Patent Publication Number: US-2007120029-A1

Title: A Modular Wall Mounting Apparatus

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates configurable mounts for electronic devices.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Mounting brackets or “Mud Rings” are used in a variety of settings and locations to mount electronic equipments, e.g., cables, to walls. Prior art mud ring configurations were commonly of a fixed size (usually measured by the number of “Gangs”). Thus, a user must purchase a separate mud ring for each application.  
      Mounting brackets are indispensable because they facilitate installation of electronic equipments without attachment to wall studs. Thus, equipments can be placed practically anywhere on a wall or ceiling as long as one can run the necessary cables to the location. A user needing to mount one cable may cut an opening the size of one-gang for the installation. Standard mounting brackets will usually handle the one-gang opening. However, needing to mount more cables may need to cut other openings in the wall to install other mounting brackets. This becomes aesthetically not pleasing when it is the same type of cable that is being installed.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention is a configurable wall mount bracket. The mount has particular applicability to supporting electronic devices mounted in walls and ceilings. The configurability of the present invention stems from three modular components configured to be couplable together. Thus, the wall mount or mounting bracket is configurable for mounting devices ranging from a small communications connector to large electronic control panels.  
      Other embodiments of the wall mount may be configured to suit virtually any mounting application. For instance, instead of having modular pieces that increase the size by one-gang, the extension pieces may be configured to increase the size by half-gang. In addition, the height of the wall mount may be made configurable by configuring the end plates to accept extension members at the base wall.  
      Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention over the prior art will become apparent from the detailed description of the drawings which follows, when considered with the attached figures. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  is a top view of a two-gang wall mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 1B  is a side view of a wall mount in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1A ; and  
       FIG. 1C  is a front view of a wall mount in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1A ; and  
       FIG. 1D  is a perspective view of a wall mount in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1A ; and  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an end plate member  30  of a configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a flag member  40  of a configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an extension member  50  of a configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an extension member  101  of a configurable wall mount in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a one-gang configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a three-gang configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a four-gang configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention comprises a configurable apparatus for mounting devices, such as electronic equipment, to a support structure. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.  
      In general, the invention is a configurable wall mount. The width of the wall mount is configurable using modular components to a size suitable for the mounting application. Thus, the mount is configurable for mounting devices ranging from a small communications connector to large electronic control panels. In one or more configurations, the mount may be configured for mounting a plurality of communications connectors and other electronic equipments having a height similar to that of the configurable mount.  
      The mount has particular applicability to supporting electronic devices mounted in walls, and as such the mount is sometimes referred to herein as a wall mount, though it will be understood that the mount and method therein have other applicability and thus the descriptor “wall” such as used in the term “wall mount,” is not intended to be limiting.  
      One embodiment of configurable wall mount  20  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5 . As illustrated, configurable wall mount  20  comprises a pair of end plates  30 ; a plurality of locking flags  40  and screws  60 ; and zero or more extension plates (e.g. plate  50  and  101 ) on each side. Each member of configurable wall mount  20  may be made of plastic, metal, or any other structurally capable material.  
      End plate  30  is a u-shape member comprising base  31 , a first leg  32  at one end, and a second leg  33  at the other end. End plate  30  further includes a top face  27  and a bottom face  28 , and a flange  34 , which runs along the entirety of an inside periphery of end plate  30  at said bottom face  28 , and extends outwardly perpendicular from said bottom face  28 . The depth of flange  34  (i.e. extension from bottom surface  28  to the tip  35 ) is preferably equivalent to or less than the thickness of the mounting surface to which wall mount  20  is adapted to be used. For simplicity in manufacturing, it should be noted that the dept of flange  34  may be a standard fixed size.  
      Endplate  30  further comprises a plurality of optional apertures  22  and  25 . Optional aperture  22  is for mounting wall mount  20  to a surface such as a podium or the side of a cabinet, while optional aperture  25  may be used for mounting a face plate. Optional apertures  22  and  25  may also be used to mount an electrical switch or duplex outlet. Preferably, these apertures should line up with holes found in standard electrical back boxes.  
      The free end of first leg  32  is adapted to couple to a structural member with similar configuration as the free end of second leg  33 . In addition, the width of first leg  32  is preferably equivalent to the width of second leg  33 . The first leg  32  further comprises a plurality of apertures  23  and  24 . Aperture  24  is located closer to the free end of first leg  32  and provides means for coupling with other members, e.g., second leg  33  of a second end plate  30  or an extension plate. Aperture  23  is located between base  31  and aperture  24  and provides means for securing flag  40  to end plate  30 . Aperture  23  is integral to slide post  36 .  
      Slide post  36  is coupled to bottom face  28  and extends parallel to flange  34  and ends at tip  29 . Slide post  36  further includes aperture  23  which runs the entirety of its length starting from top face  27  and ends at its tip  29 . Slide post  36  is preferably half-cylindrical in shape and aperture  23  preferably opens up (i.e. includes cutout  27 ) beyond bottom  35  of flange  34  to allow flag  40 , which is secured by screw  60 , to swing away from the mounting surface when screw  60  is turned in its unlocking direction. Thus, aperture  23  provides means through which screw  60  may be used to adjustably lock flag  40  in place.  
      Cutout  27  in slide post  36  allows flag  40  to swing inwards, i.e., towards the inside periphery of end plate  30  to facilitate installation to a mounting surface. Operation of flag  40  during installation is further discussed below.  
      The second leg  33  comprises a plurality of apertures  22 ,  23 ,  25  and  38 . Aperture  38  is located closer to the free end of leg  33  and provides means for coupling with other members, e.g., first leg  32  of a second end plate  30  or one end of an extension plate which is configured for coupling therein (e.g. configured as free end of first leg  32 ). Aperture  23  is located between base  31  and aperture  38  and provides means for securing flag  40  to end plate  30 .  
      Second leg  33  further comprises a second flange  26  and a second slide post  36  which are coupled to bottom face  28  and extend parallel to flange  34 . Second flange  26  is preferably located closer to the outside periphery of the top plate of second leg  33  such that second slide post  36  is located within the bounds created by flange  34  and flange  26 . Second slide post  36  is preferably configured similar to first slide post  36  located on first leg  32 .  
      Aperture  38  is preferably threaded to hold screw  70  in cylinder  39 . Cylinder  39  is coupled to bottom face  28  which is at the free end of second leg  33  and extends outwardly and perpendicular to bottom face  28 . Cylinder  39  further includes a top plate  89 . Thus, aperture  38  runs perpendicular to bottom face  28  starting at top plate  89 . In addition, it should be noted that the free end of first leg  32  is preferably configured to couple to any other structural member having a configuration equivalent to the free end of second leg  33 .  
      Flag  40  comprises a vertical plate section  45 , a cylindrical section  51  that is substantially equal in height to vertical plate section  45  and coupled to one end of vertical plate section  45 , and a foot section  43  (e.g., a flange) coupled to the top of a second end of vertical plate section  45 . Foot section  43  may be serrated at its top face to provide grip when in contact with an inside face of the mounting surface. Cylindrical section  51  further comprises threaded aperture  41  which is configured for holding screw  60 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1C , flag  40  is movably coupled with cylinder  36  using screw  60  such that the top face of its foot section  43  (e.g. serrated surface) faces bottom face  28  of end plate  30 .  
      Flag  40  further comprises flange  46  to provide additional strengthening for plate  45  and foot section  43  to prevent buckling when wall mount  20  is mounted to a support structure.  
      Wall mount  20  further comprises one or more optional extension plates  50  and  101  representing different incremental box sizes. For instance, extension plate  50  may represent a one-gang increase in size for the mounting bracket illustrated herein, while extension plate  101  may represent a two-gang increase. It should be apparent to those of skill in the art that these example sizes are just for illustration purposes only. Also, it should be apparent that the configuration and size of the end plate member and extension plate member is not fixed to those illustrated herein. For instance, the extension plate member may be configured in a variety of sizes to provide the flexibility to further configure the mounting bracket.  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , extension plate  50  is a linear member comprising a first end portion  61  and a second end portion  63 . The thickness and width of extension plate  50  is equivalent to that of first and second leg members  32  and  33 . In addition, first end portion  61  is preferably configured to have identical shape as the free end of first leg  32 . And, second end portion  63  is preferably configured to have identical shape as the free end of second leg portion  33 .  
      Extension plate  50  further includes a top plate having a top face  72  and a bottom face  73 , and a flange  71 , which runs along the entirety of an inside periphery of extension plate  50  at said bottom face  73 , and extends outwardly perpendicular from said bottom face  73 . The depth and thickness of flange  71  (i.e. extension from bottom surface  73  to the tip) is preferably equivalent to the depth and thickness of flange  34  of end plate  30 . In addition, the width of extension plate  50  is preferably equivalent to the width of the legs of end plate  30 .  
      Extension plate  50  comprises a plurality of apertures  62 ,  64 , and optionally  65 . Optional aperture  65  may be used for mounting a face plate to a wall mount configured with extension plate  50  and should preferably line up with holes found in standard electrical back boxes when extension plate  50  is installed as part of wall mount  20 .  
      Extension plate  50  further includes a second flange  69  which runs along the entirety and towards the middle periphery of extension plate  50  at said bottom face  73 , and extends outwardly perpendicular from said bottom face  73 . The depth and thickness of flange  69  (i.e. extension from bottom surface  73  to the tip) is preferably equivalent to the depth and thickness of flange  71 . Flange  69  further runs parallel to flange  71  and is configured to provide additional rigidity for extension member  50 .  
      End portion  61  is adapted to couple to a structural member configured as free end portion of second leg  33  of endplate  30 . End portion  63  is adapted to couple to a structural member configured as free end portion of first leg  32  of endplate  30 . In addition, the width of the top plate of extension plate  50  is preferably equivalent to the width of top plate of the legs of end plate  30 .  
      Aperture  62  is located closer to the end  61  and provides means for coupling with other members, e.g., second leg  33  of end plate  30  or end  63  of a second extension plate. Aperture  64  is located at end  63  and provides means for securing flag  40  to extension plate  50  using screw  60 . Aperture  64  is further integrated into slide post  68 .  
      Slide post  68  is coupled to bottom face  73  and extends parallel to flanges  69 ,  71 . Slide post  68  is preferably configured as slide post  36  of endplate  30 . Thus, slide post  68  includes aperture  64  which runs the entirety of its length starting from top face  72  and ends at the free tip of slide post  68 .  
      Slide post  68  is preferably half-cylindrical in shape and aperture  64  preferably opens up (i.e. includes cutout  72 ) beyond bottom  35  of flange  69  to allow flag  40 , which is secured by screw  60 , to swing away from the mounting surface when screw  60  is turned in its unlocking direction. Thus, aperture  64  provides means through which screw  60  may be used to adjustably lock flag  40  in place.  
      Aperture  66  is preferably threaded to hold screw  70  in cylinder  67  for securing extension plate  50  to any end portion of any member configured similar to first leg  32  of endplate  30 . Cylinder  67  is coupled to the free end of end portion  63  and extends from the bottom face  73  of the top plate of extension member  50 . Preferably, the top of cylinder  67 , which includes a top plate  74 , may not exceed the bottom face  73  of extension member  50 . Since end  61  is configured to mate with any member configured similar to second leg  32  of endplate  30  (e.g. end  63 ), cylinder  67  and its top plate  74  are configured to fit into chamber  75  so that apertures  62 ,  24  line up with aperture  66 ,  38  when extension member  50  is coupled to wall mount  20 .  
       FIG. 5  is an illustration of extension plate member  101 . As illustrated, extension plate member  101  is similar in configuration to extension plate member  50  with the exception that extension plate member  101  is longer and represents a two-gang increase in wall mount  20  when installed. Extension plate member  101  may further include a second mounting hole  65  for faceplates.  
      One configuration of wall mount  20  is illustrated in  FIG. 1D  using the building blocks described herein. As illustrated, two end plates  30  (A,B) are coupled with two extension plates  50  (A,B) and four flags  40  (A,B,C,D) to form wall mounting bracket  20 . The first leg  32 A of the first end plate  30 A is coupled to second end  63  of extension plate  50 B using a first screw  70 A; and the second leg  33 B of the second end plate  30 B is coupled to first end  61  of extension plate  50 B using a second screw  70 B. The first leg  32 B of the second end plate  30 B is coupled to second end  63  of a second extension plate  50 A using a third screw  70 C; and the second leg  33 A of the first end plate  30 A is coupled to first end  61  of the second extension plate  50 A using a fourth screw  70 D. Finally, flags  40  (A,B,C,D) are coupled into guide posts  36  (A,B,C,D) using one screw  60  for each flag.  
      As illustrated in the assembled configuration of  FIGS. 1A-1D , wall mount  20  is ring-shaped, i.e., with an open window  100 , and configured to fit around an opening in a mounting structure, e.g., a wall, a podium, etc. Flange  34  extends into the opening in the mounting surface. A plurality of flags  40  act in combination with bottom face  28  of plate  30  to provide a vise grip thus coupling the mounting bracket  20  to the mounting structure.  
      In operation, a user may cut a rectangular opening in the mounting structure, e.g. a wall, suitable for the mounting task. For instance, the task could be for mounting of a two-gang electrical box. Thus, if the extension plate  50  is configured for one gang increment, then wall mount  20  may be assembled using two end plates  30 , two extension plates  50 , and four flags  40  to obtain a configuration to fit the opening. Wall mount  20  is then placed in the opening with the flags flipped inwards. Finally, tightening of screws  60  rotates the flags outwards so that they are guided through aperture  23  towards the back face  28  until the foot of the flag and the bottom face of end plate  20  form a vise grip on the lip of the mounting structure opening.  
      It will be apparent to those of skill in the arts that using members  30 ,  40 , and any combination of extension members  50  and  101 , wall mount  20  is configurable to virtually any size. For instance,  FIG. 6  is an illustration wherein no extension plate is used to configure wall mount  600 . In such configuration, it may be desirable to only use a pair of flag  40 &#39;s for the mounting task. Also, an embodiment illustrating a three-gang wall mount is shown in  FIG. 7 . In this illustration, the two-gang increase is achieved by using one extension plate  101  instead of two extension plates  50 . Thus, the wall mount is relatively more rigid because it has less members being coupled together than if tow extension plate  50 &#39;s are used.  
      Further, an embodiment illustrating a four-gang configuration is shown in  FIG. 8 . This configuration uses a combination of extension plates  50  and  101 . Thus, any size mounting bracket may be configured using combinations of extension plates  50  and  101 . Also, note that any number of flags  40  may be used for mounting so long as there are available guide posts to handle them.  
      It will be understood that the above described arrangements of apparatus and the method therefrom are merely illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention and many other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.