Anchoring devices

An anchor useful for attaching articles to a member of predetermined width including a support section, a pair of arms extending from the support section, each arm extending to an end away from the support section, a retainer at each of the ends of the arms being affixed so that as the arms are pushed onto a member of predetermined width, the retainers force the pair of arms apart and when the arms are pulled off the member of predetermined width, the retainers tend to grip the member of predetermined width, where the arms are spaced apart from one another by a distance substantially equal to the width of the member of predetermined width, where the retainers define a plane with which the retainers are substantially aligned, where the retainers extend toward each other and toward the support section such that when viewed from a line of sight perpendicular to the plane formed by the retainers, the angles formed by each of the retainers and each of the respective arms is substantially acute and the arms are substantially parallel, and where the contact point of the retainers with the member of predetermined width when the arms are pushed onto and around a member of predetermined width is such that the contact point when viewed from a line of sight perpendicular to the plane formed by the retainers includes a lower wall which extends away from the support section and an upper wall which extends away from the support section and away from the other retainer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to devices useful for fastening or 
attaching articles to members with a predetermined width and more 
particularly, concerns an anchor which is useful to attach a support 
section for different articles to members of predetermined widths such as 
studs, joists, or the like. 
It is often necessary to fasten articles such as pipes, conduits, clothes 
lines, shelves or the like to studs or joists found in homes or 
businesses. One of the problems in attaching such articles is the 
awkwardness of the area in which one has to work. Thus, one finds that 
they usually have to use a stool or ladder to reach to attach the articles 
or that the space with which they have to work is restricted by adjacent 
joists, studs, heating ducts or other obstructions. In the past, nails or 
other tacking type devices have been used. In particular, a pipe hanger 
which comprises two nail-like portions connected at right angles to a 
U-shaped bracket which holds the pipe when the nail-like portions are 
hammered into the stud. A disadvantage of this type of pipe hanger is that 
it is often quite difficult to nail the nail-like portions of the bracket 
to the stud due to confined space, moreover, the nail-like portions may 
often loosen or pull away from the stud. Quite commonly, such pipe hanging 
brackets also fail to support the pipe along its entire length, since once 
they are nailed into the stud, it is difficult to remove them and raise or 
lower them as desired. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,439,302 to J. O. Erickson, a 
hook is shown which comprises a complicated two piece construction coupled 
with a coil spring which is unsuitable for use on ceiling joist to support 
verticle loads and was designed for only wall hooks. Similarly, in U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,015,809 to Buril, a hanger which provides for hanging devices 
from wall studs, utilized a two piece construction and still requires 
nailing to attach the device to a stud. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,784,144 to 
Ollinger, et al; and 3,809,358 to Hazeley, show ceiling system suspension 
clips and runners which are used for specific purposes of attaching 
ceiling tile to a ceiling but are quite limited in their versatility and 
do not provide the flexibility and advantages of the instant invention. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a simple, 
self-contained, durable one-piece anchor useful for fastening articles to 
members whether aligned vertically, horizontally or at any angle. A 
further object is to provide an installation procedure that is simple, 
quick and easy with no preliminary installation preparations required and 
which avoids the necessity of fasteners such as nails or screws. A still 
further object is to provide an installation procedure which can be 
performed without tools of any kind. 
Another object is to provide a positive anchor which is capable of 
supporting large weights, but also allowing easy adjustment of the anchor, 
including reusability. A related object is to provide a pair of anchors 
which will allow attachment of pipes or conduit to a specific joist so 
that the pipe may intersect the joist at any angle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, an anchor useful for attaching articles 
to a member of predetermined width includes a support section, a pair of 
arms extending from the support section, each arm extending to an end away 
from the support section, a retainer at each of the ends of the arms being 
affixed so that as the arms are pushed onto a member of predetermined 
width, the retainers force the pair of arms apart and when the arms are 
pulled off the member of predetermined width, the retainers tend to grip 
the member of predetermined width, where the arms are spaced apart from 
one another by a distance substantially equal to the width of the member 
of predetermined width, where the retainers define a plane with which the 
retainers are substantially aligned, where the retainers extend toward 
each other and toward the support section such that when viewed from a 
line of sight perpendicular to the plane formed by the retainers, the 
angles formed by each of the retainers and each of the respective arms is 
substantially acute and the arms are substantially parallel, and where the 
contact point of the retainers with the member of predetermined width when 
the arms are pushed onto and around a member of predetermined width is 
such that the contact point when viewed from a line of sight perpendicular 
to the plane formed by the retainers includes a lower wall which extends 
away from the support section and an upper wall which extends away from 
the support section and away from the other retainer. 
The support section may have circular or semicircular portion of other 
desired configuration. In one embodiment, the support section may be 
substantially aligned within the plane defined by the retainers. 
In a preferred embodiment, the support section defines a plane which is 
substantially aligned with the support section and is offset from the 
plane defined by the retainers by 45.degree. clockwise or 
counter-clockwise. The clockwise or counter-clockwise configurations are 
necessary in order to allow attachment of pipes or the like at any angle 
relative to the member of predetermined width such as a joist, while 
providing positive contact with the pipe or the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
In FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown an anchor 10 constructed in accordance 
with the principles of the instant invention. Anchor 10 comprises a 
support section 11, extending from approximately point 11A to 
approximately point 11B. An arm 12A and an arm 12B extend from support 
section 11 and have an end 13A and an end 13B away from support section 
11, respectively on arm 12A and 12B. 
A retainer 14A and a retainer 14B are attached at respective end 13A and 
end 13B of arm 12A and arm 12B. Stud 15 is shown in section and phantom 
representations of anchor 10 as it is attached to stud 15 are shown. Thus, 
anchor 10 is positioned so that retainers 14A and 14B surround a corner of 
stud 15 and as the user pushes anchor 10 in the direction of arrow C so 
that it goes from position 1A shown originally to phantom position 1B and 
then to phantom position 1C where anchor 10 is pushed onto and around stud 
15 as far as possible. In the position 1D, retainer 14A and retainer 14B 
are shown as they have entered into stud 15 at an intermediate position 
between the bottom 15A of stud 15 on the side of stud 15. As can be seen, 
anchor 10 may be attached at any position intermediate between the bottom 
15A of stud 15 and the phantom position 1C. The distance D between arm 12A 
and arm 12B is substantially equal to the width W of stud 15. This 
relationship allows arm 12A to be forced away from arm 12B by respective 
retainer 14A and retainer 14B as anchor 10 and the arms 12A and 12B are 
pushed onto and around stud 15. The forcing apart of arm 12A and arm 12B 
creates a tension which causes retainers 14A and retainer 14B to tend to 
grip stud 15 as anchor 10 is pulled off stud 15. 
As seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, retainer 14A and retainer 14B are 
substantially aligned in the same plane and define a plane P. In FIG. 1, 
plane P is substantially the same plane as the surface of the drawing. In 
FIG. 1, when viewed from a line of sight perpendicular to the sheet of 
drawings or plane P, the axis 14AC of retainer 14A and the axis 12AC of 
arm 12A intersect to form a substantially acute angle and, moreover, arms 
12A and 12B are substantially parallel to one another. 
In phantom position 1C, each of retainers 14A and 14B have a contact point 
16A and 16B, respectively, which contact stud 15. Thus, when anchor 10 is 
pushed onto and around stud 15 and viewed from a line of sight 
perpendicular to plane P, there is a lower wall 17A and a lower wall 17B 
of retainer 14A and retainer 14B, respectively, which extend away from 
support section 11. From contact points 16A and 16B respectively, an upper 
wall 18A and upper wall 18B on the respective retainers 14A and 14B extend 
from the point of contact with stud 15 at contact points 16A and 16B 
respectively, away from support section 11 and away from the other 
retainer. The construction of the retainers in this manner allows each 
retainer to penetrate a stud 15, when constructed of wood, quite readily. 
This happens, since the fibers of the wood generally run perpendicular to 
the sectional area of stud 15 (also, perpendicular to plane P), allowing 
the retainer of each respective arm to enter and firmly grip stud 15 by 
merely separating the fibers of the wood rather than cutting the fibers. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, support section 11 comprises a ring 
portion 19 which has attached flat portions 19A and 19B which extend 
outward to arms 12A and 12B respectively. A support section 11 constructed 
in accordance with ring portion 19 allows support of articles which have 
hooks or pipes which will fit through the inside diameter of ring portion 
19 and, if the pipe's outer diameter is smaller than the inside diameter 
of ring portion 19, allow for a large degree of adjustment through ring 
portion 19. 
In FIGS. 4 through 6, still another anchor constructed in accordance with 
the instant invention is shown. Anchor 40 includes a support section 41 
which is connected at its opposite ends to arms 42A and 42B which have 
respective ends 43A and 43B. At respective ends 43A and 43B, are connected 
a retainer 44A and retainer 44B. Retainer 44A has contact point 46A and 
retainer 44B has contact point 46B. Retainer 44A additionally has lower 
wall 47A and upper wall 48A. Retainer 44B has a lower wall 47B and an 
upper wall 48B. Retainers 44A and 44B define a plane R as shown in FIG. 5 
and FIG. 6. Similar to anchor 10, anchor 40 when viewed from a sight line 
perpendicular to plane R will show arm 42A and arm 42B substantially 
parallel, as seen FIG. 4 where the surface of the drawing is substantially 
the same plane as plane R. Likewise, arms 42A and 42B are displaced a 
distance D which is substantially equal to the width of the member of 
predetermined width. Also, the axis 42AC of arm 42A and the axis 44AC of 
retainer 44A will form substantially an acute angle opening toward support 
section 41. Similarly, upper walls 48A and 48B will extend from contact 
points 46A and 46B away from support section 41 and also away from the 
other retainer. Also, lower walls 47A and 47B will extend from contact 
points 46A and 46B away from support section 41. The plane which is 
defined by support section 41 within which support section 41 is 
substantially aligned will form a substantially 45 degree angle at the 
intersection with plane R when viewed from the ends with the retainers as 
seen in FIG. 6. This allows a pipe shown by phantom lines 6A to be 
fastened to a member of predetermined width or stud allowing it 90 degrees 
of freedom. Anchor 70 in FIG. 7 with support section 71 at a 45 degree 
angle to plane S, the plane defined by the retainers, allows a pipe to be 
attached to a stud so that it can have 90 degrees of freedom of rotation 
in the opposite manner to an anchor constructed according to that shown in 
FIG. 6. Thus, by having a pair of anchors one similar to that shown in 
FIG. 7 and one similar to that shown in FIG. 6, one may fasten a pipe at 
any angle relative to a given stud. This is accomplished by having the 
plane defined by the support section be displaced 45.degree. clockwise or 
counter-clockwise to the plane defined by the retainers when viewed along 
the axis of intersection of the two planes. 
Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the 
invention, an anchor that fully satisfies the objects, aims, and 
advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in 
conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many 
alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those 
skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it 
is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations 
as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.