Patent Publication Number: US-2020277982-A1

Title: Attachment device

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/006,286, entitled Attachment Device and filed on Jun. 12, 2018, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     The present disclosure is related to an attachment device, more particularly, to an attachment device for securement to a piece of expanded metal or the like. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Expanded metal, fence systems and the like are widely used as structural components, to form enclosures and secured areas, etc. It may be desired to attach a component to such expanded metal or fence systems. However, existing attachment devices for coupling to such expanded metal or fence systems are not sufficiently easy to install, and/or are not sufficiently robust. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, this disclosure is directed to an attachment system which can be quickly, easily and robustly attached to expanded metal, fence systems or the like. The attachment device can include an opening or other securement structure such that other items can thereby be coupled to the expanded metal, fence systems or the like. More particularly, in one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a system including an attachment device having a generally flat plate having a securement structure, and two hooks movably coupled to the plate. A base end of each hook is spaced apart by a natural number multiple of a hook spacing distance, and the hook spacing distance is between about 1¾ inches and about 2¼ inches, or is between about 2¾ inches and about 3¼ inches. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is front view of one embodiment of an attachment device; 
         FIG. 1A  is a front view of another embodiment of an attachment device; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the attachment device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is perspective view of the attachment device of  FIG. 1 , shown coupled to a piece of expanded metal; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the attachment device of  FIG. 1 , shown coupled to a piece of expanded metal; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a hook usable in the attachment device of  FIGS. 1-4 , with a relatively small angle at its distal end; and 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of another hook usable in the attachment device of  FIGS. 1-4 , with a relatively large angle at its distal end. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , in one embodiment the device  10  includes a generally flat plate  12  having a generally triangular shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the plate  12  is generally shaped as an isosceles triangle (more particularly, a non-equilateral isosceles triangle). The plate  12  has a securement structure  14  positioned adjacent to a vertex corner of the triangle, and a pair of hook openings  16  positioned adjacent to a base edge of the triangle, at or adjacent to the remaining corners. The device  10  can further include a pair of hooks  18 , where each hook  18  is received through an associated hook opening  16 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the vertex corner of the plate triangle is rounded, and the other two corners are truncated to avoid sharp corners and provide improved strength and durability to the plate  12 . However, it should be understood that the plate  12  can take any of a wide variety of shapes beyond that shown herein, including shapes other than generally triangular, such as squares, rectangles, circles, irregular and regular polygons, and irregular shapes, as desired. 
     The plate  12  can be made of a variety of materials, but in one embodiment is made of metal, such as stainless steel, but could also be made of plastics, composites, etc. that are sufficiently strong and durable to provide the functionality set forth herein. The plate  12  can have a variety of thicknesses, less than about one-quarter inch in one case, and about one-eighth of an inch in one particular case, and greater than about one sixteenth of an inch in another case. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the securement structure  14  takes the form of an opening  20  entirely formed/positioned in the plate  12  such the entire outer perimeter of the opening  20  is surrounded by remaining material of the plate  12 . However, the securement structure  14  can take any of a variety of other shapes or structures including, for example, an opening that intersects the outer perimeter of the plate  12  to form a pair of opposed gripping hooks. Moreover, the securement structure  14  can take various other forms, such as a hook passed through another opening or welded to the plate  12 , an arm or bar coupled to the plate  12 , etc. 
     Each hook  18  can be generally “S” shaped having a base end  22  received through the plate  12 /hook opening  16 , a free, distal end  24 , and a middle portion  26  positioned between the base end  22  and the distal end  24  along a serpentine length of the hook  18 . The junction between the base end  22  and the middle portion  26 , and between the distal end  24  and the middle portion  26 , may each be curved, while the remainder of the base end  22 , distal end  24  and middle portion  26  can be straight or generally straight. The base end  22  of each hook  18  may form an angle A ( FIG. 2 ) with the middle portion  26  that is relatively sharp, such as about 35° or more in one case. The angle A should be sufficiently large such that the gap between the end of base end  22  and the middle portion  26  is relatively small (e.g. smaller than the thickness of the plate  12  in one case) so that the hook  18  is permanently and non-removably secured to the plate  12 . However the base end  22  should still be relatively loosely coupled to the plate  12 , and allow some clearance, so that each hook  18  is movable relative to the plate  12 . In particular each hook  18  may be movably secured to the plate  12  such that each hook  18  can be pivoted around multiple axes and positioned relative to the plate  12  in multiple orientations and angles so that the hooks  18  can be arranged in the desired configuration. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the distal end  24  of each hook can form an angle B with the middle portion  26 , and in some cases the angle B is smaller (e.g. less than about 25 degrees in one case or less than about 35 degrees in another case), and not as sharp, as the angle A. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the distal end  24  of the hook  18  is generally parallel with the middle portion  26 , and forms an angle B of zero. In other embodiments, for example shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the angle B the base end  24  forms with the middle portion  26  varies between about 25° ( FIG. 5 ) and about −65° ( FIG. 6 ). The angle B of the distal end  24  should be selected such that the hook  18  can be easily secured to a piece of material  30  (as described in greater detail below) and retained in place, and is also relatively easily removed, but is not so large as to be inadvertently removed from the piece of material  30  during use. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the attachment structure  10  is configured to be secured or attached to a piece of material  30 , such as a piece of expanded metal material in the illustrated embodiment. The piece of material  30  can have a plurality of regularly-spaced openings  32  formed therein, which are generally diamond-shaped (with flattened corners at  2  corners thereof) in the illustrated embodiment. The openings  32  of the piece of material and/or the geometric center of the openings  32  can have a consistent spacing (in a single or lateral (left-to-right direction, as shown), and/or in the opposite longitudinal direction) of a distance C ( FIG. 4 ) which is termed herein an opening-spacing distance, or hook-spacing distance. In one embodiment, the opening-spacing distance/hook-spacing distance C is between about one and three-quarter inches and about two and one-quarter inches, and is about two inches in one particular case. In another embodiment, the opening-spacing distance/hook-spacing distance C is between about two and three-quarter inches and about three and one-quarter inches, and is about three inches in one particular case. In yet another case, the distance C can be between about one and three-quarter inches and about three and one-quarter inches. However, the distance C can be varied as desired and depending upon the nature of the piece of material  30 . 
     The hook openings  16 , and/or base ends of the hooks  18 , and/or portions of the hooks  18  where received through the hook openings  16 , can be spaced apart by a natural number (e.g. one, two, three, four, etc.) multiple of the distance C. Thus, for example in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the hook openings  16  of the hooks  18  are spaced apart, by a multiple of two, of the distance C. By spacing the hooks  18  apart by a natural number of multiple of the distance C, the hooks  18  can be easily secured to the piece of material  30 . 
     In order to secure the attachment device  10  to the piece of expanded metal material  30 , each hook  18  is passed through an opening  32  of the material  30  such that a middle portion  26  of each hook  18  extends through one opening  32 , and the distal end  24  of each hook  18  extends through another, adjacent opening  32 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Once the attachment device  10  is secured in place, a strap, loop, rope, cord, hook or other component  33  can be passed through the securement structure  14 . In this manner, the attachment device  10  is securely held in place and can be used to anchor ropes, cords, cables, tools and other components to the piece of expanded metal material  30  or the like. 
     The illustrated embodiment shows the attachment device  10  with two hooks  18 . However, the attachment device  10  can have additional hooks  18 , and in one embodiment each additional hook  18  is spaced apart from the other hooks  18  by a natural number of multiple of the distance C. In one particular embodiment as shown in  FIG. 1A , a third or supplemental hook  18  can be positioned in the middle of the plate  12  of  FIGS. 1-4 , adjacent the base edge and equidistant between the two illustrated hooks  18 . The use of this third, additional hook  18  can provide additional strength during attachment, but if desired can be omitted for materials savings and/or ease of operation. Additional hooks  18 , at various locations, can be utilized if desired. 
     Although the invention is shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it should be clear that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, and the present invention includes all such modifications.