Support post mounting assembly

An assembly is disclosed for mounting a bathroom accessory support post to a wall. A bracket with a mounting hole in the form of a keyhole slot is attached to the wall. A support post for the accessory has a neck and an enlarged head at the end of the neck. Adjacent the neck, the support post is threaded to receive a jamb nut. The enlarged head of the support post is positionable within the keyhole slot. The jamb nut is rotatable to clamp the bracket between the enlarged head and the jamb nut to retain the head within the keyhole slot. A cover is friction fit with the aid of an O-ring against the bracket to conceal the mounting hardware from view during use.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a mounting assembly for a support post. More 
particularly, it pertains to a concealable assembly for rigidly mounting a 
post to a wall, where the post can support a towel bar or other 
wall-mountable structure. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many bathroom accessories and other structures such as shelves and mirrors 
are commonly mounted on walls. The assemblies for mounting such structures 
preferably have several characteristics. First, the mounting assemblies 
should provide a solid mounting. In this regard, mounting assemblies for 
shelves and mirrors must sometimes support a considerable weight, and 
assemblies for towel and grab bars are often subjected to large 
multi-directional forces. Second, to be aesthetically pleasing (and to 
reduce the risk of vandalism), the mounting assembly should conceal the 
method of mounting (such as as screws, washers, springs, etc.). Further, 
assemblies should incorporate an uncomplicated structure that permits 
relatively fast and simple mounting of the bathroom accessory or other 
structure and relatively inexpensive manufacture. 
These requirements often conflict, however, and present mounting assemblies 
have not satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements. For example, some 
assemblies employ special parts that are designed to provide a sturdy 
construction. (See for example, the screw-pin incorporating a spring-urged 
detent in U.S. Pat. No. 2,088,320). Such special parts, through, often 
increase the cost and complexity of the mounting assembly, and sometimes 
provide a source of assembly malfunction. Other mounting assemblies 
require special tools to remove the bathroom accessory from the wall. (See 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,211,409). Thus, a need exists for an improved mounting 
assembly that can quickly and easily be assembled to provide a sturdy 
support for a wall-mounted object, with the mounting hardware normally 
concealed from view. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an assembly for mounting an accessory 
support post to a wall. The assembly includes a bracket mountable against 
a wall. The bracket contains a mounting hole formed by a first hole 
section and a smaller second hole section. The first hole section is 
joined to the second hole section. The assembly also includes a jamb nut 
with internal threads and a support post. The support post in turn has an 
inward end, an opposite outward end, and a neck formed adjacent said 
inward end. There is also an enlarged head formed inwardly of the neck. 
The enlarged head is sized to pass through the first hole section, but not 
through the second hole section. The neck is positionable within the 
second hole section after the enlarged head has been inserted through the 
first hole section. 
Threads are formed on the post outwardly of the neck. There are also means 
for substantially covering the outward and peripheral sides of the jamb 
nut. Rotation of the jamb nut on the post threads when the neck is 
positioned in the second hole section can cause the enlarged head to clamp 
against the bracket. This causes the bracket to be sandwiched between the 
enlarged head and the jamb nut. This aspect of the invention achieves a 
solid mounting for the support post, which in turn can be used to hang 
bathroom accessories, shelves or the like on walls or doors. 
Screws can be used to fix the bracket against the wall, and in a preferred 
form of the mounting assembly, the cover is a shroud that is secured to 
the bracket by a friction fit with the aid of an O-ring. This aspect of 
the invention results in the mounting hardware being normally concealed 
from view to give the assembly an aesthetically pleasing look. The cover 
can be easily removed to dismantle the assembly or to clean the wall area 
around the cover and the bracket. 
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved mounting 
assembly for a post that yields a sturdy support for a bathroom accessory 
or other wall-mountable structure. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a mounting assembly for a 
support post where the mounting system used to attach the post to the wall 
or door is normally hidden from view, thus producing an aesthetically 
pleasing look. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a mounting assembly for a 
support post that does not incorporate specialized parts which may 
disadvantageously increase the cost, time and complexity of manufacture or 
installation. 
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention 
will appear from the following description. In the description, reference 
will be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred 
embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment does not represent 
the full scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be made to the 
claims herein for interpreting the full scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, a towel bar 10 is shown mounted relative to a wall 12 
by a pair of mounting assemblies 14. The mounting assemblies 14 may of 
course, be used to mount many other types of bathroom or other 
wall-mountable accessories other than a towel bar 10. For example, the 
mounting assembly according to the present invention may be used with 
tissure holders, door pulls and soap dishes. 
Each mounting assembly 14 includes the components shown in FIG. 2. In 
describing the components, the term "inward" will denote the portion 
nearest the wall 12 and the term "outward" will have the opposite meaning. 
A disc-shaped wall bracket 16 has a mounting bore in the form of a keyhole 
slot 18. The slot 18 includes a first hole section 20 which is generally 
circular and is located toward the perimeter of the wall bracket 16. The 
keyhole slot 18 also includes a second hole section 22 that is joined with 
the first section 20. The second hole section 22 is located toward the 
center of the bracket 16. Retaining lip 24 is preferably positioned behind 
the second hole section 22 adjacent the outward face of the bracket 16. 
With this construction, a pocket 26 (FIGS. 3-5) is formed inward of the 
retaining lip 24. 
The wall bracket 16 also includes three screw holes 19 through the bracket 
positioned at spaced-apart locations. On the outward face (see FIG. 2) of 
the bracket 16, the screw holes 19 include tapered portions 28 in order to 
counter-sink fasteners 29a, 29b and 29c when attaching the bracket 16 to 
the wall 12. While screw holes 19 and screw-type fasteners 29a, 29b and 
29c are shown to illustrate mounting of the bracket 16 to the wall 12, it 
should be clear that other methods of attaching the bracket 16 to the wall 
12 are within the scope of the invention. A wall bracket could, for 
instance, be formed without screw holes and would then be glued, welded or 
otherwise suitably fastened to a wall to provide a rigid assembly. 
The wall bracket 16 also includes an annular groove (not shown) around the 
outside of the bracket in which an O-ring 30 is placed. The depth of the 
groove is such that a portion of the O-ring 30 lies outside the groove, 
and thus radially beyond the perimeter of the bracket 16. Axially, the 
groove and the O-ring are positioned adjacent the outward face of the 
bracket 16. 
A mounting post 32 has a generally cylindrical body portion 34 between its 
inward and outward ends. An accessory mounting ball 36 is located at the 
outward end of the mounting post 32. The mounting ball 36 is formed with a 
recess 38 to receive the towel bar 10 (see FIG. 1). The recess 38 can be 
threaded or slotted as needed. The mounting ball 36 may be replaced by 
different structures to accommodate other accessories. For instance, a 
glass holder or a soap dish could be formed on the outward end of the 
mounting post by placing a through bore through ball 36. Also, the shape 
of the body portion 34 may be modified for other accessories. The body 
portion 34 could be formed with a flat surface, for example, to hold a 
shelf. Thus, someone skilled in the art using mounting assemblies 
according to the present invention may vary the shape of the body portion 
34 and the outward end of the mounting post 32 to mount any particular 
type of bathroom accessory or other wall-mounted structure. 
The inward end of the body portion 34 has a shoulder region 40 (FIGS. 3-5). 
A neck 42 extends inward from the shoulder 40 and terminates with an 
enlarged head 44. The diameter of the enlarged head 44 can be smaller than 
the diameter of the body portion 34. The head 44 is also sized to fit 
through the first hole section 20 of the keyhole slot 18. With regard to 
the second hole section 22 of the keyhole slot 18, the enlarged head 44 is 
sized to fit within the pocket 26. The enlarged head 44 cannot, though, 
fit within the narrower diameter of the second hole section 22 that is 
formed by the retaining lip 24 (at the outward face of the wall bracket 
16). 
The neck 42 of the mounting post 32, on the other hand, has a smaller 
diameter than that of the second hole section 22 that is formed by the 
retaining lip 24 (adjacent the outward face of the wall bracket 16). 
Additionally, the axial length of the neck 42 (distance from the enlarged 
head 44 to the shoulder 40) is slightly greater than the width of the 
retaining lip 24. In this way, if the enlarged head 44 is inserted into 
the first hole section 20 with the shoulder 40 abutting the outward face 
of the wall bracket 16, the neck 42 can be moved into the second hole 
section 22 (within the retaining lip 24). Such movement causes the 
enlarged head 44 to seat in the pocket 26. 
Outward from the shoulder 40, the body portion 34 of the mounting post 32 
is formed with external threads 46 (See FIG. 1). A jamb nut 48 having 
internal threads is adapted to rotatively and threadably engage the 
external threads 46. The enlarged head 44 may pass through the jamb nut 
48. Thus, the jamb nut 48 may be positioned over the shoulder of the body 
portion 34 to engage the threads 46. The threads 46 extend outward from 
the shoulder 40 a sufficient distance to allow the jamb nut 48 to be 
outward of the shoulder 40 when the jamb nut 48 is fully rotated in the 
outward direction. 
The mounting assembly 14 also includes a first shroud or cover 50 having a 
central opening 52 (see FIG. 2). The central opening 52 is slightly larger 
than the diameter of the body portion 34 of the mounting post 32. In this 
way, the body portion 34 can be inserted into the central opening 52 when 
the jamb nut 48 is not engaged with the threads 46. 
As best seen in FIGS. 3-5, the inward side of the cover 50 is formed with 
an interior annular wall 54 which creates a recess 56. The recess 56 is 
sized so that the wall bracket 16 can snugly fit inside the recess 56 with 
the O-ring 30 providing a tight friction fit between the bracket 16 and 
the interior wall 54 of the cover 50. The interior wall 54 is preferably 
formed with sufficiently axial length to envelop the bracket 16 even with 
the jamb nut 48 sandwiched in the recess 56 between the bracket 16 and the 
cover 50. If desired, a side set screw (not shown) can be used in place of 
the O-ring 30. 
As an optional feature, the mounting assembly 14 is also illustrated with a 
second decorative ring 58. An interior groove (not shown) in the 
decorative ring 58 holds an O-ring 60 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), which is made 
of a pliable material such as plastic or rubber. The decorative ring 58 is 
sized to encircle the cover 50 with the O-ring 60 providing a snug 
friction fit holding the decorative ring 58 in place relative to the cover 
50. 
To use the mounting assembly 14 to support a bathroom accessory or other 
wall-mounted structure, the wall bracket 16 is first secured to the wall 
12 with suitable fasteners 29a, 29b and 29c. The bracket 16 should be 
positioned with the first hole section 20 on top and the screw hole 19 
corresponding to fastener 29b on the bottom. Also, the tapered portions 28 
of the screw holes 19 should be positioned away from (outward) the wall. 
With the wall bracket 16 in this position, the retaining lip 24 of the 
keyhole slot 18 is facing outward and the pocket 26 is positioned against 
the wall. 
Before threading the jamb nut 48 onto the threads 46, the enlarged head 44 
of the mounting post 32 should be inserted through the central opening 52 
of the cover 50. The cover 50 is then positioned around the body portion 
34 of the post 32 as shown in FIG. 3. Note that the recess 56 should face 
inward. At this point, the optional decorative ring 58 may be positioned 
around the cover 50. The internal O-ring 60 will hold the ring 58 in place 
around the cover 50. 
The jamb nut 48 is then fully threaded onto the mounting post 32 as shown 
in FIG. 3. When fully threaded, the jamb nut 48 is located slightly 
outward from, or flush with, the shoulder 40. With the jamb nut 48 engaged 
with the external threads 46, the cover 50 is prevented from sliding off 
the inward end of the mounting post 32 (provided the central opening 52 is 
not larger than the jamb nut 48). 
At this stage of the assembly, the towel bar 10 should be inserted between 
a pair of mounting assemblies 14. Each end of the towel bar 10 is inserted 
into the cavities 38 of opposing mounting balls 36 (FIG. 1). The towel bar 
10 may be glued or otherwise secured within the cavities 38 if desired. A 
pair of wall brackets 16 corresponding to the pair of mounting assemblies 
14 should be spaced apart to properly accept the pair of assemblies 14 
which are spaced apart by the captured towel bar 10. For wall-mounted 
structures not requiring two mounting assemblies 14 (e.g., shelf support 
arm, robe hook, etc.), this step is not required. Further, other 
accessories not requiring two mounting assemblies 14 (e.g., soap and glass 
holders) may be attached to a mounting post after the post has been 
fastened to the wall bracket 16, as will now be described. 
The mounting post 32 (with the cover 50, decorative ring 58 and jamb nut 48 
in place as shown in FIG. 3) is then moved toward the wall bracket 16 so 
that the enlarged head 44 passes through the first hole section 20 of the 
keyhole slot 18. This stage of assembly is illustrated by FIG. 4. The 
larger diameter shoulder 40 (FIG. 3) does not pass through the first hole 
section 20, but instead stops further movement toward the wall 12 (not 
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) as the shoulder 40 abuts the wall bracket 16. 
The mounting post 32 should then be lowered so that the neck 42 slides into 
the second hole section 22 of the keyhole slot 18 (within the retaining 
lip 24). Correspondingly, the enlarged head 44 moves into the pocket 26 
located inward of retaining lip 24. The enlarged head 44 and the shoulder 
40 are thus positioned inward and outward, respectively, of the retaining 
lip 24. 
Jamb nut 48 is then rotated inward on threads 46 to draw the enlarged head 
44 against the inward side of the retaining lip 24 (see FIG. 5). In this 
way, the wall bracket 16 is sandwiched between the enlarged head 44 and 
the jamb nut 48. This pressed engagement prevents the enlarged head 44 
from moving from the pocket 26 to the first hole section 20 of the keyhole 
slot 18. Also, because the bracket 16 is mounted on the wall 12 with the 
first hole portion 20 above the second hole portion 22, gravity tends to 
prevent the enlarged head 44 from moving out of the pocket 26. This design 
further prevents the fasteners 29a, 29b and 29c from coming out of the 
screw holes 19 because they are trapped by the position of the jamb nut 48 
(See FIG. 1). 
The cover 50 (with the attached decorative ring 58) is then slid inward 
along the mounting post 32 into the position as shown in FIG. 1. The cover 
50 can be pressed against the wall 12 and will be held in place due to the 
friction fit caused by the external O-ring 30 of the wall bracket 16. With 
the cover 50 in this position against the wall 12, the bracket 16, 
mounting screws 29a, 29b and 29c and jamb nut 48 are all concealed from 
view within the recess 56 of the cover 50 (See FIGS. 1 and 5). 
The foregoing detailed description has been for the purpose of 
illustration. Thus, a number of modifications and changes may be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For 
example, the wall bracket 16 and cover 50 could be designed in another 
shape, such as a square (with a corresponding modification to the O-ring 
30). Therefore, the invention should not be limited by the specific 
embodiments described, but only by the claims.