Abstract:
A standoff adaptor for a threaded hollow wall anchor for mounting an item to a wall. A threaded member has a washer mounted thereon with a recess to receive and contact the head of a mounting anchor. The distal end of the threaded member is received into a standoff having at its opposite end a bolt threadedly mounted thereto for holding an item between the bolt and standoff.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of sign mounts, sign supports and standoffs to mount items to a wall in spaced relationship. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Signs are mounted on walls using standoffs, which are different shaped metal parts that “standoff” the sign from the wall. These standoffs come in many shapes, sizes and materials. They all have a tapped hole on each end or a tapped hole extending through the standoff that accepts a screw with a machine screw thread. 
     Standoffs are mounted to the wall using a piece of hardware called a hangar bolt. Hanger bolts consists of a wood screw thread that goes into the wall and a machine screw thread that fastens the standoff. Sign designers and installers have problems with this type of a system, as the wood screw thread can tear up the wall, and the load that can be affixed to them is hard to determine. 
     A spacer may be fixed to the wall by means of a screw that extends into a wall anchor fixedly mounted in the wall. Commercially available wall anchors include a threaded hollow interior to receive the screw securing the spacer to the wall. The anchor has a head located slightly outward of the wall with the main body of the anchor being expandable against the interior of the wall securely mounting the anchor. Alternatively, the wall anchor may be threaded into the wall with the drywall tightly gripping the anchor. 
     In the event the spacer has a width or diameter equal to the width of the head of the wall anchor, then the load resulting from the weight of the sign or other item mounted to the spacer is directed entirely into the spacer and not the outside surface of the wall surrounding the anchor head. On the other hand, if the spacer has a width or diameter larger than the anchor head, then there is a tendency for the spacer to rock back and forth resulting from the gap existing between the spacer and the mounting wall that surrounds the anchor head. Disclosed herein is a standoff adaptor for use with a threaded hollow wall anchor that eliminates these disadvantages existing in the prior art standoffs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the present invention is a standoff adaptor for a threaded hollow wall anchor for mounting an item to a wall including an externally threaded cylindrical main body having a first end to extend into the internally threaded hollow wall anchor mountable to a wall and further having a second end forming a head. A spacer is on the main body and positioned between the first end and the second end. The spacer has a first load transfer surface to face the anchor and wall and further has a standoff engageable surface facing oppositely of the first load transfer surface. The main body has first external threads between the first end and the spacer and second external threads between the spacer and the second end. A standoff has a second load transfer surface abutable against the first load transfer surface. The standoff is internally threaded and is meshing engageable with the second external threads to mount thereto. The standoff has a length to extend outwardly of the cylindrical main body to receive an item to be mounted thereto in spaced relationship to the wall. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device for mounting an item in space relationship to a wall. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a standoff adaptor for use with a threaded hollow wall anchor. 
     Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a standoff adaptor shown in position to extend into a threaded hollow wall anchor. 
         FIG. 2  is the same view as  FIG. 1  only showing a different hollow wall anchor. 
         FIG. 3  is an end view looking in the direction of arrows  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view looking in the direction of arrows  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the standoff looking in the direction of arrows  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing a shoulder screw mounted to the standoff. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
     Referring more particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a standoff adaptor  20  for mounting to the threaded hollow wall anchor  25  ( FIG. 1 ) and the threaded hollow wall anchor  50  ( FIG. 2 ). Adaptor  20  is used to mount an item, including signs, posters, etc. to wall  26 . The adaptor includes an externally threaded cylindrical main body  23  having a first end  24  to extend into the internally threaded hollow wall anchor  25  or  50 . The second end  22  of main body  23  also is externally threaded and forms a head which is extendable into hole  35  of standoff  21 . A washer shaped spacer  28  has internal threads and is threadedly mounted on the external threads of head  22 . Threaded end  38  of shoulder bolt  37  is then threaded into the outer end  36  of standoff  21  with the item to be mounted being located either on the cylindrical middle portion  39  of bolt  37  or between the end  36  of standoff  21  and the inwardly facing shoulder surface  60  of bolt  37 . 
     Threaded cylindrical main body  23  has a socket recess  63  formed in end  22  to engage a complementary tool, such as an alien head wrench. In embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , socket  63  is hexagonal in shape although it is understood that a variety of polygonal configurations may be utilized for the socket. A wrench may be inserted into socket  63  in order to rotate threaded main body  23  as end  24  extends into wall anchor  25  or  50  with the external threads of end portion  24  of main body  23  being in meshing engagement with the internal threads of either wall anchor  25  or  50 . 
     Spacer  28  has an inwardly facing surface  32  that abuts against the outside surface  71  of wall  26 . A recess  29 , such as a counter bore, is formed in surface  32  thereby allowing the bottom surface  31  of recess  29  to contact the outwardly facing surface of anchor head  70  that projects slightly away from the outwardly facing surface of wall  26 . Threaded member  23  extends through spacer  28 ; however, the externally threaded end  22  extends only partially into the spacer and does not extend into recess  29  allowing a couterbore surface  31  ( FIG. 1 ) to be formed in recess  29  around member  23 . As threaded main body  23  is extended into and tightened to wall anchor  25  or  50 , the head  70  of the wall anchor projects into recess  29  contacting surface  31  while surface  32  contacts the outwardly facing surface  71  of wall  26  that surrounds head  70 . In this manner, the threaded rod  23  is prevented from rocking since the load applied to the threaded rod by the weight of the item hung to standoff  21  is applied through surfaces  31  and  32  to the outwardly facing surface of head  70  and mounting surface  71  of wall  26 . 
     Similarly, anchor  50  ( FIG. 2 ) includes a head that projects slightly away from the outwardly facing surface  71  of mounting wall  26 . 
     Anchors  25  and  50  are similar in that each extends through wall  26  with the head  70  of the anchor mount located slightly outward of mounting surface  71 . Anchors  25  are typically produced from metal whereas anchors  50  may be metal or plastic. Both anchors are commercially available in hardware stores. The main distinction between the two anchor mounts is that anchor  25  includes an expandable middle section that abuts against the inwardly facing surface of wall  26  as the anchor mount is initially installed with the two ends of the anchor mount being contracted thereby forcing the weakened middle portion outwardly. Anchor mount  50  typically includes a main body that is separated into outwardly extending winged portions as a screw is forced into the anchor mount. 
     Standoff  21  may take a variety of external shapes. In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , standoff  21  is depicted as having a cylindrical shape; however, it is to be understood that other shapes including oval, square etc. may be utilized. The outside diameter of standoff  21  is slightly greater than the outside diameter of spacer  28  so as to conceal the spacer as the standoff is tightened onto externally threaded end  22 . Hole  35  of standoff  21  is internally threaded to receive the threaded end  22  of main body  23 . The standoff is threaded onto end  22  so that the inwardly facing  34  of standoff  21  contacts the outwardly facing surface  33  of spacer  28  thereby transferring the load from the item mounted to standoff  21  to spacer  28 . 
     End  36  of standoff  21  has a internally threaded hole  80  ( FIG. 5 ) with the outwardly facing surface  81  of the standoff facing a conventional shoulder bolt or other fastening device  37  having external threads in meshing engagement with the internal threads within hole  80 . Shoulder bolt  37  ( FIG. 6 ) has a threaded end portion  38  separated from the bolt head by a smooth cylindrical shoulder portion  39 . The diameter of portion  39  is greater than the end portion  83  forming shoulder  60 . In order to mount an item to adaptor  20 , bolt  37  is removed from standoff  21  with the threaded portion  38  and shoulder portion  39  of the bolt being extended through the item to be mounted to the adaptor. Bolt  37  is then threaded into standoff  21  supporting the item to the standoff. Alternatively, the item to be mounted to adaptor  20  may be gripped between surface  81  of standoff  21  and the shoulder  60  formed on bolt  37  between cylindrical portion  39  and the threaded end portion  38 . The weight of the item supported by the adaptor is transferred between surfaces  34  and  33  to surfaces  31  and  28  and then to head  70  and mounting surface  71  of wall  26 . 
     Many variations are contemplated and included in the present invention. For example, end portion  24  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  as having an outside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of end portion  22 ; however, portions  22  and  24  may have equal diameters. Likewise, a bolt other than shoulder bolt  37  may be utilized to threadedly mount the item to be hung or supported by standoff  21 . That is, threaded portion  83  of the bolt may extend entirely up to the head(cap) of the bolt with the item to be supported by the spacer then being gripped between the inwardly facing surface of the head and the outwardly facing surface  81  of spacer  21 . For example, a set screw may be used in lieu of a shoulder screw with the set screw protruding from the cap. The head or cap of the screw is typically the same diameter as standoff  21 . The particular thread provided on end  24  of main body  23  may be varied. That is, for a smaller diameter standoff, such as ⅜ inch and ½ inch, the thread may be course machine thread that extends into the wall anchor. Notably, the tip of end portion  24  is pointed to be self-centering in the wall anchor. It is best that the threads provided on end portion  24  match the original screw that is used to install the wall anchor. 
     The method of mounting an item in space relationship to a wall includes a step of providing a wall anchor with a head, an externally threaded main body, a spacer on the main body, a standoff and a fastening device. The wall anchor is first mounted to the wall. Spacer  28  is mounted to threaded main body  23  and then threadingly mounted to the wall anchor. This later step includes the sub-step of extending end portion  24  into the wall anchor so that the main body extends outwardly, namely end portion  22  from the wall anchor in the wall. Simultaneously, the spacer  28  is positioned against the head  70  of the anchor which extends into recess  29  with surface  28  of the spacer contacting the mounting surface  71  surrounding the anchor head. The spacer is positioned against the wall anchor by rotating the main body  23  relative to the wall anchor until the spacer is against the wall anchor thereby transferring load on the spacer to the wall anchor. Next, the standoff is threadedly mounted onto threaded main body  23  outwardly of spacer  28  by rotating standoff  21  onto the threaded member  23 . Last, the method includes a step of mounting an item such as a sign, etc. onto the standoff while spacing the item apart from the wall. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.