Patent Publication Number: US-2005139747-A1

Title: Plain sight hanging

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention concerns a hanging system for hanging pictures, mirrors and other objects so that they may be made level, will resist tilting, be able to be hung on the wall with the wall attachment in plain view, and be able to be locked onto the wall.  
      Hanging a picture with a single cord on a single nail or hanger on the wall is a very unstable system. After the picture is made level it can easily tilt out of level by vibrations or being bumped into. The picture hung in this fashion is a balance system just like a seesaw.  
      When hanging an object on a nail or other support in a wall you have the problem of getting the wire or cord over that support. The nail is usually desired to be behind the picture, so this often requires using your hand to feel blindly behind the picture for the nail and the cord. There is rarely enough room to do this and it becomes a struggle to do this seemingly simple task.  
      Hanging an object so that it cannot fall or be easily removed is another desirable feature. The average person does not usually try to hang pictures in this fashion because of the complexity involved with such systems.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Hanging pictures and other objects with a single wire or cord is the traditional method used for hanging an object onto a wall. The use of a single nail or hook on the wall will have the picture balanced on this hook so that the center of gravity of the object is in the middle of the hook. The object is then a seesaw balanced on a narrow fulcrum and is subject to tilting from everyday vibrations and from incidental contact.  
      There are many ways to overcome this problem; however, none of these uses a single hanging point along with a cord attached to the sides of the frame.  
      The other problem is the placing of the wire or cord onto the nail or hook in the wall. It is desirous to have the nail hidden by the object; therefore it goes behind the object. When placing the object on the nail there is not much space to see behind the object and the wall. The cord just flops and often requires that it be placed on the nail by sticking one hand behind the object and holding the object with the other hand. This is a tricky maneuver that can lead to the dropping of the object.  
      Some products that attempt to meet this problem include those that use a magnet built into a hook and various devices that can shorten the cord after it has been placed on the nail or hook.  
      Hanging a picture so that it is locked onto a wall is usually a complicated or expensive proposition. Several products are available for doing this; however, they either require precise measuring or using products other than a simple cord.  
      There are no products that combine the features of holding the object in a tilt-proof position and allow the object to be easily placed on a nail or anchor, in plain sight, while having the support also hidden by the object when it is made level. There are also no products that use a connected double loop system for locking an object onto a wall.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      This system uses a continuous cord that is fixed in position on each side of an object such as a picture frame. The cord goes through cord holders so that it forms a loop on each side of the object. These connected loops are then used to go over a nail or hook affixed to a wall, thereby supporting the picture. The two loops are elongated so that they go over the top of the object and over the head of a nail or screw that is affixed above the top of the object. Pulling the cord section between the two loops raises the object up so that the nail is out of view behind the object. The cord is pulled down and hooked under a screw fastened to the bottom of the object. The connected loops can then be adjusted by manipulating the object so that it is made level.  
      If it is desired to have the object locked onto the wall support the cord length can be preset to have the loops as tight as possible on the support. This prevents the loops from coming off the support.  
      Other methods of shortening the loops include having an adjustable hook on the bottom of the object, or one or more cord end adjusters on the side of the object.  
      Additionally, because the loops extend beyond the top of the object they can be attached to a support that is then anchored to the wall. This locks the object onto the wall and prevents it from falling or being easily removed.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a back elevational view looking from a wall surface to the back of a rectangular object hung level on a screw above the top of the object.  
       FIG. 2  is a back elevational view looking from a wall surface to the back of a rectangular object being hung on a screw below the top of the object.  
       FIG. 3  is a back elevational view looking from a wall surface to the back of a rectangular object hung on a support screw with a bottom cord tightening hook on the bottom of the object.  
      ( FIG. 4 —Deleted) 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The embodiments presented are representative of a hanging system that can be used with various types and sizes of objects; such as is picture frames, mirrors, plaques, etc. Each embodiment utilizes a continuous cord that has two connected loops that go onto any type of wall support. The connected loops can be adjusted while the object is on the support so that the object can be made level. The combined length of the connected loops can be adjusted after being placed on the support so that the object can be raised to cover the wall support. Additionally, when an object is hung on a wall support such as a protruding nail or screw the loops can be shortened to the point where they will not be able to fit over the head and are effectively locked onto the wall.  
      With reference to  FIG. 1  through ( 4 )  3  in which like numerals represent like parts,  FIG. 1  shows a rectangular object  1  held level by protruding screw (nail)  2  with screw (nail)  2  above the top of the object. The object has cord holders  4  &amp;  5  affixed to the right and left sides by screws  6  and  7 . Cord  8  is knotted and goes through hole  13  in cord holder  5 , then it goes over screw (nail)  2  in wall  12  and goes down through hole  14  in cord holder  5  forming loop  9 . From hole  14  it goes across as connecting and vertical positioning cord section  17  to hole  15  in cord holder  4 . It then goes over screw (nail)  2  in wall  12  and back down through hole  16  in cord holder  4  where it is knotted at  11  and forms loop  10 . Protruding screw  18  is affixed to the bottom of object  1  and is ready to hold an extended cord section  17 .  
      Loops  9  and  10  can be adjusted by sliding the cord through the inside holes  14  and  15  of cord holders  4  and  5 . The cord also slides over screw (nail)  2  as the loops are adjusted to make the object level. Once leveled the weight of the object on screw (nail)  2 , and holes  14  and  15 , creates a frictional holding force to keep the object from going out of the level position.  
      After placing the object  1  onto the support screw  2  it is raised up to the desired position by pulling cord section  17  down and placing it over screw  18  on the bottom of object  1 .  
       FIG. 2  shows a rectangular object  1 ′ being hung onto support screw (nail)  2 ′. The loops  9 ′ and  10 ′ have been (are adjusted) shortened by pulling cord section  17 ′ down and placing it over screw head ( 18 )  18 ′. This action (changes) shortens the cord loops  9 ′ and  10 ′ so that support screw  2 ′ is now behind the object  1 ′. After being placed on screw ( 18 )  18 ′ the object  1 ′ is then leveled by pulling on it so that cord  8 ′ slides through holes  14 ′ and  15 ′, and over screws (screw)  2 ′ &amp; ( 18 )  18 ′. This sliding action adjusts loops  9 ′ and  10 ′ and makes object  1 ′ level. As one loop gets longer the other loop gets shorter.  
      When the object  1 ′ is placed in the configuration shown on  FIG. 2 , the height of the object  1 ′, relative to the support screw  2 ′, is established by the overall length of cord  8 ′. This cord length is determined by the location of the knot  11 ′ in the cord  8 ′. The knot  11 ′ is set before hanging the object  1 ′ on the support screw  2 ′. Knot  11 ′ can be made so that the cord  8 ′ is taught when cord section  17 ′ is placed over screw  18 ′. In this case loops  9 ′ and  10 ′ are firmly around screw  2 ′ and the object  1 ′ is locked onto the screw  2 ′.  
       FIG. 3  shows a rectangular object  1 ″ being hung on screw  2 ″. The loops  9 ″ and  10 ″ are held taught by cord section  17 ″ being placed under adjusting hook  19  on screw  20  and hook  19  screwed down toward the bottom of object  1 ″. Screw  20  is through a hole in hanger body  21  that is fastened to the bottom of the object  1 ″ by screws  22 A &amp;  22 B. The shortening of cord loops  9 ″ &amp;  10 ″ is accomplished by turning screw  20  so that hook  19  moves down and locks the object  1 ′ onto support screw  2 ″. The object cannot be removed from the wall yet can still be made level by the sliding action of the cord.  
      ( FIG. 4  shows a rectangular object  1 ′″ being hung on screw  2 ′″. The loops  9 ′″ and  10 ′″ are held taught on the left side by movable hook assembly  25  and on the left side by ball-chain holder  26  having knotted cord  8 ′″ manually pulled down and secured in it.)  
      While the invention has been described above with respect to certain embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.