, the
container is attached to the front of the mounting wall.
In another embodiment the mounting wall of the assembly
forms the back wall of the container.
[1006] The invention is particularly directed toward a
mounting assembly having a mounting wall. At least first
and second mounting members are mounted on the mounting
wall. The members extend in opposite directions from each
other and away from the mounting wall with their front
ends normally spaced from the mounting wall. The first
mounting member is slidably mounted in a first channel
member on the mounting wall. The first mounting member
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is movable relative to the second mounting member to be
able to vary the distance between their front ends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[1007] Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the mounting
assembly;
[1008] Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the mounting
assembly;
[1009] Fig. 3 is a cross-section view taken along line 3-3
in Fig. 2;
[1010] Fig. 4 is a front view of the mounted mounting
as
[1011] Fig. 5 is a cross-section view similar to Fig. 3
showing a modified mounting assembly;
[1012] Fig. 6, on the same sheet as Fig. 10, is a detail
view of a locking mechanism for the mounting members;
[1013] Fig. 7 is rear view, partly broken away, of the
mounting assembly with mounting members back-to-back;
[1014] Fig. 8 is a rear view, similar to Fig. 7, but with
the mounting members expanded in height;
[1015] Fig. 9 is a rear view, similar to Fig. 8, with the
back wall partially removed, and the front of the mounting
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members modified;
[1016] Fig. 10 is a broken, rear view of a mounting
assembly with top and bottom sets of side-by-side mounting
members on the mounting wall;
[1017] Fig. 11 is a broken, rear view of a mounting
assembly with top and bottom sets of back-to-back mounting
members on the mounting wall;
[1018] Fig. 12 is a broken, rear view of a mounting
assembly mounted vertically;
[1019] Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a mounting
assembly with retaining means;
[1020] Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a mounting
assembly with a container;
[1021] Fig. 15 is a side view of a mounting assembly with
a container, partially broken away;
[1022] Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a mounting
assembly with two containers;
[1023] Fig. 17 is rear view of mounting assembly with
keyhole slots on the outer wall of the channel member;
[1024] Fig. 18 is a detail view of the keyhole slot;
[1025] Fig. 19 is a perspective view of another embodiment
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of the mounting assembly and container;
[1026] Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the mounting
assembly and a waste container;
[1027] Fig. 21 is a detail, cross-section view of the
connectors used on the assembly shown in Fig. 20; and
[1028] Fig. 22 is a top view of another arrangement of a
container and a waste container.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[1029] As shown in Figs. 1-3, the mounting assembly 1, in
the simplest embodiment, has a rigid mounting wall 3. The
mounting wall 3 is normally quadratic. The mounting
assembly 1 has at least two mounting members 5, 7 mounted
on its mounting wall 3. The mounting members 5, 7 are in
the form of thin, relatively rigid, narrow plates and are
preferably mounted on the back 9 of the mounting wall 3.
The mounting members 5, 7 are preferably identical and are
shown as extending across the width of the mounting wall 3
and slightly beyond, the one mounting member 5 projecting
past one side 11 of the mounting wall and the other
mounting member 7 projecting past the other side 13 of the
mounting wall 3. The mounting members 5, 7 terminate in
front ends 15, 17 normally spaced a short distance from
the sides 11, 13 respectively of the mounting wall 3.
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[1030] At least one of the mounting members 5, 7 is
slidably mounted on the mounting wall 3. The mounting
member 5 is shown as snugly, slidably mounted through a
channel 19 on the back 9 of the mounting wall 3. The
channel 19 can be integral with the mounting wall 3 as
shown. Alternatively, the channel 19 can be formed by a
separate tubular member (not shown) attached to the back 9
of the mounting wall 3 by suitable means. The slidable
mounting member 5 can be moved in the channel 19 to extend
a required distance past the side 11 of the mounting wall
3. The channel 19 has been shown as being closed. However
it could also have a major portion of its back wall 21
removed to provide an open channel.
[1031] The other mounting member 7 is attached directly to
the mounting wall 3 by suitable fastening means (not
shown). The fixed mounting member 7 can extend a short
distance past the side 13 of the mounting wall 3 or can
extend for most of its length from the wall or any
distance in between. The fixed mounting member 7 can be
mounted adjacent the channel 19 carrying the sliding
mounting member 5. The mounting members 5, 7 preferably
are generally centrally located on mounting wall 3 about
midway between the top and bottom 22, 23 of the wall 3.
[1031] The mounting assembly 1 is adapted to be mounted in
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the space 25 between spaced-apart supports 27, 29 as shown
in Fig. 4. The movable mounting member 5 is normally
pulled part-way out of the channel 19 past the side edge
11 of the mounting wall 3 a distance sufficient to locate
the front ends 15, 17 of the mounting members 5, 7 on the
supports 27, 29 respectively. Connecting means 31 connect
the mounting members 5, 7 to the supports 27, 29.
[1032] The connecting means 31 can include fastener
receiving means 33 on the mounting members 5, 7 adjacent
their front ends 15, 17 as shown in Figs. 1-2. The
fastener receiving means 33 can be holes, as shown,
through which fasteners (not shown) are inserted to fasten
the front ends of the mounting members 5, 7 to the spaced-
apart supports 27, 29 respectively. When the mounting
assembly 1 has been fastened to the supports 27, 29, the
mounting wall 3 is fixedly located in the space 25 between
the supports 27, 29. Other connecting means can be used.
[1033] The mounting assembly 1 preferably has both
mounting members 5, 7 snugly, slidably mounted in channels
19, 19A respectively as shown in Fig. 5. The channel 19A
is preferably adjacent the channel 19 on the back 9 of the
mounting wall 3. The channel 19A can also be formed
integral with the mounting wall 3 of the mounting assembly
1. Alternatively, the channel 19A can be formed separately
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and attached to the back of the mounting wall 3. In
another embodiment, not shown, the channel 19A could be
mounted on the back wall 21 of channel 19 instead of on
the back 9 of the mounting wall 3. With both mounting
members 5, 7 slidable, the mounting assembly has greater
length adjustment than a mounting assembly with only one
sliding mounting member. The mounting assembly 1 can be
mounted on supports 27, 29 spaced-apart a distance ranging
between slightly greater than the width of the mounting
assembly, with the mounting members 5, 7 withdrawn, to
slightly less than three times the width of the mounting
wall 3 with the mounting members 5, 7 extended from the
channels 19, 19A.
[1034] With both mounting members 5, 7 slidable, locking
means 37 are provided to lock at least one of the mounting
members 5, 7 to the mounting wall 3 to prevent sliding
movement of the mounting wall 3 on the mounting members.
As shown in Fig. 6, the locking means 37 can comprise a
screw 38, threaded through hole 39 the back wall 21, 21A
of one of the channels 19, 19A to press against the
mounting member 5, 7 in the one channel member to lock the
mounting wall 3, via its connection to the selected
channel member, to the selected mounting member 5, 7 and
prevent inadvertent movement of the mounting wall relative
to the mounting members. Other locking means can be used.
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[1035] If the mounting wall 3 of the mounting assembly 1
is relatively wide between its sides 11, 13, the slidable
mounting members 5A, 7A can be built to share a channel
19B located on the back 9 of mounting wall 3 as shown in
Fig. 7. The mounting members 5A, 7A each have a length
that is a little more than half the width of the mounting
wall 3 between the sides 11, 13. The mounting members 5A,
7A are mounted back to back within the channel 19B with
their rear ends 39, 41 respectively, normally adjacent.
The front ends 15A, 17A of the mounting members 5A, 7A
respectively are normally a short distance past the sides
11, 13 of the mounting wall 3 when the mounting assembly
is not being used. In use, the mounting members 5A, 7A are
moved to extend outwardly, from the common channel 19B in
opposite directions, about the same distance to be able to
mount the mounting wall 3 generally centrally in the space
25 between spaced-apart supports 27, 29. In this
embodiment the mounting assembly 1 can be mounted on
supports 27, 29 spaced-apart a maximum distance almost
equal to two times the width of the mounting wall 3.
Again, a locking means 37 could be provided, extending
through the back wall 21B of channel 19B to lock one of
the mounting members in position relative to the mounting
wall 3 to prevent the mounting wall 3 from sliding on the
mounting members 5A, 7A when mounted on the members.
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[1036] The mounting wall 3 of the mounting assembly 1 can
be relatively long between the top and bottom 22, 23 of
the mounting wall 3. The mounting members 5B, 7B can be
made relatively long to extend over nearly all of the
mounting wall 3, within a long channel 190, as shown in
Fig. 8. The mounting members 5B, 7B could each have a
rectangular shape and extend a short distance past the
sides 11, 13 respectively of the mounting wall 3
terminating in long front ends 15B, 17B. The rear ends
39B, 41B of the members 5B, 7B would normally be adjacent
within the channel 190. Each member 5B, 7B would have
connecting means 31B at their upper and lower corners 43,
45 at their front edges 15B, 17B respectively. Mounting
the relatively long quadratic mounting assembly 1 near its
four corners 43, 45 provides a rigid, stable assembly when
it is attached to the supports 27, 29. Locking means 37B
would extend through the back wall 21C of the channel 190
to lock the mounting wall 3 against sliding movement
relative to the mounting members 5B, 7B.
[1037] Preferably the mounting members 50, 70 in the
mounting assembly 1 can each be shaped to have top and
bottom arms 47, 49 extending outwardly from the top and
bottom ends of a narrow base 51 as shown in Fig. 9 to save
material. The mounting members 50, 70 are back to back
with the rear ends 390, 410 of the bases 51 adjacent and
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are slidably mounted in a common channel 190 which
normally covers most of the mounting wall 3. The front
edges 150, 17C of the arms 47, 49 of the mounting members
50, 70 extend just past the sides 11, 13 of the mounting
wall 3 when the mounting assembly 1 is not in use. The
mounting members 5C, 70 can each have connecting means
means 310 at the ends of their arms 47, 49 adjacent their
front edges 150, 17C for use in fastening the mounting
assembly to the spaced apart supports 27, 29. Locking
means 370 can again be used to lock one of the mounting
members 50, 70 to the mounting wall 3 to prevent sliding
of the mounting wall 3 on the mounting members.
[1038] If the mounting assembly 1 is quite long, between
the top and bottom 22, 23 of the mounting wall 3, the
mounting assembly 1 could have top and bottom pairs 51, 53
of adjacent, mounting members 5, 7 as shown in Fig. 10.
The top pair 51, adjacent the top 22 of the mounting wall
3, has two mounting members 5, 7, one above the other,
each extending across the width of the mounting wall 3. At
least one mounting member 5, and preferably both, are
slidably mounted in a channels 19, 19A. The bottom pair
53, adjacent the bottom 23 of the mounting wall 3, also
has two mounting members 5, 7, one above the other, also
extending across the width of the mounting wall 3. At
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least one mounting member 5, and preferably both, of the
bottom pair 53 are slidably mounted in second channel
members 19, 19A.
[1039] In another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11, the top
and bottom pairs 51A, 53A of mounting members 5, 7
adjacent the top 22 and bottom 23 respectively of the
mounting wall 3, can each employ mounting members 5A, 7A
mounted back to back in the same channel 19B.
[1040] The mounting members 5, 7 have been shown as being
horizontal and moving horizontally past the sides 11, 13
of the mounting wall 3 of the mounting assembly 1. They
can instead be mounted to move vertically from their
channel 19, 19A past the top and bottom 22, 23 of the
mounting wall 3, as shown in Fig. 12, to attach to spaced-
apart, horizontal supports 27A, 29A locating the mounting
wall 3 within the space 31A between the supports. Mounting
members 5A, 7A shown in Fig. 7, mounting members 5B, 7B
shown in Fig. 8, and mounting members 5C, 70 shown in Fig.
9 could be vertically mounted on the wall 3 to attach to
horizontal supports such as supports 27A, 29A.
[1041] The mounting assembly 1 could be employed to
display messages, directions, or other information by
print directly on the front 67 of the mounting wall 3 or
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on paper or the like fastened to the front. Preferably the
mounting assembly 1 is used to carry article retaining
structure 69 on the front 67 of the mounting wall 3 as
shown in Fig. 13. The article retaining structure 69 could
be as simple as a few hooks 73 embedded into the front 67
of the mounting wall 3. Articles can be suspended from the
hooks 73. The retaining structure 69A can instead comprise
a shelf 75 extending forwardly from the bottom portion of
the mounting wall 3. The shelf 75 is horizontal and
retains articles thereon. The shelf 75 could be used with
the hooks 73, as shown.
[1042] In another embodiment the retaining structure 69B
can comprise a container 77 with the mounting wall 3 of
the mounting assembly 1 forming the back wall of the
container as shown in Fig. 14. The container 77 has side
walls 79, 81 extending forwardly from the mounting wall 3,
preferably from adjacent the side edges 11, 13 of the
mounting wall 3. The front ends of the side walls 79, 81
are joined by a front wall 83. The container 77 has a
bottom wall 85 closing the bottom end of the container.
The top end 87 can be open. A pivoted lid (not shown)
mounted on the mounting wall 3 can be provided to close
the open end 87. Preferably the container has a quadratic
cross-section.
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[1043] In another embodiment, the retaining structure 69
can comprise a narrow vertically elongated container 93 as
shown in Fig. 15. The container 93 employs the mounting
wall 3 of the mounting assembly 1 as its back wall and has
side walls 95, 97 extending forwardly from the mounting
wall 3. A front wall 99 connects the front of the side
walls 95, 97. The mounting wall 3 has slidable mounting
members 5A, 7A extending in opposite directions from a
single channel 19 on the back 9 of the mounting wall 3
past the top 22 and bottom 23 of the mounting wall 3. The
mounting members 5A, 7A could be mounted instead in
individual channels 19, 19A located side by side on the
back of the mounting wall 3, the mounting members 5A, 7A
extending in opposite directions from the mounting wall.
One of the mounting members 5A, 7A could be fixed to the
mounting wall 3 so only one is slidable in the channel 19
on the mounting wall 3.
{1044} The container 93 has a top end 101 that is partly
closed by a top wall 103 extending forwardly from the
mounting wall 3 and leaving a top, front opening 105 in
the top end 101. The bottom end 107 of the container is
partly closed by a bottom wall 109 extending forwardly
from the mounting wall 3 toward the front wall 99, and
leaving a bottom, front opening 111 in the bottom end 107.
Both the top and bottom ends 101 and 107 are preferably
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angled toward each other.
[1045] In a further embodiment, as shown in Fig. 16, the
retaining structure 69 on the mounting assembly 1 can
comprise a container 115 having at least two side-by-side
sub-containers 117, 119 with different capacities. The
container 115 incorporates the mounting wall 3 as a back
wall for both sub containers 117, 119. The container 115
has side walls 121, 123 extending forwardly from the
mounting wall 3, the fronts of the side walls 121, 123
joined by a front wall 125. A partition wall 127 can
extend between the mounting wall 3 and the front wall 125
to divide the container into the large sub-container 117
and small sub-container 119. The sub-containers 117, 119
can be open at their top end and closed at their bottom
end. Alternatively, they can be partially closed by end
walls extending forwardly from mounting wall 3 toward the
front wall 125 as shown by end walls 103, 109 in Fig. 15.
[1046] The container 115 has top and bottom sets of
mounting members 5, 7 (shown) or 5a, 7A, each set carried
by a single tubular channel (not shown) mounted on the
back of the mounting wall 3. The mounting members extend
vertically the mounting wall 3. With the mounting members
5, 7 attached at their free ends to spaced-apart supports,
the container 115 is retained in the space between the
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supports.
[1047] With a mounting assembly 1 having a long, wide
mounting wall 3 as shown in Fig. 17, the mounting wall 3
could carry wide mounting members 5B, 713 that extend
vertically, or horizontally as shown. When horizontal, the
mounting wall 21B of the wide channel member 19B in which
the mounting members 513, 7B are slidably mounted, could be
provided with vertical and horizontal keyhole slots 151,
153 at the corners 155 of the mounting wall 3. The keyhole
slots, shown in detail in Fig. 18, have one slot 151 at
each corner 155 with each slot having a horizontal narrow
tail 157 extending from a wider circular hole 159. The
tails 157 all extend in the same direction, toward the one
side 13 of the mounting wall 3, as shown, or toward the
other side 11. The other set of keyhole slots 153 have the
narrow tail 161 extending from a wider circular hole 163,
the tails 161 all extending in the same direction, down
toward the bottom end 23 of the wall 3 as shown. The
keyhole slots permit the mounting assembly 1 to be
fastened directly to screws (not shown) which screws are
fastened directly to thick supports such as solid wood
doors in cabinets, the heads of the screws slightly above
the supports as is known to be able to extend through the
circular holes 158 or 163 in the keyhole slots 151 or 153
respectively. The mounting members 5B, 7B are not needed
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in this case and since they are in the way, they could be
removed and stored until needed. The keyhole slots add
versatility to the mounting assemblies allowing them to be
mounted in open space between supports or directly against
supports such as thick panels. The keyhole slots 151, 153
could be employed in a similar manner on the mounting wall
of a channel member 19C holding mounting members 5C, 7C.
[1048] The containers have been described above as
incorporating the mounting assembly in its structure, with
the mounting wall of the mounting assembly forming an
integral part of the container. A separate container 83A
with its own mounting wall 3A, forming the back wall of
the container, could of course be attached by suitable
means to the front 67 of the mounting wall 3 of the
mounting assembly 1 as shown in Fig. 19.
[1049] The containers, particularly wide and/or long
containers can be provided with waste bins carried by
containers. As shown in Figs. 20 and 21 a waste bin 171 is
attached by a mounting wall 173 to the mounting wall 175
of a container 177. Interconnections 179 are provided
comprising a slotted channel member 181 on mounting wall
173 and a T-member 183 on the other mounting wall 175
which T-member fits snugly within the channel member 181
to connect the walls together. Two interconnections 179
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are shown. The slotted channel member 181 and T-member 183
could be alternatively mounted on the mounting walls 175,
173 respectively. Both the channel and T members 181, 183
are elongated strips which could be adhesively attached to
the waste bin 171 and container 177 respectively.
Alternatively, they could be molded integraly with the
waste bin and container. The mounting assembly 1 can be
attached by the front 67 of its mounting wall 3 to the
front wall 185 of the waste bin 171 by additional
interconnections 179. Each interconnection 179 would have
a slotted channel member 181 on one of the mounting wall 3
and the front wall 185 and the T member would be on the
other wall opposite the channel member 181.
[1050] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 22 the waste bin
171 could be mounted by a side wall 187 against a side
wall 189 of the container 177 using interconnections 179
on the side walls. The mounting assembly 1, with its
mounting wall 3, could form the mounting wall of the
container. Alternatively, it could, as shown, be attached
to the mounting wall 191 of the container. The container
177 and bin 171 could be designed to have their mounting
walls 191, 193 aligned when the side wall 187 of the bin
171 is attached to a 189 side wall of the container. The
mounting assembly 1, carrying the mounting members 5, 7,
could extend across the mounting walls 191, 193 of the
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container 177 and bin 171 and be attached to the mounting
walls with interconnections 179.
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