WALL ANCHOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF INSTALLATION

A wall anchor assembly and method of installing such to a wall assembly, ceiling assembly, door, or other surface. The wall anchor assembly generally includes a thin line anchor which includes a drill guide, a threaded receiver, and a pair of cord holes. A flexible cord is threaded through the cord holes and can be used to position the anchor on the interior face of a wall assembly once a hole is drilled using the drill guide located on the anchor and the anchor has been inserted through the drilled hole. The anchor may be made from cutting a flat bar or stamping, milling, extruding, or molding the anchor from steel, aluminum, or plastic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A typical embodiment of the present invention would be used in a typical building environment. The thin line anchor presented herein could be used to mount elements to plain walls, tiled walls, or vertically oriented surfaces, as well as hollow structures such as doors, ceilings, floors, concrete blocks, or other construction elements. The anchor is used to predrill an insertion hole, and is inserted into the hole such that a threaded rod can be mounted to the anchor.

II. Preferred Embodiment Thin Line Anchor2

FIGS. 1 and 2generally shows a preferred embodiment thin line anchor2with a flexible cord string18threaded through two string holes10located on the generally planar body4of the anchor. The cord string18is generally thin, typically between 1 mm and 3 mm in diameter. A threaded thru hole8including a plurality of threads12and operating as a female opening for receiving a threaded rod or bolt32is located centrally on the body4of the anchor between the two string holes10. The threaded thru hole8may include a raised boss9. The anchor may include raised edges14for additional strength.FIGS. 3-5provide additional clarification of these features.

The anchor2is placed against a wall surface or aligned over the grout between two tiles. The drill guide6is used to drill a thin drilled hole26into the wall or between tiles. Any handheld drill can be used to perform this task. Alternatively, the anchor2could be driven into a structure without pre-drilling by striking the back edge15and piecing the structure with the pointed end16.

The flexible cord string18is looped through the string holes10, and the point16of the anchor2is inserted into the drilled hole26. The ends19of the cord string18are held on one side of the wall surface while the anchor is pushed or hammered through the drilled hole by placing pressure on the back edge15.

The cord string18prevents the anchor2from slipping behind the wall surface. A tug on the cord presses the flat rear face of the anchor body4against the rear face of the wall structure. A threaded rod32can then be slipped through the predrilled hole and threaded into the threaded thru hole8receiver. The mounted element30can be tightened down, thereby pressing a rear face of the mounted element against the front face of the wall structure, and the rear face of the anchor body4against the rear face of the wall structure. This keeps the entire mounting assembly40in place. The cord string18may then be removed by tugging one end19of the string through the assembly until it slides out of the drilled hole26.

FIGS. 6-8demonstrate some of the steps of installing the mounting assembly40to a wall22after the pre-drilled wall hole26has been drilled. As discussed above, the present invention functions by “sandwiching” a wall structure22to create an anchor point. The anchor2is held up to the wall and the drill guide6allows the hole26to be drilled at the location. On a wall containing tiles24, the hole would ideally be drilled at the grout line28as shown inFIG. 6. The flexible cord18is inserted through the string cord holes10, and then the anchor2is driven through the predrilled hole26. As shown inFIGS. 7-8, the threaded bolt32is inserted through wall hole26and threaded into the anchor2. Then the flexible cord18is pulled out and discarded.

FIGS. 9-10show previous steps, whereinFIG. 9shows the drill guide6being lined up over a grout line28. A hole26is drilled, as shown inFIG. 10, and the anchor2is inserted through the hole.

It should be noted that in some cases anchor2may be driven straight through a wall section without the need to pre-drill a hole. The pointed end16of the anchor2can effectively puncture some wall structures.

An alternative anchor102may be formed out of a flat bar. A flat bar may be cut such that each anchor includes two points116. The alternative anchor also includes a generally planar anchor body104, a drill guide slot106, a threaded mounting hole108with threads112, and a pair of cord string holes110.

It is to be understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto and may include various other embodiments and aspects.